A good deck is not enough to win games in a tournament. Even if you develop a brilliant deck that looks powerful, you won`t have much success if many other players use a deck that beats your deck. For example, a Mega Rayquaza-EX deck is very powerful, but you probably won`t win many games if your opponents use Zebstrika decks. Researching and predicting which decks other players are likely to bring to the event is an extremely important part of the tournament game. Practice against a variety of strategies so you`re ready for whatever comes your way. If you`re completely new to Pokémon TCG, probably the best way to learn is to purchase a pre-made deck pack. These are widely used and can be based on a variety of things, from specific topics (e.g., Electric Pokémon, if you`re a fan of Pikachu and Zapdos) to world championship decks that replicate the Pro decks used by master trainers in high-level tournaments. With these ready-to-play decks, you can focus on learning the rules without worrying about your deck being out of balance or having to invest in lots of boosters. The biggest difference between casual play and tournament is the introduction of time limits. Regional championships and other major events have a time limit of 50 minutes plus three additional rounds after time expires to determine a winner in best-of-three matches.
If you win two games, you win the game. If you win the first game and time passes before the end of the second game, you win. (If you`re on the losing side of this equation, you lose the game.) However, if both players have won the same number of games after the passage of time, the game ends with a draw – incomplete games count for nothing in the Swiss rounds. Cards with alternate card backs, including World Cup cards, are also not legal for tournaments. World Cup cards can also be identified by their silver card edges and a silver color signature on the map illustration, as in the image of Mewtwo LV. X of the Stallgon World Championship game, played by David Cohen, finalist in the senior division at the 2009 World Championships. All cards that have not been rotated from the standard format are legal to play in standard decks. In contrast, there are a handful of cards that make up the ban list for the extended format, where the pool of cards is large enough that the cards occasionally interact with each other in ways that weren`t intended – even in a way that interrupts play.
Visit our Event Locator to find tournaments near you. Come prepared and good luck, coach! Before you look at what you can and should put in your deck, it`s important to understand what can`t be put in a deck. www.pokemon.com/us/pokemon-tcg-banned-card-list/ Make sure you arrive early, well before the competition starts. For most tournaments, you register on site; And even if you`ve registered for an online event, it`s good to show up early so you can check in. Plus, you don`t want to be late for the pre-tournament players` meeting, where you`ll review the rules, schedule, and other important information before the first game. The languages of the cards that are legal to play in your deck vary depending on where you live. In the United States, for example, cards printed only in English are legal for playing Premier events or championship points tournaments. Below is a pair of tables from the Play! Pokémon tournament rules, which list the legal languages in which region, as well as any additional languages allowed to play in certain countries.
Fake cards and other fake cards, such as Orica or custom cards, are not legal and should not be included in a game. If you believe that one or more cards you own are fake, there are some resources available to help you verify that your card is fake, including the Identifying Counterfeit Pokémon Cards section of this deck building guide and the videos below. Participating in a big tournament is very different from training with friends or even playing at local events. Almost all competitions sanctioned by Pokãmon©TCG use the Swiss round-robin structure, which means that everyone plays the same number of rounds: even if you lose, you keep playing. At each turn, you will be matched with someone who has a similar record to yours. At some point during the event, you are likely to encounter adversity: a bad tee hand, a bad match for your deck, an unfortunate draw, a mistake during a game, etc. These kinds of difficulties are unfortunate, but the most important thing is how you respond to them. If you make a mistake, learn from it. If you`ve been unlucky, shrug your shoulders and move on – whatever has happened before, and lingering won`t change anything. It`s important that you don`t get into what many players call a frustration-blinded «tilt,» causing you to lose focus and make mistakes. It`s not an easy task to control your emotions during a 12-hour tournament, but it can only improve your chances of winning.