Anybody have any tips for prepping for my first PTQ (M14 Sealed) from a semi regular drafter used to playing 8-4s on MTGO and I think holding a rating somewhere around 1750?
I plan on going to a bunch of PTQs as well. This is my mantra.
Aside from being on point with your plays and mulligans I'd assume a PTQ is no diff than any other sealed. No one is your friend and watch out for grimy types that will do anything to get you a game/match loss or DQ.
1) Don't get your hopes up. Top 8'ing a Sealed PTQ is really difficult and you need to open an exceptional pool to even be in the running.
2) If your goal is to Top 8, realize that at the top tables (after a few rounds of wins) everyone will have at least 1 if not more than 1 game altering bomb. Plan accordingly. Prioritize removal that can kill anything. You don't just have to win X matches against other Sealed decks, you have to win X matches against Sealed decks of increasing quality as you go through the day. Try to save your removal in matches against other players with strong records because you know they have something really good lurking in their deck.
3) Try to build a consistent mana base because you can't afford to lose a match just because you drew poorly twice.
Don't be afraid to call a judge; it's not offensive. There are a lot of people who aren't as familiar with certain subtle rules, which you likely are due to MTGO.
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My Decks: EDH: Sygg, River Cutthroat , Road to Scion
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Judging from your other post that you're going to Madison, you'll feel better knowing that you're going to one of the best-run PTQs around. Legions/Misty does it better than just about everyone else.
From the Magic side of things, since I'm typing this on Friday afternoon, most preparation advice I can give is too late. And really, the advice is: play sealed...
From a tournament mechanics standpoint:
Bring cash. Misty does accept credit cards (at least they have in the past), but usually that line is quite long, and the cash line will let you register right away. Luckily you don't have to do a decklist, so if you don't mind standing in line, it might not matter, but I usually bring cash.
The store is in a little strip mall area, so there's a bunch of food nearby (Subway, a local deli-type place, Dairy Queen, and a grocery store if you really want). It still doesn't hurt to have a bottle of water to keep yourself hydrated throughout the day. I'd also recommend eating breakfast if you can, so you're not starving by round 3.
Make sure you have a pen and paper to keep life. Don't use dice, which can be bumped. You can't bump a pad of paper and have the numbers change.
As has been stated, don't be afraid to call a judge if something doesn't seem right. Most players won't care, and if someone does get annoyed at you, all the better. They're off their game a little bit now. Also remember that you can ask questions away from the table so you don't have to reveal the contents of your hand to an opponent.
You don't indicate if you've ever played a competitive real-life sealed event before (basically anything other than a prerelease), so I'm going assume you haven't. Be aware that there will be a deck swap. Basically, you'll open a pool, register it on a sheet they give you, then give it to someone else. You'll build your deck out of the cards someone else opened. It prevents cheating and people from adding cards to their sealed pools. This isn't anything to worry about or prepare for or anything like that, but I've seen new players be really confused as to what is going on, and do it very slowly because of that. The way that I do it is to just open the booster, sort the cards into color piles, then go back and alphabetize the color piles while registering them (the sheet they give you is alphabetical by color).
And the one that most people forget: Have fun. Honestly, PTQs are a lot of fun. A lot of my friends are people that I've met at PTQs. There will be some pros/former pros there, and some pretty serious spikes, but for the most part people are there to have fun. Sure, everyone wants to win the event, but at the end of the day you're all still playing Magic.
Judging from your other post that you're going to Madison, you'll feel better knowing that you're going to one of the best-run PTQs around. Legions/Misty does it better than just about everyone else.
From the Magic side of things, since I'm typing this on Friday afternoon, most preparation advice I can give is too late. And really, the advice is: play sealed...
Yeah, I assumed that would be a suggestion. Might play a Sealed event online tonight. Not too worried about this part. I certainly would do better if i could play a bunch of sealed, but I can't... And frankly, I likely wouldn't have anyway. I would rather play draft, and am not THAT competitive to drill tons of sealed events when I would rather be drafting.
Bring cash. Misty does accept credit cards (at least they have in the past), but usually that line is quite long, and the cash line will let you register right away. Luckily you don't have to do a decklist, so if you don't mind standing in line, it might not matter, but I usually bring cash.
You don't indicate if you've ever played a competitive real-life sealed event before (basically anything other than a prerelease), so I'm going assume you haven't. Be aware that there will be a deck swap. Basically, you'll open a pool, register it on a sheet they give you, then give it to someone else.
Yeah, I don't think any of the event I have played were technically Competative REL before, but some of them have used registered pools, so that isn't new to me.
And the one that most people forget: Have fun. Honestly, PTQs are a lot of fun. A lot of my friends are people that I've met at PTQs. There will be some pros/former pros there, and some pretty serious spikes, but for the most part people are there to have fun. Sure, everyone wants to win the event, but at the end of the day you're all still playing Magic.
