At the core of all of the best players in this game is the uncanny ability to make crucial decisions under enormous amounts of pressure.
You’ve heard me mention the importance of decision-making. Your decisive powers are just as important as having a well-built deck. If you are skilled at making game-altering plays, that’s awesome. If that’s all you can do, then you’re probably in for a big letdown. Your deck must allow you to make those game-altering decisions. Nothing frustrates me more than not being able to do anything about my opponent’s plays. Hence my pet saying, “I like options on my opponent’s turn.”
This doesn’t mean that you have to be a natural expert player and deckbuilder. You can be great at both, but if you’re not good at one area then you have to work on the other or find some help. If you’re an awesome player but you do not have strong deckbuilding skills, then seek out someone who does to help you. Then use his or her prototype in actual testing to refine it to your style. Great decks aren’t great in the first draft anyway. If you’re a great deckbuilder, but you can’t seem to do well with your great deck, then you should seek the help of an excellent player: someone who can beat you consistently despite how much more consistent your deck is.
Practicing is also a large contributor to decision-making skills. As my friend Josh Graham once told me, “Most people practice until they can get it right. I practice until I can’t get it wrong.” There’s a lot of meaning in what he said. There’s a difference between those who simply play and those who practice. It’s easy to get familiar with a deck, but it’s much more challenging to master it. You’ve heard the old adage, “Practice makes perfect,” and you’ve probably heard it too many times.
“So what? I practice too. I’m not getting that much better. I’m still losing.” My thoughts exactly this weekend after my second loss at my local Regional Qualifier (I placed 13th actually). Can you simply write that off with the trite statement, “You can’t win them all?” Sometimes, yes. However, there’s a fine line between luck-based losses and decision-making losses. Most people attribute losses to luck when the opposite is true.
The Importance of Cost Analysis
This game often favors abrupt short-term gains rather than well-formulated long-term strategies. It doesn’t mean that you should abandon strategies that excel at long-term gains like burn decks. It just means that if you build this type of deck, you have to slow down the inherent speed of the duel. You have to prevent your opponent from gaining those powerful short-term advantages.
Given the amount of life points that are available to you and the ATK power of the monsters in this game relative to that initial total, it is hard to deny that this game is designed for quick exchanges of life points to force quick wins. I’m obviously oversimplifying, but that is the general concept. Therefore, you have to be quick on your feet in terms of your decision-making skills. To improve your skills in this area, you need to be adept at what I call “cost analysis,” which is the ability to discern the true cost of any given action taken during game play. Generally you want to accomplish as many things as possible with the least amount of cards or life point loss per turn.
Here’s the general formula: If you are going to make “x” play, then what would it cost you if your opponent responded with “y” action.
This kind of analysis is done to reduce the number of mistakes you make. There are a million examples of times when, if you had just thought about the possible ramifications of your opponent “having the answer” to your play, you would have committed more or less to the field.
The disclaimer to this method of thinking is that it depends on you, the player, to make the right choice. Sometimes you may under-commit due to over-thinking on your part and vice-versa. Refining this process takes practice and time, but it definitely helps to make sure you constantly apply the general formula to your situation. In the beginning you may find your play slowing down a bit, yet with practice it will become second nature. You won’t even have to consciously ask yourself. You’ll be able to process the possible ramifications of your actions extremely quickly.
Doing this benefits you immensely. You’ll be able to make better plays by simply understanding the consequences before the event may occur. Most players are afraid to lose even one card, especially those who religiously quantify their chances of victory in terms of how many more cards they have over the opponent. Sometimes that [Sakuretsu Armor] won’t wreck your day as much as you think it will.
Why Rulings Knowledge Matters
If there’s one thing I hear at an event more than anything it’s, “Man, that judge cost me the match because of some stupid ruling he or she made against me.”
There has not been one event in my entire career in this game where I have not heard this statement. It’s usually because of a lesser-known ruling that the player just never encountered. Whether the ruling is recent or from the past, it pays to know exactly what your cards do.
Rulings change often and sometimes they aren’t easy to find or your specific question isn’t clearly answered in the individual card rulings. Though useful, many general rulings sources are just for very general questions, and aren’t official. If you don’t happen to have a level 3 judge on speed dial, there’s a quicker way to find good rulings information: the UDE Rulings Forums. If you’re looking for quick answer to very specific rulings questions that may have come up in the past or in practice with your testing buddies, go there and ask. Here’s a quick run-through on how to sign up if you already haven’t:
1) Go to www.ude.com.
2) Click on the button that says “FORUMS.”
3) On the upper right corner of the page you’ll see a link that says “Join.”
4) At the registration page, fill out the info.
5) On the next page, it will let you choose what emails you will receive from Upper Deck.
6) After you’re done you’ll be taken to the UDE Forums and you’re all set.
7) A nifty thing is that you’ll get a nice 20% discount coupon for the Upper Deck Online Store for signing up.
You don’t have to sign up to view the forums, but if you want to ask questions you have to register. Besides, a 20% discount is nice.
The Yu-Gi-Oh! Rules and Questions forum section is the place to make your inquiries. These forums are not an official rulings source like the Advanced Gameplay FAQ, but they are a showcase for a lot of highly knowledgeable judges. I recommend using them because you’ll be much better off getting your rulings in advance, rather than receiving a potentially nasty surprise during a tournament. Knowledge is potential power, and when a floor judge makes a ruling that you believe is erroneous, you can appeal to the head judge. Being aware of the rulings that pertain to your deck will help you understand when you should make an appeal. Truthfully, a lot of incorrect plays are made and left undisputed simply due to a lack of knowledge on the player’s part. Save yourself the stress and research the rulings on your cards before a tournament. Feel free to ask any questions on the forums and you’ll get your answer.
Final Thoughts
Preparation is always a must for me. Knowing what decision to make and having a well-built deck is also important. If I’m going to a competition, I’m going there to win and have fun. It’s imperative that you know what you’re up against. Arm yourself with information about your cards and how they interact with other cards. It pays to know your own detailed rulings.
Thank you for reading! Talk to you next week.
If you have any questions about my work, email me at: deathjester86@gmail.com.