san-francisco-ca-9-5
Title: san-francisco-ca-9-5
Author: Alfred "ThaBraHmaBuL" Dong
Date: Aug 7, 2000
Prelude
So there I was, lying in bed, Monday morning. I just got home from the Comic Con, and I cant help but think I just didnt perform there as well as I thought I would. I call up a friend to let him know how things went, and he asks if I'll be there for Eric Brummels tournament on the 5th of August at BallPark. Looking for redemption, I agree and Im off to make new decks.
DS has once again become an issue for me. My Ral Ops went 1-2 at the con, which didnt please me at all, so I decided to make another deck altogether, now that DSII is hot. My first instinctive was to make BHBM, the new objective from DSII, but I couldnt find how to balance the deck out evenly. After a few uneventful days at home, I managed to figure it all out. Finding the key was heavy SAC, I made an etchy version, playtested, and refined it. LS was fine, but I switched from Throne Room to Endor Uprising, the starting effects option is TOO sweet.....and its got a few fun tricks up against alot of deck types.
Rod Latham, webmaster of Trandosite, was on vacation, visiting 5 major cities in the US, and happened to be in the neighborhood for the tourney, which was cool because I get to meet 2 more UK players, following Gary and Micheal at the Comic Con.......I got there a little early, and 9 players showed up to have some fun, including Rod and his brother Scott, and off we were.
The Decks
Just Bring It: Im pretty etchy about posting this on Decktech, but if you see a deck with this name, you know what to expect. A non-flip version of BHBM, with a dose of SAC that plays similar to Hunt Down.
Endor Uprising: Plays like Throne Room, but gives up the first turn start for the 3 starting effects......a new springboard for mains.
The Games
Game 1: DS vs. Brian Quan's LS QMC Speed Setup and Drains
Brians not happy about the matchup, but I relieve him. He starts standard QMC goods, with 3 effects to start. I give him Bad Feelings and standard BHBM. I drop Emporer first turn, drop a few TWIX sites, he looks for Clouds and CC locations. Vader comes down 4th turn with saber to the Casino, he flips with Lando and Pucimir at the Docking Bay, and Blue Squad 5 at Bespin:CC. My turn, I Elis over, drop Mara and her saber, YABeaten Lando, and Pucimir gets smashed for 18. He drops Luke to the Casino to make me give chase, and Insurrection to slow Elis. I walk over next turn, grab Luke, and sit there and drain for 4 a turn. He drops Tawss Khaa to Lando and sits at the DBay for the remainer of game. I drop Executor and Dr. E to the system to secure another drain of 2, and pump him for 6 a turn for the game. Win by 28.
Cumalative Score: 2(+28)
Highs: Laying the Smackdown on Pucimir
Lows: Nothing much
Game 2: LS vs. John Monroes DS BHBM Auto-win
John recently returned to the game, and hes still trying to get a good grasp of everything, so this game was a bit slow for my taste. He starts 3 effects, as do I. I grab Lando with Strike Planning, and Squassin him for the Falcon first turn. He comes down to Endor on his 4th with Vader and forces Luke out from me. He comes from Reserve for 3 force, and he'll lose one to his objective for the remainer of game. I drop Obi to the Lower Corridor for drains, and I drop Boushh to the Farm, where hes set up a walker. He drops Kashyyykand we chase in and out of there for awhile, and I watch the battles carefully because of Insignificant Rebellion. In the end, I take out his fleet, dominate in space and the Lower Corridor, and thats game. Win by 18.
Cumalative Score: 4(+46)
Highs: Surviving the DS deck that should cream this deck
Lows: Nothing much
Im in the lead, and I take some time to talk to Rod, and just chill. Scott is right behind me almost, Im expecting to play him, but it wont lead to that.
Game 3: LS vs. Alexander Sheynis's DS Endor Ops Beatdown
This game was ugly. He starts Operational As Planned for DSII, the Moff and IAO. All 3 come out first turn, as well as the first sector of the DS as well. Hes out-activating me 10-6, and I cant draw sites to save my life. He drops Lord Vader w/ saber and Tarkin to the Farm 3rd turn, and I come down with Luke and his saber, and EPP Han, but he Barriers Luke. He comes down with Sim Aloo and Janus, and battles, Weapon Lev to steal my saber(and me with no SENSE to stop it). He hits Luke, Han misses the shot on Tarkin, and my destiny is canceled but Han and Luke satisfy. He drops Mara and stick there and pump for 4 a turn. I cant do anything on my 6 force, and I finally die off the drains. Loss by 12.
Cumalative Score: 4(+34)
Highs: Playing a good game
Lows: Getting the work played outta me
Game 4: DS vs. Alexander Sheynis's LS Throne Room
Sweet.....I get some revenge for good measure. He starts the game but gets a junky hand to start the game so he grabs Nudjs and draws. Emporer pops up again first turn, as does his power. I drop a BG and some TWIX, and start to draw. We draw for the next few turns, and I keep his controlled with Monnok, and Sense/Alter any red that comes from his hand. I drop Lord Vader to the Back Door 5th turn, and wait. He gives me Luke, I Elis to the 3rd Marker, and he chooses to leave Luke at the site. On his turn, he makes the fatal choice of draining, I play Always Thinking and now hes missing and hes losing 3 to Your Destiny every turn. He drops guys to Endor to try and look for him, I send Vader back there, drop Mara, and clean house, secure the location and the drain of 4 plus Your Destiny for the game. Win by 29.
Final Score: 6(+63)
Highs: Playing a good game
Lows: Nothing in particular
It comes close, but I edge out the victory through differential, and get to randomly select 2 cards out of the 22 given for prize support, pick the 7th card twice after 2 shuffles, and managed to grab a WB Vader and Chewie of Kash.....not bad. I get 18$ at the store, and pick up some much needed sleeves and some packs. Scott Latham finished 2nd, Alex 3rd, and John 4th. I stay afterwards and converse with Rod, who finished 2-2, and play his a few games(ask him for what happened). We discuss England tech and US tech, and we take a few snapshots and he takes off, with a busy schedule ahead of him. All in all, a good day of fun and just seeing whats out there.
I head home late at night, and discuss with Eric Brummel the junky prize support and some DS2 tech, and end the day exhausted.
Any questions, comments, or feedback, please email me at IfYaSmLLL@aol.com, or visit my page at Decktech.net under "ThaBrahmaBuL" and drop me a line.
Qui-Gon Jinn, The Brahma Bull
"Always Remember, Your Focus Determines Your Reality"