columbus-ohio-4-15-00-states
Title: columbus-ohio-4-15-00-states
Author: Frank "FrankLamanti" Lamantia
Date: Apr 18, 2000
Date: 4/15/00
TD: Ryan Patterson
Number of Players: 34
So its about a week before states and I don't know what to play. I have a Ralltiir ops deck, my Hunt Down deck, and another Hunt Down deck with a side of dueling that mainly drains in space. For light its either my Falke deck with added SAC protection or Throne Room. I'm reading that Throne Room does real good at any tournament, so I take that. Its expected, but if it goes 2-1 I'm happy. I decide that my Hunt Down deck is probably the best choice because I've been playing it for the past like 4 months. Its undefeated and I like it a lot.
So anyways I get up at 7:30 and get out the door at about 9. We get to Columbus about 2 hours early but I get to the place where the tournament is going to be anyway. I talk to Blair and Ryan for a while and scope out the venue. I think its a great idea to have it at this place. Its big enough, nice tables, comfortable seats and theres a bar in the room too. I wish I would have brought my camera.. sord of hard to explain. My family decides to get a bite to eat and I'm gonna go with em just because I got nothing better to do. We drive around and get a hotel room and I take off to Prime Time.
So anyways I get there, finish my decklists, and await the arrival of Russell and Heath.... they dont show up. at the very last minute, Ryan Patterson (the td) announces that there is 33 players... some guy says he'll play in it so nobody gets the bye. We wait for the guy to finish a light deck and then Russell comes in. He got lucky... if that one dude hadn't spoken up Russell wouldn't have been able to play. The dude lets Russell take his spot. He gets there and his decklists are already done and we get started.
Game 1 vs. Mike Downey's HBX - I start Imperial Arrest Order
I drop Vader 2nd turn at Endor: Backdoor and Visage is out in full effect all game. 1 every turn and he doesn't have any Transmission Terminateds or Obi-Wan's or Luke's to flip it back. Its hard for him to win now. Hes playing a lot of anti-force loss cards, many It's a Hit, It Could Be Worse, X-wings for Rebel Fleet... the way to beat this deck is to drain hard on the ground. I do so. Blizzard 2 goes to the Defensive peri'meter, Blizzard Walker with Igar goes to the Forest Clearing and Vader is at the Backdoor. It gets hard. Visage gets his Hidden Base indiciator early in the game, so he never flips. I had Security Precautions, Blast Door Controls and some other misc. junk out and I deployed a Death Squadron Star Destroyer with a couple pilots to Coruscant for dirt (gotta love the dark side text of Coruscant). I moved it out to Raithal for some draining. He moves a horde of X-wings including Red Leader with an X-wing cannon over. No sir I do not want any of that. I pop out Battle Order and he has a choice. He can try to beat me down or he can drain (all of his drains are 1 so it don't matter to me). He chose to drain. Visage ate him. It got him for like 30 cards over the course of the game. He does retrieve 6 for All Wings though (I don't understand it, he has 11 X-wings out, plays All Wings, drew a 5 and retrieved only 6, I didn't have Secret Plans, CHYBCoward or anything out..... well hey I wasn't gonna argue:P). Wouldn't have mattered. He ran out of X-wings to play and Its a Hit got grabbed. My drains of like 8 win it for me. Win by 18
During the game, I see Mark Tuttle show up and I waved him over and introduced myself (I met him like 2 years ago at Origins, I guess he forgot). So its all good. I find out that Russell lost (maybe because he was getting drunk :P) and so did Blair. Russell was telling me he lost to a Bothuwui Speeder ops deck... I guess he just didn't know how to approach it with his Ralltiir ops. I tell him that if he sees it again, wait till they flip then flip your objective and kick the crap out of them. Let Battle Order to its fair share too. Things are looking good for me.
Also, Russell is telling me about his ride up here. It took me 2 hours to get from my house to this place, going the limit. Russell says he got here in an hour. He said he woke up late and hauled asphalt up here. hehehe thats funny.
Game 2 vs. Dave Flexer's Court
I see his stuff and I know I've won. He starts Security Precaution and I start my normal Throne room, Swamp and Farm. Obi goes to the Chamber 2nd turn, Mara with Saber beats him down for 4 because I draw a 0 for battle destiny and she smacked Obi with her Saber. Very next turn EPP Han and Chewie come down and smack Mara for 10. After this I just set up drains at the Audience Chamber. He deploys Jabba the Hutt, Myo and Dannik jericho to the carkoon pit. Nabrun EPP Han and Chewie over, drop Luke, Leia, Obi and Tawss. Battle, move Myo away. hit Jabba the Hutt. hit Dannik. 5 + 5 + 3 + a Smoke Screen for destiny, game. Win by 25
(one very notable thing, I searched for a Nudj one turn, I didn't find out and he declined to search through my deck. I found this to be very very respectable. He said he wanted me to surprise him. props to him.)
Russell wins, Blair wins, Jamie Abel loses. I'm talking to Blair and Russell afterwards and were all thinking that this tournament is pretty much backwards. 3 of the 4 big guys in this tournament are down and I'm the only one left of the 4 thats undefeated.
