MrScaryMuffin
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How to Play Like a Pro
Tips and Tricks to Help Improve Your Play and Avoid Misplays
Tips and Tricks to Help Improve Your Play and Avoid Misplays
Name: Murray C
Division: Masters
Area: Vancouver, BC
Introduction
Well, it's the start of a new season and it will be the start of my first full season. Now, although this article is titled "How to Play Like a Pro", I'm not saying that I'm a pro. Those that know me know that I'm not exactly a pro at Pokemon, but I'll explain the title in a bit. First off, a bit more about me. I started playing Pokemon TCG back when it started with the original base set. I played briefly, only until Fossil came out, but my wife recently brought me back into the game in the spring of this year (just in time for my Reshiboar to get mauled during Spring Battle Roads).
Still, I've enjoyed getting back into the game and look forward to playing a full season this time around. We were lucky to get a chance to go to San Diego for the Worlds tournament and, although I didn't manage to grind in with my Yanmegazone + Weavile deck, I did learn a lot from actual championship caliber players.
One of the big things that I picked up on, and would like to share in this article, is how to physically play the game. That is, not your deck building or play strategy, but how you actually play down your cards and perform simple actions such as searching and shuffling your deck. This may not seem like a big deal to most of you, but many games were lost and won on the world stage because of simple things like this. Since it is the start of a new season, I'm hoping to practice all of these tips and tricks so that they become second nature and I highly recommend that you do as well.
The Set Up
Typically, you should be seated at your table and ready to start well before the judges declare the start of the round. However, even if you're not ready, you still get two minutes to shuffle and set up at the start of the game.
Shuffling at the Start of the Game
Many player advocate "pile shuffling". To do this, just pretend that you are dealing out all of your cards face down for a six player game. Doing this helps to separate clumps of cards in ways that traditional shuffling methods do not. Additionally, if you manage to deal out your cards evenly into six pile, you will know that you have all your cards with you. Of course, it won't help if you somehow managed to lose or forget cards in multiples of six. Some players prefer to create piles of eight or even ten. Additionally, there are alternate methods of shuffling that still allows you to count your cards easily. What you do is up to you, just know where you should be ending the pile shuffle for 60 cards.
Don't Forget Your Prizes
Forgetting to put down your prizes is one big mistake that seems to always find us at moments of mental weakness. Despite your best efforts, it can still creep up on you and earning a game loss penalty is never fun. Myself, I have gotten into the habit of dealing out my hand and my prizes before I check for mulligan. However, I know that this is technically not the correct procedure and have started to form a new habit.
After drawing my initial hand of seven, I will put my deck in the active Pokemon spot. Now, if I have a starting basic, I cannot put it down without my deck getting in the way. Thus, I will pick up the deck, put down my six prizes and place the deck in its regular spot and then play down my starting Pokemon. It takes some getting used to, but if you keep doing it you'll never forget to put down your prizes, even if you're low on thinking capacity.
Mulligan
Speaking of mulligan. You should avoid declaring mulligan until after your opponent puts down their active. Of course, this is typically not a big deal, but it can make a difference for some decks. Additionally, if your opponent does inquire if you have no basics, you should answer honestly and proceed to reshuffle and redraw so to not delay the set up.
During Play
During Your Opponent's Turn
I personally prefer to think about my move on my turn and watch my opponent during their turn since what I can do on my turn will change depending on their attack. It's just less thinking and less stress this way. Leave your cards on the table so that you won't be tempted to look at them and rest your hands on your lap. Remember that it’s against the rules to lower your hand of cards under the table and beyond view. Watch your opponent's turn and make sure that they don't make any mistakes (unintentionally, of course).
Energies
When you play your energy per turn, put that energy on top of your Pokemon. Wait until you are finished with your turn before you put the energy underneath your Pokemon. This way you won't forget if you have attached an energy even during long turns. Of course, make sure that all cards remain visible! If you do forget to follow this tip and forget if you had attached this turn, count the energy already on your field and try to remember the number of turns that you have already played. Alternatively, see how many energies your opponent has on the field and compare it with yours while noting who went first.
Be sure to announce your powers! A player at Canadian Nationals this year suffered for not declaring Pachirisu's Self Generation ability when he played it down with a single energy. Don't let this be you, declare Inferno Fandango and similar abilities (see Powers and Abilities section below).
Supporters
Judges at Worlds gave warnings to players that left their Supporters next to their active Pokemon instead of discarding them immediately. As such, your local Battle Roads judge may be doing the same. When playing your Supporter for the turn, place it sideways in your discard pile so that it is perpendicular to the rest of the cards. Now you can tell immediately if you have played your Supporter yet for the turn with a glance! Straighten up your discard at the end of your turn.
Searching Your Deck
When searching through your deck (after using a card like Pokemon Collector, for example), do not drop down your Pokemon face up on your play mat. Instead, move the cards that you are thinking about retrieving to the top of your deck or put them face down far away from your hand and bench area (the spot above your active is a good spot). Only once you have thoroughly thought over your choices and picked out the Pokemon that you want should you reveal what you have grabbed and put them into your hand. Some players have been zinged when, after dropping down three Pokemon, their opponent did not permit them to change their mind and, in some case, forced the player to bench all three immediately and in order (which negated the use of some Powers as well).
If you want to be extra pro, take an extra second while going through your first deck search and try to identify what your prizes are. However, don't take too long! You should know your deck well enough to quickly identify what's been prized. Additionally, you can declump some cards that you do not want to be suck together, such as two Professor Junipers, for example. Of course, offer the cut to your opponent after shuffling.
