tucson-az-11-12-2000-hardcastle
Title: tucson-az-11-12-2000-hardcastle
Author: Justin "Bubba Joe" Beal
Date: Nov 12, 2000
This is my second tournament report ever, and for that matter only my 8th tournament ever so I may miss something. This tournament was held in Tucson at HardCastle Cards and the tourny director was Mik. This was his first tourny as a director, so Enrique helped out a bit, but it was still fun. (Enrique runs alot of tournys here in Tucson) There were 8 people, only 2 of which I knew, so I don’t know how long these others have been playing or what not, but it was a sanctioned event so that was cool. All I wanted to do was win half my games and have a positive diferential and I would be happy. Actually all I wanted to do was do better than I did at the Phoenix MEGA tourny weekend.
I was playing an EBO that doesn’t start ANSB, and a Speeder Bike Raltiir Ops. For all my nay-sayers, I have now played Ral Ops in 9 games since JPOTSD was legal and I have only seen Ounee Ta once! For all those people that think Ral Ops is just going to go away then they need to re-think playing that card. Anyway, on to the games. I must apoligize for not having any last names but that is what happens when I don’t pay attention when the games are going on.
Game #1 - My EBO vs John’s Court
I start Strike Planning, Do, or Do not, and Draw Their Fire. He starts the card for capturing forfited characters, the DS card of Draw Their Fire, and Ability, Ability, Ability. I inform him that he can’t start Ability so he puts it back and I never see it again. I got a pretty good hand. I have ANSB and a Signal in hand an one of my scouts (I can’t remember which). He starts by deploying Jabba to the AC and draws up. I deploy ANSB to get war room and Med Lab, (I have 3 DBs in the deck so I can get it last). I search for General Crix and deploy him and draw up. He draws up next turn, and it is my turn again. I think this is odd but I have gotten to play John a few times in non-tournyment environments so I know everything he does is for a reason. So I get the DB and EBO and Ketowl (using Crix), activate, and deploy both my scouts. I then start to move them over to the DB and draw up. I get a system so I can get my two docking bays next turn instead of a system. He goes, and activates and draws some, and says go. I am really confused at this point, but I have EBO going and I had gotten (using that Signal) Incom Corp, so I am feeling OK at this point. I deploy Kashyyyk, and two xwings after getting only one from my reserve deck (using Organized Attack) and I draw some and forget to leave force for that effect of his. :-< Oh well, I shrug it off, and say to myself what are the odds that he has a BH ship in hand? Well those odds would be 100%. Damn! He puts down Boba Fett in ship with Ree-Yees (forfit fodder). He iniates and I lose one off the top (an Xwing) and he retrieves one. At this point the observant readers would notice that we need to retrieve and lose two every turn but we both forgot about that, and by the time we figure it out it makes very little difference in the game, but it could have been a very different story if we remembered (cause he iniated most of our battles) He draws a 5 for destiny and I draw a 2 so he loses nothing and I get cleared off the site. I draw some and he force drains some, until I get a space force in my hand and I deploy the Liberty, and an X wing and the X wing cannon. He had reinforced that system with Zuckas so I iniate and fire with 3 at Zuckas to make him imediately lost. So all that is there is Boba Fett but he still gets a destiny and so do I and it is a 5 so he loses Ree-Yees and a couple cards and I lose the Liberty (to my used pile) but leave the lone Xwing hoping that he is silly enough to iniate against me. He goes and drops Bossk in Bus and iniates. I use 3 force agian and shoot Boba Fett. I am praying for one of those 22 5s that are in my deck and I get blessed with one. So not only is Boba gone but now lonely old Bossk doesn’t get one because he doesn’t have the 6 ability. So we sit there. Me moves away and now finally I get to start draining in Space. I drain and move he drains, and runs away. Then I drop Luke with stick to the AC where Jabba was all alone ( Well I had dropped Boussh to stop his drains) and break Leia’s cover and iniate. He loses Jabba and like 6 force, and I lose Luke, but get him back using Ketowl. A few more turns go by and he drops Mara to battle Leia, and I we both lose our characters. We drain some more, and then the director calls time on my turn. Our piles look about the same but I had just activated, and he had drawn some. I force drain for like 3 and then I drop Boussh and break her cover and iniate agians someone I revrieve 2 he loses 2 and I end my turn. I count 16. He has 11. I get my first timed win ever and my first ever time to win my first game in a tourny.
