uk-nationals-4-02-00-warwick
Title: uk-nationals-4-02-00-warwick
Author: Mike "Kessling" Kessling
Date: Apr 3, 2000
Well after about 2 months of not playing, I start talking tech with Gabe Alonso and Charlie Herren over ICQ. Gabe and I get in depth over the metagame for my DS decks. We go over the amounts of popular archetypes I have seen. I build a deck based on Gabe's DS Merrit Island GS deck. It is a high destiny dueler, but as I have no EJP I decide no Mara= no go. I already know I will play a mains deck starting Throne Room. Charlie sends me his deck. I build it and test it some against myself and win with it 4 out of 5 games. So I make some personal mods to make it a deck I totally know how to play. So on the Thursday before the tournament i tell Charlie to send me his DS deck. He sends me this kick a$$ ROPS deck which I am comfortable playing. I make some more minor changes to the decks and am ready to go. I finish playtesting my decks at about 12 and get 7 hours or so of sleep. My Dad and I head out at 8:15 and I down a Red Bull (High Caffiene drink 'Made for times of high stress', 'Not suitable for children'.) Anyways I didn't have much of a breakfast which isn't good luck for me...I wear my Slipknot shirt and listen to Slipknot, DOPE, Rage Against the Machine, and CAKE on the way to the tournament. I got there, and see about 4 people. Micheal Riboulet and some guy I don't know come in and me and Michael exchange a few words. I scribble (that is looking at it nicely) out my decklists. Names are and to recap:
'Calm like a Bomb'- LS throne room/nudj, 2/0's, mains, destiny adders...check '...Beating of a life time' on decktech
'Liberate...'- DS ROPs deck, ATSTs, Search and Destroy...not much different from akkesons deck
About 45 min late the games finally start!
Game 1: My LS VS Matt Smiths TDIGWATT Dark Deal/ No Sabbacc deck
Well, this game was quite uneventful. I got most of my mains into my hand fairly quickly. He started AMN to get the CC prison, Zuckass, and ZIMH. He got some activation goin and set up dark deal. I came down with EPP Han and EPP Luke, played Don't Get Cocky. Cleared the site, but drew poor destiny. I move over to his dining room where he has two scrub imps hanging out. I chase him around and do some random drainging and battling with assorted mains. I also make some effort to fight in space, but ZIMH takes out most of my ships. I keep trying to find things to help me, but to no avail. I smack out OTE and start out draining him. He is only draining in space and i control the ground. He deploys DLOTs w/ stick, and some troopers against my mains. I slowly wear away all his things, but soon he is just left with Blizzard 2 and no where to go. I spank Blizzard 2 to end the game.
FW by 17
Highlights- winning my first game back
Lowlights- hoping for better dif
At this point I am getting hungry and go and get some 'fish and chips' fried cod and fries to me...hehe
Game 2- MY DS starting Oppressive Enforcement VS Peter Di Biasio's HBX variant starting Rebel Fleet
Well, i get a good draw with a 2/0 and some other assorted goodness. I get a relatively quick flip and disrupt some of his silliness goin on in space. Battle Plan is kinda putting the hurt on me becuase for me to do anything and drain i have to keep something out in space. We skirmish a little and I end up losing my Bossk in Hounds Tooth. I am holding the executor but always find something better to do. The game goes on and i kill all his guys. I stay flipped and i should be able to deal with all his stuff. The setup in space is this: Raltiir(Spiral, 2 Xing, OTSD Xwing) Yavin 4 (dreadnaught Fett in Slave 1). He has out all needed systems. He plays lost organized attack. 3 wings pulled up. One on Rebel Fleet. Drops one. Haven. 3 more for free. drops laser cannon. Battle. Fire, draw a 5, kill fett. So he draws a 3 and a 4 for destiny. I lose my ship and 10. This leaves me with little force, only about 13. He flips. only ship left: executor in hand! You do the math...He retrieves about 7 with AWRI.
FL by 21
Highs: having a fun close game
Lows: losing on one battle
Game 3: My LS VS (someone called Smurf) Force denial deck, starting D* and Sec Prec.
