Editor: Matthew Cline. Friday 8th October 2004.
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Editor: Matthew Cline. Friday 8th October 2004.
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 "Physical Aspects of VS" Physical preparation is almost non-existent in the world of the competitive gamer. There is probably even some (ok, a lot of) truth in assertions that gamers become so because of the lack of physical exertion in their craft. Simply put, the physical aspect of tournament Vs is criminally misunderstood. The furthest anyone has ventured on this topic before has been to offer the usual mantra of “get some sleep, eat breakfast, have decklists written, blah blah blah”. All fantastic advice, well and good, but more akin to what your GP says to you every time you get a check-up. It lacks a deeper analysis of what physical effects tournaments are likely to induce, and how to best respond to them. This includes emotional responses that are unavoidable and often quite enjoyable. Although by no means comprehensive, I have tried to bring a little more attention to what I feel are some of the key physical features of the tournament scene below. To succeed in the tournament environment, a player has to be able to maintain a steady focus. A player needs to be able to identify the choices at hand and have the proper faculties for making the best decisions from those choices. However, a tournament player also has to negotiate a wider range of events that are inspired by, but often quite far removed from, the pure pursuit of the W over the L. Although a case could be made that the tournament begins far from the tournament site, I want to confine any comments I make to the tournament site. I think this is the closest I can come to a standardised point of experience from where we can draw analysis. What I am interested in are the physical tests peculiar to Vs tournaments. Most of us are aware of what are general standards for good living (where I think factors like diet, sleep, exercise obviously take on significance). If medical science is to be believed, we should be living like this already. Going to a Vs tournament after staying up partying all night, then eating seven Krispy Kreme donuts and a Mars Bar for breakfast is something we already know is a bad move, but it is probably a bad move regardless of what you were going to do that morning (unless it was a vomiting competition, for which you would be amazingly well prepared). Playing cards at the highest levels can be incredibly stressful. Just because I know how to play well does not necessarily mean that I can perform adequately on the day. I have seen many talented theoreticians fail to make the necessary adjustments from talker to walker. Talking and thinking about the game can be a lot easier than actually playing the game. Consistently performing under pressure and having the confidence to make what you think is the right play is a lot harder than it appears at first. Tournaments take a long time. You have to be prepared for the long haul. I applaud UDE for making the move toward one-game matches. One of my reasons is that, under the former system, tournaments were too much of an endurance test. Any tournament exceeding four rounds is a pretty substantial commitment, and requires a certain level of adjustment and concentration, yet under the best 2 out of 3 system the matches were too gruelling, on players and judges alike. The issue of endurance is very important nonetheless. As approximately as possible, you want to be playing at the same level of focus and awareness for every match. Losing in the first round or the last round is still a loss, and losing because your body couldn’t deliver the goods is crushing, often because you often don’t even realise it. The first thing I would recommend is to avoid playing your deck in between rounds. Although like any sport, I think you should warm-up a little before the tournament, playing 2-5 games, to get you in the right frame of mind, this can really backfire if you play your deck too much in between rounds. You can slip into a very casual state of mind in between rounds, taking things back or being sloppy with phases/steps, because the objectives are different. This has obvious disadvantages when trying to get back in the right frame of mind for the next round, especially now that you cannot afford to drop the first game anymore. Playing in between rounds also rushes you when you are forced to pack up an unfinished game to race to the next round. Not only can you leave part of your deck behind, you can fail to calm down enough to play well at the beginning of the next round. The time in between rounds is incredibly valuable. Don’t try to take your mind from the tournament, but try to take it off the games you have already played; they aren’t coming back. Socialise with people but don’t dwell on the bad beats until you are out of the tournament. This is obviously a lot easier said than done (I for one break this rule all the time). If concentrating on the bad beats, you wear yourself out, and find unfair and often just plain ignorant reasons for justifying your play. This negativity can be carried over to the next round, where you may fail to notice advantages inherent in a particular game state. Whether you were unlucky or not, you can’t get it back. Use the time in between rounds to stretch, or meet new people. Often hanging around the same people too much just develops into a cesspool of bitching and moaning. The more people you meet the more stimulated you will be, and more likely to keep your body awake and alert. Analysis is a lot more physically taxing than smiling, save it for the post-mortem. Try to develop a particular method of approaching each turn. This will keep you in the game, instead of floating away into abstractions or the artwork. Force yourself to do something particular at the start of each turn, like readying with your left hand if you are right handed, to bring your concentration back to the game. You may have played a certain match-up to death, or be playing a friend, giving you the impression that the game is nothing out of the ordinary. Every game will provide minor variations in context and game state, and the best players see these differences and their imperatives earlier. To be always on the lookout develop some sort of “reality-trigger”, bringing you back into the game when things are moving slowly, or even if they are moving too fast. Don’t let yourself be rushed, or petrified by slow play for that matter. There is always a subtle war being waged between both players to control the pace of the game. Some players like Scott Smith and Ryan Dare are very good at bringing the speed of the game up to their level, talking you through your turns and persuading you to make plays more quickly. Other players like Howard Mak or Randall Hughes play more slowly, forcing you to adjust your game to match their pace. This doesn’t have to be intentional. It happens between all players. Try not to be affected by it too much. It is much more important to find the minimum amount of time you need to make reasonable decisions than the maximum. The ongoing negotiation over the division of time will change from game to game and from player to player. Know what you need (within reason) and use it. Otherwise, feeling rushed or stalled can destabilise you. It is of the upmost importance that you retain a consistent focus and outlook. Try to take the emotion out of the game. Unlike typical physical activity, excess emotion cannot be converted into physical advantage in Vs. If anything, excess emotion is likely to cloud your judgement unless you are supremely egotistical and can transform it into some sense of destiny. Know what you can and cannot control. If you got to play ten rounds, don’t get too excited when you are 4-0. Similarly don’t get discouraged if you are a loss and you draw the bye. When someone rips off the top, adjust, don’t collapse. Sometimes it will be you who is doing the ripping. Getting sucked in by the many emotional events within the tournament will send you body into turmoil. Make sure you handle anything that happens with a sense of open optimism, but stay true to the task at hand. This is the goal, and we can all move a little bit closer. This issue demands a more comprehensive analysis, and I have only tried to extend our understanding a little, rather than to try and develop a revolutionary system for approaching tournaments in the physical. I hope I have drawn attention to some of the more underappreciated aspects of tournament play, and that you can optimize your physical approach to the game. GG’s Alex Uly in the Forums |