logan-utah-3-18-2000
Title: logan-utah-3-18-2000
Author: Matthew "MattJ" Jensen
Date: Mar 20, 2000
Another weekend of SWCCG for me and it turned out to be a good one. The Rose Park Gang was getting ready for the Utah State Championships so we decided to drive up to Logan to scout the competition and tournament scene up in those areas. In the last tournament at Bountiful, the Logan gang had come down and took 3 of the top 4 places including 1st by Joey Combs. We were looking for a little payback and some good gaming. It was a beautiful day to make the 2-hour drive albeit we were running a bit behind the schedule we had set. We actually had to call ahead to Mystic Comics just to make sure they'd hold on for us to show up. They did and we were happy to find that we would round out the tournament at 16 players for a 2-round tournament.
One thing about Mystic Comics and the scene up there. This shop was great! Good selection of cards (packs and singles) and comics. They even had computer stations setup for multi-player games like Quake III and such. Plenty of room to play was also a very big plus. I thought it was a very nice place to be. Also, it had a ton of younger players. While this lead to me playing a lot of newer players, it was good to see young blood at tournaments. And they were packing great cards too! Just a little strategy and experience and they be threatening!
I was set to play my Vaporium Beatdown deck for LS. This deck starts Careful Planning for Mos Eisley and the Farm and revolves around massive generation through Spaceport Speeders and beat downs by Mains. I've been getting bored with this deck but I can't give it up since I haven't lost with it yet. My DS was a This Deal deck with Walkers on exterior CC sites. This deck has only one loss to its name and that was due to bad luck and me not playing straight (Just couldn't get a 3rd CC site out forever). Tim Heare, the tournament director, announced the pairings and we were ready to go.
Game 1 - LS vs. Cameron Davis' Misc. Dark Side Power.
Cameron was a newbie. Plain and simple. Great kid and he was open to advice. He started with DS:Docking Bay and nothing else. I knew the game would be short from that. On his first turn he drops a Power 3, Ability 2 Imperial at my Farm. This was very unfortunate. My starting hand had Master Luke, EPP Han and ECC Chewie. I sell Luke's Speeder, drop on his lone Imperial and squash him for a quick 20+ force loss. He learns quick and keeps his stuff at the DS:Docking Bay until I Nabrum over with the original 3 plus EPP Leia. Quick and deadly. Full Win by 42.
Results: 2 (+42)
The Good: While it was incredibly mean, ending the game quickly so we could work through some strategy and other good stuff. We went over to the singles bin and got him some cards (Combat Readiness, Imperial Arrest Order, and such) so that in the next tournament he played with that deck it would be much better! He was a great kid to play with too!
The Bad: Killing a newbie.
At this point everyone is talking about this Joey Combs who is king of the Logan scene. He always wins by huge differentials. So I think I'll be taking him on but he played the same side as me. Oh well. Try to catch him next round.
Game 2 - DS vs. David Gwilliam's Obi's Hut/Tosche Station Mains.
David was another younger guy but looked to have a better feel for the cards. While he looked at Tatooine for force generation, I soon found out he was after Cloud City for his drains. I made a mistake in splitting my forces to stop his early force generation by deploying Mara Jade w/ Saber and an AT-ST down to Tosche Station against Master Luke. We battle and Mara misses with the saber. I lose the AT-ST and he loses some force. Oh how a Vader Obsession would have been fun then! I figure he'll beatdown with some more mains so Mara runs to the docking bay and heads for CC. Luke revolves the Hut and starts draining there while I setup Dark Deal. I finally get it setup and he daringly deploys 3 characters to CC sites and GL in G1 at Bespin: Cloud City (I had moved the TIE to help protect CC Occupation) and cancels Dark Deal. He says, 'Oh well! You probably have another in there.' I try to smile as I explain to him I don't! He sure wasn't playing like a newbie! From there it is a slugfest on Cloud City. I have the upper hand as Choke Vader w/ Saber comes to backup Mara and reacting AT-STs and he is only draining with Master Luke at the Hut. My drains and the battle damage he suffers eventually takes him down. Full Win by 12.
Results: 4 (+54)
The Good: Still maintaining good drains and good battles on Cloud City after Dark Deal was cancelled. Maybe I should start packing another Dark Deal? He loved Dark Deal with AT-STs and we talked a few strategies while other games were waning down.
The Bad: My taking forever to setup Dark Deal because of splitting my forces. While it slowed his early force generation, by the end we were both activating 13+ force a turn without Tosche Station involved.
So now I'm sitting pretty good. Not too high in differential but still undefeated. The others of Rose Park group are doing well. Jake Fuller is 2-0 and DaRell Frehner is 1-1 after a good tight game. My 10-year old brother Luke is doing so well though. He's 0-2 after Jake had to beat him on the second game. So pairings are announced and I luckily don't have to play any of the Rose Park group. But then I don't play Joey Combs either.
