mo-state-championships
Title: mo-state-championships
Author: TJ "TimmerTwo" Bloch
Date: May 4, 2000
Let me fill you in. For those of you who don't know (and I don't care if you don't want to know, now you get to), I have a pretty serious heart condition. I don't wanna go into details or anything and bore you guys to death, so I'll just go right to it. During the first game in the second round I had an attack. My attacks are pretty painless, but make me incredibly dizzy. They're a result of too much blood being pumped from my heart and clogging my veins, cutting off oxygen to my head. If this 'attack' would cut off oxygen too long, I would die from it. This attack that happened Saturday was quite possibly the worst and longest one I've ever had. I was able to excuse myself from the game (trying to get outside and get some air) and my good friend Nathan Martin was at the end of a table playing, saw me having difficulties walking, and got up to help me outside. Thankfully the TD understood and after a short delay of about five minutes or so, I was able to continue in my game. Now as this isn't a big deal to you, part of my tears were a result of me almost 'going out', but at least I would have 'gone out' doing what I love most.
Secondly, I was able to spend this day with my closest and best friends in the whole world, Brian Richerson, Chris Moll, Josh Smith, and Nathan Martin. I am closer to those guys than I am any family member I have. It was the perfect day to spend with them, especially since being in college this year I get very little time to see them, well, compared to the time we used to spend together.
Third, this was quite possibly one of the funniest days I've ever had. Never less confident in a deck than I was with my DS, I decided to take it anyway. It runs incredibly Anti-Profit (the name cracks me up because it sounds so anti-religious) and will shut Profit down by its' first turn. Amazingly and wonderfully, it never lost once. Somehow I beat two Hidden Base decks, along with beating a Mind What You Have Learned deck. Needless to say, the good Lord above was with me every minute this weekend and without further ado, here's my testimony (tourny report) of his workings and my winnings. Enjoy as always and thanks for your time with that wordy intro---
First Game (11:20am 4/22/00): Matt Wehner (LS) vs Nathan Martin (DS)
Was amazing. I had very good faith in my LS Profit deck and wasn't too discouraged about having to play against not only a local, but a very good friend. The game started out very interesting. I was playing my typical Harvest/Profit deck and Nathan was playing an Operative deck on Nal Hutta. I thought for sure I could do my retrieval and try to live through the fast drains. After TONS of confusing rulings on Ops (I admit, I am not completely up-to-date on Op rulings) Nathan and I finished with a VERY confusing and VERY close game. No real mistakes were made, but I just couldn't get my retrieval running at all. Nathan played VERY smart and had a very nice operative deck-if those words can even go together.
Full Loss by 7
0(-7)
Second Game: Matt Wehnver (DS) vs Andrew Leslie (LS)
This guy really played whole-heartedly. He started Mind What You Have Learned and I thought I was in real trouble. I didn't have any MWYHL defense, so I started my typical standard starting. Amazingly, I got Bad Feeling Have I in my opening hand. I deployed it, along with Vader and a Presence Of The Force to Tat: Jabba's Palace on my first turn. His first turn, he deployed Yoda's Hutt and deployed a foil Daughter Of Skywalker, but I had to remind him of Bad Feeling Have I, leaving him incapable of deploying her. He saves force and says, 'go'. My next turn I drain for two and he loses off the top. I wasn't really paying attention, so sometime during my turn I looked to his lost pile to see what he had lost and noticed that there was a non-foil Daughter of Skywalker in his lost pile. I went ahead and asked him if he had lost that to the drain from his reserve deck and he said yes. At that point I realized that he was going to be in trouble, since Daughter can only be targeted by MWYHL when coming from reserve deck. Me being the nice guy that I am, I pointed out the problem to him and he understood after some explaining of the ruling. He was a really nice guy and the deck seemed to be good, it just fell upon a bad fall of the cards.
Full Win by 26
2(+19)
Third Game: Matt Wehner (LS) vs Jared Goodwin (DS)
This was my 'attack' game. The attack fell I believe around my third turn and had me very unsettled during the rest of the game. Jared was a nice guy who seemed a little loose in the rules. He came off as being a little weird at first, but I quickly realized that no matter what, we are all here for the same reason: to play a game we all love and care about and to have fun doing so. I calmed down from my attack and was able to play the game out. It went rough for him and my Nabruns hindered his game play pretty bad. He was running a Court Of The Vile Gangster doing some pretty normal bounty hunting type strategies, but his deck was hindered by low destinies. Overall, it was a pretty fast game that I was glad not only that I won, but also that I decided to continue playing and didn't surrender due to the attack. Again, a big thanks to Nathan Martin for escorting me outside when I couldn't walk, I wouldn't have made it without him.
