the-prerelease-at-norma-6-24-2000
Title: the-prerelease-at-norma-6-24-2000
Author: Steve "Crazy Hermit" Kuperman
Date: Jun 25, 2000
Locations(8):
Endor (usual start)
Endor: Ancient Forest
Endor: Back Door
Mon Calamari
Kessel
Carida (start in game 4)
Sullust x2
Characters(19):
Reserve Pilot
Admiral Piett
Emperor Palpatine
Major Turr Phennir
DS-181-3
DS-181-4
Sergeant Tarl
Corporal Drazin
Lieutenent Arnet
Commander Igar
Lieutenent Hebsly
Lieutenent Grond
Navy Trooper
Elite Squadron Stormtrooper x4
Colonel Davod Jon
Captain Jonus
Vehicles/Starships(21):
Tempest 1
Tempest Scout 3
Tempest Scout 4
Tempest Scout x2
TIE Defender Mark I x3
TIE Interceptor x3
Victory Class Star Destroyer x3
Scythe Squadron TIE x2
Scimitar 2
Saber 2
Saber 3
Saber 4
Scythe 3
Weapons(2):
Intruder Missle x2
Admiral's Orders(1):
Fighter Cover
Interrupts(6):
Combat Readiness
Prepared Defenses (This card is SOOOOO powerful)
Ghhhk
Dark Maneuvers x2
Imperial Reinforcements
Effects(3):
Something Special Planned For Them (SE)
Battle Order (SE)
Combat Response (SE)
Here's the games, sorry to the folks whose names I can't remember, I think they were lost in the jumble my thoughts became after getting home.
Game 1:
A nice guy, he starts with Hidden Forest Trail and I start Endor system. We both use those awesome new SIs to go get three effects. I have the Emperor in my opening hand, so I figure that if he doesn't deploy anything to the Trail 1st turn, I'm taking it over. I save a few, he goes and just draws. The Emperor hits the table, and he pretty much decides not to go there. He starts deploying everything in the world to the Endor system, a bunch of Y-Wings and X-Wings and pretty much everything else. He's got a drain of 2 going, I've got a drain of 1. He puts Chewie down on the ground with a weapon. I figure, great chance to take the Wookiee out, w/o any backup. He was getting Force choked by Battle Order, but deploying the Wookiee without extra stuff is just a tad unorthodox. I deploy two Elite Squadron troopers and battle him. I draw a 3, which is enough to take out Chewie. Until, of course, I realize that he deployed that crazy effect that lets him forfeit his weapons. I figure I'm in for a beating now, Chewie remains. He tries to shuttle Chewie up on his turn (no battle? Fine by me), but can't cause he doesn't have a capital ship. On my turn, deploy Lt. Arnet and battle, Chewie dies this time. Unfortunately for my opponent, he had just drawn Gen. Solo, but I guess he didn't want to mess with me. I start deploying walkers out of my hand, deploy the Back Door, and move over. He gets out the Tatooine system, but I'm draining for 5 a turn to his 2, and it doesn't take very long at all.
Result: Full Win by 35. Total: 2(+35)
I figure I've got to be one of the top Dark Side players, and sure enough, I'm in one of the top 2 or 3 pairings . . .
Game 2 vs. Geoff Snider
Already I get a good player, never played him but I've heard enough. I start Endor system, he gets out the Home One: War Room. Nice . . .already he's getting 5 and I'm getting 3, I figure I better go for Combat Readiness and the Ancient Forest, get some more Force. He uses Heading For The Medical Frigate to deploy three effects, one of which he slides over to me. I take a look . . .:
Strike Planning
Deploy on table. Opponent's Force generation at Endor system is cancelled unless Endor Operations on table. Twice per game, you may search your Reserve Deck for any general (except Obi-Wan) or Mon Mothma.
Yeah, I'm screwed. I got lucky that I started Combat Readiness, otherwise he would have won by about 45-50. No, I'm not joking. Plus, he still has the effec to go get all of his pilots. He starts deploying stuff to the Endor system, I draw for a while and deploy Sullust to get more generation. Yeah, so it was stupid but I wasn't going to go anywhere with activating 3 Force a turn. He goes over to Sullust, and is draining for 4 a turn as soon as he gets out General Solo and some other scout to the Ancient Forest. This is looking worse and worse. Finally, I get something. I deploy Kessel, and throw down Igar and Tempest 1, but unfortunately don't have enough Force left to fight. Han and (insert scout's name here) move over to a freshly deployed Dense Forest, which Tempest 1 can't follow to. He moves over to Kessel, I deploy Combat Response and start looking for cool pilots to fight him off of Endor, cause he's garrisoning Sullust with pretty much the whole Rebel fleet. Plus, he's got some weird pilot at Sullust who adds 1 to his drains at the system, so he's draining me for 1 and 2 after I get to Endor. He starts following me around, playing cat and mouse, and I'm thankful that I got myself a VSD to keep those TIEs alive. He moves some stuff over to Kessel, Hobbie w/X-Wing, B-Wing, A-Wing, stuff like that. I fight him, and remind him that he can't draw destiny cause he doesn't have enough ability. Some stuff dies, but he's draining for a LOT and I already know it's lost. He tries to reinforce, deploying a B-Wing w/pilot to Kessel, but he forgets that the permanent pilot aboard the B-Wing is suspended and he loses a little more. He kills Tempest 1 and Igar with a tracked 6, Chewie, and another scout. The Emperor that I had deployed earlier to take advantage of his abandonment of the Dense Forest (why? I don't remember, I think it was cause he wanted the extra drain) is now stuck cause he occupies the only other site on Endor. He battles me, I have to lose 3 or the Emperor. I sigh and Palpy goes bye-bye. A couple of turns later, so do I.
