Your First Magic the Gathering Tournament - Getting Prepared

So you've been playing Magic The Gathering with your friends in the garage for a while, and now you're finally ready to start playing some tournaments? That's great! Tournaments can be a really fun atmosphere for a young or seasoned Magic the Gathering player to branch out, win some cards, make some friends, and just have a good time. I'm here to tell you that playing in your first Magic tournament is a little bit of a big deal at times, and the task can be a bit daunting. After all, you're going up against those who've been doing this for years. Here are a few tips to get you rolling through the ranks in tournaments and show the other players that you mean business.

Tournament Preparation

You'll always have to be prepared if you want to take the Magic Tournament seriously. Remember what you'll need to bring with you. Make sure you've got your counters, a life counter or some dice, and at least a notepad or a piece of paper to keep score of the game and mark important notes. A lot of players bring a playmat with them, as the card shops and tournaments can be a little bit dirty at times. After all, you paid money for those cards! You don't want them getting messed up. This can be especially helpful if you ever plan to sell your cards. Players won't buy cards that are extensively damaged. A lot of tournaments give the playmats out for free just for playing in them, but you can also find them on ebay from other players. Just keep checking around!

Tournament Setup

Tournaments have a specific flow to them, and the venue putting the tournament on won't be happy with you if you cause too much of a disturbance or don't know your way around. First, there's registration. Get there a little bit early for this, as there are always people rolling in late trying to cut it too closely. If you register early, you'll be able to get everything set up, and take some stress off of yourself when you're preparing

Secondly, you need to set everything up. I recommend taking some sort of organization method with you. A tackle box can be a great tool for magic tournaments as they have multiple places to keep all of your essentials. You can also bring a binder, but then you're forced to take your cards in an out of sleeves all the time and you don't want to be doing that. Bring something that's not too bulky, but provides easy access to your cards, counters, etc.

Thirdly, you'll need to set up your sideboard. A sideboard is a set of cards,(usually 15) that you'll be able to swap out during matches depending on what the other player has in their deck. A sideboard is recommended, as it can make or break games. Most garage or casual players won't have a sideboard because it's unnecessary since you're playing just for fun. Bring that sideboard. When somebody whips out a card that you have no defense for in your main deck, you'll be glad you did.

Make sure you pay attention to where you're supposed to be sitting, and where you're ultimately going to be on the roster and bracket. Things can get cluttered if everybody is running around trying to find out where they're supposed to be sitting and setting up. Make sure that you have a clear idea of where you're going to be. The earlier the better - if you take too much time getting there they won't let you play in that match, and that can cripple your score or even stop you from placing. (ouchies).

Lastly, after you've organized everything, got your sideboard fired up and ready, and you know exactly where you're supposed to be at all times - have fun! Tournament are serious, as most of them cost money, but still, it's a game. Remember to be respectful to your opponent and lost graciously. If you win, don't rub it in their face. Most of the players that do these things will end up being exiled out of your local Magic community, because nobody wants to play with them! So have fun, be humble, and go kick some tail!