In this game, I’ve learned that it’s one thing to get your deck prepared, but it’s a whole other thing to get your head in the game. I’ve always told my team and my friends that the best deck in the world can perform horribly in the hands of an unprepared player. Whenever I Top 8’d a Regional Qualifier or did well in any tournament, I knew I was going to win. A lot of players talk about that “knowing.” For me, winning is predictable. You can engineer your own success. Today I’ll tell you about some simple techniques to get your mind in the game so we can engineer the type of success you’re looking for.

Perform Your Due Diligence

One of the worst obstacles to success in tournament competition is thinking about things you might have forgotten to bring or do. If you’ve ever played in a major tournament before, you’ve probably asked yourself one of these questions:

• “Do I have the right side deck?”
• “Did I forget to bring extra copies of the cards in my deck?”
• “Will I forget what to do with my cards when the time comes?”
• “Did I forget to bring money?”
• “Is my hotel reservation still good?”
• “Did I lock my car before I left it?”

This may seem trivial, but when combined with all the pre-game stress, it can really wrack your brain. A good way to cope is to make up your own “due diligence” checklist to make sure you do everything you need to before the tournament starts. Here’s one you could use:

1. As many extra copies of the cards in your deck and side deck as possible.
2. Enough cash to buy food, deck sleeves, etc.
3. Emergency cash ($50 extra will do).
4. Two extra packs of sleeves.
5. Pencil.
6. Notebook or notepad.
7. One extra deck box.
8. Pair of dice.
9. Extra snacks (sometimes you don’t have time to find a place to eat).
10. Calculator.
11. Watch.
12. Current copy of the rulings for specific cards in your deck.
13. Confirm hotel reservations (if applicable).
14. Confirm that your vehicle is prepared for travel (gas, air, oil change, etc. if applicable).
15. Review the driving directions to the tournament site (if applicable).
16. Two copies of your decklist.

This may seem like a lot, but it should be taken care of the night before the tournament. Print it out. Write it down. Post it on your wall. Just make sure you have a checklist of things you need to do before you go to the tournament.

What Not to Do Before a Tournament

I’m sure you’ve heard your friends saying that they practiced the night before the tournament. I don’t advocate this personally. I suggest that you relax, watch some TV in your hotel or house, and get a good night’s sleep. If you like to stay up till 4-5 AM testing, that’s fine, but I wouldn’t expect you to make it far with the resulting mental fatigue. It may not seem like it the morning of, but it wears you down round after round.

Those Starbucks coffees and Red Bulls aren’t going to do it for you either. The caffeine and sugar highs you get from those drinks only last for about an hour or two and then you crash. Make sure you eat breakfast. Don’t go on an empty stomach. You don’t want any distractions when you play.

Ideally, you should strive to have your testing done about three days before the tournament date. Your “due diligence” should be performed no later than the day before the tournament. Your stuff should be packed and ready to go. If you have friends in your place who are going to participate with you, make sure they don’t bother you the night before. You need as much peaceful sleep as you can get. Believe me, this is easier said than done. I’ve stayed in a hotel with some rowdy friends of mine and let’s just say that I didn’t do very well the next day.

After you’re done with all your preparations, relax. You’ve earned it. Set your alarm for early the next day and pat yourself on the back.

The Morning of . . .

When you wake up the next morning, do some stretches, deep breathing, and heck, even pushups to get your blood flowing.

Eat a good breakfast. Take things slow. Don’t rush unless you overslept. You should strive to be as relaxed as possible. I’ve found that some music can help you loosen up. No specific genre is required. Just play whatever you like to get your mind into your “zone.” Music can help you do that.

When you arrive at the tournament, make sure to walk around the floor and greet anyone you know. Don’t be a loner and walk around all by yourself to stay concentrated. If you need to do that, that’s fine. However, I’ve found that socializing can help relieve any extra tension you may have. Make sure you spend time around somebody who’s funny. Laughter releases tension as well.

You should have your decklist ready to go and you shouldn’t have to worry about anything but having a good time. When the first round announcement blares on the loudspeaker, be prepared to play your favorite game. When you’re enjoying yourself, it’s a whole lot easier to play and to stay focused.

Some Extra Tips

I have some extra “secrets” to tell you about so you can maximize your game on tournament day:

• Visualize the win.
• Be a selective listener.
• Expect to win.
• Remember to think thoroughly.

Let’s elaborate on these small secrets a little bit. First, you have to visualize the win. Yes, you can visualize the entire sequence of the day’s events and see yourself winning. Why not? “You can’t hit a target you can’t see,” says Brian Tracy, and I agree with him.

Visualizing the win prepares your mind to win. If you can “see” your goal, then it is more likely that you’ll succeed. Try it. During the testing in the weeks prior to the tournament, take 15 minutes each day to visualize yourself winning the tournament. Just close your eyes and think about it. Try to make a mental movie out of it. Before you know it, at tournament day you’ll feel like a winner and you’ll play like a winner.

Why?

Because you’ve already seen yourself do it. Cool huh?

Next, be a selective listener. This is important because there will be players—sometimes your friends—who will tell you that you have no chance of winning. Some of the excuses you’ll hear are:

·         “The format is unbalanced.”

·         “The metagame is too hard to compete in.”

·         “Team ‘so and so’ is showing up to this tournament. We have no chance.”

·         “You can only play ‘x’ amount of decks in this format. Nothing else works.”

·         “Your deck won’t work. It’s not like the other decks in the format.”

Selective listening literally means choosing what you want to hear. You don’t need to hear that nonsense you’ve just read. You want to win. You don’t have time to listen to words that don’t match with that goal. Be mindful of who you listen to.

Expectations Govern Results

It’s true. The best players in any game, sport, or competition have many things in common. One of those things is the expectation that they will win. You have to honestly expect that you will win. Expectations truly govern results.

I attribute most of my wins to my expectations for the day at the competition. There’s a trick to this though. You have to be honest about it. You have to honestly expect to win. That’s why I focus so much on preparation. Success is as predictable as the sun rising and setting. All the planning and preparation is needed to prepare your mind to win and to set those expectations without any doubt whatsoever.

Not many players prepare to win. They simply expect it. Expectations alone do not govern results. Those expectations are formed by planning and relentless preparation. Call it the fruits of labor if you will. It can be done and it’s easy to do.

Remember to Think Thoroughly

During gameplay, it’s easy to get stuck on a play you’re not sure about. Practice makes perfect right?

I prefer this statement: perfect practice makes perfect.

However, if by some chance you find yourself in a rough spot, remember to think it through. Don’t panic. You have a little bit of time to make a decision. Once you think it through and decide . . . roll with it.

You have no idea how many players don’t just roll with their gameplay decisions. It’s okay to make mistakes too. You can recover easily. To reiterate, make a decision and then stick with it. Don’t back out, don’t worry, and don’t get angry when it doesn’t turn out your way. Roll with it: you’ll be fine.

In Conclusion . . .

Preparation and planning are important. Being prepared to win is also important. There are two sides to the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG: gameplay and inner game. Most people spend too much time on gameplay. You need both. Here’s a quote to think about:

“What plans would you have on your drawing board if you knew you could not fail?”

—Reverend Robert Schuller