twigg-at-d-con-2k
Title: twigg-at-d-con-2k
Author: Brian "twigg" Terwilliger
Date: Oct 12, 2000
It all started back the weekend before D-Con. I went home to "test" with my brother and hopefully, re-find myself in the game. While at college time eats away at your ability. Its like muscle, it really doesnt go away, but you need to work to get it back to original form. So I tested at the guild, played and played and played and played . Then back to my house, played, played and played some more. I brought Chris back to college with me, (Ithaca College) so that while Im not in class we could play some more. Id been talking tech with Sokol, Chu and Dabmoise for weeks. So Chris is building decks in the middle of my dorm floor and Im on the phone with Aaron Kingery, hardcore Team Albany member and weird deck builder extraordinaire. Hes telling me he has a meeting near Syracuse, which is only an hour from Ithaca. So I give him directions on the off chance he actually might come up and test some more. So Chris and I continue our play testing, I go to classes, and while Im at work (I work in a computer lab on campus, I get paid to surf the web and do my homework), Chris calls me.
"Aaron is here!"
I Scream, drop my stuff, tell my co-worker I, uhhh, need to pick up my brother at the bus station and get the hell out of there, I fly across campus and run to my room to find the boys at work. So we play for a while, go eat at the dinning halls, and Aaron doesnt leave till 11pm, only a 3 hr drive away from Saratoga (Albany). So Chris hits the sac, my roomie and I go on the air, we have a weekly Dj show, and we have a blast playing link and Green Day every other hour.
**Wednesday**
I get up and my brother is dead tired, Im late for class so I run out the door and tell him to pack everything. In my computer class and sat there, trying to find a way out but, no escape. In macroeconomics, I remind my teacher that Ill be gone on a "family reunion" and she flips out like I never told her. Well in fact I told her day 1 of classes that I was going to be away for this time. Well after 10 minutes of, ill do extra work, blah blah blah, she releases me. At 1pm I had a microeconomics test. I own micro!!! I show it whos its daddy and take it to school. The test is long, and Im done in 12 minutes. The rest of the class is like, "WHAT???" My roomie says good luck bro and Im off to my room to get Chris and drive home. (For those who care I got a 94 on the test!!) I find Chris all ready to go, we pack the car, buy the new Green Day CD Warning (REALLY GOOD) and were off.
On the 3-hour drive we talk about everything from tech to girls, to the games we remember to how good the new green day cd is, (CAAAAST-A-WAYYY). So 3 hours goes by and we are home! My dad and my mom are running around the house getting everything ready so we dont miss our flight, (twiggs are know for lateness, in fact we have our own, "twigg time"). Im packing everything and INSIST we bring all the cards because, "What happens if one of us wins?" So the sokols arrive, "ding dong" and I welcome them with the standard Albany WAAAZZZAAAPPPPP?!?!?!? Matt comes in and is all ready to go. Dan seems disappointed that he cant go, (and I know he will go next time). So we pack the car, and head off to the airport. Half way there we FORGOT what hotel we were staying at so I call Danny on my dads cell phone and have him look it up on the net, and after laughing at us Double Tree was the correct answer!
Im taking pictures of everything in sight like a dorky traveler, but thats cool. We pack our bags say Farwell to my mom and sis, matt to his sis, and were off. Art and Aaron left earlier in the day so were are meeting up with them. We get to the metal detector. We all are "ok" but poor Chris. His watch, belt or something kept making the alarm sound. The lady was like take off your belt and I said to my self, YUK, not here bro . But any way Chris got through security and we were all fine.
We get on the plane and get seated, Chris and I never flew before, maybe when we were like 4 years old but that doesnt count. We take off, matt is listening to the theme from the transformer movie, "Youve got the touch" and Chris and I are spazing out, were gonna die, were gonna die . Well after turbulence and my ears exploding every 15 minutes, we land in Atlanta. Let me say, southern girls are MAAAAAAD HOT! The first sight of Atlanta was this hot stewardess and I really wanted her to help me with my luggage but (lol) ANYWAY, we find our plane to Orlando and were off. This flight was better, but my ears were killing me the whole time. Meanwhile Matt and Chris were comparing light decks, Dag or HB mains. My dad is like see, theres the engine and this is tu-u-urbulance. I start flippin out and grab my cd player and let my music put me to sleep, (caaaast-a-waayy). We arrive in Florida, at like 1:30am and need a ride to the hotel. The decipher shuttle ended like, 4 hours ago so were hire a taxi van thing. A LOOOOONG 40 minutes later we get there to the double tree.
