18th Mar 2022. This is a log of fatal mistakes I made before and during the Bronze tournament that led to the disastrous result.

I wish it didn’t happen, but it did.

This log will be a reminder of things NOT to do again and improve on my tournament preparations skills.

Tournament starts at 2am

My first mistake was waking up only half an hour before the tournament.

Within half an hour I needed to:

1. Wash up
2. Sign up for the tournament (and sign in 15 minutes before)
3. Rent Bronze level cards on PeakMonsters

The biggest mistake by far was the need to rent cards last minute. I was paying more than I needed since the prices were high. Some transactions didn’t go through the blockchain, stressing me out.

I definitely need to wake up earlier and give myself more time to prepare for the tournament.

Underestimating the humble Exploding Rats

This is the first half of the Exploding Rats mistake. I own a small army of Rats, but I rented out most of it. I was left only with a level one Rats in my deck.

And this was the ruleset combination where Exploding Rats shine…

1. Little League: Only monsters with 4 mana cost and below is allowed.
2. Super Sneak: All melee monsters get Sneak ability.

I really needed my level two Exploding Rats badly here.

Placement of Exploding Rats

When my Exploding Rats went down, I was horrified.

For some reason, I thought I was going to win. My brain didn’t comprehend how pivotal Exploding Rats was in this battle until it got blasted away.

The only chance I had was to place it in the second position like my opponent. Still, my level one Rats may lose to his level two Rats.

Link to battle here

Afterthoughts and takeaways

Blood drained from my face when I realised I was losing and getting knocked out in the first round.

This is not the first time it has happened to me, and the feeling still sucks.

I woke up early for the tournament with high hopes but lost it all within minutes after it started.

Personal takeaways from this experience:

1. Wake up earlier for tournaments. Take time to shake off the sleepiness that clouds your head and judgement, and give yourself time to rent stuff on Peakmonsters. This takes away the stress and allows you to focus on the tournament.

2. Never ever underestimate any card. The humble Exploding Rats was necessary to win the only match I played for the tournament. Renting out the higher level Rats doomed me to failure.

3. Exploding Rats is key in unique circumstances. Protect it with the rest of your deck if you have to!

What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.

I will grow from this experience and do better next time.