Keeping Your Composure

Just a quick update today. I have my videos recorded from my local tournament, I'll need a day or two to edit them up and put them on YouTube. I did poorly at only 2-2, but I think my deck is moving in the right direction.

I lost first game of our fourth round of Swiss and it wasn't until I went back and reviewed the tape that I realized my vital mistake. It was not a poor card choice, or a sub optimal play, or a misread on my opponent. I lost my composure. During the duel, I special summoned my Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning and banished my opponents Elemental HERO Absolute Zero. Once Zero's effect triggered, I responded with Herald of Orange Light. My opponent asked to call the judge over, and I was fine with that. The judge ruled in favor of my opponent saying that "Herald of Orange Light requires the opponents monster to be under his control, a monster that is banished is not under his control." I kept my calm and went with it, even though I knew that was wrong, I would simply need to go find the actual ruling and bring it to him at a later time. I was no happy though, and as a result, lost my Envoy. Not only that, but STILL discarded Herald and Earth, and by the ruling the local judge had provided, it would not be a legal activation. This cost me the match, I was so caught up in the fact that I got ruled against, that I gave up a two card advantage that would later have helped me win the duel.

That being said, there's a few important things to take away from this:

Keep your calm
Keep your self calm, internally and on the surface. Yelling at a judge or your opponent will just result in a game loss. Remember, it's a card game, have fun. Like in baseball, you don't argue balls and strikes, you find the strike zone they're using and work with it.

Know your rules
If you are going to contest a judge, be prepared to explain why you think they are wrong in a professional manner. Don't be afraid to ask them to consult the head judge (at a major event) or google it. If possible, any questions about your card interactions should be searched ahead of time, and you can keep those rulings with you in a binder. I know I will.

Don't forget your cards
This mostly applies to cards which would be illegal to activate, but if you are ruled against, you can get your cards back for a later use. Your opponent being aware of a card or two in your hand is a hefty price, but at the very least you have access to those cards for a later date.

Thanks for reading folks, I'll try and have the videos from this weekend available in the next day or so.