Result: Full Loss By 24 Total: 2(+11)
After this game, I mention to Geoff just how powerful that card is . . .maybe not for the Constructed Format, but I then said something very prophetic: "That'll win it for you". Turns out, Geoff did win, and congrats to him on the win.
Game 3 vs. Tony Maravola
Me vs. Tractor Beam Tony himself . . .in Constructed games, I think our record stands at about 2-1 in my favor, maybe 2-2. In Sealed, he had beaten me the only time we had played. He stats Mon Calamari and I start Endor, with the 3 effects. I figure it would have to VERY messed up for me to play two people who had Strike Planning. I immediately begin throwing stuff to Endor, Saber 2 w/pilot and Scimitar 2 w/pilot and Intruder Missle. The Scimitar 2 pilot acts as a Sergeant Elsek aboard a fighter, so I figure I'm fine. He attacks with a few starfighters, Scimitar 2 gets shot up but otherwise I lose nothing and he loses a pilot. I go look for Saber 4, get it + pilot. I battle, draw my other Intruder Missle while he draws a 3 and I'm immune (love those TIEs). I clear him out of the system and I begin draining for a little. He deploys Sullust, deploys over there and starts massing the troops. A few turns later, he moves over to Endor, now reinforced with a VCSD. He deploys a Nebulon B Frigate with a Heavy Turbolaser and battles. He fires the Turbolaser at the VCSD, misses but fires the Intruder Missle and draws a tracked six. I end up losing the VSD, he loses something. I go get Saber 3 now, Saber Squad has hit the table (really could use the Baron and his ship). I was vastly aided by a couple of timely destiny draws in this game, and the immunity to attrition those TIEs have. Whenever he would deploy something, I would kill it with repeated attacks. He comes and attacks me with a few ships, fires Advanced Proton Torps at a TIE and hits it, only for me to Dark Maneuvers it away. I draw that Intruder Missle again and he loses everything except the X-Wing with Torps. He draws his last Force, and realizes that he just made a gigantic blunder. I throw down a VCSD, and battle his X-Wing. He loses the X-Wing and 17 more to end the game. One of the cards he lost was the Star Cruiser Defiance . . .if he had gotten the Turbolaser onto that, I would have been in for a hurting, my ships would have been mowed down. (Defiance adds 2 to each of it's weapon destiny draws, capitals it hits are power -5)
Result: Full Win By 22 Total: 4(+33)
Game 4:
I need a nice sized win here to get me back to the top. My opponent starts Hidden Forest Trail and Careful Planning for the Endor Docking Bay, I start Carida cause I started to dislike giving my opponent the extra Force. I go get a TIE w/Pilot using Combat Response and put it at a freshly deployed Endor. His first turn, he deploys 3 Ewoks, including the one that adds 1 to a drain where he's got an Ewok. Oh, crap . . .I smell a drain race. Sadly to say, that's what it was. The Star Cruiser Liberty hit the table a couple of times (it goes to your Used Pile when forfeited . . .ouch), but I was able to take it out both times. He deploys a couple of Frigates to Carida, so he satifies Battle Order and I don't. In desperate, I throw a couple of troopers to an Endor site. I'm able to drain for 4, but he's still got something left. I deploy Piett and run to the Docking Bay. He drains me, Chewie joins Team Kazak. He then battles me and draws a 6, Piett covers. I'm down to 2 cards in my deck, I move Drazin over to the Hidden Forest Trail to block his drain and know he'll use his last Force to battle my trooper and kill me. But, I've got to do what I can . . .who knows, right? He drains me for 1 at Carida, and then says "I guess you've won" and uses his 1 Force to move a Frigate to block one of my drains. I drain him out and there is dancing in the streets!
Result: Full Win By 1 Total: 6(+34)
I understand that my details are not that good, but I was extremely tired yesterday and I wasn't going to go to the nuisance of taking notes. The Dark Side got ripped yesterday, as General Solo proved to be a crushing blow whenever he arrived. I decided that my overall performance was pretty decent, considering my 1 loss came to an excellent player who won the whole shebang. Yeah, so there was 1 game I shouldn't have won. It doesn't matter . . .I won, so there.
My thanks go to:
Glenn Sutton, for giving me the ride and providing excellent conversation both ways.
Ron Fonck, for running a 90 player tournament on his own. A true "Iron Man".
Mike Monday, cause seeing DLOTS and ORS pulled out of one Starter Deck was just too funny.
Brian Monday, for providing comic relief, most of it about me, but regardless, funny stuff!
Emperor Palpatine, cause he's mine! ALL MINE!!!
Prepared Defenses . . .this and Heading For The Medical Frigate are going to become THE starting interrupts. They're bloody powerful.
Intruder Missles: 7 Destiny, baby!
Corporal Drazin, for winning me Game 4. He strikes fear into the hearts of men!
And finally, people who read tournament reports. You people kill me. Probably my Decktech rating as well, but also very, very funny!