grand-slam-bochum-30-january-2000
Title: grand-slam-bochum-30-january-2000
Author: Johan "Johan" van der Meer
Date: Feb 14, 2000
Anyway, we went to the Grand Slam with 3 other players from the Netherlands: Jeroen van den Bosch, Jan-Willem Sipkes and Maarten Rossou, that makes it 5 in all. Luckily, both Jeroen and JW had a car available to drive us all the way to Bochum, which was quite a long drive away.
These were the decks I took:
Light: 'Unprobable' Hidden Base with EPP's, Numbers, We're Doomed, Undercover spies, OTE, A Gift, Xwing Laser Cannon, and other stuff. Clack'Dor 7 with parsec 2 planets to (hopefully) keep opponent from probing. Has a special surprise for Presence of the Force. Goal is to insert, drain, deploy spies undercover, use suicide EPP's to try to stop whatever opponent is doing...
Dark: 'Balanced' CCT Musicians. About same deck as the last tournament, but with some changes to include EJP. Took some cards out, and added ZIMH, MJ, IGinIG2000, Imperial Barriers and a second Nizuk Bek. The deck doesn't really rely on drains, so A Gift isn't the end of the world. Just battle, do a 2/0, 3/-1 or 4/-2 force swing, move away his Luke, reduce his power and inflict some heavy battle damage.
There were about 66 people in attendance. Apart from the Germans and the Dutch, there were 2 Englishmen (Matt Allen and Scott Latham) and 1 Belgian (Patrick Monsieurs). At the beginning we talked a bit with the Germans, Koen played a friendly game vs Winkelhaus, and I played a game vs Martin Schumacher (In which I ended up losing an epic duel -- but of course it's not too smart to initiate a duel with DLOTH vs Ben, even with lots of sixes and sevens in your deck... but then again it was Koen's deck :P)
After the TD (Winfried Sommerfeld) had gone through some rulings (concerning such things as Clash of Sabers on IG-88 and deploying Asteroid Sectors to the Rendezvous Point) the tournament began, pairings were called... After about 15 minutes of calling pairings, my first game began!
Game 1 -- Light vs Soeren Kaiser's COTVG-all-the-Way starting S&V
The game started pretty slow, he got out drain-2 sites with guys, I took out my systems and put undercover spies to his sites (to cancel forcedrains and circumvent COTVG force loss). I also put some ships at Rendezvous Point and Clack'Dor 7 with Figrin D'an wagering. R2-D2 got ready for A Gift, but Ephant Mon made that impossible.
Mid game he took out ships with his objective, and tried to battle me on some systems. I used the Cannons to shoot some ships, he used S&V to retrieve his just lost ships by battling with other ships. Around that time I Grappled his Alter and Imperial Barrier. I managed to use the Xwing guns to take out all the Bountyhunterships, but it took quite a long while. Boushh Undercover took care of one more drain.
Finally when almost all his ships had permanently gone to the lost pile, I flipped and started draining at Coruscant and Kiffex. I had Order to Engage out, and he still got one ship in space. However, he didn't came to block my drains because my power was greater at the systems I drained at (and because of the Cannons). I used We're Doomed! to halve/round down the force drains he still had.
Later, Wuher got rid of R2-D2 (had nowhere to move to) so We're Doomed didn't round down anymore. Boush got capured by ECC IG-88 with Sniper, and got fed to the Sarlacc: Soeren retrieved 7 force, I played It Could Be Worse for 7. In the end I managed to get a complete lockdown: He couldn't drain (for more than 1 per turn or so) while I could drain for like 5 or 6. The game would have ended soon thereafter, but in the end, time was called and it became a timed win with 11 force.
Game 2 -- Dark vs Matt Allen's Yavin 4 Nudjes
Cool, I got to play an Englishman! He started by deploying two Nudjes. My first turn, I deployed Tatooine Docking Bay from reserve and Audience Chamber from hand. His second turn, he deployed Ben to Audience Chamber. My second turn, (or third turn, not sure) I deployed SE Jabba, S&V, Ak-Rev, Greeata, J'Quile, Lirin Car'n and some more guys (for incredible low force cost). His next turn he deployed EPP's, Clash on J'Quile and battled... I used Stunning Leader to end the battle
My turn, I searched for a Musician (with Ak-Rev) and a Dodo Bodonawieedo (with Greeata), used Nabrun to move Lirin Car'n away to the Docking Bay. I deployed several more musicians, Nizuk Bek and initiated a battle. After retrieving, moving his Luke away and reducing his power by 8, my power was 41 + Tech M'or for battle destiny. His power was 6 + a 2 or 3 for battle destiny... Result was about 32 battle damage.
But then I forgot to move my Lirin Car'n back to the Audience chamber... Oh well. Lirin Car'n died a horrible death and I lost around 10 force to battle damage. I tried to go after his Luke. His other mains also hit the table at this time. When I had a chance to initiate another big battle, he succesfully uses a Narbrun with no force saved! Argh...