Full Win by 34
4(+53)
Fourth Game: Matt Wehner (DS) vs Brian McEntre (LS) (spelling on this may be wrong, I appologize)
Wow. What a game. I was very confident of my Dark Side deck if it went versus a Profit deck, but when Brian started Hidden Base I was really worried. I had no idea if I could keep up. The game ran fast. I learned about a week ago that if playing the DS and can't make a deck running force retrieval or heavy space, throwing in a Corscaunt or a Kessel is the best move to make, as it makes the Light Side versions of those locations completely useless. Well, he was playing Hidden Base with lots of locations, It Could Be Worse's and Y-Wings. He spread out fast and set up drains at Kessel and Corscaunt and undercovered spied my locations. I started drawing and was grabbing pilots, so I figured I should hold them and wait for ships. I was able to deploy a Death Squadron Star Destroyer, two pilots, Zuckuss in Mist Hunter, and a pilot on it against a lone Y-Wing, expecting a Houjix, but I had a They'll Be Hell To Pay so I was waiting to grapple it. As my good friends know, I NEVER play cards to completely slaughter and I was only deploying these to grab that Houjix, hopefully hindering his uses of them. Instead, he had two force left and played Hyper Escape. I sensed it and he had no SAC protection, so it went through. He played another. Again I sense and again it works. He plays another, at this point I notice he only had those two force left, and with the ruling on initiating of actions, he wouldn't have had enough force left to. I point that out and he agrees, and says 'okay, I loose by 18', and starts loosing force. He didn't have a Houjix.at all, wasn't even running them. I felt really bad especially when he deployed a Do Or Do Not on his next turn. I probed his Hidden Base later in the game and that pretty much settled that. Again, a big WOW for my DS deck.
Full Win by 20
6(+73)
Fifth Game: Matt Wehner LS vs Ruben Reyes DS (spelling again may be wrong)
First off, all I have to say is I HOPE to God that I get to meet this guy again. He was kewl as hell (pardon my French). I couldn't have had not only a more fun game, but also a more entertaining time. Even throughout the game and afterwards we were discussing strategies for the game and where it would eventually go, plus old thoughts of 'old skool' decks from the good old days. Not only was he kewl, but we ended up sitting by some friends of his, so I got to meet and talk to them too, who were equally as kewl. It was a rough game and there wasn't much he could do. He had it rough, even with HUGE destinies and there wasn't much happening except for blocking of drains, Nabruns, and battling. Ha. It was a lot of fun and it was these kinds of games and this kind of person that really makes the whole game in general worthwhile. I was Nabruning and battling some of his weaker characters and a Clash against Vader in the middle of the game hurt him. Over all, it was a hard loss to take, being so late in the tournament, but we both had an equally fun time and after the tournament both suggested how much fun we'll have at the next tournament we both attend. I love meeting new people!
Full Win by 27
8(+100)
Sixth Game: Matt Wehner (DS) vs Dustin Horn (LS) (spelling may be wrong)
The entire day I had been hearing my friends complain to loosing to a damageful Monnok and Hidden Base or Numbers Hidden Base, so when Dustin started Hidden Base I just about cried. I went ahead and started with Resistance, hoping my choice wasn't a mistake. His deck ended up being a pure battle/Our Most Desperate Hour deck. I thought I was in trouble but I knew I had to get the jump. We had a LOT of space battles, but like most Tatooine battle decks, his deck was hindered when he deployed Tatooine and not a space location that his Corvettes could make a hyper jump to, leaving them there at the location to get beat up by my Star Destroyers. We battled a lot and for a 13 year old, this kid was REALLY good. I ended up winning by being able to out battle him and a few mistakes he made against me in space (like not judging ability against Zuckuss in Mist Hunter). It was a lot of fun and it was a pure pleasure to play against Dustin. By far I was quite impressed and it is/was a complete honor to be able to play against him.
Full Win by 14
10(+114)
At this point in the tourny, no one was undefeated and I ended up having the highest differential. I walked over to my friend Brian to let him know I was in the chance for second and to see how he was doing when I noticed he was playing the only person in front of me as far as points go. I walk over just as he finished up and he looks at me and tells me 'I won man'. The only three words I needed to hear. If he had won, that meant that I was now in first, no contest. I not only gave Brian a strong handshake of thanks, but also pulled him up and gave him a hug. Him winning that game was by far one of the best things he could have ever done for me and he knew it. I owe a lot to myself and a lot to him winning that game. Brian ended up taking third, along with Joshua Smith taking second. Of the six of us that attended, we all took in the top 13. We were mighty proud, especially with the three of us taking the top three. Josh and Brian received a $25 gift certificate for the store, and I received a $100 one. Shocked and emotionally unstable at that point, I made my way past all the 'good job matt''s and hugs and handshakes, to the cashier counter to 'go shopping', as Chris put it. Thanks for everyone who showed up and played his or her best. You guys were all great and I hope to play against you again sometime soon. A special thanks to the Gold Squad Member Jeff who ran the tournament, not only did he spend an entire day behind a table running our tournament, but his rulings were fair, fast, accurate, and to the point. His standing ovation from us and round of applause were completely deserved, we couldn't have asked for better. Again, thanks to everyone involved in the day, and an especial thanks to my boys, the NorthLand posse. You guys rule.
Hope you enjoyed.
Send any questions or comments to mrw01@hotmail.com
Editor's note: This is NOT my report, I got it from Matt Wehner (mrw01@hotmail.com), he won the tourney. I just thought it was good and I thought that the guys who played there should read it. Please don't rate this b/c it would give credit to me which it shouln't. Instead please send mail to either Matt(mrw01@hotmail.com) or send decktech mail to me.