Help Trying to prepare for regional. Losing my head.

[Merovingian]

I’m going to the regional next month. I’ve been trying to prepare and play test like crazy in preparation for it. Except I’m now convinced that nothing I have built will work at all and I’ll be a nervous wreck and just not enjoy the experience overall. I mean, I just went to a tournament on saturday. 3 rounds, Bo1. I was nauseous by the end of it.

What do I even do?

 

[Asmer]

First, take a deep breath and ask yourself this: Why am I going to this next event? Is my goal to win it? Is my goal to see where I am at skill level-wise? Am I doing this for the experience? Of course, you can have more than one answer, but focus in on the answer(s) to that question.

Now, after you've figured that out... relax. The chances of you winning are small. That goes for all players, including pros. Your aim should always be to do the best you can, but do come to realize that it's not likely that you're going to win it all.

With that all said... play the deck you know and enjoy best. Play the deck that you feel you make the least mistakes with. Pokemon is one of those games that, while it does indeed have a meta, seems to have a large number of decks that can win.

So, tl;dr, breathe, relax, play what you find the most comfortable, and do your best to not worry about wins and losses. Trust in the work and effort you've put in thus far and learn from any mistakes you make from this point forward (and you will make them... we all do).

-Asmer

 

[VioletValkyrie]

I don't talk a lot about tournaments. So here goes. ​

Enjoy yourself. That's always the most important part. I enjoy Regionals because they give me an opportunity to see people who don't live close to me, I enjoy the experience of travelling to new places and the opportunity for photos of places and people, and I enjoy the experience of playing a game I love. Find those things that you really appreciate about the experience, and when you're talking with someone about a close game you just played or talking with friends about whatever you want, just stop and realize "I'm having a good time, I'm enjoying myself and doing something fun with people I enjoy being with.", that's the biggest part of any Regionals for me.

It's important to understand that you shouldn't have to do well at a tournament to enjoy it. If you feel pressured and you're thinking "I’ll be a nervous wreck and just not enjoy the experience overall.", I won't lie, that's hurt me in the past over losing games that really shouldn't have affected me that negatively. Having results is really nice for whatever tournaments you go to, but even as an incredibly competitive player you have to realize you're not going to do well and every event, you're going to do terrible at some and that's okay. If you crash and burn with a 0-X record, play a terrible deck, and make a lot of misplays, even at the end you'll have a story to tell about "That Regionals you did so bad at" that you're comparing with other Regionals. When you win a Regionals, you'll look back at that kind of tournament and think "I started there, but I've ended up here. I'm a better player now."

I think it's also very important to have the mindset of just going in to play the game you enjoy, just as if you were going into a local league to play at a small tournament, only just devoting the whole day to it rather than a Saturday afternoon, for example. You'll walk into the venue and see hundreds of people, but you'll only be playing 1 person for each round you play. If it helps, you don't even really have to think about them.

Make your Regionals an experience you won't forget. Especially your first. You wouldn't be going if you didn't want to, nervous or not. Have fun, play a deck you enjoy, and take the best you can out of it.

Good luck!

 

[VioletValkyrie]

First, take a deep breath and ask yourself this: Why am I going to this next event? Is my goal to win it? Is my goal to see where I am at skill level-wise? Am I doing this for the experience? Of course, you can have more than one answer, but focus in on the answer(s) to that question.

Now, after you've figured that out... relax. The chances of you winning are small. That goes for all players, including pros. Your aim should always be to do the best you can, but do come to realize that it's not likely that you're going to win it all.

With that all said... play the deck you know and enjoy best. Play the deck that you feel you make the least mistakes with. Pokemon is one of those games that, while it does indeed have a meta, seems to have a large number of decks that can win.

So, tl;dr, breathe, relax, play what you find the most comfortable, and do your best to not worry about wins and losses. Trust in the work and effort you've put in thus far and learn from any mistakes you make from this point forward (and you will make them... we all do).

-Asmer

Though I couldn't have said this better. Everything @Asmer said is great advice.

 

[Lord Goomy]

Okay, calm down. I’m no therapist or anything, but I’ll try to help:
First, cool your jets. You have just over a month to prepare. That’s plenty of time. Going every weekend to a league to test said deck is enough. You don’t have to test it any more than that.
Second, I’m going to said regionals too, and I’m shaken too. You are not alone.
If you can’t find a good deck you want to play, play your favorite deck. If you like playing, say, Tapu Koko GX, then play that. An old friend once listed to me the ten deck building commandments; the first one was: Play to have fun, try to win. Good philosophy right there.
So:
1 Cool your jets.
2 Stop playtesting so much.
3 You are not alone.
4 Play a fun deck if nothing works.