Anyway, some time later I win by force drains and a final battle. FW by around 20 force... When the game was over we talked abit about and about Trandosite and about the upcoming Grand Slam in England. After he took my picture, we wished each other good luck in upcoming games.
Game 3 -- Dark vs ?? (can't remember the name anymore) HB-OMDH with EPP's
I didn't get a good opening hand so I start drawing over 12 cards. This way I got 5 ships and alot of Aliens. While he deployed systems with ships to set up, I deploy some musicians at the Audience Chamber along with Scum & Villainy.
He had Falcon with EPP Leia and Captain Han in space, and I tried to battle him with stuff like ZIMH, Bus, IG-88 in IG-2000 and Space Cruiser with Mara Jade (with a load of musician forfeit fodder). This went on for a few turns, and eventually I ran out of forfeit fodder, so I moved my ships away. Around this time, he deployed EJC Chewie, EPP Luke, Figrin D'an and Momow Nadon at Carbon Chamber. I deployed the Cantina, and he came there with an Obi (I think)... Kithaba with EJP 4-LOM and other Musicians took care him.
Eventually, in the final stages of the game, I got a Stunning Leader and an Unexpected Interruption in my hand. So I used the Unexpected Interruption to fish a Nabrun from my reserve.
I used Nabrum on my guys in the Cantina to move them over to the Carbon Chamber and deployed Nizuk Bek. After initiating battle, retrieving, playing Stunning Leader and moving his ECC Chewie away, his only participating character was Figrin D'an. Figrin's forfeit was reduced to 0 by Rystall and his total power of 1 was reduced to 0 by Lyn Me. So his power and forfeit were equal 0 and my power was about 15... This was a Full win by around 20 I think.
Game 4 -- Light vs Sven Schlosser's HDADTJ (using BIG objective)/Duel.
He set up quickly, with Vader & Tarkin at Lar's Moisture farm. The perfect target for an Undercover R2-D2! I also deployed 8D8 at Lars Farm and insert. He used Elis to move Vader & Tarkin over to the Holotable, so there's no way to cancel Visage with a Bothan Spy+Undercover. I deployed some ships and a Bothan Spy next turn, and got more systems out.
Mid game he showed up with Devastator and DS-61-2 and 3 at Kashyyyk... I ended up battling him with some ships, X-Wing Laser Cannon and a We're Doomed! for destiny, he forfeits the Devastator (He feared for combo's like Power Pivot with Don't Underestimate Our Chances and that sort of thing). I flipped some time after that, and went for a drain of 3 at Coruscant, and a drain of 2 at Kiffex.
From there it was me draining, inserting and losing to his Visage. I play a We're Doomed!'s in each of his turns as it divides into two&rounds down Visage damage. In the end I won with around 15 force... Visage certainly took it's toll this game!
Game 5 -- Dark vs Martin Falke's Martin Falke deck starting Battle Plan
A chance to play against Martin Falke is always good, because he's one of the best players in the world (there are two people in Europe that have a rating of over 2000, and he's one of them).
Early on he got some systems out, Redemption at Chandrila. I deployed Audience Chamber, Tatooine Docking Bay (a mistake I guess -- Beggar may deploy there... but then again, who expects Beggar in a HB deck that's not playing Tatooine sites?). I fortified my Audience Chamber rather immensly, with Nuzik Bek, Jabba and 5 or so assorted Musicians. After asking me a few times what my power was at the Chamber, he decided not to try to invade it and went instead for out-draining me by deploying EPP Obi, EPP Han, some ability 4 alien (Tawws?) and another guy (with ability > 2) to the Carbonite Chamber. He didn't free his captive Wegde... He knew about Stunning Leader.
About at this time I think I made a crucial mistake: Instead of going after his mains on the ground with everything I've got (normal game plan), I decided to go after his space fleet with everything I've got. Since EPP Han was already in the Carbon Chamber, I didn't need to fear multiple destinies from the Falcon. After a a few turns of deploying ships with guys and playing barriers (on both sides), he had the advantage because of the Bacta Tank and also because he tracked A Few Maneuvers for battle destiny. Once I did the Snugglebear trick (exchange docking bay from hand with top card of used pile) on Imperial Barrier to try barrier an EPP Leia returning to the Redemption, but he had Beggar out on my docking bay and used my 1 remaining force to deploy a ship -- before doing to Bacta-Redemption trick. ZIMH gets Rebel Barriered (which gets Hell-to-Payed).
