What Happens at a Prerelease?

darkpulse24

darkpulse24

Aspiring Trainer
Member
Thinking about going to a Phantom Forces prelease in my city next month. What happens in a typical prelease? How long do they go for? What do people do?

I'm a bit shy about going there. I've only ever played Pokemon cards online.
 
It was described a little bit in this thread, though you have some additional questions.

As was stated there, you're going to be seated at a table with other players (introduce yourself, schmooze, you'll make friends :D). You'll then be given six packs plus a promo card (Bronzong for this set). You will have thirty minutes to build a 40-card deck with the cards you pulled, and you may or may not be able to use the promo, depending on the venue. You will also be supplied with basic energy.

You'll then play in a tournament. The staff will post a list of all the players and who they're paired against before each round begins. Find your name, and go to the table number listed. You'll then play your opponent with your 40-card deck, only placing four prizes. Exactly how long these go on can vary. Rounds are 20 minutes each, with some downtime between. You can reasonably expect to be at the event for about half a day. After the main event ends, you will return the basic energies you borrowed and will receive two additional packs.

Many venues will also hold a booster draft after the main prerelease event. You can find more information about how those work in the link I posted. It's basically an opportunity to get more cards, and there are prizes going out to the winners in the form of packs. I'm actually going to write an article about prerelease and draft procedures, aimed at new players in the coming weeks. I wish you good luck at the event! :cool:

One last thing: Be sure to bring your trade binder! There will be lots of people there wanting to trade cards from both the new set and sets that are already out. It's also a good idea to bring a pack of sleeves. I usually don't sleeve my cards at a prerelease unless I pull an EX, since sleeving takes time, but it's good to be preparedd. You should also bring your 3DS with you, and leave it in sleep mode in your pocket. You'll get a lot of StreetPasses.
 
Wow that sounds like a lot. So to win these rounds would rely mainly on luck, right? Since with only 6 packs you won't be pulling many doubles and will pull very few, if any, complete evolution lines. It sounds like most decks will be very splintered and all over the place unless you get really lucky. And you can't bring your Rare Candys or Evosodas right? Just energy?

Also, I know every city is different and prereleases may have maybe just 12 people or over 100, but is there usually a wide age range? I'm 23, is this age around the average or would most other players be younger or older?
 
Nope, you can't use any cards that you already own. That would defeat the purpose of the prerelease. You can bring basic energy from home,but there shouldn't be a need since the event staff will provide it for you. Luck does have a big factor, since you can only use what you pull from your own packs (drafts have more strategy since the packs get passed around, but that's another story), though I've seen some people come up with creative decks at prereleases. In fact, some cards that you would never even think about running competitively can do amazing in Limited play (when you are given cards rather than bring your own deck, like a prerelease or draft). I won a draft in XY using Diggersby, a card that's mediocre at best. Obviously if you pull an EX though, you should use it.

Since Pokemon is enjoyed by children and adults alike, there is indeed a wide age range at these events. However, players are sorted into divisions by age. You'll be in the Masters division just like me, which is ages 16 and up. So, you'll be playing against some teenagers, college students/ young adults, and a few parents. Some of these players could be competitive (again like myself), and while they won't be able to use their Standard decks, they can be quite skilled, and some may have a lot of past experience with prerelease deckbuilding strategy. Pokemon players are known to be friendly though (most of us anyway), so if you ask nicely someone might help you with your deck. :D

One thing i can promise you is that you'll have a lot of fun win or lose, you'll meet fellow Pokefans, and make some new friends.
 
Okay, you've talked me into it :) I will go if I don't have work, or at least try to get the day off for it. Thanks for the help :)
 
You're quite welcome! I wish you the best of luck in your pulls and the tournament. Be sure to let us know how you did! :D
 
I actually went to one as a kid, it was lots of fun! It's more of a casual experience than most tournaments, and it's way more fun opening a booster packs when you know you'll be playing with whatever is in it.
And they also gave away nice promos back then, I think they still do. I still have this one actually :D
20-electivire.jpg
 
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