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Ed on YuGiOh
Tourney Needs
November 16, 2007

Hey guys, it's Ed here writing articles once again, and before I get to far into the details of the subject I'm going to cover today, I want to let all my readers know how I've been doing and why I haven't submitted many articles recently. Since my last article, school had begun and the amount of work that I had to get done significantly increased by a huge amount. Because I was thinking of you guys and how you would respond to my lack of sending in articles, I had to set aside some time each day to continue to create high-quality articles. So, as a result, I began to wake up earlier than I usually did, just to work on articles.

             This worked for a while, and I was able to get two deck fixes in back-to-back, which led to my receiving positive feedback again. Eventually, though, I was even more constrained in time due to my professors thoughtlessly dumping loads of work on me. So, in the morning, I became too tired and I eventually stopped waking up early to write articles. Recently, though, a friend of mine sent me an email regarding my laziness. He convinced me to continue and write articles in the morning. So, here I am once again writing an article. I am currently taking a break from fixing my readers' decks, and I would like to take the time today to talk about something else.

             Are you someone who always gets nervous when it comes to regional events or SJC's? Or maybe you're the type that keeps it cool and plays the game throughout the day without any flaws in gameplay? No matter what, when the day of the tournament draws nearer, the time that one takes for preparation is often rushed through with "more important" things in mind such as playtesting and deck matchups. I would like to take the time to let you all know that packing important supplies for a tournament is indeed equally important as any other step that must be taken in order to be fully prepared for a higher level tournament.

             In this article, I'll list a couple of things that you might want to bring with you to a tournament that are either necessities or things that would make your time at the event more convenient to live through. Here are a couple of things you might want to bring to an event, followed by a brief description of what it does and how it's important.

-
          Calculator
-
          Deck
-
          Deck list
-
          Extra copies of cards
-
          Notepad
-
          Money
-
          Card Sleeves
-
          Extra packs of card sleeves
-
          Handheld gaming system
-
          Music Player
-
          Pair of dice
-
          Quarter
-
          Trading binder
-
          Snacks
-
          Watch
-
          Cell Phone
-
          Spare batteries

 
Calculator
            Ah, the machine that calculates life points for us. I don't mean those TI-87's, even though they are extremely convenient, but just a simple 8-digit calculator is sufficient for keeping track of life point totals for us. Calculators allow us to stay organized, avoiding the chance of miscalculation in the subtraction/addition process. Personally, I prefer the Texas Instrument calculators. They're large, but they allow for remembering previous game totals, which is a feature that can be easily used to prevent cheaters that take advantage of TI calculator users.

 
Deck
            I won't spend much time explaining the deck, because you should know the purpose for it from common sense. The deck is used for playing against an opponent, which is what you will be mainly doing at a Yu-gi-oh tournament. A side deck is definitely recommended in these kinds of large events, just as a backup against disadvantageous matchups that may be encountered.

 
Decklist
            Yes, the decklist is indeed something necessary in order to enter a tournament, but I must stress that people print out copies of the deck list at their homes and fill out 3 copies or so instead of just arriving at the tournament and filling it out there. If one does this instead of filling it out on site, it would be much easier to find the time to playtest. What if you need to make extra changes at the last minute, you ask? Well, you should have playtested enough to have confidence in your deck. If you did, then you can fill out another decklist that you could bring from home.

 
Extra copies of cards
            Extra copies of cards truly allow for convenience. Instead of worrying about losing a deck all the time during a tournament, one could bring extra copies of cards in their main and side deck, and would be able to play with their registered deck even if their deck was stolen. If one does bring extra copies of cards, though, one should keep them in an extra deck box, not a trading binder. Most people keep their deck and binder in the same bag, so if the bag was stolen, then both the binder and the deck would be lost. If one keeps the deck in their pocket and the binder in their bag, if the bag was stolen, the player could still participate in the tournament. I really recommend bringing extra copies of cards, since theft at large events is extremely common.