**Thursday (technically)**
Scott Lingrell was at the door when we arrive, and Art Wright give a big, waazzzaaappp as we enter the hotel. Me and my dad get our luggage off the van and head in. Chris immediately goes to start playing as we drag the stuff to the room. Another wazzzaappp from Aaron was given as we entered the room. So we un pack, give mean stares to this guy who snored a lot! (nothing but love dude ;-) My dad goes to sleep, since his decks were done and the most solid out of all of ours (big blue space and Dag mains). We all go down to test, my dag gets WOOPED so I run back to the room to find Chris saying, all that work down the tube. So we make a gimmikly copy of Matts light and head to bed.
Three hours later we awake make deck lists, and head down stairs. We find a MAD long line, like 5 miles long for pre reg. So since I want the foil that ill end up selling for maad money we wait in it. We get the new rules on how jedi luke subtracts three when being epic dueled (not pleased) and random people say, you team albany, were like hey ."who was that?!" I roam the line and meet up with Hunter and Kyle Craft. Kyle and I have talked over the net for almost a year now, so it was cool to meet the kid in person. And no matter what people say, this kid is REALLY cool! An extended member of Team Albany, Colorado division, ;-).
So we get through the line and get into the main hall. I meet up with Chu and say yo to the Tenn guys. Kyle, Aaron, Hayes and I look to pass the time so Aaron and I play tabletop football, and Kyle and Hayes are making "enhanced land." Kyle took some tape and scissors and made swamp and farm with nudjs. Very Cool. Aaron woops me in foot ball 70-0. A few hours later, the tourney starts.
I apologize but since this thing lasted 15 hours I hardly remember my games so I CAN give a brief synopsis of each one.
Game 1: my BHBM vs. Profit
I played horribly, mad soooo many mistakes and only lost by 4. My opponent was cool though, his team finished 2nd in the team event later that weekend. Nothing Spectacular, just BHBM vs. Profit.
0(-4)
Highs: uhh. The tourney finally started
Lows: I lost . Damn!
Game 2: my HB Mains vs. Hunt Down
For some reason my light was dueling prepared as I won 3 duels over the weekend and lost none. He set up his destinies, I let HOTJ do its thing with small drains as well, he gets frustrated and duels, he draws a 6 and a 1. Ben gains courage and gets a 5, 6, 7. I win the duel and win the game by 15.
2(11)
Highs: winning a duel
Lows: having sooo many cards in hand.
Game 3 my BHBM vs. TJ Holmans E B ghett-O
What pairings, at 1-1 I get TJ and Matt, next to us, gets Steven Lewis. Well we both activate and draw, have 2 little SAC wars. Very strategic game. I dropped resistance, but was unable to keep in in effect for long enough so a few drains for 4 at kiffex get me. I could have circled obi, but he sensed it. I then continued drawing to find 2 more senses. (bad player). We play cat in mouse in space and BHBM does me in. Great Game, TJ and I were good opponents to each other.
2(-3)
Highs: Playing a great game with Holeman
Lows: Losing a great game with Holeman
Game 4 my HB Mains vs. Endor Monkey Ties
My light suxs. Dont get ANY ships. And a lucky barrier on his part gets him the game. I loose to tiredness. His retrieval did me in.
2(-21)
Highs: Finding a ship, reassuring my self that I DID play them
Lows: Losing without a chance to fight
At this point every one in Team Albany is doing fine with the exception of me! Steven Lewis and Mike Girard get DQed for improper deck lists, (which I think was a bad trend started by those Trek People. They tossed a guy before the open started and he flew in from Australia! - yuk!) So Scott Anderson (yo bro d-mail me!!!!) are both 1-3 and are talking comeback 5-3 can get in we hope.