Yeah, it’s nothing like @Asmer or @VioletValkyrie said, but I’m trying.

 

[The Last Shaymin]

I go to reigonals too.

I, however, dont rally get shaken up.

Try to look at your deck.

flip a card over and try to guess what that card is.

do this multiple times, its oddly calming...

 

[Asmer]

Though I couldn't have said this better. Everything @Asmer said is great advice.

As much as I love my ego being stroked (and trust me, I do), I feel like your advice was, at minimum, just as good. Well said, Valk. xP

...still, we'll call it a draw.

<3

-Asmer

 

[Merovingian]

All right. Thanks for everyone replying. Started playtesting a completely new deck and I fell like I'm getting back on track.

First, take a deep breath and ask yourself this: Why am I going to this next event? Is my goal to win it? Is my goal to see where I am at skill level-wise? Am I doing this for the experience? Of course, you can have more than one answer, but focus in on the answer(s) to that question.

Now, after you've figured that out... relax. The chances of you winning are small. That goes for all players, including pros. Your aim should always be to do the best you can, but do come to realize that it's not likely that you're going to win it all.

With that all said... play the deck you know and enjoy best. Play the deck that you feel you make the least mistakes with. Pokemon is one of those games that, while it does indeed have a meta, seems to have a large number of decks that can win.

So, tl;dr, breathe, relax, play what you find the most comfortable, and do your best to not worry about wins and losses. Trust in the work and effort you've put in thus far and learn from any mistakes you make from this point forward (and you will make them... we all do).

-Asmer

I would like to win it. But everyone also has the same aspirations. To set a lower, more attainable bar, I'd like to top 32. This is also the first BIG event I have gone to for any game in the last 9 or 10 years (went to a Dreamblade 10K and a Yugioh SJC...and from there it was trolling 3 consecutive Yugioh regionals. Those 3 regionals was the most fun I have ever had playing competitive gaming).

I'm trying to help a friends son with a deck he wants to run in Seniors, and I'm jumping aboard that train now after doing some testing. I got frustrated from working on a rogue variant for 2 straight months and I've been working viciously on trying to make the Zoroark matchups better and I just had to come to grips that it wasn't going to work. It sucks sinking so much effort into something that doesn't work. Haven't felt that defeated in a long time.

I don't talk a lot about tournaments. So here goes. ​

Enjoy yourself. That's always the most important part. I enjoy Regionals because they give me an opportunity to see people who don't live close to me, I enjoy the experience of travelling to new places and the opportunity for photos of places and people, and I enjoy the experience of playing a game I love. Find those things that you really appreciate about the experience, and when you're talking with someone about a close game you just played or talking with friends about whatever you want, just stop and realize "I'm having a good time, I'm enjoying myself and doing something fun with people I enjoy being with.", that's the biggest part of any Regionals for me.

It's important to understand that you shouldn't have to do well at a tournament to enjoy it. If you feel pressured and you're thinking "I’ll be a nervous wreck and just not enjoy the experience overall.", I won't lie, that's hurt me in the past over losing games that really shouldn't have affected me that negatively. Having results is really nice for whatever tournaments you go to, but even as an incredibly competitive player you have to realize you're not going to do well and every event, you're going to do terrible at some and that's okay. If you crash and burn with a 0-X record, play a terrible deck, and make a lot of misplays, even at the end you'll have a story to tell about "That Regionals you did so bad at" that you're comparing with other Regionals. When you win a Regionals, you'll look back at that kind of tournament and think "I started there, but I've ended up here. I'm a better player now."

I think it's also very important to have the mindset of just going in to play the game you enjoy, just as if you were going into a local league to play at a small tournament, only just devoting the whole day to it rather than a Saturday afternoon, for example. You'll walk into the venue and see hundreds of people, but you'll only be playing 1 person for each round you play. If it helps, you don't even really have to think about them.

Make your Regionals an experience you won't forget. Especially your first. You wouldn't be going if you didn't want to, nervous or not. Have fun, play a deck you enjoy, and take the best you can out of it.

Good luck!

I did find out recently that someone I used to play the card game with during Base Set days will be going. I'll have to keep the positive words in mind. It's going to be hard as hell with my my anxiety, but either I'll handle it well or I'll get a ban for inadvertently causing a commotion. Something will happen.

But at this point, its starting to look like I'm going to be running something I enjoy more and it'll be a bit easier for me to play as well.

