Sneak Previews are upon us once again! Now, I’ve never gotten to play in one, because I always end up judging instead. I’ve judged at least one event for each Sneak Preview weekend since the series began, so today I’m going to devote an article to telling you what to expect and how you can get the most out of your Sneak Preview experience. Sneak Previews are very different from other Organized Play events that you may have attended in the past, such as League tournaments, Regionals, and Shonen Jump Championships. However, I’d have to say that the Sneak Previews are my absolute favorite kind of event—I really enjoy the attitude of the players and the focus on trying out new ideas.

If you’re heading to a Sneak Preview this weekend, what can you expect? Well, the first thing to expect is crowds of people who are all eager to get the cards and indulge in some Sealed Pack play. If you go early in the day and plan on arriving before the doors open, you should expect some lines. If you want to be first, you’d better plan on getting there very, very early! In the past, supplies tended to run out, but that has been remedied. TOs now get a much larger stock of product and promos, so it’s no longer absolutely necessary to get there when the doors open in order to get your share. You’ll generally find no lines at all if you head to the event a few hours after it starts, but since you won’t know how many people were there before you, it is possible that supplies could run out. Last time, most venues had plenty of product right up until the end of the events, so ultimately, it’s your decision.

Whatever time you decide to head over—if you want to be part of the early morning hype or the more laid-back afternoon crowd—make sure to bring your UDE Tournament ID number, because you’ll need it to register for the event and get your product. Don’t worry if you don’t have one, since you’ll be able to get one at the event. You can bring some sleeves with you if you like to sleeve your cards, and a binder or box to display your spoils. If you plan on doing some trading, then bring along your trade fodder, but make sure you can carry it securely. You don’t want anything to happen to your cards.

What should you do once you get there? There are usually three different kinds of events that you can play in at a Sneak Preview: open dueling, Sealed Pack tournaments, and Booster Drafts. When you reach the registration area, you’ll be offered a choice of the events. Most Sneak Previews will allow you to participate in as many events as you like as long as there is enough product to go around.

What’s the difference between these events? Open dueling is a casual, relaxed event. When you register, you’ll get five packs of Cybernetic Revolution. You’ll open these packs and build a 20-card minimum deck with whatever you think will work best. You can use all the cards you’ve opened if you like, but you must use at least 20 cards. You can’t trade with anyone, you can’t add in any cards you brought with you, and you can’t use the promo card that’s given out at the event.

Once you’ve got your deck put together, you can look around for an opponent. There is no formal match-up policy—you simply sit down and play whoever you like, with no time limits or rounds. Once you’ve played five duels, report to the judge in the area and he or she will reward you with an additional booster. Then you’re done! You can continue to duel if you like, but you can’t earn any additional boosters.

Most players really enjoy open dueling. It’s a good chance to sit down with your friends, crack open some boosters, and, if you didn’t get lucky, get inventive! As long as the product holds out, most TOs will let you sign up for open dueling as often as you like. I’ve seen players go home happy with something like three booster boxes of product, including some top-notch trades.

Open dueling isn’t just for veterans or teams looking for a spot to kick back and get in some recreational play—it’s the perfect introduction to Yu-Gi-Oh! for new players. Getting new cards is always exciting, especially if you’re getting them before any of your friends, and getting new cards and the opportunity to duel as much as you like makes open dueling an ideal event for players who are just starting out. The play is casual, and there are judges on hand to explain the rules and guide beginners through their duels.

The high pressure and detailed structure of a tournament is totally absent from open dueling events, which is a boon to younger players without any Organized Play experience. They can play as long as they like without the pressure to win, and take home a pile of brand-new cards at the end of the event. If you are bringing new players to the Sneak Preview event, your best bet might be to wait a few hours until the crush dies down, so the judges and staff can spend more time with them and ensure that they have an enjoyable time.

Next on the list are sanctioned Sealed Pack tournaments! Most Sneak Previews will take signups and run these as often as there are people who want to play in them. These are miniature events, or “flights,” that usually have between 8 and 32 people per tournament. Just like in open dueling, you’ll receive five booster packs from which to build your deck. Once deckbuilding is complete, the players will be paired up for a minimum of three rounds of Swiss-style play. If you like the more orderly structure of Swiss rounds, then you will enjoy the Sealed Pack tournaments. You aren’t guaranteed to get an additional booster pack, as you would be with open dueling, but prizes are awarded to the top finishers.

Last but not least, there are Booster Drafts. These are usually run in “pods” of four to eight players, and rather than using all the cards in each pack you open, you’ll be choosing some and passing the rest on. Each player will do this simultaneously, so you’ll then choose cards from your neighbor’s packs and pass the rest on. It can sometimes be a tough decision to choose between picking the cards that will build the strongest deck and taking the cards that you were hoping to pull! You’ll get fewer cards in a booster draft than you will in the other events, since fewer booster packs are given to each player (usually three). This is why Booster Drafts tend to be the least expensive option at the Sneak Preview. Booster Drafts are fun and challenging, and the small pod sizes make it a great activity to do with your friends. If you haven’t ever tried it, you’ll want to remedy that. There will be a judge there to run the draft for you and explain exactly what to do.

If you arrive early, you’ll probably have to wait in line—but you’ll have a better chance of getting product, as well as the event-exclusive promo card! These have been a huge draw for the last few Sneak Previews, and this time should be no exception. In case you’re wondering, Cybernetic Revolution Sneak Previews will be offering a slick-looking Embodiment of Apophis foil promo card, as long as supplies last.

This card is quite intriguing. It’s a continuous trap card with a very unusual effect. You can only activate it during your main phase, but once it’s activated, it’s treated as a normal monster card. It becomes a Reptile–type, Earth-attribute, level 4 normal monster with an ATK of 1600 and a DEF of 1800. When Embodiment of Apophis is activated, it will be special summoned to your monster zone. That’s not a bad way to get an extra monster on the field, and its stats aren’t too bad, either.

I can think of several good uses for it. Perhaps you have a tribute monster in hand, but nothing else. Or maybe you don’t want to tribute any of the monsters on your field. You could begin your turn, enter your main phase, then activate Embodiment of Apophis and use it as the tribute, bringing your stronger monster to the field. Or, if your field is empty, you could summon Cyber Dragon without a tribute and then activate Embodiment of Apophis to get another monster out immediately. Essentially, this card can give you two monsters on the field when you’d normally only get one, and if you’re looking for ways to improve your field presence, this is worth considering.

Remember that even when Embodiment of Apophis has been activated and special summoned to your monster zone, it is still treated as a trap card, so spell or trap destruction cards can work on it as well.

Well, I hope I’ve convinced you to head out to your local Sneak Preview event this weekend. There are some absolutely fantastic cards in this new set that are going to make their mark on the game, and Regional tournaments and Shonen Jump Championships are coming up soon. Why not see what you can do with these new cards before other players can build decks to counter them? It might give you the edge you need to make it to the Top 8.