tulsa-grand-slam-29-april
Title: tulsa-grand-slam-29-april
Author: Matt "Old Skooler" Lush
Date: May 2, 2000
high at this thing. A six-hour drive up there, and it was time to play. The decks I was
running? I practice what I preach, and went with what I knew best. Here we go....
Game 1- Hunt Down No-duel against John Farmer’s LS Operatives
Of course, I drive 6 hours to a tournament to play one of my teammates. That computer pairing is not as random as it should be. John had taken down my HD last tourney in Austin not too long ago, and I was not wanting a repeat. He started the usual Sunsdown on Bothuwai, while I went with Secret Plans. With Vader in my starting hand, I got him down to the Farm for some quick drains, but only hit him with Visage once. His first turn, he dropped Jereon Webb and a Bothan spy to the Holotheatre. I put Tarkin in
front of those two as a bluff, as he knows I play with Moment of Triumphs, but he called me on it and I didn’t have one. Oh well. Mara went there shortly after, and after a failed attempt to get her Saber managed to get rid of the two spies anyway. Meanwhile, he was trying to flip, but Bubo was going to town on all kinds of characters. Vader was chasing after spies and operatives on the other side of the planet, as Insurrection had come down early, trapping Mara on the Executor. Djas Puhr hung out at the Cantina for a steady drain of 2 that didn’t last too long until it was reduced to 1. A well-timed Monnok took out two Operatives and two Bothan spies, and I managed to take it this time. Full win by 10.
2(+10)
Game 2- Tatooine Celebratin’ Mains vs. Mathias Enlow’s Skrilling Numbers
I pretty much screwed this guy on the start. His starting location was Tatooine: Jabba’s Palace. Starting Obi’s Hut, I Careful Planned for my version, and that was the main reason for my win. Activating two a turn, there wasn’t much he could do except draw for a while. I drew for Ben for about 2 turns, then said screw it and put down Melas
at T:JP. He got out the Droid Workshop, and I pulled what I thought was a fairly neat trick: Nabruned Melas over there, and deployed R-3PO with him. The Workshop’s a drain +1 for LS if you control with a droid. Probably one of the very few times that text has ever been used...anyways, with a steady drain of two going, I reenforced the ground with
Luke w/Saber and a Monk at the Entrance Cavern he had just put out, and EPP Leia to help out Melas. He finally got out Jabba, S+V, Pote, and 4-LOM at the Aud. Chamber and started dropping Skrillings. We had one good battle where he had power of 20, but I had Ben by then and Smokescreened a decent amount of them away. Near the end, he dropped lone Skrillings at the Jundland Wastes and moved one over to Obi’s Hut, but with a Gifted Artoo out, the drains he got me for before I could get over there weren’t much. The conversion of his starting site is what got him, and he could never really recover from it. Full win by 32.
4(+42)
Game 3-HD vs. Richard M.’s X-wings w/ EPP’s
He told me he had only been playing since May, but since this was for sheets, I really couldn’t take it easy on anyone. He started Hoth, and got Yarna with his Signal. I
started Resistance since I had no clue what the hell he was playing. It turns out it was just a crapload of X-Wings, with some EPP’s for the ground. He got REALLY screwed with
locations, not anything out besides Hoth. I was drawing the first two turns for a site, as I had Vader and Stick, along with other cool stuff. Got tired of drawing and just put down BFinS1 at Hoth for a drain of two. Got T:JP shortly after and put down Vader, and had saved just enough to....deploy Vader, flip Objective, Alter Yarna, and Monnok him. I got about 5 X-Wings, and Boba was able to keep steady draining. He got Jeron Webb Undercover at the AC blocking Jabba and 4-LOM, and TK-422 blocking Vader and
Tarkin. I didn’t bother drawing for Bubo though, as I was draining for 2 with Boba, then not too long afterwards the Executor started draining at my Coruscant. Visage was
consistently hitting him as well. We only had one battle EPP Obi and Chewie against Jabba and Vader, neither of them lasted very long. Every time he had a fairly large hand, I’d
Monnok him. Got him for 4 X-Wings the second time. Full win by 34.
