marlton-nj-20-aug-00
Title: marlton-nj-20-aug-00
Author: Doug "Phrim" Faust
Date: Aug 22, 2000
Another tournament at Great Traditions in Marlton, had to head out to this one because it's so close to where I live. The store owner's cool too, though the space is a little tight. so I come out with my brother Jon and my friend Mike Vitarelli. There were a lot less people than last time, but plenty for a sanction, and a lot of new faces as well as people I haven't seen in a year or two. Big names there were Chris Praskac, Joe Young, John Lolli, and Livio D'alessio. As for decks, I decided to stay with my BHBM for Dark, it has been doing ok, though it definitely has its weaknesses. My Light deck was HB/Strike Planning, which drains in space with unique starfighters while throwing suicide EPP Lukes and EPP Obis at them to mess up whatever they were doing on the ground. Anyway, on to the tourney:
Game 1: My Light vs. Mike Vitarelli's (1637) Walker Garrison
Well, this is the second tournament in a row I had to play my friend Mike first game, and with the same exact deck, too. So he knows what's in my deck, and more importantly, he knows exactly where my Hidden Base is. We both st up for the first few turns, and he drops Vader, Ozzel, and POTF at the Defense Perimeter. I really don't like getting drained for 3 that early in the game, so I took a chance and deployed EPP Obi there and battled. I end up slicing Vader in two, and drawing decent battle destiny, so everything dies, which is perfect. Next turn, though, he deploys Blizzard 2 and Tempest Scout 6 at the Defense Perimeter. I'm still not ready to flip HB, so I drop Boushh there. He's frustrated at this, because there's only one card in his deck he can Trample her with. He deploys an Imperial Walker at the Ice Plains and puts Expand The Empire on the Perimeter so he at least has a drain of one, but I go and flip Hidden Base. So I'm draining at Kiffex and Kessel, and he's drawing to find the one starship he says is in his deck. Meanwhile, I find a Mechanical Failure, so I use Madine (who's in the back seat of the Falcon) to get Lt. Blount, and drop him, EPP Luke, and the Mech Failure against his lone Imp Walker. He's already used all his Tramples against Boushh this turn, so Blount is safe. I battle and he loses the Walker and like 12 more Force. He finally finds his ship and goes and probes Roche, getting rid of my Hidden Base, but he can't contest any of my space drains. He deploys Tempest 1 at some other Hoth site, but I deploy Colonel Cracken and EPP Obi there to make short work of it. Anyway, I've got big space drains, he's got no drains, we all know how that ends. FW+16, 2(+16)
Highlights: Laying the smack-down on lone Walkers at non-battleground sites.
Lowlights: Having the play the guy I came with.
Anyway, my bro (who's like 1520) tells me he just crushed some little kid by 25, so I tell him he's gonna get smacked around by someone good next game. :-)
Game 2: My Dark vs. Ted Panczyszyn's (1681) Echo Base Ops
To complete my grand tour of Hoth, I followed my bout with Walker Garrison with some EBO. Well, Ted started ANSB, so he wasn't playing Odds, which is good. :-) Anyway, we both get our stuff set up, and I drop the Emperor at the Death Star Docking Bay. He starts talking about coming and smacking the Emperor, so I get scared and reinforce him with Dengar. I deploy Vader at the Cloud City Docking Bay, so he went and fetched Luke and deployed him...at Hoth: North Ridge! It took me a little while to figure out just how bad that was. I couldn't use the Hoth Docking Bay because of the Shield. I wasn't playing Elis, and I only had one Rise My Friend, so I could get Vader to Hoth but not back again. Even if I went and killed Luke, he could put him right back at the North Ridge from the Lost Pile. And there he was, sitting and waving at me from the one battleground site on Hoth. Anyway, I try to set up some drains, but it's tough because I only have Docking Bays to drain at; no way I can outdrain EBO. He sets up EBO and deploys the Hoth system, and starts deploying unique starfighters at the Docking Bay and shuttling up the guys he used to occupy his sites. So he's got 2 ships with X-wing Laser Cannons at Hoth with Haven, but only 2 Force saved. Since he doesn't have enough Force to knock anyone out of the sky, I deploy FIS1 and BIHT there and battle. Well, it turns out that one of his ships says the X on X-wing Laser Cannon is +1, so he knocks Fett out of the sky anyway and murders Bossk. Oh, well. I didn't try attacking in space again, mainly because I didn't have the Force or the ships (and besides, he was pretty huge), so I deployed Sim Aloo and Blizzard 2 at the North Ridge, were Wedge and Luke were waiting. He tried to Barrier the Blizzard, but I reminded him that Barrier doesn't work on vehicles. I drew my destiny, but Wedge canceled it (he works on the ground too...), so I lost Blizzard 2. Next turn, I deployed IG-88 and captured Luke, but that didn't help me a whole heck of a lot. Anyway, he spread out to Kiffex and my Rendili and drained me out. FL-11, 2(+5)
Highlights: Well, now I know that Luke on Hoth = bad. :-)
Lowlights: Being rather helpless this game.