Game 3 - LS vs. Ben Kuhns' Raltiir Ops with Power.
Another younger player who has respectable game. He starts setting up RalOps with Stormtrooper Squad Leaders. He's leaving himself spread pretty thin but I can't get enough force over to go to Raltiir with authority. Fortunately I pull Tatooine system and Lando in Falcon and am able to move to Raltiir to stop the flip. From there I go through the process of setting up a huge beatdown with a Nabrum force from Tatooine. Meanwhile he tries to kick Lando in Falcon off Raltiir but Wedge has joined as co-pilot and GL in G1 is flying wingman. Not much he can do against me as I keep my space power up and he can't seem to get enough ships to make a full blow at me. I deploy all of the big EPP mains and Ben Kenobi to the Farm ready for a Nabrum. I draw destiny - BANG a 6! I only have 5 force! So no beatdown. Oh well. I let Ardon Crell's drains with the vaporators drain Ben away on Tatooine as Lando keeps RalOps from flipping. He tries a few suicide missions to Tatooine and Raltiir but can't budge me. Drains finally pull through. Full Win +8.
Results: 6 (+62)
The Good: Setting up drains when not being able to go to Raltiir. Lando in Falcon doing his thing to prevent RalOps from sustaining a flip.
The Bad: Ended up to be a non-interactive game. His drain of 3, my drain of 4-8. He couldn't get enough power to come after me and my generation was low enough which prevented me from taking on Raltiir.
So now I'm one of only 2 undefeated players. Joey Combs is the other one. Unfortunately, he played LS last game as well! His differential is incredible at 100 or something and his next opponent doesn't look like he is up to the task. I settle down to accept being second place if I can go undefeated.
Game 4 - DS vs. John Fullmer's Hoth Entrenchment Deck.
He starts out the Main Power Generators and the 4th Marker and Signals for Entrenchment. My plans are to go full out and set up Dark Deal quick and finish him off as fast as I can. He tries for a preemptive strike against Cloud City but Choke Vader with Saber, Mara w/Saber and 2 AT-STs slow him down. He's losing the battles but I'm seeing him play great Interrupts that cancel my destinies or switch them with his. Where he isn't invading Cloud City, he is canceling my drains at the only other 2 CC sites with combinations of Echo Base Troopers on Entrenchment and Controls. He finally confesses that he's tried to make his deck to specifically counter high drain decks like my Dark Deal. I finally drive him off of Cloud City and he tries to set up some good drains on Hoth. It's a drain race between us with his three little drains against the big drains of mine that get through. He finally runs out of counters to my drains. Full Win +10.
Final Results: 8 (+72)
The Good: Having my Cloud City forces sustain a defense against a dedicated attack force. Luckily he didn't go to cancel Dark Deal.
The Bad: Forgetting to apply the +4 to power from Dark Deal on 2 battles.
After the dust is settled it looks that Joey is the winner with me in second. A very distant second by differential! While the other games are wrapping up Joey Combs and I play a pick up game with his DS against my LS. I'm feeling confident and then he says the he gets lucky in this game. Right after saying that he gets a Miracle draw and throws down Choke Vader with his Saber and a Presence on the Force on my Farm. My opening is all Red with EPP Leia. He's draining for 4 a turn right off so I go against his now Vader, Tonnika Sisters and Bane Malor. Leia blasts Bane, throws down Slight Weapons Malfunction. Vader chops Leia. He draws a 4 and I draw a 5 and a 3. I lose 2 force and only Tonnika Sisters are left. Unfortunately, Joey has plenty of backup and I can't get Spaceport Speeders to generate enough force to counter Presence of the Force enhanced drains for 4 at TWO locations to come back. Joey wins big by 32. Good game though I'd like to have had a chance to go again without the Miracle Draw of his!
Here's the break down of how we finished:
1st Joey Combs 8(+160)
2nd Matthew Jensen 8(+72)
3rd Jake Fuller 6(+72)
4th DaRell Frehner 6(+25)
5th John Fullmer 4(+16)
6th Dave Gwilliam 4(+12)
7th David Jackson 4(+6)
8th Mark Kotter 4(+4)
9th Joseph Reynolds 4(-3)
10th Chris Crookston 4(-5)
11th Jason Hare 4(-7)
12th Ben Kuhns 2(-26)
13th Luke Jensen 2(-44)
14th Cameron Davis 2(-57)
15th Tony Litizzette 2(-94)
16th Jeff Buccambuso 0(-136)
Oh just in parting as well . Prize support was incredible. Out of the Premiere box that was handed out - Joey pulled Obi Wan and Grand Moff Tarkin. I pulled Darth Vader. A Luke Skywalker and Obi's Saber also came out of the same box. Those are the kinds everyone wishes they would buy!
Thanks for reading