ds2-pre-release-normal-ill-6-24-99
Title: ds2-pre-release-normal-ill-6-24-99
Author: Geoff "gsiva" Snider
Date: Jun 25, 2000
okay, chris, greg, and paul came up from st. louis friday night to stay at my place and play on saturday. we stayed up until 5:30am like a bunch of dumbasses....like i've been doing all week. DUMB DUMB DUMB. so i'm very tired and kinda crabby, but i put on my happy face since i have to do "an older code" stuff all day and try and be nice (even though i'm always getting bunk crap in sealed). so ANYHOO...
ron fonck and jason lumsden get the whole show on the road around 12:20 or so (i think), and i'm playing light.
i open my starter, my 2 packs of DS2, and my 1 endor pack.
at this point i'm sure i'm going to win (i'm seriously not being conceited about this...it's just that, well, i'll explain).
there's this card called "Strike Planning." not only does it "twice per game, take any general (except Obi-wan) or Mon Mothma into hand from reserve" BUT it says "opponent generates NO force at Endor system while Endor Operations not on table." WOW!!! my jaw drops at this one.
the other 2 awesome cards i pulled (in addition to getting GENERAL solo, chewie of kashyyyk, and ackbar as fixed rares) were Mon Mothma and Home One War Room.
so i decide to start Heading for the Medical Frigate (start with 3 effects) and get out Strike Planning (too cool), Matching Pilot/ship effect, and Weapons Forfeit for 3 to used pile effect.
round 1 vs. alex phillips (alex and a whole bunch of people drove up from kentucky, and despite reading strike planning, he was pretty optimistic about things).
so he drops about 4 locations on the first turn...whoa. i start deploying matching ships and pilots right away, and quickly take control of the endor system. he can't seem to gain a foothold anywhere in space, despite getting his own ties/matching pilots, and eventually, the cat and mouse gets to him because i shoot down his Vic. SD with Piett (which was his only hyperspeed on the table). general solo comes to ground, satisfying battle order, and that's pretty much game.
2 (+37)
round 2 vs. steve kuperman
steve starts combat readiness with Endor system and 2/1 site. he's hit hard as well by strike planning. i set up with matching ships/pilots, take his site with Gen.Solo, and end up winning the cat and mouse game, drawing him to kessel with all ties and no Vic SD's. i'm draining for 4-5/turn, while he's hitting me for 1. the EMPEROR comes to endor, and gets trapped (because he can't move away from GenSolo (cause there's rebels at the next site). solo cancels his draw and he's lost to battle damage. then IGAR in Tempest 1 comes down, and han and mope scout run away to a non-vehicular site. i track A Few Maneuvers, chewie and random scout kill Igar/tempest 1. that's it.
4 (+61)
round 3 vs. ?
he starts Kessel, and i'm kinda disappointed....heh...well, i guess i'll have to play a REAL game. the game gets kinda delayed due to my bad draws of NOTHING but weapons, so i just sit at the Aquarus system (generating extra force), and trade drains 1 for 1 (i overlayed his endor system). he gets out Flagship Executor, so we play cat and mouse. GenSolo goes to ground and cleans up on some scouts/scout walkers. battle order/plan are both out, so he's at a big disadvantage. i'm draining for 2 at each site, + two more at aquarus with Kin Kian in Grey1. 6 drain per turn in SEALED DECK! whoa.
6 (+86)
round 4 vs. ?
another Endor start. this game is over before it begins. i feel incredibly sorry for this guy, since he gets 1 force for the first 8 turns, eventually setting himself up at kessel. believe me, though, he put up a good fight, and i was hard pressed to win by 37.
8 (+123)
final duel vs. Kade Cummins (sp?)
kade was the ONLY dark side player to go undefeated, which is pretty impressive, considering that the DS was getting thrashed all day long. he offers to split the rare sheets and then play, but i decline, saying "well, i don't really need them, but i don't want just 1...and GOOD LUCK!!" i draw ALL my locations right away, but only deploy Aquarus and pilot/fighter there to generate some extra force. he doesn't do anything for about the first 6 turns as i drain for 1. i go to ground with 3 scouts at the ewok village (cause i'm scared to go outdoors since he's got about 12 force saved), and he comes with GROND!!! he pulls 8 attrition, and clears my site. GenSolo from reserve and random other scout then come to control the site, and battle order hits the table. he never goes to ground the rest of the game, and i'm continually playing cat and mouse between my endor (overlayed), his sullust, and kessel, with me draining for about 3/turn, and he's not draining at all. pivotal battle: i used "forfeit weapon for 3 to used pile" effect to forfet an Intruder Missile (tracked 7), play A few maneuvers x2, and then clear out endor system with the 7 and battle him at sullust, shooting a tie, and drawing a 6 for destiny. his power is broken down at this point, and i play cat and mouse some more...
at this point he says "we both know where this is going" and concedes to me, drawing up his last 6 cards. i think i took it by about 18, being the closest game of the day for me. good game Kade, and i appreciate your sporting moves.
for those of you who just think that starting with Strike planning won the tournament for me, you're probably right. it not only allowed GenSolo to hit the table EVERY GAME, but it allowed me an awesome force choke. had i not had it, i think that i still would've won, just not by so much.
(i do remember only seeing 1 (!) blaster rifle at a site ALL day, and that one was fired at chewie. noone tried to take out han in the only available way, so i don't wanna hear how he's broken, blah blah blah)
so i won the rare sheets...whoa.
i think this was the most fun i've had playing SW in a long time, cause it was so much like playing with JUST new hope/premier ....nothing totally overpowering...small amount of hand manip, and a few recycling high destinies...and GUNS! lots of GUNS!!!
lots of fun...and great looking cards.