san-francisco-ca-9-10-00
Title: san-francisco-ca-9-10-00
Author: Nick "JediBrain" Stefanko
Date: Sep 16, 2000
After arriving with my friend Steve Daniel 25 minutes before the tournament was slated to start (2 p.m.), we met up with Alfred Dong, the TD, at the Ballpark Game Center in South San Francisco. Alfred and I played a fun game to p@#$% the time. An hour later, the 2 people Alfred had been waiting for finally showed up, and after a frantic hunt for command cards (Alfred had been unable to make copies), we began.
Game 1:
My DS Bring Him Before Me TIE deck ("The Emperor’s TIE Interceptor Hell") vs. Eric Brummel’s borrowed (from Terrance Gong) Throne Room Mains
My part of the game went off without a hitch. I got Palpy and Vader to the Throne Room w/ a Presence Of The Force on it, and I got all my systems out w/o pulling Merrejk (which I had replaced IG-88 With Riot Gun with). Midgame, he dropped Boushh and EPP Luke to the D*II Docking Bay against Merrejk and Sim Aloo, but thanks to Emperor’s Power and Sim’s gametext, I won the battle and cleared both Luke and Leia. He came after my TIEs a couple times, but got nailed by them. Near endgame, he got out Tantive IV with D*II Wedge, Tycho, and a monkey. I drew for a Lateral Damage and was ready to pound him when he does the despicable thing: he draws up. Arggh.
Score: 2 (+20)
This deck is now 5-0. I’m very proud of it. I’m disappointed in the way I won; I wish I could have incurred more loss faster without having to draw so much and before he could puss out and draw up.
Game 2:
My LS There Is Good In Him deck ("Crusade Of Salvation") vs. Ngihya (I probably misspelled this; sorry) Nyugen’s pre-D*II Hunt Down deck
I knew this was going to be a boring game. He admitted to not having any D*II at all, so I figured that it would be the standard Hunt Down deck that everyone played prior to D*II. He got out Hoth: Echo Command Center and Responsibility Of Command (targeting Luke) 3rd turn, which didn’t make me happy. To add on to that, he put out Much Anger In Him, and had Jodo Kast bothering Luke. I got my 7 engine (ASPed Ewok Catapults) going very early, which helped in the 2 battles we had (which I won) and for my On The Edges. I eventually got Battle Plan and Honor Of The Jedi out, which slowed my Force loss. He put out the Forest Clearing, and I got Orrimaarko and KFC there, so I was able to incur a little Force loss on him other than his Visage. He put Vader down at Jundland Wastes for a couple turns, but pulled him back fearing a beatdown. After a few more turns of Force loss, he drew up.
Score: 4 (+33)
I was happy with the speed in which I set up my 7 engine. My first turn loss to Visage was a Spaceport Docking Bay from hand. If I hadn’t of lost that one damn card, I would have been able to move Luke off Endor and would have been able to do a little more to my opponent.
Food Break:
I was starting to feel some hunger pangs, so I skipped out after my game to go get a Jamba Juice. Those things are so good. It made me feel better, but the cramped, stuffy quarters of Ballpark were making me woozy and were increasing my headache.
Game 3:
My DS deck vs. Hak Soo Kim’s Speed Profit deck
I was happy to finally be playing against a ground deck, but I got so screwed in this game. My deck has so many ground Force drain counters, but I never got one of them into my hand. To add to that, first turn I activated both the D*II Docking Bay AND the Emperor. He pulled Master Luke out of his Reserve first turn and freed Han. Next turn, he got out the Cantina with Boushh there, and moved Luke to Jabba’s Palace. I got out my systems, Sienar Fleet Systems, and my TIEs, but he had started Aim High, so my retrieval had to be paid for. I eventually went down and capped Luke with DVDLOTS, and after a few turns of running around, dropped Mara and battled against Ben Kenobi w/ Obi’s Saber and Han Solo. This was a bad move on my part. I choked out Han, but he hit Vader. I lost Vader; my opponent was immune to my attrition, and plays Advantage on Ben. So it’s Mara against Ben w/ saber and Master Luke w/ Anakin’s Saber. Great. He drops down EPP Han and battles. He knocks out Mara and a bunch more, leaving me with 1 card left. I lose that to Advantage.
Score: 4 (+20)
I got so shafted that it wasn’t funny. If I had battled with just DVDLOTS early on instead of waiting for Mara, I would have lived a while longer. Oh well. The deck is now 5-1.
Game 4:
My LS deck vs. Gibson Yim’s Bring Him Before Me deck
Rebounding off of the prior loss, I wanted to end the tournament with a fun game. He capped Luke and ran to the Cloud City docking bay, and dropped a Presence Of The Force there a turn later. So, I had nothing but my 1 ASP and 3 Ewok Catapults on table besides my starting cards. I then decide to go after the lone Palpatine at the D*II Throne Room. I drop Colonel Cracken and EPP Han there. Mistake #1: I should have dropped KFC there too. I had stacked a Catapult during my control phase. I battle, shoot Palpy, and draw a 4 for destiny. He opts not to use Emperor’s Power, and draws a 1 for battle destiny (this is where KFC would have helped). I lose Cracken, he loses Palpy and 8 more, and stacks one. Next turn, Mara comes down and battles the lone Han. I shoot but miss, he slices and hits. I lose Han and 3 more, and stack one. After a multitude of drains, he moves the Blizzard 2 w/ Officer Evax piloting to the Endor docking bay and Tramples my ASP. I decide to go out with a bang. I had a tracked Catapult on top, so I drop RSL Wedge and KFC to where he has Lord Vader escorting Luke. I initiate battle, he plays You Are Beaten on Wedge. Crap. He hits KFC, I lose her and 9 more, and stack one. I then as a last resort try to play On The Edge targeting Wedge, thinking I had correctly tracked another 7. I didn’t (it was a 1). Oh well. I ask him if he has any interrupts he can get back into his deck; he doesn’t, so I draw up to end the game a few minutes earlier than if I hadn’t and he had just kept draining away.
Score: 4 (+5)
If I had played with a little more seriousness, it wouldn’t have been as bad a game as it was.
Final results:
Out of 12 people, I got 5th. Chris Leung went undefeated and got 1st, my friend and carpool buddy Steve Daniel edged out 2nd with a high differential.
The prizes sucked as it was Alfred’s first tournament, and Ballpark supplied gift certificates for places 1-3. Steve and Alfred had donated some rares, and after a random selection, I pulled an SE Jabba and That Thing’s Operational.
All in all, not a bad showing. I had fun, which was the most important thing. Thanks for reading.