Well, it turns out that my brother didn't face a big name, and beat Gus by a good amount. So I told him he's definitely going to get smackd around next game. :-)
Game 3: My Light vs. Ted Panczyszyn's (1681) Ralltiir Ops
Well, I didn't really want to play Ted again, especially since I know how much ROps can murder any Light deck out there. He starts getting his sites out, and I use Strike Planning to get General Lando, and Squad Assignments to get the Falcon, and move them over to Ralltiir. This keeps him from flipping for a while, but eventually he deploys some pilot with the Chimaera there and flips then attacks. I've since deployed an SE pilot on his ship there, so I play Punch It! and to draw 3 destinies, plus another destiny to power from the SE pilot. He gets wiped out, but I have to lose the SE pilot and his ship. Meanwhile, I get my Hidden Base flipped, and use Wedge in his ship and Home One to drain at Kiffex and Kessel. But him having ROps flipped is bad, so I come down with Beezer, EPP Luke, and Lt. Blount at battle his Arnet in Tempest Scout something, he can't react over so he doesn't get a destiny. I don't get past his immunity, so he just loses a few Force. On his turn, he deploys Vader there and battles, but I hit Vader with Luke, and play Smoke Screen, so he had to lose everything. Somehow, Luke and Beezer managed to stick around, so I had two Ralltiir locations (including the system) and ROps flipped back. He never did get ROps flipped back to the correct side, so my heavy drains in space did him in. FW+18, 4(+23)
Highlights: Beating ROps!
Lowlights: Doing stupid stuff with Wedge (don't ask).
As for my brother, he ended up paired against Dan Bordier, a decent player, and managed to pull a win. So he ws on of 4 or so undefeateds...
Game 4: My Dark vs. Jared Napolitano's (1739) Profit
Jared's one of the rising stars of the Philly area; I don't think I've ever beat him before. Anyway, I decide not to drop aliens, because I'm afraid of the regurgitating Luke. I get the Emperor down and deploy DLOTS to the Cloud City Docking Bay. He deploys Master Luke and EPP Leia to the Audience Chamber, and puts Uncontrollable Fury on Vader. Ugh, now I have to go find my Lord Vader. Well, turns out i found him pretty fast, losing him off the top of my reserve deck. :-( Anyway, I wasn't going to win the drain race, so I put down a Spaceport Docking Bay at Tatooine and moved Vader over. He rearranged his stuff so Leia and Tawss were at Jabba's Palace, and Luke, EPP Han, and Yoxgit (who was getting back Obi's Saber every turn) were at the Audience Chamber. I deployed Blizzard 2 at Jabba's Palace to back up Vader, and moved Vader over. Leia and Tawss run away to the Docking Bay. I deploy Mara with her Lightsaber to back up Vader in the Audience Chamber, and move Vader over, leaving Blizzard 2 alone at Jabba's Palace. I wasn't too concerned, because Luke, Han, and Leia were already on the table, and you can't make it forfeit = 0 with EPP weapons and the such, so 6 power and 6 forfeit should cover anything he has to throw at me (besides, I had no place safe to move it). Well, I was dead wrong. He deployed Mechanical Failure and proceeded to pound me into the ground with Orrimaarko and Wedge. Han obviously ran away from Mara and Vader, and I used Rise My Friend to bring Vader and Luke back to the Death Star. I managed to lose the one duel I did get to initiate, and then he drained me out. FL-20, 4(+3)
Highlights: The game finished in like 15 minutes, so I got to go eat lunch. :-)
Lowlights: Fury eliminated any chance I had of winning that game...
