GrandmaJoner
Active Member
Alright, this is a very important issue in my mind (and a lot of other people's minds too), and having experienced the worst, I think that is a very legitimate and plausible idea for this year's worlds.
As you know, there have been huge problems with stalling recently in the Pokemon TCG. I believe that my idea would essentially reduce stalling to such a small level that it really wouldn't be a huge problem anymore (for Worlds 2005, anyways).
Also, this is not a "problem," but I have gotten to the point where I am extremely tired of getting screwed over by luck at a lot of the tournaments that I go in. And of course, this does not only happen to me, sure, I know other people who are tired of it too. I believe that worlds 2005 should crown the BEST Pokemon TCG players in their age group, not the luckiest. Am I saying that the 2004 winners were not legit? Not at all. I believe that the best players in each age group won 1st place (with the element of surprise, mind you).
So, now, my idea? I would like every single round of worlds 2005 to be match play competition. That is, best 2/3 games. I think that even the 7 swiss rounds could easily be done as 2/3. Some of you may feel that time is an issue, and it may be. But I believe that we can easily accomplish this in 2 days, and it will reduce luck and stalling by huge numbers. I think that in the swiss rounds, the match play could last 1 hour, and in the elimination rounds it could last 90 minutes, like it did last year. I have put together a schedule for which I thnk the main event at worlds 2005 could follow (obviously this is very adaptable). I have allowed 15 minutes between each round just for any issues or time extensions and what not.
Saturday, August 20th
9:00 AM - Players in the main tournament gather and listen to information from head judges and TOs.
9:30 AM - Round 1 begins.
10:30 AM - Round 1 ends.
10:45 AM - Round 2 begins.
11:45 AM - Round 2 ends.
12:00 PM - Round 3 begins.
1:00 PM - Round 3 ends.
1:00 - 2:30 PM - Lunch break.
2:30 PM- Round 4 begins.
3:30 PM - Round 4 ends.
3:45 PM - Round 5 begins.
4:45 PM - Round 5 ends.
5:00 PM - Round 6 begins.
6:00 PM - Round 6 ends.
6:15 PM - Round 7 begins.
7:15 PM - Round 7 ends.
7:30 - 8:00 - First day of gaming is over, with the top 32 being revealed and posted in each age group.
Sunday, August 21st
9:00 AM - Top 32 playoffs begin.
10:30 AM - Top 32 playoffs end.
10:45 AM - Top 16 playoffs start.
12:15 PM- Top 16 playoff end.
12:15 - 1:00 PM - Lunch Break.
1:00 PM - Top 8 playoffs begin.
2:30 PM - Top 8 playoffs end.
2:45 PM - Top 4 playoffs begin.
4:15 PM - Top 4 playoffs end.
4:30 PM - Finals and 3rd place matches begin.
6:00 PM - Finals and 3rd place matches end.
7:00 PM - Awards presentation.
Now this seems plausible to me, doesn't it? And I might be ignorant, I do not know what it takes to run a tournament, but last year's worlds went very smoothly. It kept pretty much exactly on schedule, which is not what most people expected. It was a job well done. Who says this can't happen at this year's worlds? And I think that my schedule is quite legitimate.
Now, on the side of the actual idea, I don't think that there will be too much opposition, unelss it is from adults who run Pokemon TCG tournaments, saying that this is not possible within the given time frame, and that is, of course, a legitimate argument. Also, with regards to people's flights back from worlds, I think that they can be given on Monday rather than Sunday night. (I know that Nintendo would love to save money on hotels, and even later Sunday night flights are very possible.)
As far as the 2/3 itself is concerned, often matches can be decided by a lucky 3/3 heads and weakness, on a second turn or first turn Knock Out. Does this determine the person with the most amount of skill? I think not. Even though you will be in quite a hole if you lose the first game, it is still very possible for you to come back. Stalling will not be as huge because you can almost always finish a single game in an hour, maybe even 3. Of course, we've all heard the stories of people being stalled in last year's worlds playoffs, and it will not be totally eliminated, of course. If someone tries to stall, it will be only after they get a win in the first game or something similar. And this format will reduce the amount of luck by a huge margin.
So this is merely a proposal, of course, but I haven't really felt much stronger and more positive about anything involving the Pokemon TCG than this. I think that it would improve worlds immensely, and I'd love to hear your feedback. So, what do you think?
