We learn by doing?

So, I sent off my entry form for the Altrincham Altercation today. It is a one day tournament hosted by Dice Not Included on 21st June. Three games of Warmachine/Hordes at 750 points. This has me very excited and, at the same time, absolutely petrified. This will be my first ever tournament and as a one dayer will be much easier both for endurance and the amount of personal time it eats. No need for a hotel either as I live so close.

How do I fear thee though? Let me count the ways. First off- I have played four games of Hordes total, all of them against Trollbloods. This is a boon if ever have to play an army with the same models Rich fields... My experience of playing a Warmachine army is nil, zip, nada. My experience of playing Legion of Everblight and Skorne is equally non-existant.
Secondly, I don't actually own 750 points of Circle yet. I will have to get a wiggle on and find a handful more models. My gut reaction is add a Woldwarden and Woldwatcher, stick them with Baldur as a second warlock and see how we go.
Thirdly, my army is not painted yet! In common with most Warmachine/Hordes tournaments, their is no firm requirement to have a fully painted and based army (unlike, say, Games Workshop) but there are benefits. For me, the main appeal to playing new people, especially in a competitive setting, is to see new armies and new ways of playing. A pile of bare metal does not delight the same way as a fully painted army does. Don't get me wrong here- I am hardly a Golden Demon quality painter. I would, however, much rather play against myself with painted models than bare ones. You can see my latest model above. This is the test mini for my Tharn Bloodtrackers. I tried to keep her earthy and deliberately didnt use any metallics. The speartips are a grey/bone mix to give the look of rock. This model takes my painted count to 5 models, with 7 still to paint. Adding the final 3 models to get up to 750 points will mean I have to paint 10 models in about 7 weeks. I better get cracking!