Just realized that ever since 2010 begun, I’ve been joining very few events and I can name them all right now – Worldwake PR, Rise of the Eldrazi PR, and NCR Regionals. What I’m excited about is the upcoming GP Manila 2010.
Question is, am I ready?

No. Not yet.

Being a first-timer, my excitement sometimes fade every time I log on to MTG forums and can’t relate to some of the posts. There goes prominent names of the Pros, best deck to use, extraordinary game play and the like. Whew. Nosebleed.

Good thing, I stumbled upon these friendly reminders:

*BE ON TIME*
Whether for the registration, tournament proper or even pairings, you have to be mindful of the time. Once pairings are posted check your table number and your opponent then go to your assigned table. Once pairings are posted you usually have 3 mins. to go to your assigned table. You will also be helpful to other players who are checking their pairings if you dont waste time on it as they can see theirs faster.

To those who finish their matches early, be mindful of the time left during the round.(There will be a big timer in front of the Head judges table). A lot of you who will finish their matches early will want to eat, go to the bathroom or even smoke. Just make sure you return before the next round or else you receive a match loss or even a game loss.

*PROPERLY FILL OUT YOUR DECKLISTS*
Decklists that are either incomplete, having the wrong card names, incomplete number of cards in the mainboard and the sideboard and even some using abbreviations are not allowed. Some players write DOJ or BBE in their decklists and when given game losses try to appeal and say that it is understood. For heaven’s sake, how hard is it to completly fill out your decklist. is it that hard to write down those extra letters that will save you from having a game loss because you were stubborn?

*Deckboxes*
Make sure that when you start your match you don’t have any other cards in your deckbox aside from the 75 cards registered in your decklists. Well of course you could put tokens in there but it is better to have them in a separate place.

*Communication*
Just a quick reminder on communication. Make sure you communicate with your opponent what you want to do and what you want to happen. One of the scenarios involving players not telling their opponent what they want to happen: Oblivion Ring targeting a Dauntless Escort then the player not specifically saying whether he sacrificed it or exiled it). Make sure both of you know what is happening during the course of the game.

*TRY TO PLAY FASTER*
I’m not saying that you should play like the Japanese who are very fast-paced. There are some mannerisms like slowly peeking the card every time you draw it – these take so much of the 50 minute round time alloted to you during the match. avoid these and you will finish your matches earlier. Some players should have won their matches but because of certain habits that take their round time, they end up drawing the game. Remember 3 points is so much better than 1 point especially if you want to make day 2.

*Always Call a Judge*
If there is something that seems unclear during the course of the game, always call a judge.

*Shuffling*
Make sure that when you shuffle your deck or your opponents deck you do not see the card face. you could either pile shuffle or riffle shuffle just don’t look at the cards. Also make sure that you sufficiently randomize your deck as well as your opponent’s.

*Enjoy the Event*
Lastly, make sure that you enjoy the event. Next GP MANILA is 2012. (Hopefully). It’ll be another 2 years so make sure that you have fun during the Grand Prix. There are a lot of things to do like having your cards signed by the guest artist, having side drafts, even seeing your idolized pros in person.

Hope you guys enjoy your GP MANILA 2010 experience. See you there.!!!

Quoted and edited from Pat Bausa’s GP Manila 2010 Reminders. Thanks for sharing!

P.S.

Because the rainy season is here, this is such a very timely reminder:
Bring rain gear or something to protect your cards from getting wet. Reminds of Ondoy incident. I ended up protecting my cards instead of my cellphone which got soaked and became nonfunctional that Zendikar PR day.

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