 
Notepad
            If you've read UDE's policies, then you would know that if a problem arises in the area of life point tracking, then a judge would always side with the person that has the life points kept on paper instead of the person who kept the life point totals using a calculator. I'm not saying that using a notepad is a better choice, because I use both a calculator and a notepad at the same time during tournaments, which is probably the best option for duelists. I definitely advise calculating life point totals with a calculator, and then writing the final life point tracking on a notepad.

 
Money
            Personally, I think that someone should bring some cash anywhere they go, but if you don't, a large tournament would be a good time to bring money to. You could easily buy any cards that you might have lost multiple copies of or any snacks that you may want. I would say that $50 is enough money to bring for an event. This money covers any meals, cards, sleeves, or anything else that is needed to allow for the most enjoyment when it comes to surviving through the day. I must also mention that you need cash to enter any UDE tournament.

 
Card Sleeves/Extra packs of card sleeves
            Card sleeves protect your cards from those scratches and folds that could accidentally whether your cards are in your pocket or in a deck box. Card sleeves also allow for more convenient shuffling, even if pile shuffling is your preference. Bringing extra packs of card sleeves also lets you make sure that, if your sleeves get damaged, you won't be penalized by UDE for marking your cards. In case you were wondering, in my opinion, the highest quality Yu-gi-oh sized card sleeves are from Ultra-Pro and Player's Choice.

 
Handheld gaming system/Music player
            I have been to numerous regional events and I must mention that I was extremely bored in between matches during my first event. There's usually a 40 minute wait between rounds and, to pass time, I suggest bringing something small that fits inside your pants pocket. A handheld gaming system such as a Nintendo DS or PSP would be the handiest as they have Yu-gi-oh games made for them, which allows you to practice your skills between duels. Music players such as an iPod or Mp3 player are easily responsible for allowing for relaxation, which is crucial during times in which a player is usually tense, like during side decking or while waiting for standings to be posted.

 
Pair of dice/Quarter
            Many, and I mean many, cards in the Yu-gi-oh trading card game include effects that require coins and dice. Dice can also represent a number of other things, such as scapegoat tokens or counters on a Wave-Motion Cannon. These two supplies are extremely important to bring to large events, along with extras of them. The reason that I suggest a quarter is because it is the most common large coin in our currency, with a clear contrast between the heads side and tails side.

 
Trading binder
            I don't know about my readers, but I certainly own some extremely valuable cards (Rainbow Dragon, Crystal Seer, etc.) due to trading cards with fellow duelists. Bringing a trading binder to events really allows for obtaining cards whether it is for a different deck that is being created, or just a card that you've been longing to have in your possession for a while. If you still aren't convinced, once, at a regional event, I traded my Enemy Controller for 2 Goldds, 3 Sillvas, a Spirit Reaper, and a Swords of Revealing Light. This just proves how much you could get out of a simple trading session.

 
Snacks
            Due to all the time that one may spend thinking about an upcoming event that they are to attend, they might not think of the other important factors that may come up during an event, which is why I must mention that snacks should be brought to an event. I can't count how many times a friend of mine has wasted money on a snack that they loved at an event just because they forgot to bring that exact snack to the tournament site.

 
Watch/Cell phone
            I can't count the number of times I've been to a tournament where UDE's clock was either out of view most of the time, or in an extremely difficult location to find. This is why a watch is very important, not to mention it can alarm you when the ending time of a match is drawing near. A cell phone is equally useful, except for the fact that it can't be strapped to the wrist. The cellular phone also lets players order pizza or call a friend when they need to. Cell phones definitely come in handy at all times, and a YGO event is no exception.

 
Spare batteries
            Is it just me, or do five of the things that I mentioned above require batteries to work? I recall one event when I had to use a notepad alone to keep track of life points, just because the batteries of my TI-85 died at the last minute. As a result, I had to work out calculations that couldn't be worked out in my head on the paper. Also, you could possible find yourself going through with very tedious processes just to find out what time it is, call someone, listen to music, or even just pass the time between rounds.

             I hope that my article helped you all in preparing for a tournament and deciding what is important to bring to one. If any of you would like me to write an article about something, just email me at
lightningsaphira94@gmail.com, and I'll see what I can do for you.
 
Have Fun and Play Fair!
 
~Ed
 


 


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