First Tilt - Ten Tips for Preparing for Regionals

TEN TIPS FOR PREPARING FOR REGIONALS

Welcome back to First Tilt, a column dedicated to helping new players learn the strategies that will help them win the Game of Thrones. If this is your first time reading this column, we recommend you start with the New Player’s FAQwhich addresses many common questions and provides links to a wide variety of great articles and resources.

Regionals season is upon us, and many of you out there are old hands at this. But for many others, this might be the first time attending a regional event. While the term “regional” can seem a bit odd in some cases, with some regions of the country/world getting 2-3 such events, while other regions get none, just think of it like NCAA basketball--each regional is like a conference, so winning a regional means you’ve won your conference and can now play in the big tournament--the World Championships.*

*(Well, you and and possibly anyone willing to fly to Worlds, since participation at Worlds has not been limited to regionals winners. Winning a regional used to give you a bye in the first round at Worlds, though it's unclear whether a bye will again be granted this year, given the large number of regionals. Traditionally, it’s been like being a number one seed that gets to skip the first round, but can find itself facing formerly vanquished opponents who come to Worlds for another shot.)

So, for those of you new to this, here are ten tips for getting ready for regionals:

1) Show up! You can’t win if you don’t play. Not attending means you have a 100% chance of not winning. Showing up means you have a 99% chance of at least having fun. Look for regionals events near you at the FFG website. And while you’re looking for AGoT events, keep in mind that other FFG games also have regionals, so maybe you’ll find a few other events to go to while you’re looking! Also, if you haven't done so already, check out the excellent interactive Regional Map right here on this site!

If you’re hesitant because you’re new and don’t think you have the cards/decks/skill to compete, keep in mind that some of the smaller metas might not see many players show up to a regional event, and so there is a good chance of doing well enough to score some loot since there is prize support for the top sixteen spots. In some areas, just by showing up you might already be a top finisher!

2) Show up more than once! If your area is hosting multiple events, there is no rule prohibiting you from attending all of them. Look through the events listing carefully, but don’t just look for your town--look for everything in your state, and nearby states (or countries if you're in Europe), and plan out which ones you can make it to!

3) Logistics. It wins wars, and it can help you win card game tournaments. Where are you staying the night before? Where are you eating breakfast the day of? Will there be a break for lunch, or should you pack something? Is there good parking near the venue? What’s the entry fee? How many rounds? How many people will break to the final rounds? Oh, and did you sleeve your cards?

4) Know The Rules. Yes, sleeving your cards is a critical part of preparing a tournament. Why? Because it’s in the rules. If you didn’t know that, you would be out before you even started. So you have to read them. And read them carefully.
Make sure you know the restricted list well and that your deck is in compliance. Read over the errata so you don’t find yourself thinking you have a great combo only to be disappointed on game day when an opponent corrects you. Make sure you understand the action windows and game terminology.

There’s a scene in Season 2 of the television series of Game of Thrones where Littlefinger is talking to Cersei. “Knowledge is power,” Littlefinger says. Then Cersei orders her guards to kill Littlefinger, but stops them right before they do so.

“Power is power,” Cersei responds, having displayed her control over the guards and over Littlefinger's life.

Well, they’re both right. Your powerful deck may be capable of crushing all opponents, but if you didn’t read the rules and include too many restricted cards, you’ll get booted, and your lack of knowledge will render your powerful deck worthless. Tip: bring along a copy of the core rules as well as of the most current FAQ (iPads/mobile devices are great for doing this and saving yourself on printing costs). You should always call over the TO when a dispute arises, but having the rules ready can speed up the resolution process. And do rely on your TOs--when in doubt, or when you don’t know a rule, call over the tournament organizer and have them resolve disputes. There are a lot of nuances to the rules in this game, so while you should always be cordial to your opponents, don’t hesitate to verify that their knowledge is accurate. Likewise, don’t be offended if your opponents don’t take your word on a rule and call over the TO--that’s what TOs are there for, and it’s part of the game.

5) Netdeck. Despite its many naysayers, “netdecking” can be a valuable tool for preparing for tourneys. Go to the CardGameDB forums, scan tournament reports, and review recent front page articles to catch up on the current trends in deck design. Mimic the top decks, rebuild them if you have the card pool (or test them out online), and play with them. In this way you will get a feel for how these decks work, what the “tells” are in terms of plots and card plays, and what weaknesses each deck has.

6) Don’t Netdeck. Had fun playing with your top tier Targ Burn or Greyjoy choke deck? Good, now chuck it and build anew. Ok, you don’t have to chuck the whole thing, but definitely modify the deck and throw in new and unexpected cards. Because guess what? Your opponents will have also read up on the top decks, and will know exactly what to expect if you don’t change it up. Or maybe they’ll even be playing netdecks themselves, and in a mirror match it’ll be the differences that can put your over the top. Regardless, if you go up against experienced opponents who are up to date on deck tech, you will immediately appreciate having the element of surprise to give you the edge. And when you win, be sure to give credit to the person who came up with the deck that inspired yours!

7) Play Carefully. At a tournament, mistakes can cost you big time. Try to play a few casual games with friends or online ahead of the tourney, wherein you play as if it the game is occurring during an actual tourney, to train yourself to play carefully and deliberately, and so that you can catch yourself on any mistakes you have a tendency to make in a casual environment. For example, I have a tendency to just plop down cards into play during the marshalling phase and then go through how I am paying for them. Well, guess what happened when I played Respect of the Old Gods (LoW) and plopped down a set of Stark characters that were led by a Bolton Refugee (RoW)?

Yeah, I had a zero cost refugee who now cost me... -2. Not awesome, and lesson learned.

8) Be Courteous. This one goes without saying, but remember to be nice. You’ll find a range of player backgrounds and personalities, and while it is a competitive tournament, it is also a game, so the main point is still to have fun. You might find kids playing, total newbies, relatives/friends with no knowledge of the game who tagged along and entered, etc. Be nice to everyone, and remember that for some people, this could be their first time interacting with the larger AGoT community, so you are a representative of sorts. Remember you are all there for the same reason: to play this game we all enjoy. Mistakes will happen, but be nice and play fair and you’ll hopefully find it to be a great experience regardless of how well you do.

9) Write About It. Once the tourney is done, post up the results and your observations here in the forums. Just as you have found the writings of others to be a resource about deck building and game playing, so too will others find your write up enlightening. It will also provide data to the larger community (and, by extension, to FFG) about what decks are doing great, what houses are being neglected, what regions are having big tournaments, etc. By coming to CardGameDB you are benefitting from a community of knowledge--be generous and share your knowledge back with the rest of us!

10) Have fun! In the literary Game of Thrones, you “win or you die.” In this card game, you win or you lose, but either way, you keep your head. So have fun, enjoy the tournament(s), make some friends, then come back and share your stories!

And speaking of having fun, one more bonus tip to ensure you avoid a frustrating tournament...

11) Play the deck you're familiar with! If you suddenly lose confidence in your deck, do not make massive changes the day before (or the day of). Or, worse, don't decide to play an entirely different deck the day of the tournament. Stick with the deck you've been testing and give it your all. Just ask doulos2k. He lost confidence in his deck the night before the tourney and built a new one the morning of the tourney and the deck just fell flat. Why? Because he didn't have time to test the deck's consistency.