Game 5 BHBM vs. light mains
I get Lord Vader and stick opening hand. I drop and beat the hell out of his guys. His space makes it a close game, but Big Vader has done too much damage.
4(+1)
Highs: Getting the W and staying alive
Lows: Playing at this end of the tables
Scott and I both won, the comeback continues .
Game 6 HB mains vs. BHBM
I get a fast jump on this guy and drain in space and have Jedi Luke on the ground at docking bays wait for a piece. He sends a hit squad, but a tracked 7, and fallen portal takes out Tarkin and 4-Lom with gun. From there, I drained and I hope shes alright did the rest.
6(+19)
Highs: Staying alive, staying alive .
Lows: Watching his face on the fallen portal
Scott and I CONTINUE THE MARCH BACK .
Game 7 BHMB vs. HB (make of deck tech with cool hair)
I get a good jump and start draining on the ground. I surprised him when I lost to my own objective w/o me "forgetting." (Hey Im a gamer not a cheater!) I send my ships to space and winning the battle. I grab luke and duel him to death, (nothing like direct damage with a tracked 5 and 6!) A big battle in space turns the tides and I pull of the Win. A STUPID mistake leaving zuckass infront of the superfalcon cost me a lot of diff and I SO BAADly though I moved them, but oh-well.
8(+36)
Highs: DONT CALL IT A COMEBACK, IVE BEEN HERE FOREVER
Lows: Leaving Zuckass to get killed and take my diff away
Scott lost, so hes out but I still have a chance. At this point they also DQd Jonny Chu, who was 5-2. Matt and I are really mad, and if such a thing was gonna happened, I wish it happened earlier in the day, not at 5-2. Aaron Kingery also got tossed, but he wasnt mad. He said, " Brian, my light had 55 cards and my dark listed 62. Uhhh I thought they wanted an AVE of 60 per deck lol." Aaron in one funny guy.
Game 8 HB mains vs. Jim Li and Scum
I get a good jump and im in the Audience Chamber. The game went back and forth, but his retrieval and all wrapped up captures all my guys so I cant do anything! It was very heart breaking to watch my force pile diminish.
8(+21)
Highs: none
Lows: so close, and now nothing ;-(
So Chris and Matt get into day 2 with a bazillion other Coruscant guys. We all head up to the room for testing to help out the other guys. (Team Albany is all about helping out the other guy, so I spent all night advising chris, matt, kyle and hayes.) Well im playing mike girard and his profit fred deck. I slaughter him (nothing but love!) and hayes heads off with some chick Kyle continues to stare into space, and just says hell use his same decks. Chris tweaks his light and sticks with the dark. Matt goes to x wings and uses the "Beast" for dark.
I sleep and wish them all good luck.
**Friday**
I wonder around, find an 8 man, win (4-0 +90). And watch the guys in day 2. I then play in Trek Reflections sealed. I get a god pull: foil La Forge, Foil Riker, Foil Sheliak, Spock, Captain Kirk, Defiant and foil Sisko. !!!!!!!!!!!! DAMN DUDE I went 2-2 but WHO CARES, with pulls like that nothing can make me sad!!!!!
Chris and Matt do good and I head off to play Jap sealed. I get an R2D2 and Premiere Leia (cool). Win my first game b/c of figdan. And janiak converts my yavin jungle to WOOP me in game 2. I quit b/c I want to see how my boys are doing.
Chris goes 5-3 gets 18th (hes still the best damn player I know!!!)
Kyle goes 7-1, hes in!
Matt goes 6-2, gets 8th, so were stylin!!!
Matt goes with the Tenn crew to dinner, a little hurt from the boys but its all good. So Chris, dad, aaron, kyle and I go to IHOP for dinner.
We talk tech with Kyle, (BENNY!!!!!!) and he tells us his life story. Our waiter was on his second day and was so mixed up, we laughed our buts off!!! So after and ok meal and a lot of Chocolate milk (does a body good!) we go home. Kyle keeps the same decks, but we advise speeder protection.
