helmond-netherlands-june-11th
Title: helmond-netherlands-june-11th
Author: Jeroen "S.T.oma" van den Bosch
Date: Jun 26, 2000
Time again for yet another local tournament in Helmond, on of the last within the current metagame (pre-third anathology and pre-DSII). The turnout was nowhere near the numbers it was last time when there were 42 people, but we also had a tournament the day before in Amsterdam. With 14 participants it was still allright. I play with Ralltiir Operations for dark. I had included some anti-profit cards since it's somewhat weak against Hickey-profit. For light I played throne room mains with some space. I don't expect much numbers, screws or dueling so I leave all protection out. just some space, mains and a few interrupts and 'I hope she's allright' to cause damage to non-interactive or space-only decks. I just wished I could have practised a bit more before the tournament but a lot of the people I play cards with were busy with exams. We waited till 11:30 to begin because we expected some more belgian players but in the end it's only Patrick Monsieurs that made the trip. I know that I am in good shape and I'm hoping to maybe win my first tournament (that's the goal at least).
Game 1: My DS (RallOps) against Patrick's Monsieurs (1760) Hidden Base
Patrick always plays really vague decks and I have no clue as what to expect. He deploys a lot of systems and has plenty of force. He deploys roche and the big one and I start to sweat thinking he might be playing Asteroid Sanctuary. He deploys red Leader to Ralltiir to prevent an early flip. I set up carefully, and with Boba in his ship and some scrubs backed up with an AT-ST I finally flip. I don't know what he has in store, maybe spacebeatdown but certainly no Asteroid Sanctuary this far in the game. But I don't battle but land the ship after I flip. I reinforce and fetch Search and Destroy. Patrick deploys some mains but they are costly and I always beat them because I have heavily reinforced Ralltiir. Patrick flips and I start probing. But only now that I'm certain (because of his low lifeforce and low handsize) that I can't get suprised by a beatdown squad in the air. He has already lost a great deal of force because of my minor drains and Search and Destroy. Finally I probe the right system and get five cards back. He has to lose seven or so wich is the final blow. I feel relieved that I made the first test.
FW 2 (+18)
Game 2: My Throne room Mains against Edwin Steenhoeks (1552) ISB OTR swarm
I have only one revo in my deck but I draw it in my opening hand and he has not started crush (or any starting interrupt for that matter). He activate's one for like seven turns. I kill my own nudjs and start to drain and set up 'I hope she's allright'. I'm draining for two and he loses a force every turn and he doesn't seem to draw any locations. Finally he draws Tat: JP and searchs for the audience chamber. Soon it is filled with Outer Rim Scouts and Jabba with Boelo. I deploy Boush (wich I couldn't because of Ephant man but I didn't know and Edwin doesn't notice it - sorry Edwin). So he drains for nothing and I still drain for two. He retrieves a fair bit with abbyssin ornament and deploys Kasshyyk and Endor. Lucky for me I have packed some space and with bacta tank out, I'm victorious because every spacebattle we forfeit something and I just get it back to hand and redeploy. He Elis Helrots to my location but I sense. Then he moves four Outer Rim Scout outside to drain for two on the next turn. Since a droid ISB'er stays on Yavin I have no drain there so Nabrun the whole package to the four OTR scouts. I initiate a battle. Slice up two Outer Rim Scout, blast a third and everything has to go while he still has to lose some cards. With the drains in space that means victory.
FW 2 (+12)
Game 3: My Throne Room Mains against Bjorn Neervoort's (1535) Tatooine/JP disarm/duel/operate/yab/etc deck
Bjorn is the dutch star trek champion and also a very good star wars player. He starts Tatooine and Tat:Jabba's Palace. I deploy Luke with saber first turn to put the pressure on him. He deploys Brangus Glee and initiates a battle but draws a 1 while I hit him (forfeit = 0) and draw a three. So he has to lose six. I reinforce on the ground and content Boba Fett in Slave I in the air. He hasn't got that much space so he wants Boba alive and even if he has to lose force while I battle him, he doesn't forfeit (immunity<5) until I draw a 5 as destiny. Bacta tank proves itself handy again because I wear him out that way in space. The real action, however takes place on grondlevel. He has Mara and Vader and some more characters (most notably Dr. Evezan) and makes his move. He nabruns to the site where Leia, Chewie and Taws Khaa and Han are present. He disarms Han and operates. He plays you are beaten on Leia. Mind you, he has choke vader with Saber and Mara with Saber and set up destinies so Taws Khaa would be lost (hit + operated) and chewie would have been forfeit zero and that would be goodbye for me. I nabrun as a last desperate rescue attempt. I have no force left but still four locations in my deck. He senses, I alter. I draw rendevouz Point and get out. I can't believe my luck! He gets low on lifeforce and I push his next nabrun wich fails cause he can't pay for it. In the last rounds of the game he manages to pull of a nabrun and does all his stuf (operate, you are beaten, duel obi out of play, etc) but I have fortified that much that I don't take much battledamage and I just move my characters away next turn. When I take Boba out I get a drain going in the air and Bjorn is so low on lifeforce that he only can follow my characters but he can't do nothing. This was a deck I didn't expected but sheer luck gave me the victory.