Okay, calm down. I’m no therapist or anything, but I’ll try to help:
First, cool your jets. You have just over a month to prepare. That’s plenty of time. Going every weekend to a league to test said deck is enough. You don’t have to test it any more than that.
Second, I’m going to said regionals too, and I’m shaken too. You are not alone.
If you can’t find a good deck you want to play, play your favorite deck. If you like playing, say, Tapu Koko GX, then play that. An old friend once listed to me the ten deck building commandments; the first one was: Play to have fun, try to win. Good philosophy right there.
So:
1 Cool your jets.
2 Stop playtesting so much.
3 You are not alone.
4 Play a fun deck if nothing works.

Yeah, it’s nothing like @Asmer or @VioletValkyrie said, but I’m trying.

My biggest problem is that I'm not able to go to Leagues or tounrmanets often. I know there's a Cup the weekend before regionals and I would like to go to that. I don't have PTCGO and I don't have a playtest group, so it's literally me in the kitchen with about 8 proxy decks going on at the moment. I will say that I hate playing Night March the most.

What are the rest of the commandments? The last time I did anything like this, I built a really controversial Yugioh deck and took it to 3 regional tournaments and then left the game on a sour note. Any good habits I can get my hands on; I can use all I can get.

My biggest problem is that Pokemon 'fun' decks; you can't troll as hard or as effectively in Pokemon as you can in Yugioh or Magic. It's basically 'rogue = troll'.

It's all good.

I go to reigonals too.

I, however, dont rally get shaken up.

Try to look at your deck.

flip a card over and try to guess what that card is.

do this multiple times, its oddly calming...

I actually do card flourishes to calm me down. Not sure if I could do this in a regional setting.

 

[Asmer]

In fairness, Pokemon isn't nearly as wacky as Yugioh and MTG has had some of the wildest cards in existence. I digress, however.

Honestly, it sounds like you're on the right track already, which is great. I feel you on sinking time and energy in to something that doesn't work (I literally write silly articles based off of 90% of that). It's draining and frustrating, but when you do find that one thing, it definitely is worthwhile.
Back to the topic at hand, I'll always go over my general plan when it comes to pre-tournament prep. What do I plan on facing, what do I think is good enough to be Rogue/Fringe, and what I hope to play. Also, I'll personally start going through cards I simply may not expect (my mind has the capacity to do this under more tense situations and I would not recommend this as it usually leads to more stress, but if you can handle it, it's worth considering). Then, of course, make sure everything is set and ready to go. New sleeves, trade binder, etc..
I think one of the biggest pieces of advice I can give you when it comes to tournament play would be to take your time during games. Don't stress over ties. Play solid, consistent Pokemon. If your opponent is impatient, good. Let them be. One thing I have realized is the more time I take to fully think, the more I win. Always keep in mind that mental fortitude is a major factor in tournament play and panicking drains it like a plugless sink.

Besides that, most of what will happen comes down to your own personal thoughts, skills in reading your opponent and making proper/intelligent decisions, and RNG (sadly). That pretty much covers the hardest topics of preparation. It doesn't sound like a whole lot, but honestly, the hardest part comes from figuring out what you want to play.

Oh! If you can, take music with you. Get a really good song in your head. If you start to feel nervous, sing it in your head or to yourself. Essentially, focus on that song until you calm down.

All right, that's all I got for now. I wish you well and I think you'll be good to go. Good luck of course and do your best to enjoy the tournament!

-Asmer

 

[Lord Goomy]

The Ten Deck Building Commandments:
1: Play to have fun, try to win.
2: Build on a deck that already exists. This usually creates some good deck variants.
3: Speed. Getting set up fast is essential. You don't want to be that fool with just two Ralts.
4: Efficiency. Get some bang for your buck. For example, Night March gets a +60 to damage with just 1 Battle Compressor.
5: Reliability. A reliable deck can get set up quickly and proceed smoothly 9/10 times. A 4/5 is a good ratio as well.
6: Don't play gimmicks. This includes Greedy Dice. (Someone did the math, and the chances of you getting two Greedy Dice and flipping heads on both of them is 1 in 12,000.
7: Don't get scammed. However unlikely at such an event, people may cheat. Don't be afraid to call judge, but don't be "the boy who called judge."
8: Do the Math. Crunch numbers. Guzzlord GX can OHKO Golisopod with a Choice Band. It can have 250 HP with a Fighting Fury Belt. It can't Glutton GX so easily on a GX.
9: Staples. You must have Staples. That's the whole reason we call them staples.
10: Always ask someone else. Hmm, should I play Choice Band or FFB in Guzzlord? Hmmmm... and then they reply either one or be a meanie and say "either one."

Also, a tip:
Check yourself before you wreck yourself.