Premier events are the back-bone of the competitive Dragon Ball Super Card Game community. These events that happen all over the world keep the players well informed on the current best decks. North America has the most premier events thanks to CoreTCG, PPG, Carta Magica, Daylon Mack and many others. With so much information being thrown at you and the vast library of cards being added monthly, how do you prepare for events. I will go into how my team and I practice and what you can do to be better prepared.

Let’s take the upcoming Las Vegas Regional and T.O.P. events as an example. Set 9 will be legal for both. Apart from the secret rares, all the cards have now been shown and you can start to create a picture of what the best decks will be from set 9. You can use information from content creator YouTube videos, from articles that are posted online and even from watching people play on stream or on third party sites online. From all these mediums, we know that Frieza/Cooler decks have a target on their backs. So now you either make a Frieza/Cooler deck to beat the mirror match or play another deck that can beat it.

Use the best tools at your disposal to search for cards. You may discover a card from a previous set that can be good now. The official Dragon Ball Super Card Game wedsite, Shenron’s Lair and DBS Decks are good sources to get lost in. Both Shenron’s Lair and DBS Decks allow you to create your own deck online and view it. This will help you have a visual reference of your card ratios.

Miguel Gallegos takes a different approach. Once he has figured out his main deck/side deck, he compiles all 65 cards into one deck. Depending on the meta, using this method, he is able to figure out if certain side cards can be main decked. These cards will have to be flexible and be able to combat not just one deck. This will also allow you narrow down your side deck choices if one is moved to the main deck. Once you have a deck made, test it! Play online, print out proxies and play with your friends. This will be the best way to see what your deck is missing, what cards you need to add or take out.

The day of the event is today. You have polished your deck to the best of your ability. You’ve had breakfast, have snacks and water in your backpack, bought new sleeves for your deck. Round one is up and you are playing against Bryan Samuel of all people on stream. Now you are nervous and contemplating your plays for too long. This will affect the way you play the match. The best thing to do in these scenarios is focus on your game. Do not worry about who you are playing or who is watching. Create a tunnel vision for your cards and the cards your opponent is playing. It is very easy to misplay when you are nervous and on the spotlight.

With so much more cards being released through out the year and many more events headed our way, it is important to know how to prepare. Some tournaments can go on for ten or more hours! If you lose a match, don’t let it discourage you. Use that match and learn what you could have done differently and apply it to your next games. Having friends who support you also gives players a huge boost. I hope that you were able to take something with you and remember to take your Senzu Beans! I hope to see you at the Las Vegas Regionals and the T.O.P! Be on the look out for CardForge Gaming to be at the event!

Sincerely, Krash.

The Doods.