First gaming tournament, advice for newbies? (how to prepare for first tournament)

Newbie Saikyo Dojo
1

i recently signed up for something similar to the kombat kup series for mk, but for injustice 2. the tournament begins four days after release. i have a serious goal of becoming one of a game’s best players and I’m hoping it’s this one, but i’ve never even participated in anything competitive. i understand games like this are not as difficult as Street Fighter or Tekken, but at the same time, i have a bit of anxiety seeing how im good at creating decent and rewarding combos,(injustice is one of the easiest games to combo in) but my average fighting game skills (footsies, meaties, cancels etc) are not at the same level. i feel like i have low chances of winning regardless, but what can i do to at least have a fighting chance at this tournament?

i ask this question for me and all players who are not ridiculously good when we first got into the competitive scene. i don’t really care for winning, i just look at this as my first step on a road to becoming a professional player.

in all honesty, i’ve watched every video, and read every discussion I could to better my knowledge of frame data and rules that all fighting games share. so what can I do to be better at applying this stuff more vigorously to my playstyle? (i always feel like the answer is just practice, but t the same time i feel like there is more to it than that)

(on a final note I signed up for a GameStop tournament. where if i win i get my copy of injustice early and some extra things to go along with it that are not included in the preorders, but im not as worried about that cause honestly i doubt anyone good’ll show up to local events)

1 Like
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Since it’s your first Fighting Game tournament…take it as more of a learning experience.

Worry less about showcasing combos…and more about doing your best.

If you lose…learn from it.

Is this online or offline?

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it’s online
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nptplimbasE&t=108s this is the advertisement for it, i signed up early yesterday. but i knew about it earlier than that.

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Okay…I assumed it would be an offline event.

Still stands though:
Worry less about showcasing combos…and more of just confirming.

Try not to get frazzled when your opponent finds an opening.

Stay focused.

If you are really serious about being one of the best Injustice 2 players…stay hungry.

Good luck on that tournament BTW.

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Online tournament advice:

Keep track of the people you’re playing, message them after saying thanks and ask for whatever advice they have for you, if they noticed any bad habits etc.

If it’s being livestreamed, review the chat during your matches (edit after the tournament). A lot of stream chat is garbage, but there’ll be some valid stuff in there too about what you’re doing right/wrong.

Make sure your connection is ON POINT. Have nothing running in the background, no unnecessary devices/apps running and nothing to do with wifi whatsoever.

READ THE TOURNAMENT RULES. Seriously.

Be on time.

Learn how to add players, set up lobbies etc well in advance of the tournament - nothing worse than being late for your slot because you don’t know how to contact your opponent.

Screen-cap your wins if any of your matches are unmoderated (common in pools).

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Damn. I was gonna tell you to stop bathing.

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Offline Tournament Advice (from a scrub that generally drowns in the pools):

Be on time and read the rules still apply.

Register early.

Hand sanitizer.

Label your fightstick / controller and the bag you keep it in.

If controller - learn how to de-sync in advance of the tournament and make a habit of it.

Take advantage of the casual area, but make sure you don’t burn yourself out if you’re still in the tournament.

Don’t be afraid to just go up and ask other players for a game in casuals, most people are nice!

If you get knocked out, try to find someone in casuals to run sets with - if you don’t get a lot of local practice, this is the best way to maximise it.

Don’t hog a casual spot if they’re busy.

Try to stay near your pool between matches incase there’s a mix up.

Most pro’s will stop and chat throughout the weekend, so be mindful and try not to stop them going to or from a match.

If you’re out and want a good seat for a decent match, get to the stage a couple of matches in advance. Don’t worry about getting the best seats for the finals - they’re all good at that point.

Remember to confirm your scores with the TO after each match.

Other than to confirm scores and (hopefully not) report foul play, try to leave the TOs alone…They’re having a big day haha. If you need info about the current bracket etc, challonge, smash.gg or the tournament’s social media should have whatever info you need.

Remember that most people are there to get better, not just to win.

Try to stick to the plan. Consistent, tidy play rather than showing off all of your lab skills. High-risk strategies can often look like a lack of knowledge on block :wink:

I tend to forget quite basic stuff at a local, like resource management…not really advice, just be conscious of the fact that your nerves will mess with you a bit I guess?

Your group and first match tend to be announced in advance. Try to scope out online who you’ll be playing and who you’ll likely be playing after them - just knowing the matchup ahead of time is huge.

Be polite, shake hands, say thanks, all the good stuff.

Tidy up after yourself (likewise, don’t litter the stations with flyers advertising your twitch channel).

Don’t use the complimentary wifi at the hall/hotel, or any of the fake ones pretending to be it.

Get as many gamertags as you can!

