I’m fresh from Gen Con So Cal, and even though I was there as a reporter this time and not as a judge, I still spent a lot of time hanging out afterwards and talking to the judges. Eventually, we fell to talking about various things that players did at the different tournaments that slowed things down and created extra work for the judges. You might not think that what you do really matters in the grand scheme of a tournament, but multiply any delays you cause by the number of the other attendees there: at a large event like a Shonen Jump or big Regional, you’re looking at a possible ten minutes extra time per/between rounds. Having nine or ten rounds? Add over an hour of wasted time and work to the actual event. I don’t know about you, but I’d far rather be done on time—especially when it’s a convention setting and there will be more events to enter or work, or if you’ve driven far . . . or if you’ve still got some coverage to finish up!

Anyway, several of the judges told me that I should write an article about how the players were slowing down the events. I’ve written about some of these things in the past, but never presented as a cohesive “how not to waste time” article. So I’m going to present to you the top ten things players do that bog down a tournament. If players can learn to stop doing these things, I think they’ll be pleasantly surprised by how much faster their events go. To make the reading easier, I’ll divide it up into two parts—pre-event and during the event.

Let’s get started with the top five things players do to delay the start of the event!

Arriving late and not ready to register.

Sometimes traffic, oversleeping friends, car troubles, and so forth can be beyond your control, but if you have a habit of arriving very late, start leaving earlier. Make sure you have your UDE number, your deck, enough cash, and any other information you’ll need in order to fill out your registration. Check beforehand to get directions to unfamiliar venues, and find out about parking. Be prepared to pay for parking in case that becomes necessary. If you figure you’ll get there ten minutes before registration closes and then find you have to park about a mile away, you might be out of luck.

And get there early! Just because registration closes at 10:00 doesn’t mean you should arrive at 9:55. Sure, most TO’s will extend registration time to accommodate everyone, but that doesn’t make it cool to show up at ten on the dot. All the people who put forth the effort to be on time don’t deserve to be kept waiting for an hour and a half because a hundred more people rolled in three minutes before the deadline. There will always be a line and there’s always the chance for a delay, so keep that in mind.

Not having a deck ready to play.

You really should be prepared to play once you arrive on site—your deck (or decks, if you haven’t quite made up your mind) should be put together and in matching, clean, unmarked sleeves. Arriving at the event and then running around frantically trying to trade for the last cards you need can delay the start considerably, especially if you didn’t show up and get registered early. Plan what you’ll play in advance, so if you need something you don’t have in order to finish your brilliant deck, you can trade for it or borrow it before you go to the event. If you absolutely have to get it at the event, try to make arrangements beforehand with someone you know will be there. And get there early! You’d better bring a backup too, in case your waiting cards don’t materialize.

Showing up with an illegal or unplayable deck.

It takes time to correct an illegal deck, and it’s a hassle for the deck-check team. So you need to know what you’re doing when you build your deck, and make sure it’s legal before you leave for the tournament! Double-check that you have at least 40 cards, and only the allowable numbers of each. Review the semi-Limited and Limited lists for your format (you can find current ones here), and don’t include any Forbidden cards. Don’t forget about your side deck, too. It needs to be fifteen cards exactly, and the cards you include in the side need to be in line with the format. I have seen decks with a Mystical Space Typhoon in the main deck, and another in the side.

The deck should be in clean unmarked matching sleeves, and you should have extra sleeves in case you need to change damaged sleeves (instead of running to the dealer area to buy new ones). You don’t want to have to play without sleeves because your sleeves are marked and you don’t have money or extras—it damages your cards, and if you are playing with worn cards, the deck will be unplayable.

Not knowing if their cards/deck actually work.

Time you spend arguing with opponents and judges is time not spent finishing your duel. If you come up with a tricky combo or a hot piece of tech, make sure it actually works. People do show up at large events with decks that flat-out don’t work, and it’s a huge pain for everyone involved to explain why and deal with the upset player who has now wasted his or her time and entry fee. The example that springs to mind is Appropriate comboed with Chainsaw Insect—it looks sooo good until you realize you can’t flip Appropriate in the damage step, when Chainsaw Insect’s effect triggers. Make sure you know what you’re doing, and double check rulings first.

Having an incomplete, poorly, or incorrectly filled-out decklist.

You can download a decklist form from ude.com or from most TO’s sites, and getting that ready before you even arrive at the event can save a lot of time. Having the decklist ready to go is enormously helpful, especially if you can type it out or spend enough time on it to print neatly. Frantically filling out your decklist during the player meeting while lists are being collected is the exact opposite! You’re supposed to have it done beforehand, and when you rush through it, you are more likely to make a mistake, or just have really awful penmanship or indecipherable card abbreviations. Sloppy, incorrect, or unreadable decklists slow down the preliminary deck checks, keeping judges off the floor and delaying verifications that can avoid penalties. They also slow down deck checks—judges have to be able to read your list, and it needs to match your deck. If it’s neither of those, you’ll probably get a penalty, and you’ll certainly have a longer wait to get your deck back. Sure, you’ll get a time extension, but that will cut into the start of the next round.

So decide on your deck beforehand, fill out your decklist carefully and neatly, and hand it in when you’re requested to do so. Make sure you write your name on it! Include your side and fusion decks if you’re using them, and if you aren’t, write “no side deck” or “no fusion deck” on your list. This will save the deck check team a lot of time and trouble, since they have to verify that you don’t have one.

And one more thing . . .

Write out the full name of the card.

Don’t write something ambiguous like “magician” or “Nobleman” that can mean one of several different cards. Don’t use abbreviations like “ROD” or “MF”. Just because people know what that means online doesn’t make it acceptable for a decklist. You might get penalized, and you’ll deserve it. It’s hard going through hundreds of decklists, and lazy players make it even harder.

This isn’t an exhaustive list of all the things that players do, but these are the big ones. Players shouldn’t think of themselves in an isolated sense—it’s easy to go, “Oh well, so I got there a minute after registration closed, no big deal. They still let me in and it only took six minutes to get me signed up.” What you need to realize is that you’re not the only person in the event doing this kind of thing. One player doesn’t make or break an event, but players en masse certainly can. If everyone makes the extra effort to avoid slowing things down, the event is going to move faster and end sooner, and we can all go out and get a decent dinner for a change!

Next week, I’ll talk about five things players do that slow down the event as the tournament is going on. Come back, read, and take it to heart. Let’s put an end to the 1:00 am last round!