We go back to the room and watch the mets win (WOOHOO). I start thinking of decks for matt and art and aaron are thinking as well. Chris goes downstairs to woop on some kids. Matt comes in, and we tell him he was DUMB for leaving us. But we still love him! So down to business. We think for light go X-wings but with "s or mains or a twist somehow. We decided on "s since its fast and effective.
For dark we start an EV9D9 deck because mike canavan has the most feared deck in the world. We trade for these things with dudes down the hall and realize the power droids were errattad so no power bonus. SCRATCH!!!
So matt playtests his light and I say, "I will make your dark." A few minutes later matt goes what are you making. I asked him how many outer rim scouts do you have? He immedialty knew what deck I was making him and was like uh 1. So I toss his binder and go the Twigg Collection and make the deck. Travis Descell and I had these decks earlier in the year, and for New York States. They were machines!!! All modified and revamped from Kim Catons original version!!! PROPS TO KIM!! So I give this heavenly machine to Matt, he tries it a hand and goes to bed, while I tweak it some more. Aaron said to add a set for stun and I threw in projected telepathys for anit- AFAs.
Sleep time.
**Saturday**
I awake, and everybody is gone but my bro and me. We wake up and run downstairs to get some Jabba OSTD. Matt and Kyle are off in day 3, Dad is running events, aaron is around, and art, I didnt know where he was. Chris and I get in JPOSTD. We each get light side. I get 2 fallen portals sand whirls and droopy Mcool to dance in the sandwhirl. I went 3-1 losing my last game because my opponent was loud and mean. I didnt want to play any more so I ended the game quick. Chris went 2-2 with light, but who cares, its sealed.
We find matt has beaten Clint (w/ the dark of death), lost to Yannik, and beat Raphael with the set for stun. Kyle is also 2-1 so were hoping for good things!!!!
Time comes around and matt wins his last game and is in if Kyle wins his, (if matt had lost than kyle would have been in) to face the undefeated Yannik. Kyle wins. Matt is in. We walk out side and start jumping around like idiots hugging and screaming. Art runs out to join us and we are so psyched. Matt is feeling all depressed with his luke-less light, but aaron told him, "You dont need that fluff!" I guess he was right.
The duel.
We all watch in awe as Team Albany FINALLY made it to the big game. Matt loses his 1st game by 20, taking Your Destiny Damage ALL game. Im in another Jabbas Sealed b/c I WANT THAT t-shirt (jedi luke t shirt) so I beg the guys to hold the tourney.
Back for game 2. Matt gets a great draw. Down come the agents and sandwhirls. Meanwhile Bastian and some select europeans were bashing matts play. So chu, chris, art, aaron and I are defending matts every move, (even putting the droids at the docking bay last game uhhh DOH!) So matt makes his final moves, and wins the title.
We all start screaming like idiots!! Jon and I jump over chairs and hug in our victory. Art, aaron and I group and share the moment. I run to my dad and say, hey, we did it! And then I just run around like a loon screaming!!! (I want Yannik, Dom, and Raph that I have nothing but love for you guys. I guess the moment just look me over ;-)
And so we all calm ourselves despite some mean words from Clint and some random guy, we settle waiting matt arrival. He talks with D, gives the yellow menace mad props, and me and we run to play JPOSTD.
Well the guys running the sealed deck were jerks. They were like, here now you have to play each other. We arrived 30 sec late. LAME anyway, they found it ok to pair me and chris, (sure this hasnt happened a million times already) and chu and my dad.
I get a great pull. The unique Ishi Tib that manipulates and 5 non-uniques ishis. So my deck is beat down with large retrieval. I egde out my bro, even after he captured my lando, 2 monks, and my palace raider. I win the next 2 games and Im 3-0, yet again. This game was critical because my diff was monstrous and I needed to win to solidify the jedi luke shirt. I GET A GOD LIKE DRAW. So, my opponenet forgot ur name bro, drops 2 aliens to the trade route and draws. I activate, draw 2 cards and stop. He drops a 2/2 alien and draws. I drop, fatty revolutionary guy, palace raider, a baraguin packing the stun gun on a skiff. Battle bounce one back to his hand, draw 2 destinies, he lost some 9 cards. He went inside. I finally got lando (only twice in the 8 games that day) with a revolutionary and beat him down inside. Light is just tooo good.