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well, i won my Gamestop tournament (at least 10 people joined it). what i grasped from it was that i play with my opponents(letting them gain advantages only to try and set them up for something nasty…baiting). and im too eager to get back in their face after knocking them down. someone played as Deathstroke and i kept letting myself get caught by their spinning blade wake up. this was because i don’t treat my opponents being knocked down as the footsies game being reset, i just kinda dash in and hope that they were not blocking the overhead or low while getting up. i kinda switched my characters after seeing the skill level of my first few opponents, the first match was my main green lantern and i got a perfect so i kept switching up until i eventually won the final match as batman. I’m surprised no one picked doomsday or Zod but go figure. since i got my game early and i bought some extra money for in-game transactions i guess all that’s left to do is grind, and work on my mistakes.
Characters Played:
Green Lantern
Solomon Grundy
Superman
Harley Quinn
Aquaman
Batman

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Congrats!

Great analysis of yourself too. Respect the opponent for the full 99 seconds (or whatever it is in Injustice). A knockdown only gives you the advantage if you do something with it. If you’re coming in with a low, do it because you’ve either already conditioned them to be open to a low, or because you’re conditioning them to take a throw/overhead/whatever down the line. Otherwise you’re just rolling the dice - that should be a job for the guy waking up :wink:

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soooooo how’d you do in the War of the Gods one?

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sorry for the late reply lol. I still don’t have my ps4 so I had to forfeit. I did watch it though, apparently, sonicfox won. I have two options to either wait till i get the rest of my graduation money or to get a job. I did get to play the game though, my knowledge of the first game seemed to have passed over and I played a few ranked matches on my friend’s console (graduation party at his house with other pals) but there will be more things I can sign up for, hopefully I can have a console by the end of this month (now I have plans to also get into Tekken 7 but lol that’s a much harder game) but thank you for the advice, I’m sure I’ll be able to use it for the next time I try to get into a tournament.

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Ah sorry to hear that man! So many games fighting for the top spot atm, if you’re not set on one, I’d just enjoy the hype haha.

I was in CPT Europe 1 this weekend (did terribly, didn’t get out of pools, usual haha) and I can’t reiterate the READ THE RULES part strongly enough. It was an online tourney, you had to check in on Smash.gg and the CPT discord an hour before pools started and be logged in to both to listen for your call. You also had to be ready on Challonge and have a screencap of a speedtest at the ready, if requested. All well explained and pretty normal stuff.

A lot of people lost/forgot logins, missed their calls to play, failed to follow SmashGG instructions for confirmation of characters, wins, losses etc…TWO people entered with Ed (banned for his first week of play) and people were uncertain of which stages were banned and allowed…it was all in every email, on the site, mentioned on the Discord all morning, everything was there.

With online tourneys, there’s no dedicated TO to slap you round the head and give you 1-2-1 info, so all this extra confusion can really make a mess of it - especially if you’re on the DQ end of the rules…so just read all your emails haha, you usually won’t get a second chance.

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Since you already seem like you’ve done your research with the game, I can only give you some real life advice when attending physical tournaments.

[list=1]
[] Get enough sleep, most beginners make the mistake of “staying up late to train” then find themselves lacking attention, concentration and reaction time the next day.
[] Make friends. This is important, as soon as you get there, greet everybody and play casuals so you feel at home, you will also get a hint of each player’s way of playing.
[] Show some authority. If you’re shy, greet each guy loudly and shake their hands hard enough etc when you get the chance (no, don’t squeeze, just don’t give a weak handshake), people will think that you’re some outgoing dude and it contributes to how they perform against you after (if you looked shy and weak, they will feel even more confident if they faced you in a tournament).
[] Remember, you’re not the strongest. I did this mistake when I joined my first tournament, I thought I was the strongest, didn’t win a round then quit (Street Fighter). Overconfidence will cause you to feel overly hurt when you get defeated by people stronger than you. When you feel good again, come back to the game and train harder.
[] Manage your losses. When you feel down because some dude defeated you, take a nice breather and socialize etc. Your mood can affect how well you perform.
[] Make friends (again). When the tournament is over, add everyone on social media (ask as much guys as you can to connect) friends you meet in the FGC can become friends you gather with every week and in your case, even if you don’t have a PS4 or the game or any gear, you can come to their place and train if they have the game, they will also give you some nice tips and advice.
[*] Record your matches. Ask somebody to record your match for you so you can analyze the things you did wrong , the things you did right and see what could be improved.
[/list]

Now I know that the way I said it may sound like I expected you to lose, but since it’s your first tournament, loss management and mood control is very important as we have all been there.

My first tournament was a disaster, my latest got me in top 10. Training and training will move us forward.