Going to go to my first Tournament! Tips?

[Thy Knight]

Hello everyone. I'm going to attend my very first Melee/Wii U tournament in the next upcoming months! I'm creating this thread to hopefully be given some advice on how to act in a tournament setting; as well as what to expect going into it and how to deal with the infamous 'tournament jitters.'

Any advice or pointers would be greatly appreciated! I'm not going to lie; I'm both really excited and REALLY nervous. I'd also appreciate if you shared how your first tournament experience was. Did you have shaky hands during sets? Was the environment in which you played uncomfortable/unpleasant? Or was it one of the most exciting times that you've had?

Please don't be shy! Hopefully others who are looking to get into the Smash scene for the first time will also see this thread and learn from the comments given.

 

[EPsilon933]

Some players have been playing for a very long time. You'll likely get a low seed and face them in tournament, so get ready to get rekt

Don't think about the result of winning/losing. Just think about what you can do to win, or at least play better. The more experience you have in tournament games, the more you'll get used to it. Also, don't think about anyone watching you

My 1st 2 tournaments are the most memorable tournaments I've been to

 

[Thy Knight]

Some players have been playing for a very long time. You'll likely get a low seed and face them in tournament, so get ready to get rekt

Don't think about the result of winning/losing. Just think about what you can do to win, or at least play better. The more experience you have in tournament games, the more you'll get used to it. Also, don't think about anyone watching you

My 1st 2 tournaments are the most memorable tournaments I've been to

Yeah. I'm not going the tournaments to win, truly. At least not at the moment. I'm going because I'd like to experience the 'hyped' environment as well as to see how good players have become.

After all, I'm going into Melee with Bowser! That's asking for trouble.

 

[AirFair]

Good luck man. Also, if you are looking to really compete, you should see if you like any top tiers.

 

[Massive]

1. Accept that you are going to lose, probably really badly.
   
2. Don't be afraid to ask to play friendlies with people or to plug your controller into a setup and sit down (assuming it's not a tourney match, lol).
3. Have a good attitude with people and be nice.
4. Take a shower, use an antiperspirant (a stick, not a spray), wear clean clothes, and brush your teeth/use mouthwash/chew minty gum. You don't want your first impression to be "that smelly guy".
5. Have fun!

 

[Squire]

Take a shower, use an antiperspirant (a stick, not a spray), wear clean clothes, and brush your teeth/use mouthwash/chew minty gum. You don't want your first impression to be "that smelly guy"

This.

Smash can get pretty sweaty, and there are some really smelly smashers out there. Please don't be one of them. Before I went to my first tournament, a friend of mine joked that "The smash community can sometimes have a distinct odor. You might need to bring your hygiene down a notch to fit in."

Please don't perpetuate the stereotype.

But in all seriousness, what everyone above is saying is absolutely true. Don't go in expecting to win big. Don't even go in expecting to beat anyone. I went 1-2 at my first tournament only because it was at a bar and I was sober. Chances are, you're pretty bad right now. And that's totally fine. The game takes a while to pick up at a competitive level. Try to have a good time, play friendlies, network with other smashers around (or a bit above) your skill level, learn from your mistakes, ask questions, and don't take it too seriously.

Good luck, and let us know how it goes.

 

[Thy Knight]

Thank you all for the suggestions!

@ Massive I didn't even need to be reminded to wear deodorant and take a shower. I was kind of hoping EVERY smasher had that mindset integrated in their common sense? That's unfortunate..

But yeah, no worries guys. I know I'm not going to win; nor will I get salty after I get JV 4 stocked. I'm just going to the tourney because I'm tired of seeing these things go down on streams rather than being in person. And I guess I also want to test my luck in the tourney as well. Heheh.

Cheers!

 

[Victor Marczyk]

My very first smash tournament ever was APEX 2015 lol. I had conversations with my opponent to feel more comfortable going against them but ended up losing badly in Sm4sh...I played Shiek because i was panicking on who to play...

 

[Thy Knight]

My very first smash tournament ever was APEX 2015 lol. I had conversations with my opponent to feel more comfortable going against them but ended up losing badly in Sm4sh...I played Shiek because i was panicking on who to play...