Oh, that reminds me. I know GPs often have side events happening. Do PTQs have that kind of thing happening too? ... Maybe I should bring my cube (fully proxied to not super worried about it being stolen or something like that).
There's usually side event drafts going on after round 2 or 3, but how often they fill and fire sort of varies. I've been to PTQs were like 8 have fired, and I've been to PTQs where none have fired... Depends on how people like the format (and M14 isn't exactly a loved format).
If it isn't too bulky to bring, you could probably interest a few people in a cube draft. Each person buys a pack to ante to make sure you're supporting the store or something like that. That's pretty much your decision, though, as it is impossible to predict that sort of thing.
I plan on going to a bunch of PTQs as well. This is my mantra.
Aside from being on point with your plays and mulligans I'd assume a PTQ is no diff than any other sealed. No one is your friend and watch out for grimy types that will do anything to get you a game/match loss or DQ.
How you should approach every game of Magic.
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2) If your goal is to Top 8, realize that at the top tables (after a few rounds of wins) everyone will have at least 1 if not more than 1 game altering bomb. Plan accordingly. Prioritize removal that can kill anything. You don't just have to win X matches against other Sealed decks, you have to win X matches against Sealed decks of increasing quality as you go through the day. Try to save your removal in matches against other players with strong records because you know they have something really good lurking in their deck.
3) Try to build a consistent mana base because you can't afford to lose a match just because you drew poorly twice.
Don't be afraid to call a judge; it's not offensive. There are a lot of people who aren't as familiar with certain subtle rules, which you likely are due to MTGO.
My Decks:
EDH: Sygg, River Cutthroat , Road to Scion
Grimgrin, Corpseborn
Modern: Polytokes
IRL: Progenitus Polymorph , Goblins
Just a friendly reminder that I will drive this car off a bridge
From the Magic side of things, since I'm typing this on Friday afternoon, most preparation advice I can give is too late. And really, the advice is: play sealed...
From a tournament mechanics standpoint:
Bring cash. Misty does accept credit cards (at least they have in the past), but usually that line is quite long, and the cash line will let you register right away. Luckily you don't have to do a decklist, so if you don't mind standing in line, it might not matter, but I usually bring cash.
The store is in a little strip mall area, so there's a bunch of food nearby (Subway, a local deli-type place, Dairy Queen, and a grocery store if you really want). It still doesn't hurt to have a bottle of water to keep yourself hydrated throughout the day. I'd also recommend eating breakfast if you can, so you're not starving by round 3.
Make sure you have a pen and paper to keep life. Don't use dice, which can be bumped. You can't bump a pad of paper and have the numbers change.
As has been stated, don't be afraid to call a judge if something doesn't seem right. Most players won't care, and if someone does get annoyed at you, all the better. They're off their game a little bit now. Also remember that you can ask questions away from the table so you don't have to reveal the contents of your hand to an opponent.
You don't indicate if you've ever played a competitive real-life sealed event before (basically anything other than a prerelease), so I'm going assume you haven't. Be aware that there will be a deck swap. Basically, you'll open a pool, register it on a sheet they give you, then give it to someone else. You'll build your deck out of the cards someone else opened. It prevents cheating and people from adding cards to their sealed pools. This isn't anything to worry about or prepare for or anything like that, but I've seen new players be really confused as to what is going on, and do it very slowly because of that. The way that I do it is to just open the booster, sort the cards into color piles, then go back and alphabetize the color piles while registering them (the sheet they give you is alphabetical by color).
And the one that most people forget: Have fun. Honestly, PTQs are a lot of fun. A lot of my friends are people that I've met at PTQs. There will be some pros/former pros there, and some pretty serious spikes, but for the most part people are there to have fun. Sure, everyone wants to win the event, but at the end of the day you're all still playing Magic.
That is good news.
Yeah, I assumed that would be a suggestion. Might play a Sealed event online tonight. Not too worried about this part. I certainly would do better if i could play a bunch of sealed, but I can't... And frankly, I likely wouldn't have anyway. I would rather play draft, and am not THAT competitive to drill tons of sealed events when I would rather be drafting.
Good call, I'll remember to just bring cash then.
As much as I dislike using pen/paper for that, that will work out in combination with actually planning to try to write down the cards I see.
Yeah, I don't think any of the event I have played were technically Competative REL before, but some of them have used registered pools, so that isn't new to me.
Oh, that reminds me. I know GPs often have side events happening. Do PTQs have that kind of thing happening too? ... Maybe I should bring my cube (fully proxied to not super worried about it being stolen or something like that).
If it isn't too bulky to bring, you could probably interest a few people in a cube draft. Each person buys a pack to ante to make sure you're supporting the store or something like that. That's pretty much your decision, though, as it is impossible to predict that sort of thing.
More details later.