Internationals 2017 Experience

Internationals 2017 Experience

Hello everyone, 

Today I am going to be talking about how the Internationals at Indianapolis went for me. It was good, but there were some parts that could have been changed. So, I will go into detail and talk about what was good, and what needs to change in order to make Internationals better. Be sure to follow me on this blog, at playerpokemon.blogspot.com

Tournament Itself: 

I piloted Espeon Garbodor in the event, and I did well in Round 1, but lost later on. The deck didn't get me what I wanted at times, or things wouldn't work out. I went 4-5 in the end, but the article isn't much about it. 

This extended to side events too. One game I went against Lycanroc Zygarde and I started with a Drampa GX tech. That didn't end well. There were also a lot of Zoroark decks. 

Even though I didn't do the best, this article is about the experience in going. I have been to several Nationals before they became Internationals. I have been to Nationals since Heartgold Soulsilver with the exception of Columbus. So I've seen a decent amount of stuff that has worked, and what hasn't. As such, I will talk about the good and improvements needs in the tournament. So, without further adieu, here is the Good parts of the tourney. 

Good Things that Happened: 

I think that the inclusion of many side events was a terrific idea, as it gave me a reason to stay on the 2nd and 3rd days of the event, instead of just leaving on the 2nd. These side events ranged from "Prereleases" (Excluding Burning Shadows), to Pokken (which I loved), and regular tournaments, where you could get packs. They actually ran out of the "Prerelease" decks, as I overheard from a judge that only "Steam Seige" was left, with only a few of those left. 

I also liked the addition of tickets. The tickets actually made the products cheaper than in real life. For Example, a starter deck costs $12 (US) normally. Here, it was only six. They also gave out so many tickets that it was easy to get a lot. 

Ticket Structure

Each ticket would say 10, or 20, etc on them. The starter decks were 20 for one deck. When you entered a side event, you would get at least 1, sometimes 2, and for the larger side events, 3. If you won battles in these side events, you would get more tickets. I think that this structure was amazing, and worked out really well. 

Needed Improvements: 

I think that there should have been more free events during Internationals. If they did, they could lower the amount of tickets won, so that they wouldn't be at a loss. Not only for one division either, but for all three. I would be willing to stay to do those events instead of solely paying. I think that this approach would be good, as not everyone wants to pay $5 to $10 for each event at the minimum. 

The event also needs to be on time. To the T. They were delayed on Friday by about 15 minutes but that adds up, and that doesn't factor in games still in Time, and other problems that may happen. If they were on time, the event would not go so late, and people would be less crabby. 

Overall: 

I think that this event was really well managed though. I think that the side events were very well managed, and the ticket structure was amazing. I would do that again, but with more free stuff. Not necessarily giveaways, but more events to get people playing. 

Thank you for reading, and make sure to follow me and my blog at playerpokemon.blogspot.com for more Pokemon Trading Card Game info. Thank you.