Yes it's true, we normally do pools. However, we didn't want the FIRST BRAWL TOURNAMENT EVER to flop, so unfortunately we had to not do pools. However Melee wasn't as big as we thought, (and actually neither was Brawl), so it's possibly that we could have done pools. We'll see how things go next time. But yeah, you definitely need to come and do friendlies or else you won't get better.
You may dislike skill based seeding, but I don't really know why you told us so. Anyway, since you did, I'll tell you why we do it: because it would be far more unfair to people who have worked harder and longer than you have to get eliminated sooner than you did. Also, we need to separate all the best KNOWN players so they don't eliminate eachother right away; accuracy is necessary in tournaments. Keyword here is KNOWN; there are sometimes upsets. And really, if we seed you against someone who's known to be better, but you're actually a better player, then you'll win. If you can't beat every opponent you come across then you don't deserve to win anyway, and a bracket that did otherwise would be unfair. The simple solution is this: get better. Believe me, I used to hate skill based seeding too, but it has to happen. It's a tournament, and we need to ensure the best accuracy possible. I'll be blunt: you lost because your opponents were better than you. If you were better than them, but you had been seeded as a lower player, then you would have won. It's plain and simple. That's why we do things this way.
More bluntness: "I went to the tournament expecting to do decently and absolutely railed." That's just foolish. I appreciate you being diplomatic and not criticizing the running of the tournament, and so here is your answer. Don't let it discourage you though. Our first tournaments are always painful.
So, how to get better? You analyze your playing and figure out what you can do to beat people. You start to THINK. Getting better requires a huge amount of independence, and there are NO SHORTCUTS. So play with your friends, and challenge eachother's skill and eventually, if you have the right winning attitude and the right work ethic, you will get better. It's not a shortcut, and it's not even a guideline. It's just a start. You'll have to make yourself a better player.
