The Proper Way to Practice the Pokemon Trading Card Game

Uhh… if you’re winning every single game against different decks, I wouldn’t recommend changing your list unless you notice something that would make it better/faster/stronger. Why fix what’s not broken, right?

I get your point though, and it’s a valid one. Making small adjustments is a great thing to do after a few matches, but I wouldn’t go into it blindly. Look over your notes and try to make changes that will solve the problems you’re having. Having trouble finding a quick claydol? Add in another bebe’s or a second luxury ball. Finding your techs in the active position? Grab another warp point or a switch!

Also, try to practice against as many different people and decks as possible so you really know how your deck fares against others. It’s also great to play against decks you know you have bad matchups against as well as people you know are better than you at the game. This will challenge you a lot more and hopefully help you learn to deal with the matchups and tough situations and how to get out of them.

In regards to the video, I like the whole chalkboard idea, but I can’t say I like waiting for you to write out every…single….word….you….say… It kind of breaks the flow, you know what I mean? If you could set up slides or even insert them into the video afterwards so we don’t have to watch (and hear) you write that would be a lot better in my opinion. Other than that, nice job!

Three very good tips Adam. I think number one is really important. Not only does it let you know how your deck works under optimal conditions (i.e. you not making any mistakes), but it also gives you the “practice” of playing through the best way. If you do it the best way in practice you are more likely to do it the best way in a tournament.

Your presentation skills are improving with each video. You kept your points concise and focused. I really like the idea of starting with a anecdote.

I agree with nardd’s comment about the flow being broken up. You might consider writing your points out before hand, covering them with strips of cardboard, and then revealing each one as you make your point. That would also help you make sure you are looking at the audience when you are talking. You can do it with the chalk board, but a chart stand with chart paper might work better.

Re: Eliminating Mistakes — Although I do agree partially with what you’re saying and I understand the point you’re getting at, I’ve always felt that the best thing you can do when play testing is to keep a notepad by your side and right down everything that your opponent and yourself do wrong, then exchange notes after the tournament. It is key to realize what you’re doing wrong, but I think if you’re play testing for a tournament, you should try and play under tournament conditions, where nothing can be taken back, etc. Interesting take on that, though!

Re: Taking Notes — Completely agreed. I’ve tried to get my league goers to take play testing notes but I don’t think it’s really stuck. Another reason why taking notes is great is to see what works and what doesn’t in this deck. Maybe you got in a position where you needed to switch guys but didn’t have anything to do so, and couldn’t retreat? Then maybe you should consider adding Switches, Warp Points, etc. y’know? Great point.

Re: Making Changes — I do agree with this as well, at certain times. I think this all goes together with the notes. If you win 10 games in a row against 10 different decks, your deck is probably pretty good, however, maybe in your notes you could find someway to make an improvement? I certainly don’t think you should try to radically change a winning deck just to see what works, but it’s definitely a good idea to try new things and switch out cards just to see if it makes your deck EVEN better.

Re: Online Play — Definitely! I haven’t played Appr yet, but I’ve played a few games on Red Shark with the SixPrizes.com people, and it’s been pretty fun. It really gives you an advantage over others too, considering that you get to play with tons of people all around the world while some others are stuck in their local metagame. I haven’t played any rank matches yet, but it’s been super fun thus far. Come on in!

On that note, does anyone here think they would be willing to give me an Appr tutorial? I don’t quite understand how to do basic game set up and stuff like that yet, and I’d like to learn it so I’ll be able to play with people no matter what program they use. I’d really appreciate anyone willing to spare a bit of their time.

Also, Adam, we should set up a tournament for the league sometime. :D

Great video.

Also, as long as we’re talking about the presentation of the video…

I think they’re pretty great, and your confidence/stage presence is definitely improving with each video. As far as the chalkboard stuff goes, I don’t think it’s too bad, but maybe a whiteboard would help? It’d be quieter and you could probably write faster as well. Just a suggestion. :D

Thanks for the input everyone. :)

If I had a big whiteboard I would use that, but all I have is a chalkboard for now, so you’ll have to bear with me!

nardd, I still think it’s a good idea to change your list even if you’re winning. I am just a huge advocate of constantly changing your list, I have always done it, and I feel that the more your are changing your lists, the less games you will have to play to find that “perfect” list, and then you can focus on refining your strategy.

