It's fun to build a counter to a specific deck. This is an event format that lets you do just that
FORMAT
It's a variation on a round robin format.
There are N players, which should be an odd number. In the first round, each player is given a number 1 through N. In each round, the player's number increases by 1. If their number is N, their number becomes 1 instead. Player 1 sits out the round. Otherwise, if the player is numbered x, their opponent is the player numbered N + 2 - x. For example, if there are 9 players and your current number is 4, then your opponent for this round is the player numbered 7.
If the player's current number is
ODD, they are a
target (unless they are sitting out this round). If the player's current number is
EVEN, they are an
arrow. Each round plays arrows against targets. If you are a target, you must use the same deck you used in the previous round as an arrow (or you may use any deck if it is the first round). Targets must disclose their deck to the arrow they are fighting. The arrow then has a chance to construct a counter to the target's deck. But arrows beware! In the next round, they will become a target, and will have to use the same deck they used as an arrow!
In a given round, each arrow plays 1 game against the corresponding target. There are N rounds total, which means every player will fight every other player. The player with the highest number of individual games won at the end (whether as an arrow or a target) is the event winner. If there is a tie, the winner will be determined by a single elimination tournament.
If a player is absent from a round, their opponent is credited with a win. If a player is absent from a round and they were a target, their win total is
decreased by 1 (to prevent people from skipping target matches). If a player was absent from the previous round, they may use any deck this round.
To prevent cheating, players must post their deck codes in the event thread prior to playing the round. (If you posted as an arrow you don't have to post again as a target the next round because your deck is the same).
6 upgraded cards are allowed in each deck.
Here is an example of a round in a 9 player event. Player 1 is sitting out. Player 2 is an arrow playing against player 9, a target. Player 7 is a target playing against player 4, an arrow. In the next round, player 2 will become player 3 and will have to use the same deck they used as an arrow, and player 7 will become player 8 and get to counter player 3's deck.
To avoid confusion, at the start of each round the event organizer posts a table of who is playing against whom.
To allow for a reasonably fast event, rounds are scheduled for the weekend, at a set time. This will exclude some players who can't meet the time but it is necessary in order to play all the rounds quickly enough. Up to four rounds will be played in a given weekend. Arrows have 10 minutes to respond and construct their counter deck, so a round should take no longer than about 20 minutes. Players should have a set of decks prepared so that they don't have to build their counters from scratch.