FW 2 (+14)
Game 4: My RallOps against Paul van Hoorne's (1683) ?-profitdeck
I lost one game to Paul (also know as johnny - 1453 when he plays bad) my previous tournament and as I see him lay down profit I think I'm in trouble. He doesn't go for an early flip though. That probably saves my ass. I set up and he let's me! I'm helped by an openingsdraw that's really good. I have Coruscant and the Death Star in my startinghand. He get's a bit desperate as I flip and he deploys Tantive to the death star and red leader to coruscant wich he reverts. He has also Savrip and Bacta tank out. That would mean a drain of 4 (2 on each planet with my flipped objective) the next turn but I'm in control. As I beat him down severely with Zuckus and Boba in Slave I he just Savrips. The next turn he flips, retrieves, puts a lightsaber and lightsaber proficiency on Master Luke and fortifies but never spreads. We battle hence and forth in space and he just uses the bactatank and savrips. I get imperial decree out to stop his modifiers so I drain as much as he is. In the final confrontation I alter his savrip and he has to lose twelve and all spacepresence he has.
FW 2 (+?)
Game 5: My Throne room deck against Willem Sterk's (1743) Hunt Down with Duelling
Oops, Hunt Down with Duel! We both don't want to make the first move and after some time he finally comes to Yavin. He disarms Obi and I take my characters to the Excetutor. But he deploys come here you big coward. So I have to occupie two battlegrounds. I go to a lott of trouble to kill my nudjs (to make Swamp and Farm battlegrounds) while all I had to do is move them away (duh). Oh well, will never happen again. But stil stupid of me and not cool. But I can get finally around come here you big coward and have a jedi on a battlegroundsite. That costed me a few turns of not being able to drain and now i finally can, I'm rather low on lifeforce and can't afford battleplan which I deployed. because I activated a lot more, I thought is was a smart move. He only had Mara and Vader and a bit of backup but not
really much characters. And he deployed imperial arrest order so he coudn't Elis Helrot. I would have drained him out while avoiding duels because I had more characters on table and could spread to drain. Now I have to take my disarmed Obi to Vader. Willem duels (like I knew he would) and the game is finished.
FL: 0 (-12)
Game 6: My RallOps against Willem Sterk's (1743) Light Arcona's/Inserts/holostart
I can't play Paul who's first with one differential more because we played equal sides so he get's an easy game and I have to fight it out with Willem. I know I can't win anymore. Although my differential is only one less I know he will cream his opponent and with RallOps the differential isn't that big usually. To top it of I play sloppy, real sloppy. Maybe because it's hot, or the fact that I'm tired but I screw up big time. He begins with the holotable and projection of a skywalker as his starting effect. I flip quickly while losing like 8 cards from anger, fear, agression. Then I set up search and destroy. He deploys an arcona and I fetch Arnet to prevent it from reacting. I deploy Arnet and forget all about his gametext. I try to trample the arcona three times and only that last time it works (and he pushes). I also forget the -1 drain from the flipside so he's draining for two and when I set up imperial decree for one. It looks like I can lose after all and I begin to play more focussed. I finally realize why Arnet is on table and beat an Arcona to pulp. I win shortly after because of S&D and the minor drains.
So I get my five wins and come in second only 18 force or less behind Paul. If I played that last game like I normally do (normally i think during games) I could have come in first place maybe but winning five games is cool anyway. I play Bochum next week and play even sloppier and only win three games. Bummer. And worst is that it's my own fault. But I'll learn (I hope). Nevertheless I go up in the rankings. I guess most of the German players were rated not to low so I didn't lose that much. Now I'm hoping to go past the 1800. That will be difficult but one can always try.