This week, I’ll talk about the importance of lists. It’s very helpful to have your own lists of things you do and rules that you follow to avoid unnecessary trouble in your dueling experiences. If you’ve played this game for a while, you’ve learned quite a few lessons along the way. You’ve learned a lot about winning and losing. You’ve learned about yourself and your own habits when you play competitively. Winning on a consistent basis takes more than just practice and skills. It also takes discipline, learning, and patience. You won’t always win them all, that’s the truth.

The reason for having your own set of rules and checklists is to keep things simple. These lists keep you organized and consistent with what works for you. For example, if you have a checklist you use to prepare for every tournament, then all you have to do is follow it. It’s that simple. Lists help you automate things you’d have to actually think about otherwise, so using lists will help you have a lot more fun in the long run. Organize the lessons you learn into a small checklist that you can follow and remind yourself of often.

I have checklists for tournament preparation, the post-tournament, deck testing in person, and deck testing online.

Every one of us has his or her own checklists to follow whether or not we actually write them down. Everyone knows (somewhat) what sequence of things, thoughts, or actions works best for him or her. In the past, whenever I went through my checklists item by item, I became mentally “ready” to compete in the event. When I was ready, I did very well. Much to my own peril, I never wrote this stuff down and assumed that I was suddenly the best player in the world. Sometimes we overestimate ourselves and our abilities. It usually leads to a crushing failure afterward: it’s easy to get in your own way.

There’s nothing wrong with thinking highly of yourself or patting yourself on the back. When you do well, you deserve it. Just don’t let it go to your head. Excessive self-regard or having an over-inflated ego can cause some unwanted consequences. Stick to your checklists. Repeat and reward behavior that works.

It’s important to know exactly how you win and what you do right. It’s also important to know what you do wrong and how you can correct it. If you want to prevent your own ego from taking over, use your checklists. Stick to the routine that helps you win. Success is predictable if you want it to be. These lists force you to think before you act. You follow the list, you get things done.

The key is to make your success as predictable as possible.

For example, if playing 50 games with your deck before an event has helped you perform better at tournaments then stick to it! Write it down: “50 games before tournament = Top 8.” Then make it a priority to play those 50 games. I personally like to handle this type of business at least a week in advance. Maybe you find it better to do it the week of. Whatever works for you is fine—just make sure you have the time to do it. 

Remember, I’m not saying you’ll always win if you follow your checklists, but you’ll have a much better chance of winning than the other guy if you do. If you want that “edge” in your game, using checklists and little rules is a way to manufacture it.

Last week I gave you a sample list of five rules that I follow:

1) Have your deck selected at least a week in advance of the tournament.

2) You are not “familiar” with your chosen deck build unless you’ve played at least 25-30 games with it prior to the event.

3) Resist the urge to play a deck from a new Top 8 prior to an event unless you’ve passed Rule #2.

4) Stay up-to-date. Read the latest information and prepare accordingly.

5) Be mindful of who you test with and measure your testing results.

When I abide by these and other rules, I do a lot better than when I don’t. Number one is pretty straightforward. About 99% of the time I don’t play in an event unless I have my deck ready to go at least a week in advance. I don’t like testing the week of because there’s usually something that comes up that ruins all my opportunities to prepare my deck (see last week’s article).

Number two is very simple as well. I’m personally convinced that you’re not familiar with a deck unless you’ve played at least 25-30 games with it. Given how long it takes to complete a single game (10-20 minutes), 25-30 games is easily eight to twelve hours of playing with a single deck. Who wouldn’t be familiar with a deck after that?

Number three is about net-decking. It ties in closely with rules one and two. I hardly ever borrow and modify a newly listed deck a week before the tournament. When I do and I don’t play those 25 games, I’m not familiar with the deck and I lose. Simple as that. The week of the event, do you think you can find eight to twelve hours to test? For a lot of players my age and older, that’s logistically impossible. That’s why I go through great pains to get all my testing out of the way long before the event, so I can relax and be comfortable knowing that my deck is ready.

Number four is about being aware of the latest developments in the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG community. Be sure to read up on the latest events and the latest decks that have made an impact recently. The last thing you want is to be caught off guard by a strategy you could have read about in advance. Having your deck ready and well-tested will help you determine whether or not you need to make some changes.

Rule number five is to be mindful of who you test with. You may have mixed feelings about this, but it’s usually best if you test with those who are near or above your skill level. You’ll get the best results from better players. It’s no big deal if your testing partner isn’t as good as you or if you’re teaching him or her a thing or two about the game. However, make sure you get some games in with some superior players to keep your skills up.

Another thing that I advocate is to measure your testing results. Record how many games you played, what cards were valuable in which situations, different conclusions that you draw during testing, etc. Your job is to ensure that your testing is as productive as possible. You want results. If you want to engage in casual play, then do that during casual playing time. Casual and test play are not the same. The goal of the first is to have fun only. The goal of the second is to have fun and get definitive results you can use for tournament day.

Final Thoughts

This is simple stuff, but it takes some time to think about. Think back on your past successes. You don’t have to be a regular Regional Top 8’er to do this.

“What if I’ve only Top 8’d at a local tournament?” you might ask. Who cares? I guarantee you that you’ll have an edge over a lot of your competition if you know what your strengths and weaknesses are. The more you exploit your strengths and stick to your routines, the better you’ll do.

These lists help you take advantage of your strengths and get you into a disciplined routine that you know will help you win. They’re always subject to change over time, and they aren’t set in stone. You might find that your list is too long or tedious, or maybe you don’t do enough. Take some time to figure it all out, and remember that your list will grow and change as you do so.

You may not figure it all out in a day, but the more you work at it, the more you’ll discover about what makes you tick. You’ll discover what really gives you excellent results.