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DeathJester's Dojo
How to Test-Play like a Champion: Part 2
by Bryan Camareno a.k.a. DeathJester
August 17, 2006

Welcome back to DeathJester’s Dojo! This week’s article is a continuation from last week. I taught you Step 1 of the test-playing process; now I’ll teach you Steps 2-7.

Everyone one knows I can’t stand it when people make excuses for themselves. It seems that the players with the greatest potential seem to come up with the best alibis for not DOING what they should have done to be the best. It’s not uncommon, it happens to everyone at one point. The cure for this is to not give yourself the opportunity to be lazy and not do what you are supposed to do. For example, let’s say a player wanted to win a Regional event coming up in two weeks. He’s a confident fellow so he says that he doesn’t need to test at all because he ‘knows’ his metagame already. Ok, so two weeks go by and all he did was play some games here and there, confident that he will win. Well, he goes to the Regional, finds out that the metagame has shifted to a different style, has different cards, AND is completely opposite of what he expected. What can he do now? Probably nothing because his excuse was that he ‘knew’ the metagame so well, that he felt he didn’t have to do what it takes to stay on top. Nice try buddy.

There’s no excuse for you not to be testing unless you’re living in the Tibetan mountains with Shaolin monks. Even then you should still find a way to get on the internet via satellite and test-play. “Where there’s a will there’s a way” right? Exactly. REMEMBER: Don’t be meek about it and “wait for opportunity”. You WANT to test right? Then go out there and seize the opportunities you have. Go out there and create the opportunities to test with the best in your area. Find the Emon Ghaneians and the Anthony Alvarados in your area. If they don’t want to test with you and give you some kind of B.S. response, then screw them, their loss; you can find someone else. I said, in my last article, to find the best players AVAILABLE. I never said they had to be the best players in the world. Sometimes even the lower echelon of players can spark the greatest ideas that can change the whole game. You can help other players like yourself grow into champions if you apply these simple methods. Take the risks and apply those ideas in your head to real-game situations. Einstein said “Imagination is more important than knowledge”. Those words couldn’t have been truer.


Step 2 requires that you gather information. This can be painful or painless depending on how you go about doing this. First, you can visit online message boards or forums for information on the metagame. Be EXTREMELY careful with this. An online forum is a very attractive place for the lazy-minded who would rather sit around and voice his acquired “truths” of the game and not actually put those “truths” to the test in real-life. Finding a good forum is very difficult and not getting influenced by the losers who populate them is even more difficult. Get what you need and get the hell out. Losers do more talking than doing. You want to take action right? Good.

Forum info can be misleading. It’s a double-edged sword of sorts. Some info might seem well put together and eloquently put, yet it is total garbage. That’s why I admonish that you PUT YOUR INFORMATION TO THE TEST.

There are MANY places to find metagame information

Gathering info isn’t only restricted to online forums. You can go to various websites and read articles written by thousands of authors. Out of the thousands there are few that you should read of a regular basis that will help you with very specific needs. I’ve assembled this list in a previous article.

To add to that list, I would suggest that you read Jason Grabher-Meyer’s articles on yugioh.tcgplayer.com. They are MUCH better than the ones he does on Metagame.com. He’s an insightful author worth reading. Absorb all of the information and put it through rigorous testing. Be persistent and you’ll yield incredible results.

The most basic and highly useful place to grab some information on the metagame and deck theory is to visit live coverage and specialized websites that feature deck and metagame discussions. Occasionally you’ll find some solid theory articles. Metagame.com, Pojo.com, and Yugioh.TCGPlayer.com come immediately to mind here. There are many more like these.

Pro is the way to go

Another way to gather information for testing purposes is to converse with highly successful players. Pros test too. And part of being a professional is getting to know some other professionals. Association is one of the most powerful influencing forces known to man. Am I suggesting that you can get better at the game by hanging around who are slightly or MILES ahead of you in terms of applied knowledge, skill, and success? Damn skippy. By talking to and/or becomes friends with pros or just plain better players, you can “pick up on” styles of play, certain mannerisms, strategies, etc. They can teach you what you need to know just by being around them.

It’s a great idea to ask questions too. It helps them out too if you do this. Put it this way: If you help a better player by asking him questions about what he does, he’ll help you out by taking you up to his level with his responses. The better he becomes as a result of him teaching you, the better off you are.

As a recap, associating yourself with successful individuals will, in fact, sky-rocket you to success. Success breeds more success. This applies to ANYTHING in life. Walk ‘the walk’ man. Associating yourself with losers will send you on a one-way trip to becoming a loser.

Other methods of information gathering

The method I personally allows me to visualize, on paper, the metagame’s standards. I do this by creating a spreadsheet via Excel. I won’t go into this too much as I have an article planned specifically to this. I can personally guarantee that this method gives you TREMENDOUS insight on deck statistics, structure, and why certain decks “just win” and others “just don’t”. The best way I know to really “put things into perspective”. You’ll love that article.

Gathering information is such a grossly under-appreciated and misused step to success. Einstein did say “Imagination is more important than knowledge”. However, you have to read between the lines here. He isn’t saying to just dream and not APPLY your knowledge. Imagination is what allows us to put all the information together to be successfully applied and constructed into a deck. Also, all the information in the world is useless without actually applying it to real-life.

