It's just one week to go. 7 more days until I find my table, sit across a good player and it'll probably hit me, oh shit I really am at the World Championships.
Players from all around the world will gather in Yokohama to compete for the right to be the 2023 Pokémon World Champion, be it in the Trading Card Game, the Video Game Championships, Pokémon Go, Pokémon United, whatever it may be, whatever age division it may be, we're all going to Japan for the same reason. To enjoy the game of Pokémon and hopefully be the one to lift the Pikachu trophy.
There'll be people who have been there 3 times, perhaps 5 times, maybe 10 times or even some who have been there for every single event. Me? It'll be the very first time after 7 years of trying since I got back into the game and thought, hey let's try to make this work. It was never going to happen right from the off unlike many others, I didn't know anyone, I didn't know what to do and I just thought it was normal. I'm new to the game, it probably will take me a while to get used to everything. Little did I know right?
How do I feel going into easily the biggest tournament of my life? A little bit excited but also very VERY nervous. I'm excited that I get to see all my overseas friends that I've made from playing the game, mostly online, and likely meeting them for the first time too. That's the part I'm most looking forward to. And of course the playing part, that's why I'm going there after all. It's just the idea that I will be playing against the very best players around all around the world, that's the part that makes me a little nervous.
All these guys and girls I'll see in the hall in Yokohama, most of them will be well known names in the community. We've all seen them in action, we've all heard about them. These are truly the top players. They know what they're doing. And it doesn't matter if it's one of the more well known names or someone you might not have heard of, they probably have been coached by those guys or are in a team to help speed up their learning curve.
And then there's me. I do feel a little out of place compared to everyone else. I didn't come from another card game to know what to do at the right time, I don't have a coach to teach me how to properly play the game, I don't have a sponsor or a team to show me the ropes or help me with cards or lists. I'm just me. And that's why I do feel a little nervous going into next week. These guys and girls all know what they're doing and honestly, half the time I don't even know what I'm doing. I'm not the most confident person in case you haven't known, I am still working on it.
Unlike these guys and girls, I haven't played in a Regional or International event with bo3 for the first phase in 3 years, that's something I need to get used to just for this event since the switch from TPCi to TPC Japan. You can say maybe I'm the underdog going into every round and that's probably my mentality, they're all used to this, I'm not. It's a completely new world I'm stepping into next week, I just have to try my very best against all of them. On the bright side, hey I at least get to play bo3 games and not the god awful bo1 games we are forced to play in Asia, and I hate it.
Preparation for this event has been going ok. I actually had a good idea of what deck I'd play one whole month before Worlds and now that's we are a week away, it is still the same two decks on my mind. Everyone in my locals have been very nice enough to help test with me, share ideas and see what we can come up with, which I truly appreciate. I've been invited to a few testing sessions which is a first for me, now I see how the rest does it. I still have a few more days of testing with the people I trust the most with before I head off to Japan.
I don't have much expectations going into Worlds to be very honest. Win the whole thing? I know I'm not at that level yet and there's hundreds of players who are at that level. I just want to know where I stand against these giants of the game. Of course I'd love to make it into the Day 2 field but even if I don't, that's completely fine. I've already done the hard part of surviving the painful Asian qualifying system just to get there. To me it's a privilege that I get to even play in this Worlds. Not all of us will get that chance since only 4 to 5 of us out of the 300+ players in Singapore can make it there.
Whatever happens, I'm just happy I can finally have a chance to play in the World Championships, that's been one of my goals ever since I got back into the game and I get to check that off my list in a week's time. Most importantly, I just want to have fun and enjoy playing the game with everyone else and do all my friends, family and my country proud no matter what happens. Win, lose or draw. See you in Yokohama!
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