Classifying for the Players Cup III in 5 days… and trying not to die in the attempt. Lessons learned and looking ahead.

Hi everyone! This is Elena from Gaia Storm TCG and it is great to be here once more. I really wanted to write a post about the upcoming set Battle Styles and how the new archetypes are going to shatter the metagame. But considering that I recently wrote about the Players Cup III, the state of the game and some general thoughts about the tournament (please see the previous article here at CCG for more details about this event), I thought it will be valuable to share my experience from this past month and go over some important lessons I learnt during the time playing. So let’s get into that!

Originally, I have to confess that I was not planning to play this edition of the Players Cup Tournament. I didn’t feel particularly comfortable with any of the top tier decks and had been a while since I actually sat down and played TCG in a competitive way. But then, when there were only 5 days left for the tournament to end, I don’t really know what got inside me, I decided to give it a try and test the waters. And suddenly there was no turning back. That’s how I ended up in this crazy situation where I was literally racing against the clock to get at least 85 Rep points and qualify for the second round. Now, you might be thinking that playing 50 tournaments in 5 days is not be as terrible as I am making it sound but when you have a full time job and little free time, things get more difficult.

So as you can imagine, this is my first lesson: Never do that. If you are planning to play the next editions of the Players Cup, make sure you are organizing yourself through the month and play with a reasonable frequency. That will really help you avoid the burn out, perform better and stay in better shape overall. I played during the nights and ended up very tired because the mental effort is maximum (you can’t go into a tournament and expect to watch a film on the background at the same time).

Something important to remember is that resting between different tournaments is crucial. My advice is not to play for many hours in a row. Go for a quick walk, take a shower or go and grab a snack. This are luxuries you can’t afford at real life tournaments but since you are playing at home, don’t push yourself too hard. After a couple of hours, your mind is not as sharp as in the beginning and that will lead to mistakes, which lead to frustration and ultimately to more mistakes. So, again, even if it sounds obvious, try to!

Another aspect I want to touch on is frustration. This format is not precisely loved because there are a lot of situations that can be perceived as unfair, especially those that have to do with coin cards like Crushing Hammer or Turbo Patch. Your opponent flipping heads at the right time can steal the game from you but that is something you can’t do much against. Try to approach the game with this idea in mind: concentrate to make the most out of your cards but don’t punish yourself or lose your temper for things that you can’t control. Accept the loss and move on.

Concentration is also key. I mentioned earlier that you can’t multitask when playing the Players Cup because the level of the players is quite good. You are not going to find random decks as in the ladder and everyone wants to win. Do what you would do in real tournament: Pay attention to the card counts, check your prizes (always check your prizes!) and look at the discard pile often. All in all, it is about finding the balance, really, between being relaxed but concentrated at the same time. In my case, metal music helps!

And finally, I also want to briefly discuss the issue of choosing a deck. There are players that decide to play one single deck through the entire tournament while others change strategies every few keys. And I think both options are good. In my case, I decided to stick to Eternatus from the beginning because I typically tend to play agro strategies and felt that the deck was strong enough to win most of the match ups in the format if it drew well.  Playing one single deck through the entire tournament really helps you polish your moves and react quicker. But as I have mentioned in the past, play something you are comfortable with and that is the only rule you should go for.

So yes, these are my little bits of advice for you and the Players Cup! Hope you found them useful. Ah, and in case you are wondering about the end of my Players Cup’s journey… I did it! I was not able to spend all my keys in time but got 90-something points that secured my place as top 254 in Europe. But I learnt the lesson and I am sure I am not repeating the same thing again.
Thanks for reading!