i would like to ask a few things of you all to begin practicing:

- first, do NOT play a spell card directly to the graveyard. this is NOT the proper way to do it. this will most likely show up in the penalty guidelines later on. please begin playing this correctly now.

- next, allow your opponent to respond, and do NOT speed play your way through the match. if the opponent asks a judge for assistance on this, we will make you back up and so that they may respond to your actions. on the other hand, if you do give the opponent a chance to respond and they take too long, we can help with this also.

- also, attack with each creature ONE AT A TIME. especially if there are face down S/T cards on the defender's side, or your attacking with creatures that shift position (GAF, Spear Dragon, Giant Orc, etc.). if you destroy a Witch/Sangan/Tomato/etc., allow the player to search before attacking with the next creature (you will find that this is a strategy that benefits the attacker in the long run).

- if you have ANY questions regarding play and the opponent is trying to force their opinion/rulings/judgements on you, please please please raise your hand and ask for a judge to help. that's what we're there for.

- please be familiar with the cards in your deck. i have seen too many players come into events that don't know what the effects are for the cards they use. no joke, this has happened on more than one occasion...

- we cannot give lengthy rulings during the match. we will only be allowed, and will strive to, answer questions with a yes, or no, type response. if you need further clarification, you can ask us between rounds, we will be more than happy, time willing, to do this.

- familiarize yourself with the new FAQ, especially the part regarding chains. when a chain resolves, the cards are NOT removed until after the entire chain resolves completely. this is for effects like Princess of T and Secret Barrel.

- try NOT to touch the opponent's cards. some players like to attack, then reach over and flip the card. please do NOT do this. also, ask before you grab your opponent's graveyard.

- if you play with a fusion deck, IT MUST BE ON THE FIELD AND NOT IN THE BOX WITH YOUR SIDEBOARD!! if the fusion deck is NOT on the field, you may not use one, even if it is in your decklist. there's a spot on the field for it, so that's where you put it. you can have the same colored sleeves, or a different color, i don't care.

- your sidedeck should be in an area by itself, not in your deckbag, mixed with other cards. when the judges come around to do deck checks, they will need to have it on the table and accessible. don't put it in your pocket where you could possibly mix it with other cards.

- keep your score AND your opponent's score (and try to use paper and pencil/pen). if you both do this, you can cross check each other each time someone does damage to the opponent. if you use a calculator, try to make sure that it doesn't turn off after a couple of minutes. if you lose track of your score, and you have to depend on your opponent's scorekeeping and they are wrong, there will be little we can do about it.

- keep your cards above the table level.

all of these are what i try to teach the players wherever i judge at (and there are a few locations).

you may wish to invest in new sleeves, just in case the opponent in the later rounds, calls you on anything. make sure they are NOT sticky, or else you WILL have problems. also, may sure you have at least a dozen extras in case one of the smaller players shuffles your deck and accidentally splits them, or a corner gets tweaked.

fair warning. if you're coming to the event to cheat, please stay home. we want this to be a fun event. we don't want to have to issue penalties, assign game/match losses, or DQ players for this infraction.

if you're coming to the event to try to steal other player's cards, please stay home. if we catch this happening, we will call the authorities and have them deal with the problem.

again, this is a game, its supposed to be fun, we are going for a lot of fun for the day... it will be a loooooong day, we'll need all the fun that we can get...

and one final request. i would ask all of the older, more experienced players to be considerate to the younger players. they have just as much right to play as we do. if you have problems with the younger players be sure to flag down a judge.

also, remember that there are some US rulings that are different than those in Japan. we are playing by the US rulings. if you have a question regarding this, please ask it now, or before the event begins.