For more information on the 1999 World Championships and the Regional Qualifying tournaments. See the Decipher Website... Right Here!
In years past, the way to get to the World Championships was to play in a Regional Qualifier, an Open Qualifier or winning last year's World Championship. In California, there were several such Regional Qualifiers. It was simple enough, but, it also meant that more players would be going to the World Championship. As the player population increased, so did the number of Regional Qualifiers. Last year, there were three Regional Qualifiers and an Open Qualifier in California alone.
As a result, the World Champioships themselves became overpopulated and unwieldy. It was decided that there a lower attendance was needed.
This year, there three ways to get into the World Championship:
Winning a "Regional Championship":
There will only be one Regional Championship this year. In California, this Championship will be held on September 4th at Neutral Ground in Mountain View (near San Jose). Their attendance is on a qualifying basis only.
In order to qualify for the Regional Championship, you must place in a Regional Preliminary. This is what this article is about. Other articles will follow describing other avenues and events to get you to the World Championship.
The format of Regional Preliminaries will be either Sealed Deck or Constructed deck. These formats will be noted with the particular Preliminary. Most experianced tournament directors and all the Squadron Members will be able to hold a number of regional Preliminaries. Experianced TD's can run up to two Prelims (one constructed deck format and one sealed deck format).
Attendance to one of these functions is open to everyone wishing to attend (unless you have already qualified for a seat at the Regional Championship).
There will be many Regional Preliminaries. One such Preliminary will be held at 1st and 10 Sports Cards in Livermore by me on April 25th.
Here are some pointers to remember when you go to a Regional Preliminary:
1)
Make
sure your cards are correct.
It's important to remember
that your decks are going to be highly scrutinized during the Regional
Preliminary. You may also be expected to leave your decks in a repository
inbetween games.
Make sure your decks are
exactly 60 cards. They will be counted when your enter the tournament
and at the beginning of each game. Make sure your cards are oriented
correctly, and the sleeves and clean and unmarked.
Opaque card sleeves (black
or red backed card sleeves) are not allowed in a Regional Preliminary.
They will definitely be prohibited at the Regional Championship.
If you have them at the beginning of the tournament you will be asked to
remove them. Be prepared.
You may bring whatever cards
you wish (for trading, selling, ect), however, once the tournament begins,
you will not be allowed to alter your decks. It's advisable to simply
bring only what you intend to play with.
2)
Conduct
yourselves appropiately.
There will be a lot of heated
competition. It will be a long day with a lot of emotions and confidence
on the line. Tempers may flare.
Remember to be calm and
play each game one at a time. Be aware that you will most likely
lose at least one game during the tournament. Take the loss in stride
and don't allow it to rattle you.
Pace yourself. The
tournament can take as long as eight hours or more! In the later
games you may become fatigued, irritable and mistake prone. Be sure
to drink plenty of fluids. Eat a good breakfast before hand.
Rest in between games. Most of all, relax.
There will be times where
questions of game play will arrise. If you have any questions, make
sure you ask the Tournament Director or one of his/ her assistants.
Never take your opponent's word for granted... He could be wrong.
Remember to allow your opponent
time to react to each of your actions. Activate Force one at a time.
Deploy cards one at a time. Go SLOW!!! This will actually help
you in the long run, trust me!
3)
Arrive
early.
There is going to be a lot
of people at these event, all eager to start playing. The sooner
you arrive, fill out your command cards and have your decks checked, the
sooner the tournament can begin.
Make sure you come to the
tournament prepared. Double check everything before you leave for
the tournament. You may not get a chance to correct any mistakes
that you've made!
4)
Make
sure your family knows what is going on.
This will be a long tournament.
If your family and friends do not know this, they may become worried and
try to find you... Actually interfering with your game.
Keep them appraised of what's
happening and let them know when the tournament may end. Phones are
available for you to call whoever you need to call in case of emergancy.
Make sure the Tournament
Director knows about any alergies, illnesses, or even psycoses that may
hinder your ability to play. Perhaps you have asthma, and being
cooped up among several dozen hot, sweaty card player may make it hard
for you to breathe. Tell the TD and he can put you toward the window during
the pairing.
5)
Have
FUN!!!
This tournament is for you!
Have fun, but, remember, despite the fact that you're competing against
everyone else, we're still on the same team!
Good Luck, and...
The Force will be with you...