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National Tournament Debrief

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Gabe:
It was great to see everyone at Nationals!!! I chose to judge and help run things because I thoroughly enjoy the extra time I get to talk with so many players, catch up with old friends and see what people are playing. With Nationals behind us I'd love to hear feedback about the tournament logistics from people who attended and participated. Your input will help us keep doing the good things and improve the overall experience in the future.

1) What went well?

2) What went poorly?

3) What are things that we might consider doing differently in the future? (could pertain to either of the above)

I'm most interested in things related to how we ran the tournament, the schedule, the judging, the new deck list requirement, etc. As for hosting things I feel like Chris and his team did an AMAZING job but I'm sure he will welcome feedback if there are things he could do better in the future (it seems like he'll probably host Nats again some day).


EXAMPLE: We required deck lists for all constructed formats so...

1) Deck lists helped expedite deck check in process and ensure the integrity of player's decks.

2) The deck list process was new to players and maybe wasn't explained as well as it could have been. The forms weren't as clear as they could be (no place for name, category or reserve).

3) Update the deck list forms to contain places for all of the relevant and required information. An online version would be very beneficial for some players to prepare in advance.


Speaking of deck lists, expect the top decks from each constructed category as well as some interesting stats about card usage to be available to the community in the coming weeks! 8)

Bobbert:

--- Quote ---ex·pe·dite
/ˈekspəˌdīt/
Learn to pronounce
verb
verb: expedite; 3rd person present: expedites; past tense: expedited; past participle: expedited; gerund or present participle: expediting

    make (an action or process) happen sooner or be accomplished more quickly.
--- End quote ---

I think I don't agree with the usage of this word in the example - it seemed to me like it slowed things down. Not even just with writing them out (though that certainly caused delays) but because the checkers had to look from the decks to the sheets. Otherwise I agree with everything there. Perhaps there should be a standardized, official version of those sheets should be made as part of the hosting guide or something (I remember Chris posting something like "Oh yeah, I should make those sheets" a day or two before Nats).

1. I'm happy that T1 and T2 2P were at different times, though as a T2 player I was a bit sad to miss booster. The meals were good for the most part. I think deck lists are a good move, even if the implementation wasn't perfect.

2. As mentioned above, the deck list process needs some ironing out. It certainly did take longer to check everyone in with the deck lists. I'm sure it'll get better as it becomes more standardized (and everyone remembers to do it at tournaments other than Nats :P ).
This is perhaps more of a ruling thing, but I'm not a fan of the "higher seed wins timeout ties" rule for top cut. I understand that there needs to be a time limit, and obviously I'm a bit biased because it worked against me, but I think it's telling that going into the final round the judges declared that if it would be a timeout tie for first there would be a 'sudden death' and that after the timeout they would keep taking turns until one player was ahead at the end of a full round. Perhaps that should be the ruling for all of top cut.

3. As mentioned above, provide a standardized decklist as a tournament host material (like I believe the sign-in sheet and Reserve lists are). Perhaps even make it available as a fillable document so that it's easy for players to make and print their own, and make sure to require them for several other tournaments to get used to the idea. Make sure that deck check-in times allow for the time it takes unprepared players to write down their lists and the extra few moments it takes to compare the deck and the list.

TheJaylor:
While I didn't actually check any decks, it seemed to me like the decklists actually helped the deck-checkers check more quickly. Obviously it adds more frontend time for the players, but if the deck is ordered as written, then the list makes it a little easier to visualize the number of cards.

Also, I'm sure you didn't intend to be snide, but quoting the definition of a word the average person is familiar with may come across that way.

WarrenGraham1000:
Gabe,

First of all, I want to thank you for the time and work you put in at the tournament. My friend speaks highly of you quite a bit and it's easy to see why. I had you come to my table three times in, I believe, round 3. Thank you for being patient with my opponent and me. We really appreciated it.

As for the tournament itself, I feel like it went well. I noticed that one of the advantages of the National Tournament being open to everyone is that after the first couple of games, players seemed to rise or fall to opponents more on their level. The games I played after the second round were some of the most even and most enjoyable I've ever played in my 5 years playing this game.

The deck list at the tournament was a great idea! The idea of having to lock my deck in before the tournament was so stressful when I wanted to look at it last minute. You guys having us write the list down the day of takes that stress away.

Thanks again! I hope to participate in the National tournament next time it's in my region, if not before!

SEB:
Positives:
1 - Judging staff was on top of things (it felt like to me). They were quick to respond and move to resolutions.
2- LOVED! the decklist. This is a major improvement (albeit some work to make it more smooth) from when I played "back-in-the-day", awesome step in a positive direction.
3 - Hosting Church's people and facilities were great (now, I didnt stay there - so cant comment on the sleeping arrangements)
4 - Chris kept games moving at a quick pace.
5 - the overall atmosphere was fun yet competitive.
6 - I liked the added gap between table assignments. It was nice to have space for equipment.

Suggested Improvements:
1 - Overall traffic flow. I felt that the locations of the deck-storage, scorekeeper's table, and Vendor area caused a lot of congestion.
2 - Table Numbers: It would have been nice if they were on a stand so you could look down the table for your number.
3 - It would be nice if there was a more obvious visual cue as to who a judge is (Im thinking a rainbow clown wig, but I used to work at a camp /shrug - and I kind of want to see Marcus in a clown wig... <3)
4 - Better time communication. There were visual display of clocks, but sometime it was difficult to either see or know which clock-box was your category. It would have also been nice to have a 5 or 10 min warning announced

To all those who made this Nationals happen, THANK YOU! It was really great putting faces to names and meeting everyone.

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