Oh well, as long as you weren't salty about your loss and your opponent wasn't someone who trash talked, then all went well. Who did he beat you with?

 

[Massive]

@ Massive I didn't even need to be reminded to wear deodorant and take a shower. I was kind of hoping EVERY smasher had that mindset integrated in their common sense? That's unfortunate..

It's nothing personal, I'm kinda mad I even need to mention something like that.

Hygiene is often ignored by a lot of smashers, I'm just trying to fix it early whenever possible.

 

[Spak]

Also, you should read this: http://smashboards.com/threads/drastic-improvement.311129/page-12#post-18787690

Being mentally ready to get trounced is a good preparation for what is likely to be the outcome of your first sets, but that doesn't mean you should go into your sets with a losing attitude.

 

[kingPiano]

Whoa whoa whoa..... wearing deodorant? brushing your teeth? AND actually taking a shower?

Don't listen to these scrub-a-dubs, be as smelly and unkempt as you can be. Mindgames; your ripe stench will throw em off their A game, eat a lot of beans too. Toot mindgames, "who just cut the cheese?!". You know; they don't, +1 advantage.

I mean it's not like there are going to be any cute girls there that you are trying to impress.



.

 

[Spak]

Whoa whoa whoa..... wearing deodorant? brushing your teeth? AND actually taking a shower?

Don't listen to these scrub-a-dubs, be as smelly and unkempt as you can be. Mindgames; your ripe stench will throw em off their A game, eat a lot of beans too. Toot mindgames, "who just cut the cheese?!". You know; they don't, +1 advantage.

I mean it's not like there are going to be any cute girls there that you are trying to impress.


.

Yeah, the odor is just a distraction. Your opponent at a disadvantage and they will have trouble focusing after smelling someone so foul. My advice is roll around in the mud, don't shower for a few days, and bring a clothespin for your nose.

 

[krazyzyko]

1. Accept that you are going to lose, probably really badly.
   
2. Don't be afraid to ask to play friendlies with people or to plug your controller into a setup and sit down (assuming it's not a tourney match, lol).
3. Have a good attitude with people and be nice.
4. Take a shower, use an antiperspirant (a stick, not a spray), wear clean clothes, and brush your teeth/use mouthwash/chew minty gum. You don't want your first impression to be "that smelly guy".
5. Have fun!

Rule #4
Omg number four...

 

[Victor Marczyk]

Oh well, as long as you weren't salty about your loss and your opponent wasn't someone who trash talked, then all went well. Who did he beat you with?

I was beaten by a Caption Falcon and a Pikachu, that was literally one of my first times playing shiek on smash 4. I regretted it so much because I despise her in sm4sh lol >

 

[Thy Knight]

I was beaten by a Caption Falcon and a Pikachu, that was literally one of my first times playing shiek on smash 4. I regretted it so much because I despise her in sm4sh lol >

Heheh, yeah. Mario's a pretty under-looked character, I feel. Thanks for the share!

 

[Squire]

Mario's a pretty under-looked character

By some, maybe.

>

I can relate, sort of. I tried playing Sheik in Melee for about a month after being frustrated by a bad streak with my Mario. But someone has to defend the Mushroom Kingdom, and I'll be damned if it's going to be Luigi.

 

[dahuterschuter]

Make sure to smack talk all the time and if you lose offer excuses like how the CRT was wonky or you didn't get enough sleep.

 

[Squire]

Make sure to smack talk all the time and if you lose offer excuses like how the CRT was wonky or you didn't get enough sleep.

Feign a cold as well. You were sick. Not your fault. Your C-stick also only works half the time, and you didn't get hand-warmers.

 

[Spak]

Feign a cold as well. You were sick. Not your fault. Your C-stick also only works half the time, and you didn't get hand-warmers.

You used the wrong Fox color. You were destined to get 5-0'd with the default fox color.

 

[Squire]

You used the wrong Fox color. You were destined to get 5-0'd with the default fox color.

If you lose to anyone playing a higher tier character it's only because their character is "cheap" and you were actually the better player the whole time.