The more you make changes, the quicker you will learn what works and what does not work. When you keep using the same list you are not really learning anything.

kwis, I think you should tell your opponent if you notice any mistakes during the game because if you wait until afterward, you won’t know what might have happened. The outcome of the game might be totally different and you will never know.

I will work on an Apprentice tutorial within the next week. I’ll try to take some screen caps so it should be easy to learn everything.

And yah I’ll try to get some tournaments going on soon! I’m glad you got some games in on the league. :)

Haha nice words Adam. I’m going to start switching out some cards and adding new things in to test your theory :)

Apprentice is awesome. You don’t have to worry about cards sticking together when you shuffle since it completely randomizes the deck.

Nice video!

It is just INCREDIBLE, hahaha, nice tips, now let’s see if people actually use them.

good video but…i do one thing when i’m playing…i always take my time to plan a strategy, because it helps when you got some good cards in your hand, specially some cards to make a good combo…by the way i love that video and i agree with the three rules you say…and good work in this video and i like when you say “the training don’t make you perfect…but the perfect training will make you perfect…”now i’m going to study something about cards, strategy and some other things about cards to make a better deck…

I don’t COMPLETELY agree that constantly making changes is a good idea, but keeping with 1 list and never really changing it isn’t a good idea either. Sometimes your first draft of the deck is perfect, maybe by accident, and doesn’t really need many changes besides ~2 cards. :

Exactly right Stigma. The more you make decks, the more used you are to making near-perfect lists that only need a couple changes to be at the best they can be. Trying new things can be fun and good for your deck/combo, but I don’t thing changing something EVERY time is a good idea. At leas play a couple games so you can get an idea of what your changes actually do.

@Stigma and narrd

See the thing is, no matter how perfect you think your decklist is, especially early on, there’s always room for improvement or possible changes. These aren’t just random changes, either, for you could change your deck for so many reasons, like…
- matchups
- consistency
- better speed early or better finishing ability
- techs that work vs any deck
- trying a different strategy with the deck

I don’t care how good you think your list is, it’s not going to be “perfect” until you play many, many games, and even then you may change it a bit right before a tourny depending on the metagame. There have been so many “Oh!” moments where a tech trainer or two, or a tech line that all of a sudden just makes sense, appeared in my or my buddies’ mind late into testing. Besides, what’s the harm? You can always change back.

Lastly, changing the list forces you to play more and get more experience with the deck, more practice, less mistakes. You don’t want to walk into a tournament and be like, “Ohhhhh crap, 2 Cessation Crystals would’ve been so money today!”… rather, “Yeah, I know the tech warp point would win me the game, no doubt about it…”

Very true, and I agree with everything you said, but what I don’t agree with is changing your list after just 1 or two games (unless there’s a glaring mistake/change). That’s really not enough time to determine what’s wrong and what should be changed in most cases.

I’m not trying to say never change the decklist, but the changes should be calculated and always for a reason.

Another thing is to never make a major change just before a tournament.

At Nationals, a day before, I decided to take out Call Energy, and I think my deck suffered as a result of it, but I learned my lesson.

Yeah nardd these shouldn’t be random changes, and it’ll probably take at least 4-5 games or more to gauge how much and to what affect the changes make. And yoyo…yeah I think we’ve all been there, ha, gotta be careful that close to gametime.

Very well said, Adam. People need to get off of their high horses and realize that Apprentice, in general, is NOT about showing off how good you are!(Trying to go for the colloquialism instead of something more offensive, lol.)

thanks for the tips adam i will test your staturgy out

i really like the game Memories Off 6: T-wave ,I would like some suggestions for similar games thanks. I own a xbox 360