Game 5: My Dark vs. Ted Cohen's (1467) There Is Good In Him
Ted seemed pretty young, maybe like 13 or so, but before the game he kept talking all this smack to me, I was like, whatever. He started out by deploying EPP Leia at some Endor site and moved Jedi Luke over. So I deployed Lord Vader with his Saber, captured Luke, and and pounded Leia into the ground, making sure to hit her with a lightsaber first. Insignificant Rebellion: 1. Vader moved over to the Endor Docking Bay, and he deployed EPP Obi there and battled, I hit him and played I Have You Now, but he drew a 6 for destiny (some Admiral's Order) and I had to forfeit Vader. I still won by a bunch though. Insignificant Rebellion: 2. He deployed Gold Leader In Gold 1 with Enhanced Proton Torpedoes or something to my Rendili, so I deployed Fett In Slave 1 there and battled. He hit my ship with his weapon, and he drew a 4 battle destiny to my 1, so we tied 8-8. So he forfeited his weapon with Superficial Damage and I had to lose Fett. So I deployed Zuckuss there next turn and took out Gold Leader without a problem. Insignificant Rebellion: 3. But then it gets ugly. He deploys Home One with First Officer Thaneespi, so instead of me getting a destiny and him not, he gets a destiny and I don't. He battles, and draws an Intruder Missile for destiny, of all things! so I lose 22-4, and lose Zuckuss plus 13 more Force. I Feel The Conflict: 1. Meanwhile, I have Mara draining at the Cloud City Docking Bay for 2. I find another Vader and go capture Luke at the Endor Docking Bay, and bring him to the Death Star. I move him over and duel. I end up losing the duel, but that's okay because I have 3 stacked under Insignificant Rebellion; drawing a 4 will win the game. But I draw Sim Aloo, a 1. And this also stacks a card for him. I Feel The Conflict: 2. He deploys Nien Numb and Lando and battles Mara, I end up missing Lando and I lose the battle, forfeiting Mara to his two destinies. I Feel The Conflict: 3. I duel Luke again, and I lose again (the destiny in my deck is good, I swear!), and this time I draw a Blizzard 2 (2) for my crossing destiny. Drat. I Feel The Conflict: 4. Well, he attempts to cross Vader, draws some Admiral's Order, and wins the game. FL-10, 4(-7)
Highlights: Never in my wildest dreams did I think this would happen. I'm still in shock. Mad props to Ted.
Lowlights: I had SO many chances to win this game. Blew them all...
Game 6: My Light vs. Gus D'alessio's (1577) TIE Interceptors
Gus started Executor: Meditation Chamber with no Objective, which was a bit strange, but he pulled Wakeelmui with Mobilization Points right away, so I knew he was playing TIEs. This is *not* a good matchup for me, because he's bound to have way more power in space than I do, and my drains are pretty much exclusively space. So I start getting my systems out, and I deploy General Lando on the Falcon at Kessel. I follow up with a SE pilot and his ship there, and put General Madine in the back seat. Well that's rather short-lived, as he came down with a Dreadnaught and a bunch of ships, including the Baron on his ship, and wiped out everyone on the Falcon. The SE Pilot ran away, where I reinforced him with Wedge in his ship. Meanwhile, I have nothing better to do with my ground stuff, so I deploy Lt. Blount and EPP Obi at his Meditation Chamber to get a drain of two in. I finally get enough systems out so I flip my Hidden Base and start canceling his Force drains. He probes Kessel and Kiffex, but finds nothing, and I'm maneuvering around to minimize his probing if he moves to block me, and maximize my drains if he doesn't. He goes and probes Kirdo III and Endor, but still finds nothing, leaving Roche as the only candidate. In the meantime, I've deployed Home One and another SE ship, and Hidden Base is keeping his hand size low, so I spread out a bit. I battle him some, knocking out some ships with my X-wing Laser Cannons, when he doesn't have enough Force to similarly knock out my ships with his TIE Cannons. I try moving Home One and one of my SE Pilots over to his Corulag from Kiffex, but he Gravity Shadows my Home One. This leads to a bit of a rules dilemma, but it's easily solved when he draws a zero. :-) So meanwhile, I'm steadily draining for two at his Meditation Chamber, and we're both draining off and on in space, and he's retriving some with Sienar, so it's pretty even. He tries to spread out his ships some, but I counter by blocking them with my ships, forcing him to run away. I moved Wedge and my other SE pilot over, and this time he Gravity Shadows Wedge, draws a three, and instantly destroys him. Ugh. So he beats down on my lone SE pilot, but I draw a good destiny to add to my power and I'll Take The Leader is subtracting lots from his power so I don't have to lose additional cards. I consolidate my forces and put EPP Luke on Home One, and move that over to block a pair of Dreadnaughts. He deploys a few cards and battles, but only manages to take out EPP Luke. The Home One moves away to Kirdo III, and he doesn't follow because he can't drain for more than zero there. We both drain for a bit, and I'm running short on Force, but he's running shorter. So I drain, he has two cards left, I move Home One over to block the Kiffex drain. He destroys Home One, but then I drain him for two at his Meditation Chamber to win the game. FW+7, 6(+0)
Highlights: Tactical maneuvering of my starships contributed in a big way to this win, and it sure was a close one.
Lowlights: It definitely would have gone a lot more poorly for me if he had a different choice of starting location. :-)
Well, my brother, after going 3-0 for the first three games, lost the next three to Livio, Kim Caton, and Ted Panczyszyn. So we both ended up 3-3, the only difference is where he's going up 40 points, I'm going down 20. :-) Chris Praskac was undefeated going into the last game, but he had to leave because he had to go to work, so Livio D'alessio edged out John Lolli to win the tournament. Myself, I was officially given the "mediocre award" for my incredibly bland score. :-) All in all, I may not have had the best of days, but I had a good time and played against a good group of guys. And I got to witness little Ted win not one, but *two* games with his Light deck by crossing Vader to the Light Side. Simply amazing... :-P
Until next time...