So I win the t-shirt finishing 4-0 +63 (not bad eh?) What a night. We collect our selves and head back to the room. We chill, flip out and make decks for the team tourney its bed time, the decks will wait till morning
**Sunday**
We wake up, and scream holy c-r-a-p!! It was 8:45am!!! No decks. No deck lists. So Chris and Chu are already down at the hall, Matt grabs his decks, and I look for mine. He said you never built them. So I grab a pile of light side cards, it looks like my deck. So I count it, 56 cards!!!! So I add 4 random cards (civil disorder, fallen portal, Biggs and melass). Run downstairs, and fill out deck lists. While Matt is filling his out he realizes he doesnt play Rendezvous Point, and He is playing hidden base, (I swear how did he ever j/k ;-) So we all get are decks in order and gear up for the tourney. Although really unprepared, we wanted this bad. Team Albany has been the Buffalo Bills of Team Tournaments, ALWAYS GETTING 2nd place. So we hoped to make things better.
The team: myself, Chris littletwigg Terwilliger, Matt the world Sokol, Jon yellow menace Chu
Game 1: BHBM vs. Mike and the Chandra-Fhans
I couldnt believe I was playing against these little guys. I though nothing of it until they swarmed over the table. I couldnt believe my eyes. I was getting wooped by these little devils. He was draining and retrieving and , oooh is was frustrating. The Emperor almost got slammed buy a bothan spy and 11 mini-kabes but hut smooch saved the day! My drain in space made a big difference and a late game, Rise my Friend to move Vader into a Chndra-Fhan mosh pit clear some of guys out as well as Secret plans! Good Game. Damn Kabe!
2(+4)
Highs: Pulling out of the mosh pit alive
Lows: The emperor ALMOST getting slammed, (I love the card hut smooch!)
Game 2: HB Mains vs. Mike (again) and his BHBM
Slow game, back and forth running around. He wooped me in space with a lat damage and the executor, (ouch!). But my speed kept me in the game. I piled Ben, Epp Han and Orimarko on a Mission to Kill vader and free Luke, (they wanted him back!). So Im tracking a 5, and I think he knew it was there, so he battles at the Tat DB, and I slam down a fallen portal. He THEN realized he should have use Sim Aloo to check and move my destiny. So Vader dies, and its the Hit squad against 4-lom and Tempest 1. He loses some 19-battle damage, and light side comes out on top.
4(+19)
Highs: I love fallen Portal!
Lows: I only played 2 effects in the deck (some great card collecting eh?)
So now Matt, Chu and myself are 2-0, Chris is 1-1 (its not a team tourney unless one of us really scrubs out. Looks like fate chose Chris).
Game 3: HB Mains vs. Hunt Down Duel
I took honor out. Good thing b/c he was packing No Escape. We go back and forth, I throw Ben with Saber out there enticing him to blind duel (I have courage of a skywalker in my hand). So he looks for docking bays, and on one turn doesnt find it, so I get to look at his deck . ALL 6s I couldnt believe it. I played very differently and started tracking like a machine. So he is winning the game with visage damage and were are fighting in space. He finally duels, so I sense, he then sensed - drew a 6, sensed again - 6, sensed again - 1. Im so nervous now, he says anything else, I say, Obis got courage. He senses, I alter. That was that, thank god! Now the destinies, his were a 6 and a 1. Mine were - (drum roll for great tracking ) (0 or) 7, 4, and 5. So Obi is champ of the world and I send Jedi Luke and Orimarko to Kill the lone Tarkin on Endor. Great Game!
6(+27)
Highs: Winning another duel
Lows: Looking at all of those destiny 6s
So we now have 3 undefeated and Chris is 1-2 (I dont know how?)