Keep Track of Resources
This is a bit of a higher level thing to keep in mind and has less to do with physically playing the game and more to do with the strategies and tactics of the game. You should regularly check your opponent's discard pile as well as your own (be sure to ask politely before reaching over to grab someone else' cards). Have an idea of what your opponent plays in their deck and what they might be able to do on their next turn. This is especially good in the current meta with all the Pokemon Catchers and Junk Arms flying around. Additionally, you should get into the habit of checking your opponent's hand size at the start of your turn. Not only is this useful for hand matching if you're playing a Yanmega Prime deck (or avoid the hand match if you're playing against one), but it's also good to making sure that nothing sketchy is going on. For example, if you're going first in a game, your opponent shouldn't have more than six cards in their hand unless you mulligan'd.
Powers and Abilities
The use of Pokemon Powers and Abilities is another thing that is easy to lose track of, especially when you have multiple Magnezone Primes on the field. When I was judging the eight-man pods at Worlds, I noticed that the Japanese players "tapped" the cards when they used its power. "Tapping" is a term from Magic: The Gathering and refers to when you turn the card sideways to indicate that it has been used. However, an issue can arise from this if you turn your active Pokemon sideways (which also indicates a special condition). Instead of turning the full 90 degrees, I recommend turning your Pokemon 45 degrees after using a once-per-turn ability.
Speaking of special conditions, as noted in the Rules Section, BW-on Abilities can still be used even if the Pokemon is affected by a special condition. This is, of course, unless the card itself specifically says otherwise. But none of the BW-on Abilities so far states as such.
As mentioned above, be sure to announce your powers. Normally judges won't make you say the full name every time. I personally prefer saying "power" and tapping the Pokemon whose power I'm using.
As a special aside, when using Reuniclus' Damage Swap ability. It's best to add up all the damage on your side of the field before manipulating the damage. This way you can be sure that you end up with the same amount that you started with.
Clean Up Phase
There is no actual Clean Up Phase in Pokemon. However, if you have been following the tips above, you will need to do the following at the end of every turn:
-Tidy discard pile to straighten your Supporters
-Move energies played this turn under your Pokemon
-Straighten and reset Pokemon whose powers you used this turn
-Put down your hand and watch your opponent
Other General Tips
Be Cool
Be the player that you'd like to play against. Most Pokemon communities I know are awesome and super fun to be with and I firmly believe that Pokemon has the most friendliest community out of all the TCGs. Players can be competitive, but most are still courteous and never mean. However, there are a few bad apples that can ruin the experience for everyone. I think one of the most important element of becoming a "pro" is the attitude. Be a player that others admire and look up to, rather than one that no one cheers for at the final table. I'm not saying that you should let everyone take back misplays, just be nice about it when you say no. Just be cool, that's all, and they'll (hopefully) understand.
Do not think out loud
Oh boy, this is a doozy. The final Canadian contender at Last Chance Qualifiers at this year's Worlds was forced to use an attack that he didn't wanted to because he was thinking out loud about all his possibilities. I know that some people think differently and such, but ultimately it's best to go over things carefully in your head. If you must think out loud, cover your mouth and try to just mouth the words or whisper very very softly.
Declare your actual moves
On the flip side, get into the habit of announcing your actual actions. "I'll draw to start my turn", "Energy per turn", "Attack active for 120", "I'll take a prize" are all excellent phrases that you should be using all the time. Note for the attack that I avoid naming the attack. It's quite easy to say the wrong name despite your best efforts and I find it much easier to just announce the damage or point to the attack that I intend to use.
Think three actions ahead
This may seem obvious, but things such as attaching energy and playing Supporters can feel like second nature and it's easy to play a card only to find out that you wanted to do something else first. Again, plan ahead and make sure you know exactly what you're going to do on your turn before you do it. Taking a bit of time at the start of your turn is fine as long as the rest of your actions for that turn occur quickly and with little delay between them.
Dice and Coins
The official definition of a coin flip is one that starts at the shoulder height, spins at least three times in the air, and lands flat on the table. Similarly for dice, it must either be tossed at shoulder height and spin three times in the air or rolled across the table, rolling over itself at least three times before landing flat. I personally find it easier to flip a coin with little controversy and would recommend it to other players. For coins, the ones that come with theme decks are fine. For dice, make sure your rolling dice is transparent, rounded, and different than the dice you are using for damage markers.
Pile shuffle at the end of your game
Make sure that all your cards are there! I almost forgot a Tropical Beach once because I didn't do this at the end of one of my games
.Read rulings on PokeGym
The rules forum here on PokeGym is an excellent resource and I highly recommend that all players check it out now and then. The questions asked here usually come from normal play and, thus, are likely to be situations that you may be facing in the near future.
Know the Meta
This is a bit of a general one, but I'll add it here anyways. If you plan on playing even semi-competitively, you should have an idea of what the meta is like. Know the popular card combos, possible techs, and also recognize the possible counters to your own deck. The best way, I've found, to stay on top of the meta is to read tournament reports and to see the kind of decks that people are discussion on forums. Of course, building and testing out at your local league or with a team is also good.
Got Tips? Share!
As I mentioned at the start, I'm still a fairly new player. I'm certain that other players out there have other excellent play tips that can help people form good habits and avoid misplays. In the end, this will make the game more enjoyable for all. After all, you want to be able to beat your opponent's best!
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