Today, in last minute preparation, Felix shares his Personal Tournament Checklist for SorceryFest!
SorceryFest, The first ever European Grand Contest is almost here, and with 128 players registered, it’s also shaping up to be the biggest Grand Contest we’ve ever had worldwide.
For most of us, that also means hitting the road and making the trip to the beautiful city of Leeuwarden. So I thought I’d share my personal checklist, things I always bring to bigger TCG events and a few things I always make sure to prepare beforehand.
Let’s be honest, none of these tips are exactly groundbreaking, so think of this more as a friendly checklist. If you’ve got everything on here covered, you’re ready to enjoy the weekend without any unnecessary stress.
1. Your Deck
Probably the most obvious tip ever but besides a fresh pair of underwear, this is the single most important thing to pack. Seriously, double-check that your deck is actually in your backpack and not still sitting on your desk.
This exact thing happened to the winner of Ascanrask back in March. He forgot his deck and had to scramble to borrow cards just minutes before round one. Luckily, Ron from Troll of the Realm happened to have an almost identical deck with him and was able to save the day.
Don’t count on being that lucky. Imagine looking forward to the tournament for weeks, making the trip, and then realizing you can’t even play because you forgot the one thing you absolutely needed!
2. Check Your Deck
Another Captain Obvious tip but better safe than sorry.
Make sure the physical deck you’re bringing actually matches the list you’ve been brewing on Curiosa. Spending hours tweaking your list doesn’t help if your real deck is still running last week’s version.
This happens to me all the time. I’ll start pile shuffling and suddenly realize I’m counting 59… or 61 cards. Oops….
So take two minutes before leaving and make sure you’re bringing the right 60/30 cards.
3. Write Your Deck List... NOW!
No excuses.
Print your deck list and fill it out while you’re still relaxed at home.
(I know you’re probably going to ignore this advice and end up filling it out on the train or ten minutes before player meeting… but at least I tried.)
4. Notepad & Pen (or a Lifepad)
Bring something to keep track of life totals.
Personally, I prefer pen and paper over phone apps. Written life totals are easier to verify if there’s ever a disagreement, and there’s no risk of accidentally changing your score with a misplaced tap on your screen.
Edit: you are allowed dice to track your lifetotal, but still keep track of the lifetotals as dice can be easily rolled over by accident.
5. Fresh Sleeves
Make sure your deck is sleeved in clean, undamaged sleeves. The Sorcery community is pretty relaxed, but it’s still good practice to avoid sleeves that could reasonably be considered marked. If possible, just crack open a fresh pack before the event.
Also, bring a handful of spare sleeves. If one splits during the tournament, you’ll be glad you did. Planning to play the Sealed event? Bring enough sleeves for at least 24 Spell cards and 12 Atlas Sites.
Edit: For SorceryFest we’ve partnered up with BeyondTCG and we a have a selection of their high quality sleeves available on site!
6. Your Trade Binder
Simple. If you enjoy trading cards, don’t forget to actually bring the cards you’d like to trade. Same goes for grading! PCG has again made a very nice special logo for SorceryFest that you can get as a memento!
7. Artist Cards
We’re incredibly lucky to have several Sorcery artists attending the event.
Bring some of your favorite cards featuring their artwork you might get the chance to have them signed, which makes for an awesome souvenir from the weekend.
“Auf Arbeit kommt man ausgeschissen und ausgeschlafen.”
8. A Power Bank
An absolute MVP. Especially if you’re an iPhone user, spending an entire day at a tournament usually means your battery won’t survive until dinner. It would be a shame if your phone died right before everyone starts organizing dinner, drinks, or side events after the tournament.
Edit: please do bring a powerbank! The venue has no option to charge 128 phones!
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9. Get Some Sleep
In Germany we have a saying:
“Auf Arbeit kommt man ausgeschissen und ausgeschlafen.”
It’s… not exactly elegant, but the message is simple: show up well-rested and ready to go. A Grand Contest is a long day with lots of games and plenty of mental focus. If you arrive exhausted, hungover, or running on three hours of sleep, you’ll probably feel it by round three—and it can easily take away from the fun. Do yourself a favor and get a good night’s sleep before the event!
That’s my personal checklist! Hopefully it helps at least one person avoid forgetting something important. Safe travels to Leeuwarden, good luck in the tournament, and most importantly—have fun!