6(+76)
Game 4- LS against Brian Carter’s Hunt Down
This was the game of the day. Starting Crush, he gets the 3rd Marker out with Vader and stick there real quick, along with BFHI. My starting hand had Ben, Luke, and a Nabrun, so I just saved up for 3 turns, then deployed them both and Nabrun over to Hoth. Iggy comes to back up Vader along with Commander Arden, and battle ensues. Ben gets hit, Luke misses Vader, and with no Smokescreen in hand, I draw a 3. Ben/Luke are gone, along with Arden. O.K., I’m just gonna have to drain elsewhere...Ben and Luke reappear at the AC draining for a measly one until I get T:JP and spread them out. He drops Endor, Boba in Slave 1 and ZIMH. I drop Savrip and Super-Falcon, initiate. He draws a 3, I draw a total of 4 with 3 destinies. He loses ZIMH. His turn, drops another ZIMH, and the Executor, and Lateral Damages the Falcon. Initiates. I draw a total of 8, and he has some ridiculous amount. 21 battle damage. I lose a Ben, 2nd Capt. Han, Melas, and one card off the top. He loses the Executor, as he doesn’t want to lose his destiny draw. My turn, set up the 3 I had drawn in that battle and battle again, making Endor mine, and then land the Falcon at the Forest Clearing he had put out. Next turn, leave Leia there and move Han back up for an extra drain. Get the Cantina finally and slowly walk Luke over there as I didn’t have a Nabrun. He drops Mara to the 3rd Marker and I quickly Gift Artoo, reducing his drain. (He didn’t get her saber.) With my drain increasing, I finally start wearing him down to my number of cards, and win the drain race at the end. Full Win by 2.
8(+78)
Game 5- DS against Chris Gregg’s Throne Room Mains
Chris started Battle Plan, which was a good idea in theory: with a bunch of twix sites for him, he’d be able to afford the drains, while I’d be choked. Unfortunately for him I got my Audience Chamber and Securtity Precautions out first turn, and Bubo went to town on one of the Nudj’s he had out. Jeron Webb and Orrimarko came down to the
Meditation Chamber, and Mara had to got there to stop the drain and try to knock them out. He Revo’s the Med. Chamber fairly early. My turn, I’ve got just enough to deploy
Vader to the Farm, flip the Objective, and Alter Revo. He gets Master Luke to the Aud. Chamber fairly quick after that, and we both just drained for 3 each while trying to get something going. A first turn Monnok and gotten both his Nabruns, so I didn’t have to worry about a beatdown. Vader goes to visit his son, but EPP Han wants in on the action so Vader is lost, along with Han. I never got rid of his Master Luke. Finally U-3PO visits the Chamber to block Luke and with Jabba at the Forest Clearing and a 3rd Vader at the 3rd Marker, I win the drain war. Full win by 12.
10(+90)
Game 6- LS vs. Chris Gregg’s RalOps.
Well, I had added a Grabber finally to my LS, time to see if it worked. Got Ben and Luke to Raltiir fairly quick, and was looking for support characters. He has a lot of activation, and eventually flips. Boba in Slave 1 goes to Kashyyyk to fulfill Battle Order, and despite the fact I had the Super Falcon ready to go, it just took about 2 more turns to get it out, with all the other stuff I was trying to do. I wanted Melas on the Falcon as well, as he was flipped, and adding 3 to his destiny. I knew I’d probably still overpower him, and Savrip wouldn’t help there. Finally get the Falcon going, and he barriers it. Didn’t
really help, as next turn, battle, and wipe him out. Move the Falcon over to make him flip back. OTE and Savrip are out, and he finally drops Opressive Enforcement. (He started
IAO.) Alter OTE. I grab it, Sense, and he grabs my Sense. He has another Alter, and I can’t stop since I don’t have the force. He did all this in the middle of a battle so I had to pay for the grabber and First Strike, and just didn’t have it. My next turn, drop a 2nd Leia to Raltiir, Boshek to another Raltiir site, and start two battles, getting back my 1st Leia and OTE thanks to his card. Signal for it next turn, and it starts wearing him down again.
Not much he can do. My Grabber won the game for me. Full Win by 23.
12(+113)
Well, that's the report. I'm sure I coulda done better, but hey: it's finals week, so deal with it. Picked the LS sheet of Rares, of course. Looks real purty...
Thanks for reading.