Getting your hands dirty

Step 3: Take the information you’ve gathered to your testing group for collective analysis. Draw base conclusions as to what are the best cards/decks in the pool of information you have. Then, you build the decks and put them through a round of testing. Thi sis where you apply your group’s specific testing method. If you haven’t developed one, I’ll reveal my team’s basic testing method we used when we started. The Team Fallen testing method is extremely effective at sharpening your skills as a player in a relatively short amount of time.

Team Fallen Testing Methodology

My team has tried many testing method and we’ve found on that we ultimately “stuck” to. This is the method we developed out of necessity. We needed to scrape the rust off of our fingers from not playing the game for 4 months to prep ourselves from SJC Orlando. Our showing at SJC Orlando with over 15 players is a direct result of the confidence and skills we gained form this method. Three 4-hour sessions using this methodology improved our skills thousands-fold and literally ripped the rust right off. We have since revised this methodology into a ground-breaking testing regimen. I’ll give you the basics:

1. This is best done with 4 or more players. Each player sits across from each other with the decks they have already prepared for this. Each player must have the following items: 1) Deck 2) Paper 3) Pen/Pencil 4) Dice.
2. Each player will play 10 games with the decks they have chosen. During each game, both players will keep record of how many games each one wins out of the 10 games played.
3. Throughout the 10-game process each player must make sure to record what the key cards were in each game. A typical game in testing takes anywhere from 10-20 minutes a piece. A single round of testing last 1 hour & 40 minutes to 3 hours.
4. Each player MUST keep track of all mistakes made during each game. This is what the dice are for. Each mistake theoretically lowers your win percentage by a certain amount. The number of mistakes you make PER GAME should be record right next to that game’s LP scores. As a rule of thumb we use: “If you make 6 mistakes in one game, you must automatically forfeit the game.” If you’re really good and you are absolutely sure that you did not make a mistake, then you are free to lower this number of mistakes to 4 or even down to 2. Make it challenge. Make it a habit to always make the optimal play based on the information you are given by the field and the opponent. For more information on this read my previous article: http://www.pojo.com/yu-gi-oh/FeaturedWriters/deathjester/2006/7-31.shtml
5. Everything here is done by paper. You are welcome to do this by computer as well. However, this process requires a bit of honesty and know-how. Spotting your own mistakes is a useful skill. To spot mistakes while playing keep in mind to core definition of a mistake: “A mistake is any play that is not the optimal play for a situation.” Click on the link above this paragraph to a previous article I wrote about this topic.
6. After each pair has completed 10 games, it is time for the group to discuss the results of their testing sessions. Please be sure to go over what cards or plays gave you significant numerical, strategical, or psychological advantages during the course of those 10 games against your opponent (NOTE: This is also Step 5 of the test-playing process – Analyze and discuss results.)
7. Afterwards, pass each deck clockwise to the next player. Each player will play with the new decks they have received and repeat this testing process until the deck has been passed around 4 of more times. This can be done only twice if time is of absolute importance.
8. After each deck has been passed 2 or more times around the group, then it is time to gather all the findings and discuss how improvements can be made and decide whether the decks are any good at all, even with improvements. This process is best done with SJC Top 8 decks. As a good rule of thumb: Take each of the SJC Top 8 lists and run them through this testing process. You’ll easily be able to determine the best of the 8 and will be able to predict the next SJC metagame by making improvements to these decks appropriate to the group’s findings. (NOTE: This is Step 6 of the testing process.)
9. After discussions have been completed, the next step is to introduce custom-made decks. Anything from Fiends to Zombies can be introduced here. This is where you can get creative with your ideas. Don’t discourage any random ideas here.
10. Apply the 10-game testing method again. Make improvements, rebuild and go again. This is Step 7.

Are you beginning to realize the full scope of this process? It is a continuous process. Continuous improvement; no deck will ever stay the same for long. I’m not saying that HAVE TO put your deck to the test. You don’t have to if you don’t want to stay on top of the game. This has to become a discipline. Try this for 21 days and it will become a habit. This is what you want. There is always room for improvement. This sets apart the great decks from the mediocre ones. As another habit-forming rule, apply this method after each local tournament you attend and after each SJC Top 8 you see. Test you deck against these decks. The metagame shifts and play styles change. This is how you stay current.

For this testing methodology to be truly effective, it must be done in preparation for a larger event. Preferably at least 1 month before the event. You want to be done 1-2 weeks before the event so you can rest & relax. Preparation in advance makes sense. It leaves you with time for minor improvements and for last minute changes to the metagame that you can test out.


Conclusions…

You have no excuse to NOT apply this testing method. The process I explained to you is highly effective and very practical & organized approach to something so broad and undefined. I’ll leave you with this quote from Eric Hoffer is his book The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements –

“There are many who find a good alibi far more attractive than an achievement, for an achievement does not settle anything permanently. We still have to prove that we are as good today as we were yesterday. But when we have a valid alibi for not achieving anything, we are fixed, so to speak, for life. Moreover, when we have an alibi for not writing a book and not painting a picture and so on, we have an alibi for not writing the greatest book or painting the greatest picture. Small wonder that the effort expended and the punishment endured in obtaining a good alibi often exceed the effort and grief requisite for the attainment of a most marked achievement.”

A quote from Dan Kennedy: “I say: no one who is good at making excuses is also good at making money. The skills are mutually exclusive.”

This applies to TCG gaming too guys. Remember it. Digest it.