rochester-ny-9-2-2000
Title: rochester-ny-9-2-2000
Author: Ted "Rogue15" Panczyszyn
Date: Sep 4, 2000
Well, since I am visiting my parents home for the long weekend, I decide to schlep over to Millenium Games for a 6 game event and to bug some of the local guys. For those who don't know me well, Kendrick taught me this game on 6/4/96 in ROchester during a demo day at Crazy Egors (now Millenium) I hooked up a few guys (Chris & Joe Janiak, Karl and James Johnson, Neill Roe, Ken Rose, and many others for regular gaming sessions before our first sanctioned tournament in 10/96. I always enjoy going home to see the new players, but I'm a little sad that the old-skool guys have moved on... but onward to the reunion:
I pick up my former travel buddy and deck consultant Theron "TJ" Mergott about 11:15 and we head to Millenium. Now TJ hasn't played competitively in over a year and has sold his sets. He was relying on Chris Janiak to bring decks, but when Chris was way late, he borrowed decks from the TD. We mingle, talk trash, and wait patiently until the tourney starts at about 12:30pm.
My Decks: LS: Same old EBO crap. It's been going 2-1 so I figure it is still good-to-go. DS: Big Pete's Revenge. Mains and Toys Beatdown more or less. I was sick of my really bad Rallops deck so I had a comrade send me his "unbeaten" deck. I modify it a bit given the meta I anticipate.
Game 1: Steve Albert's Scum deck. Steve and I get a good rapport going early. He appears to have good knowledge of the game but made a lot of mental mistakes. My EBO Deck either works quickly or not, and in this case it did not. I took my time, however because I had Honor Of THe Jedi Stopping that annoying "Scum" force loss and he never deployed heavily. He did try to take me on in space a few times, but I basically drained him out. Not an exciting game, but we had fun anyway and getting a win early helped me meet my 3-3 quota. FW by 12. 2(12)
Game 2: Steve Albert's LS deck. I was not anticipating writing a TR, so I was kinda lazy about keeping track of information (such as the deck he was playing). Basically he was draining me on some sites with some EPP's and Mains. I was draining in space and had one site, but he was outdraining me, so I decided to go on the offensive. I had previously You Are Beaten'd EPP luke with Mara and Dr. E at one site. He put a few other characters down, didn't battle. Next turn I put more characters down and battle, clearing out everyone. Next turn he puts down EPP Han, EPP Leia, and Obi Wan, I think... Anyway, I Elis over Vader and Tarkin and hit/immediately lost Leia and Obi. Han takes it without Vaseline and that ends up depleting his life force for the most part. He has no further offense and I basically drain him out for the win. FW by 12. 4(24)
Game 3: Charles Clarkson's BHBM deck. I have met Charles a few times. He is a good young player and will excel in this game if he can play top level players consistently. So we get started and our first 2 turns we basically set stuff up. By turn 2 he gets Vader out at CC Docking Bay and I'm taking a beating with Your Destiny. Every chance I can I look for HOTJ in my reserve while I go looking for Echo things and matching pilots and stuff, and every time it is in my reserve deck. After 2 turns I realize that I can deploy Luke from my reserve deck (DUUUHHHHH!) and I set him down at the North Ridge with Lando to back him up. He comes down with Walkers and Mara and pretty much beats him up. I go get him again and he does the same to me again. He is in control of this game, but late in the game he forgets to move Zuckuss away from Home One and the Squid Sibs pilot posse. His destiny = 0 and he takes about a 10 force beating after his forfeit. He still out drains me at Hoth and on CC, and YD takes its toll. FL by 11. 4(13)
Game 4: Adam Nobles' Training deck. Adam is very excited because his little brother is 3-0 at this point. Since he is training we basically take our time setting stuff up. I manage to Alter his Traffic Control a few times just to annoy him with a carefully-tracked low destiny. I can't get the extra drain bonuses at 3rd marker and endor sites with lightsabers, so my drains are taking forever. He decides to wait a few turns before putting anyone against me, but I still manage to hold a space drain at Endor and my little drains on the ground. He eventually flips test 5, drawing test 6 as his destiny (boooo!!!). He pulls Luke into his hand, redeploys him where I'm the weakest, and I Elis over the other half of the beatdown crew. Well, that pretty much ends any chance of an offensive he has, but it took a long time. He has a few space ship so it takes us a few more turns to clean up our business in space too. FW by 7. 6(20)
Game 5: Chris Janiak's Profit Deck. Well, Chris is a bright player, but he relies on mindgames and idle chit-chat to distract unsuspecting players. Well, I suspect and I also had a chance to watch him demo his deck to Jon Schultz (did I mention that he came over from Syracuse with his dad? my bad!!). I decide before the game begins that Mara and Dr. E will be my aliens at the Audience Chamber. He starts Goo Nee Tay, so I couldn't get anyone big out first turn. I deploy Mara's Saber and draw a few. His first turn he draws a few too. Next turn Vader and Saber go to AC and I alter GNT. He draws. Next Turn Tarkin and 4Lom go down. He draws. Every turn I get another characer down. He then deploys Orrimarko to Endor: Dark Forest and later tries to drain for 3. Right afterwards I realize Orrimarko is NOT an Ewok and I take my top lost card back (that's the kind of thing you watch for when playing Chris). I decide to ignore him for a few turns, electing to keep guard at JP. I move Vader and Tarkin and Dr.E to Tat: JP to force him to do something. He deploys Ben (you are beaten'd) and luke and chewie I think...he decides to wait, figuring I've got no more characters left. I start my turn by Disarming Ben and operating on him. I sniper somebody and miss, then I Elis over 4lom, EPP Fett, and Ozzel from AC. He loses the battle bad and he ends up Savriping the rest of the damage. I reconsolidate my forces at AC and let him go. My next turn I elis vader and tarkin to endor and beat up Orrimarko. He decides to go after the rest of my posse in the AC and I end up forfeiting everyone but Palpatine. He frees Han his last turn, but I have Secret Plans out so he cant retrieve. I outdrain him to win. FW by 11. 8(31)
I'm thinking to myself "Holy S**T, I beat Chris!! I can go home now!!! But it doesn't end there..
Game 6: Chris Janiak's SYCFA/SFS Deck. Well, I really didn't care what happened at this point. I would go 4-2 as a worst case scenario and I would exchange wins with a 2000 plus player. I get EBO on turn 2 and he gets Commander Merrejik out at the Docking Bay. I tease him relentlessly about not putting Brangus Glee there and he asks all about that deck for a bit. It seemed like Chris didn't give a hoot at this point and he wanted to get out of there. After a few turns I control Wakelmui and his Interceptors are expensive. I let him own a few systems until I was ready to do something. I get Grand Moff Wedge in his hot rod at Hoth System and some other pilot in Red Sq 4 with cannons. He deploys a Dreadnaught (barriered) an interceptor with cannons and one without. He lat damages Wedge and shoots at the other X wing. I react with Spiral and get a destiny anyway. I draw R2 in Red 5, electing to make my destiny 7 against his 2 Interceptors with no destiny draw. Next turn I deploy haven, home 1 and ackbar and beat up the Dreadnaught for added force loss (no Ghhhk). He also had an ISD at Chandrilla with Admiral Chiraneau. I had to go kill him too. Chris was beside himself. FW by 20. 10(51)
Did I mention that Jon Schultz was there? Oh yeah. He went 10(154) playing everyone else. I came in 2nd and TJ went 2-4 including a timed win. We get dinner and meet up with Chris later to see Highlander movie (it was OK) and talk tech. It was a great visit home too!!
Ted Panczyszyn
Rogue 15