Hi, everyone.  Since I had the day off from school, I
figured that I would give you some of my thoughts on
tournaments and how to prepare for them, along with
some of my do's and don'ts (I can't believe that's
what Word's spelling was), that might help you out
with the Pre-Release this weekend. 

1. Get lots of sleep the night before.  Pretty
obvious, but you'd be amazed at how often people
overlook this step.

2. Don't try to prepare at the last possible moment.
If you and your teammates or friends are going to do
some playtesting with the new cards you get, pack your
decks in your bag the night before. 

3. Don't forget either your DCI card or your money.
These two things are probably the most important
things at a Pre-Release. 

4. Eat a good breakfast before you go.  No, McDonald's
doesn't count.  Actually, you probably want to avoid
crappy food like this due to its ability to play with
your stomach. 

5. For tournaments in general, don't switch to a new
deck or change your deck around right before the
tournament unless you've tested it extensively.  I did
this last week and went a dismal 2-2 since I tried to
substitute cards I couldn't find with others I had
never tried before. 

6. Try to relax while you're playing and don't let
other people bother you while you're going at it with
your foe.  If someone is bothering you, don't be
afraid to call a judge over and deal with the problem.

7. Don't be pompous.  This is more of a plea than a
guideline.  I can't stand people that get all uppity
as soon as you start to play.  Another related problem
is rules lawyering people.  If you're in a Pro Tour,
go for it.  In a REL 1 (Rules Enforcement Level 1)
tournament, many people that usually wouldn't play in
tournaments will show up.  These people aren't going
to have an encyclopedic knowledge of the rules, so it
wouldn't be fair, or ethical, to try to play with
their minds by using their rules knowledge against
them.  For those of you who don't know the rules all
that well, if someone does this to you and you think
that they may be cheating you, call a judge.  They
also might tell the person to let up on you.  This is
a fun tournament, not one for $30,000 or full of Kai
Buddes. 

8. Try to go with friends or teammates.  No, this
isn't a warning from the police, it's just that you
will probably have more fun if you're not alone.
Also, it makes doing well in drafts a lot easier if
you know how to work together in drafts.

9. Help out any newer people you see.  I'm sure all of
the more experienced players remember being new to the
game.  People that had finely tuned, 60-card weapons
of mass destruction stomped on you and your 200-card
deck.  It wasn't very fun, at least I didn't think so.
 Helping others out might mean giving up some of your
extra commons, but just remember that they're going to
a good cause.  This is also a good way to meet new
people and, possibly, future friends.

Well, I hope this helps at least a few of you on your
gaming endeavors.  Good luck to everyone at the
Pre-Release!

Until next time, keep 'em legal,

Robby