Game 3 vs.. James Booker Super Falcon - I start Imperial Arrest Order he starts Goo Nee Tay
Before the game I met him at the bar (the states is at a restaurant... this was a GREAT idea, props to whoever had the idea to do it here). We shake hands and get going. Flip first turn with Vader to the Jundland Wastes and a Presence of the Force there. 2nd turn Boussh comes down to the Wastes along with Yoda to the Hut. &^&*#&$(@*#&$!!!!!! He sets up the Falcon at Coruscant (the worst system EVER) and I drop literally like 5 ships and 2 guys for like 20 force. Lateral Damage the Falcon. Battle, he plays Punch It ( I saw it coming so I loaded a Death Squadron Star Destroyer with attrition bait). He loses the Falcon. Looking back, he should have lost 5 more, he drew 5 destiny, totalling 13 and my total power was 31. Han and Leia account for 13, and Falcon is forfeit 0. Well anyways I didn't realize it at the time so oh well. So I have a drain of one at Coruscant (I'm going to move to Kiffex next turn) and its looking pretty good for me. He draws the next couple turns and plays Uncontrollable Fury on Vader. I start the process of finding You Are Beaten. I draw like half my deck and I can't find it. I start tracking cards around and looking at them and stuff and I can't find it. That card eats me alive. I get Ability, Ability, Ability out so were both taking 2 a turn (me for Fury and him for AAA). He dumps Momaw Nadon to Ice Plains, ECC Lando and Kal Fal. mmm kay. I drop Come Here You Big Coward. haha. He draws some and drops like 3-4 ships at Coruscant. I think it was 2 Corvettes, Gold Leader and a Red Squadron X-wing. I have about 9 cards left in my life at this point, and its not looking good. He has atleast 16-17. All of my ships are still at Kiffex draining for two. I drop a Blizzard Walker (with no pilot) and Backdoor and next turn I'm going to put Lt. Arnet on it next turn (don't have the force to this turn) so I don't get beatdown if hes playing Obi or Luke (havent seen em yet). I now am getting him for 6 a turn... hes only getting me for 2... it gets down to the wire... I have 3 cards in my life force now after drawing and looking for You Are Beaten (I guess I didn't have one in here, I stopped looking for it) and I am tracking around my Shocking Revelation (my favorite card). I move Dengar in Punishing One and I think Fett in ship over to Coruscant to stop his drain. I am drawing like 9 for battle destiny because of Dengar in Punishing One. I wipe out a lot of stuff and in the end, he has like 3 ships at Coruscant, I have my 1 at Coruscant (Dengar, after he battled away Fett in Ship) and 2 at Kiffex. I drain for 2 on the ground and 2 at Kiffex, he has 2 cards left in his life force now. I get back ahead of him.... sweet. I move Dengar over to Kiffex and its his go. he can't pay to drain (Battle Order) and all it is now is a waiting game. My drains and Ability, Ability, Ability beat him. I just BARELY pulled this win out, by the skin of my teeth. If you were to ask me how I thought I'd do until about the last 2 minutes of the game, I would have said I was going to lose. But my drains of 4 and Ability, Ability, Ability kicks him in. I win by 3 with 2 cards in my hand. This was quite possibly the best game of Star Wars I've ever played. SHOCKING REVELATION RULES. From now on, I'm going to play one in every deck. My Hunt Down remains undefeated.
Game 4 vs. James Booker - My Hunt Down
Hes playing this deck almost card for card like my Hunt Down. I dont draw a Transmission Terminated in my opening 8 but I draw up first turn and noticed that one is in my force (searched for a Nudj). Obi tries to set up a drain at the Forest Clearing and he responds with U-3P0, along with a few systems (Corulag, Kashyyyk and Endor). Fair enough, Nabrun to Executor: Holotheatre and drain for 2. I draw a couple cards.... on like the 3rd or 4th turn he drops Darth Vader Dark Lord of the Sith with Saber, Grand Moff Tarkin and Mara with Saber. He had like 8 cards in his hand and he dropped 5 of those... man. He battles me, hits Obi, draws a 6. I lose Obi and 14. ouch. I try to set up a drain in space but it doesn't last long. I get shafted by the flipped Hunt Down text. He Elis's the crew over to my Farm and kills my Nudj. (Bubo has been eating them at the Swamp). Hes draining for 4 and I can't catch up. bad. I was wanting to use Harc Seff to stop the drain... but it wouldn't do much... all he'd have to do is move a little army over and then I can either stop that drain and get beatdown or move away and be drained to death. I go out battling. He wins by like 23.