Game 4: BHMB vs. Throne Room Old Skool
First Thing I do is see if I put No Escape in my deck so I get activation bonuses from his <> sites, nope. We activate, and I draw a lot, and start dropping Empy, Vader to Endor and Stuff to drain at Caridia. He continues to activate, like, his whole deck So he finally deploys a lot, but im sac-ing a lot of his red so I feel confident. The CC Downtown plaza is where the game was focused. I tossed the CC DB, why I dont know, and he set up a huge drain at Kessel, like 3-4 starships. Resistance kicked in so the bleeding wasnt horrible. I drop Igar, Tarkin in a non unique Blizz walker and battle luke, he draws a 1 and my destinies kill luke off the site. He comes back with obi and jedi luke. Doesnt battle. So rather than play defensively, I battle, like an idiot. I draw a 1 and a 1. He draws a 6. Wiping the walker out, his guys remain, and my walker remains empty. The game looks bad for me as im draining for 3-4 and he is now draining for 6. At this time Chu taps me on the should and says "I lost." So Matt and I need to win. I glance over at matt and he won his game, "loose 4 to much anger in him, ya you can read the card" and he gives me a thumbs up. So its up to me. I draw up a few cards and get Ozzel and A Rise my Friend. He tracks his 6 and is about to send a beat down squad of 3 2/2 guys to kill my lord vader so I raise his butt out of there. And drop him in front of Obi on CC, and take luke. His drain I take off my deck as well as the BHBM damage. So I now have 4 life left to his 9 life and 4 cards in hand. He drops the 2/2s to back up Leia in the throne room and replaces obi with Epp obi. I grab Force Lighting out of my deck and see a 6 and a 2. BEAUTIFUL! I zap jerrijerod to get the 5 back. I already had 1 force activated. He says go. I recirculate, Drop Ozzel in the empty walker (power 0 to 8) battle, chop obi, draw a 5. He misses vader, and draws a 1. Power 20 to 6. 14 battle damage won me the game!
8(+31)
Highs: Ozzel is GOD
Lows: My armpits were nice and smelly after that one ;-)
So Steven Lewis wins his last game and clinches the Win for Team Albany. Oh it never felt sooooooo good!
After we get our cool pointy trophies, we go back and head out to the pool. A night of relaxation and ESPN was the best way to end it. (we also played paligalo? Some dice game with kyle of big D. It was kool!)
**Monday**
The buzzer goes off. Its 8am. The flight is at 9:25. HOLY c-r-a-p!!!!!! We run around collecting our stuff, bid art and aaron a good bye and fly down stairs. The hotel call us a "fast taxi" to get us there. This lady pulls up and is like "Did we enjoy our weekend?" My dad said, we need to make our flight, at 9:25. We hop in the car and she says Ill have you there in 25 minutes. This lady FLEW down the roads. 85 mph in a 45, we were flying!!!!
Like 10 minutes later we made the airport We thanked her and ran to our flight like the family in Home Alone screaming, "HOLD THE PLANE" We made it, all thanks to the fastest driver in Florida.
And that was D-Con 2K
Now time for the Props and Slops
PROPS:
My dad for organizing everything - love ya dad!
Matt Sokol for winning
The left side of my brain for thinking of ISB sand whirl
Chris for being my bro and re-tutoring me the game
Art for being the horniest guy I know
Aaron for his unlimited funny comments "f-Jacky"
Kyle Craft for being the coolest kid in the world!
Hayes for getting that chick
Butch for a great sealed deck game
Yannik, Dom, and Raph for being awesome - (love the hair)
Team Albany for having unlimited spirit
Jim Sells for spilling soda on himself - it was funny
Steven Lewis for being cool
Mike Girard for being, Girard
TJ and Chris P for representing Ghett-o
The Diplomat for all the memories
Any one else who I missed
Slops:
The Doubletree staff for busting our game of football - (kyle why did u run away? ;-)
The rude remarks said about us, - you know who you are.
THERE ARE NONE - THIS WEEKEND ROCKED!!!!