Last weekend I finished 33rd at my first Regional. It was the first major Gundam Card Game event I had ever attended (in fact, it was my first major event for any card game).

I decided to share my journey so far, talk about my short-term plans, and explain why I believe that if you love this game as much as I do, you should consider following the same path.

About an year ago, I was looking for a new love in form of new card game. I loved the core mechanics of Dragon Ball Super and One Piece, so I was very excited to discover that Gundam Card Game was about to launch.

At the time, I was only familiar with the Gundam franchise, but I decided to visit a local game store and check it out. I received two Sample Deck kits, and it was love at first sight.

I bought STs 01 through 04 and a box of GD01. Before long, I realized that if I wanted to keep up with the community and understand the meta, I needed an accessible way to practice online. That was when I decided to build a Gundam Card Game simulator.

At first, I simply wanted to experiment with a few ideas involving React and real-time communication. To my surprise, the project quickly grew beyond that initial experiment and eventually became what MSA is today.

Now that I had a great place to practice, I could confidently invest in physical products and attend local events whenever possible.

My schedule is incredibly busy, I have two kids, couple of hobbies and some other responsibilities. Still, the practice sessions and deck builds I tested on MSA gradually began turning into results at local events... not necessarily a lot of wins, here in Florianópolis/Brasil, I am lucky enough to play against some incredibly skilled players, but definitely more competitive results.

Gundam Card Game community is extremely welcoming. I have the feeling that most players would rather have a great battle than an easy win. Before long, I became completely hooked and I even managed to win the first NTC I attended. Yes, I think I got a little lucky. But the result gave me confidence in the simple routine that is working for me: Build. Practice. Play locals. Repeat!

Soon, I found myself traveling 800 kilometers (~500 miles) to São Paulo for my first Regional. What an incredible experience! There were so many people in the same place, sharing the same passion. The matches were tough and competitive but still extremely friendly. It is difficult to describe that feeling.

It was also strange, but a lot of fun, to have so many people come over to say hello to “Doug from MSA”, haha! Im truly happy seeing MSA becaming part of other players journeys! Thank you all so much for the support and kindness!

My nerves, combined with my opponents skills, caused me to lose my first two matches. But I came back and won all six of my remaining Swiss rounds, finishing in 33rd place. Three of the seven close friends who made the trip with me finished in the Top 16!