As you know, there have been huge problems with stalling recently in the Pokemon TCG. I believe that my idea would essentially reduce stalling to such a small level that it really wouldn't be a huge problem anymore (for Worlds 2005, anyways).
Also, this is not a "problem," but I have gotten to the point where I am extremely tired of getting screwed over by luck at a lot of the tournaments that I go in. And of course, this does not only happen to me, sure, I know other people who are tired of it too. I believe that worlds 2005 should crown the BEST Pokemon TCG players in their age group, not the luckiest. Am I saying that the 2004 winners were not legit? Not at all. I believe that the best players in each age group won 1st place (with the element of surprise, mind you).
So, now, my idea? I would like every single round of worlds 2005 to be match play competition. That is, best 2/3 games. I think that even the 7 swiss rounds could easily be done as 2/3. Some of you may feel that time is an issue, and it may be. But I believe that we can easily accomplish this in 2 days, and it will reduce luck and stalling by huge numbers. I think that in the swiss rounds, the match play could last 1 hour, and in the elimination rounds it could last 90 minutes, like it did last year. I have put together a schedule for which I thnk the main event at worlds 2005 could follow (obviously this is very adaptable). I have allowed 15 minutes between each round just for any issues or time extensions and what not.
Saturday, August 20th
9:00 AM - Players in the main tournament gather and listen to information from head judges and TOs.
9:30 AM - Round 1 begins.
10:30 AM - Round 1 ends.
10:45 AM - Round 2 begins.
11:45 AM - Round 2 ends.
12:00 PM - Round 3 begins.
1:00 PM - Round 3 ends.
1:00 - 2:30 PM - Lunch break.
2:30 PM- Round 4 begins.
3:30 PM - Round 4 ends.
3:45 PM - Round 5 begins.
4:45 PM - Round 5 ends.
5:00 PM - Round 6 begins.
6:00 PM - Round 6 ends.
6:15 PM - Round 7 begins.
7:15 PM - Round 7 ends.
7:30 - 8:00 - First day of gaming is over, with the top 32 being revealed and posted in each age group.
Sunday, August 21st
9:00 AM - Top 32 playoffs begin.
10:30 AM - Top 32 playoffs end.
10:45 AM - Top 16 playoffs start.
12:15 PM- Top 16 playoff end.
12:15 - 1:00 PM - Lunch Break.
1:00 PM - Top 8 playoffs begin.
2:30 PM - Top 8 playoffs end.
2:45 PM - Top 4 playoffs begin.
4:15 PM - Top 4 playoffs end.
4:30 PM - Finals and 3rd place matches begin.
6:00 PM - Finals and 3rd place matches end.
7:00 PM - Awards presentation.
Now this seems plausible to me, doesn't it? And I might be ignorant, I do not know what it takes to run a tournament, but last year's worlds went very smoothly. It kept pretty much exactly on schedule, which is not what most people expected. It was a job well done. Who says this can't happen at this year's worlds? And I think that my schedule is quite legitimate.
Now, on the side of the actual idea, I don't think that there will be too much opposition, unelss it is from adults who run Pokemon TCG tournaments, saying that this is not possible within the given time frame, and that is, of course, a legitimate argument. Also, with regards to people's flights back from worlds, I think that they can be given on Monday rather than Sunday night. (I know that Nintendo would love to save money on hotels, and even later Sunday night flights are very possible.)
As far as the 2/3 itself is concerned, often matches can be decided by a lucky 3/3 heads and weakness, on a second turn or first turn Knock Out. Does this determine the person with the most amount of skill? I think not. Even though you will be in quite a hole if you lose the first game, it is still very possible for you to come back. Stalling will not be as huge because you can almost always finish a single game in an hour, maybe even 3. Of course, we've all heard the stories of people being stalled in last year's worlds playoffs, and it will not be totally eliminated, of course. If someone tries to stall, it will be only after they get a win in the first game or something similar. And this format will reduce the amount of luck by a huge margin.
So this is merely a proposal, of course, but I haven't really felt much stronger and more positive about anything involving the Pokemon TCG than this. I think that it would improve worlds immensely, and I'd love to hear your feedback. So, what do you think?