At the end my musicians forfeit fodder were gone, and he was draining at Carbon Chamber and at 3 different planet systems. I ended up initiating an ill-thought out battle (Order to Engage was on table I think, and S&V with First Strike is still some neat retrieval) where I had to forfeit almost all of my ships (and some more cards from hand) I also tried to Elis the guys from the Audience Chamber over to the Carbon Chamber, but the Elis got Pushed and cancelled by It's A Hit! In the end I had only a few cards in life force left and he flipped (so I can't draw up), and used Tibrin with OMDH to retrieve all his force back from the lost pile. Full Loss by 32...
Had I stuck to my normal game plan (stinking to ground only and using the ships only to probe), it might have been a different game... but then again, I'd won games before when I chose to go all-space, and Martin Falke is of course a very very good player! The 'problem' with musicians is that therer are only a limited number of them, and if you wanna go all space, (possible with ZIHM, Bus, Boba/Slave I, Dengar/P1, Space Cruiser and IG in IG2000, along with S&V, First Strike and deploy-0 forfeit-5 musicians) you can't really go fully 'Ground' anymore...
Game 6 -- Light vs Patrick Monsieurs Tractor Beaming (!)
He started with Fondor (Executor deploys -5) and deployed the Executor there around the 3rd or 4rth turn. I got out systems, Figrin D'an with 2 other high-destiny characters, some ships at Redezvous Point and at Clack'Dor 7, and played an insert. Eventually I got Gold Leader in Gold 1 with a Landing Claw at Fonder to block his Executor from draining. Numbers came up one time, he played a Torture... The second time he played Torture to cancel NTMTO, I used a grabber on it...
Somewhere mid-game he deployed Captain Lennox and Homing Beacon: The Claw is cancelled! My turn I did the usual wager, deployed some stuff... in my battle phase, Patrick played They've Shut Down The Main Reactor on GL in G1 to prevent my ship from moving away! This is bad... very bad! To prevent total beatdown, I moved almost all my ships (Spiral, Tantive IV, Red Squadron Xwing with X-Wing Laser Cannon) over to the Executor. His turn he used Lennox to shoot with Tractor Beam in his control phase... He drew a 1, missed my ship, and numbers came up at the same time... He lost some force from that, and contunued his turn... He initiateed a battle, used In Range to Tractor-Beam Tantive IV (immedeately captured) and due to his high power (Executor, Bus, Tantive IV) I ended up forfeiting all but one ship, and 6 cards. A mistake of course, since he captured my remaining ship with Tractor Beam at the end of the battle. Now the only ship had was Bulk Freighter... He had Executor, Red Squadron Xwing with Laser Cannon and Bossk in Bus. End of his turn, he moved the captured Xwing and Bus over to Kiffex.
In my turn, I deployed Red Leader in Red 1 with X-wing Laser Cannon, and a Gold Squadron Y-wing to Kiffex. Initiated battle, and shot (X=3) my own (captured) X-wing to the lost pile! After battle destiny I forfeited the Ywing and he forfeited the Bus... This was the weirdest battle ever! Around
this time I deployed Order To Engage, and he deployed Blast Door Controls (nice counter to the OTE-Barrier trick).
I flipped my objective late game... once I forgot to save 3 force, so he killed Red Leader with Cannon with a Boba in Slave I... Later in the game I used Hyper Escape with Order to Engage 2 times to inflict some damage OTE, and insert him again... He got an Insert in his deck and is low on force, and so am I. However, I was also low on ships, and he still had the Executor and some other (big) ships. I wager with Figrin D'an, and the insert came up... He payed 2 force, and played Torture! Ah Well... Serves me right for playing cheese! Some time later, he won (FW) by 5 force. A Very tight game, with some very nice moves by Patrick!
I ended up going 4-2 with 1 TW, Koen also did 4-2 with 1 TW... I think Koen was like 18th and me 20th or something. Jan-Willem ended up quite high, 3rd place! He missed the finals because of a timed win. While the prizes were being passed out, I played a friendly game vs Sven Schlosser with my musicians versus his Profit deck... It was rather funny because I got 2 captives already at the start of the game.
From what I saw and heard, there are 3 'major' playing groups in Germany... The 'Winkelhaus' group, with Bastian, Martin Schumacher, Markus Wuest... the 'Falke' group, with (among others) Martin and Soeren Kaiser, and lastly the 'Savron' group, with Jan and Sven Schlosser (among others). The competition is quite high, most players have all the cards they need and almost everyone is a good player.
There was (still) alot of S/A (less Control) played. Most popular decks for dark seemed to be Court of the Vile Gangster and HDADTJ, but all kinds of other dark side decks were also played... For light, the 'Martin Falke' deck (HB with OHDH and lots of tech) was popular, as well as the new 'Profit' deck. Lots of players who brought multiple light side decks (so they could choose just before the tourney started) also took a profit deck with them.
It was a very good tourney, run exellently by Winfried and Marianne Sommerfeld. If only I lived a little closer to Germany I would attend the (normal) Bochum tournaments more regularly!