Game 5 vs. Tim Linden's Imperial Arrest Order starting Death Star
This game is a blur. Nothing really defining. I drop Obi with his Saber to the hut. He follows with CHYBCoward. I Nabrun Obi to Hoth: Defensive Perimeter and drop Mantellian Savrip. Thats a drain of 3... Mantellian Savrip saves my asphalt this game. Hes also playing no SAC protection... and I got 6/2... its bad for him. I dropped Spiral, EPP Han, EPP Luke and EPP Leia to Kiffex. Battle. I wipe out a starship, lose Harc to Mantellian Savrip. I do this for about 9 turns. I finally start tracking destines. I'm drawing a 6 a 5 and a 4 every time he battles the Falcon. He abandons space by moving the Avenger to the Death Star. In a last ditch effort to do something, he drops Lennox and Motti to Obi-Wan's site and battles. I Clash of Sabers Motti and draw a 6 for destiny. Lennox and 9. Its game because he can't move Motti away and he gets beaten on when Clash of Sabers goes away. Win by 17 I think.
Game 6 vs. Aaron Littlejohn's Profit/Eloms/Cloud City drain - I start Imperial Arrest Order
This deck was weird. I start EPP Boba Fett and Jabba the Hutt in the Chamber. He starts jedi pack Han. First turn I flip Hunt Down with Vader to the Backdoor. Visage eats him. Next turn I move Jabba the Hutt and EPP Fett over for more drains. He searches for Bo Shuda, doesn't see it, so I get a free peek at his deck. I see 2 starships. I deploy some ships to space and with some clever manuevering, I get Ozzel (who was on a Blizzard Walker at the Backdoor, backing up Vader from an Elom beatdown [he has like 5 Eloms on the Bargaining Table at this point]) shuttled up to the Devastator that is around Endor (after he deploys most of the Eloms to Cloud City). and its a free drain of 4 for the rest of the game. Hes canceling my drains with Eloms to the Bargaining Table and adding to his drains with Tanus Spijek and Tessek at the Audience Chamber (he has 2 CC sites out). I'm taking a couple so I decide to pick Vader up so I can drop him with IG and Tarkin and beat down (he has Obi and Orrimaarko at the two cc sites). His turn he drops 2 Eloms to EPP Obi-Wan's site and EPP Luke with Orrimaarko and an Elom. I'm still planning a beatdown, but it doesn't work like that. He Rebel Barriers Vader. Like a moron, I deploy Tarkin and IG anyway... when I could have just used 4 to pick Vader up. It doesn't turn out all the bad... first he frees Han (gets 10 back and the very next turn I drew my Secret Plans), then he drops 3 Eloms to Vaders site, I choke one, capture one and draw a 5. Cancel his destiny with Tarkin but Luke hit Tarkin so hes dead. I start tracking around my cards... I drop Blizzard 2 (alone) at Hoth Defensive Perimeter (after Ryan Patterson confirmed that Nabrun is only from exterior to exterior when Imperial Arrest Order is out, so I know I'm safe from a Nabrun beat) and pick Vader up again and deploy to the Forest Clearing. Drop a dude on the Blizzard Walker that Ozzel abandoned earlier. I have a drain of 8 and he has deployed most of his dudes. Imperial Arrest Order is out and basically he can't Nabrun anywhere. I track around some destinies, I battled Luke, got him with IG's gun so he went to the used pile. Move over to Obi-Wan's site (tracking a Torture). I capture Obi and clear that site and the game is mine. Drain him out for a win of 17.
I found out I'm third, Jamie Abel is 2nd and the new Ohio State Champion is... Russell Hockenberry, fellow Daytonian. Shout out to Matt Scott, who got fourth because he got a timed win. He would have got 2nd had he not gotten a timed win.
I pick up a Boushh EJP pack and a few Premiere and JP packs for prize support (I guess they feel sorry for me because I don't get a bye into day 2 of Gencon... I wasn't planning on going to GenCon anyway...). Some guy that lives in Dayton that introduced his self to me and Russell at the bar comes over when we are opening our packs. I tell him he can open my WB Premiere. I get a WB Luke. I have 7 WB Luke's. I give it to him, so its all good. Me and Russell try to get a game in but we gotta move because they are closing the place and he decides that instead of starting all over again he'd rather just go home and we'll play later.
Final:
1. Russell Hockenberry
2. Jamie Abel
3. Frank Lamantia
4. Matt Scott
5 - 33: I don't know. Sorry.
Props:
1. The people I played
-Mike Downey
-Dave Flexer
-James Booker x2
-Tim Linden
-Aaron Littlejohn
2. Blair for giving me the names of the people I played.
3. Russell Hockenberry, Jamie Abel, Matt Scott who all went 5-1 (Matt had a timed win)
4. The rest of the people there who made the tournament very enjoyable
5. Ryan Patterson for running it
6. Mark Tuttle for showing up - nice to meet you, Mark :)
7. My parents and family for coming along
8. Prime Time Food and Games for giving us a place to play.
Slops:
1. James Booker for beating me :)
2. Russell, and Jamie, both having more differential than I :)
3. The people at the hotel that I went to giving me bum directions.
4. Decipher - no trophies.
All in all it was a pretty awesome event, it moved along quickly, I didn't get any bum rulings, didn't hear of any all day. The venue was extremely sweet... I didn't have to walk more than 5 seconds to the bar where I could get something to eat. Thanks for reading.