Well, i get quite a poor draw, and don't have a nudj in deck. So he gets a look. I churn out some sites after a while, as does he. He lost monnoks me for 2 senses and 2 obis sabers. Not to big as he was not running SAC. I get out some mains and move my nudj away from the swamp. I start draining for one a turn and wait for him, He attacks with DLOTs stick, tarkin, and Dr E. To make a long story short, we both killed each other with minor losses. I churn out another obi and he churns out the cantina. I take over the ground and kill off all of his characters. The major battle was when all the EPPs took on Jabba, and EJP Dengar and ECC Ig88. I killed all his stuff and lost han. I then occupied two battle grounds and spread out with savrip to his 2/0 sites using my spies. He gets some ships to kessel and puts a POTF out which a alter and lose 2 to. No big deal and I drain him out.
FW by 17
Highs- fun game
Lows- didn't think he was running any battlegrounds at first...
Game 4: My DS Vs (a friend of smurfs sorry about the names here) starting Tatooine and Audience Chamber.
Well my hand has 3 2/0s and sec prec. I start BFHI. I flip 3rd turn quite soundly and defend ralltiir while he has done nothing but draw and deploy some sites. He deploys ben and master luke to tosche station and gives them both there sticks. So I set up decree and wait for him to do something. He never comes to attack me and tries to set up Celebration. I battle his meager OTSD ships and RLinR1. Lateral Damage makes an apearance and does some damage to him. I drain him easily and over deployed in hindsight.
FW by 17 i think
Game 5: My DS starting BFHI VS a player from Newcastle playing Profit starting Goo Nee Tay
I get a good hand, including secret plans. I flip quickly and reenforce with some atsts. DLOTS and tarkin go to the AC where he has master luke, hand, yoxgit and See Threepio. I battle, choke Han, hit yoxgit and he loses them all. I move to JP. I had to lose tarkin cuz he was hit. I get out Igar from deck and also get Tempest 1. By this time I have arrest order and a large red shield goin. I battle him all over tatooine and he never drains. He nabrums over to Raltiir. I lead him to the desert, and sandwhirl all his people. Drain him out
FW by 20+
Well i am now on 4-1 and if I get a big enough win I should be able to make the final. Yes they wanted a final so they had one...
I hope for someone besides Nick Rice. And I play...
My LS VS Nick Rice's HDADTJ Dueler starting BFHI
I TT Visage first turn, get nudj's and some sites. we sit and draw for a while and crack some jokes about the exciting game. Well, he used monnoks me which helped me clear my hand. I get some spies and put momaw and tawss khaa to the executor. he is only activating 4 a turn. I get orrimarko to the executor and drain there. He comes down with vader a few times and I always kill him off. He gets the AC out. He deploys Mara to the farm and kills my nudj. I battle Mara with Obi and Wedge and play smoke screen. Wedge hits the tank and i abuse my tank this game. no one would ever 'die' hehe. He has a hard time dealing with low activation and constant drains. He deploys vader to the AC and i follow with luke. I am confident in my destinies. Duel. Sense. draw a 3. Draw a 4 and a 3. Which means 14 total. He draw a 2 and a 1. He loses Vader and 9. I drain him out with 9 cards in hand. 9!!! Why didn't i put traffic control in...i had a signal in my hand till the end...
FW by 33
I end on 10 +82. My difs were guestimates, so don't get on my case! I miss the final by 8 dif. Get jack in prize support. 5 premiere, nothing! 1 Endor- NOTHING! 1 JP- NOTHING! So I finally get out of my 4-2 slump! I am quite happy, and kinda happy i didn't have to stay for a final.
PROPS:
Mat Allen: Thanks for the ride
Leonard Smith: For the fun chats between game about various subjects
Ian Ericson: Also really cool between games
Gary Carmen: For being funny
Mike Riboulet: for being positive
Mike Burgess: thanks for running it
Charlie Herren: for the decks
Gabe Alonso: for the tech
Andrew Morris: for being cool
Pete Dibiasio: for being cool and cuz he is running the regional
SLOPS:
Mike Burges: not running it very smoothly
The bad location
The rude waitress in the diner
the England rugby team for losing
Michael Kessling