1 (+16)
Good: Starting with ANSB in hand, shooting Boba out of the sky.
Bad: Only getting the timed win, but I am not sure if I would have won without it.
Ugly: Me rushing him to try to get the full win. I thought he was stalling where as he was trying to use all his cards to his fullest benefit. Sorry.
Game 2 - My Raltiir vs Enrique’s Y4 Mains & Choke. ( Atleast I think that was what was supposed to happen.)
Man there are 5 people here that I have never seen before and I get paired up with the 2 that I play alot against. I am dark, which Enrique has helped me put together so he pretty much knows what is there. Good for him and bad for me. I had seen this deck in action before at the last tourny that he had won. So here goes. Also note that the only reason I had to play him is because every other LS deck lost thier first game. Great!!?! Anywho. He starts with Y4 Throne Room, Farm, and Swamp, I start with Raltiir Ops, Biker Scout Gear, Imperial Decree, and Imperial Arrest Order. He goes and deploys some Nudj’s to cut my activation in half (4 to 2). This stinks, but it is something that I have to deal with lots so here goes. I start by getting the swamp and a sleen, I figure that 2 can play at that game, except that he is already out generating me by like 3 or 4. I also get out the Hoth DB, just in case I have enough people to get Imperial Decree going. I end my turn. Next turn he deploys some site, (Tatoonie: something) and draws up. I get the forest and the Y4: DB, from reserve deck, and deploy another sleen from Reserve Deck, and put down a speeder bike. He revolvs Raltiir and deploys Obi’s hut with Obi. and says go. I deploy my one of my last two sites from reserve deck and also get a non-unique imperial (the site was a DB) and get another bike from my deck using the biker scout. But can’t flip because I only have 2 people on the table. So he goes and deploys the Falcon with Melas at Raltiir, so now since it is revolved I can’t deploy there but I do have a ship in hand (Zuckas) so I can deploy to my DB and then move to the system, and flip. I am thinking that I am OK, but you never can tell. He also in his turn revolves Obi’s hut and puts Obi’s stick on him, so now he will start to have a drain of 4 every turn that I can do nothing about. Except -1 to the drain. This stinks, but that is life. That is pretty much the game in my mind, cause I don’t have the people to set up Imperial decree ( no one in hand) and I also don’t have the people to attack Obi, so anyway. I get Boba fett from reserve deck and deploy to Raltiir and battle. I win with a bit more, but being as anxious as I was I forgot to force drain. That stinks. It doesn’t make a difference in the end, but it still stinks. I draw up forgetting to leave some force to react with. That was a major mistake. He deploys Jedi luke to the Raltiir DB (for 11) and then battles my generic biker scout and the unique BS that when forfitted satisifies all attrition and battle damage. So I lose him with another in my hand) and smile. I go. I get choke Vader and deploy him and the other guy and iniate, but don’t leave any force for me to react with in my turn. This is a bad thing. But I do have a High Speed Tactics in hand an play it. So now I get two BDs and I think I am the SCHIZNIT. All that has to happen is for luke not to hit Vader with his BoomBoom Stick. I figure that is a good chance, cause he has swung at 2 or 3 previous troopers and missed each time. Well the first is a 3 and then a 5. DAMN. Oh well my power should be much better than his. and it is, but he loses Threepo to cancel one of my 6’s ( I drew 2) but I still over power Luke, so he just goes and takes a bacta bath, and I lose VAder and a bike. But I am still happy cause he can’t get Luke and deploy him in the same turn so I have a turn to fortify, but he has been force draining me for 3 a turn every turn so I am down to like 20 cards, and I think he has a few more than that. I activate some hoping to find Tarkin or another biker scout, but all I find is interupts, Kashyyyk, and move Fett over to increase my force drain, and I know what is comming down next turn, and I can’t do anyting about it. I don’t know why he deployed back to the DB but he did and I lost that unique scout again. So now I am really hurting. I activate like 8 force and pull Tarkin with a HST in hand. I deploy iniate and kill Jedi Luke, who goes and takes another nap in bacta. But he cleared the site. Now I only occupy 3 of my 4 Raltiir sites, and he could flip me without any major problems. Well I am hurting for force at this point. I activate and hope to find something life saving, and find crap again. I grap a HST just in case ic comes in handy and say go. He deploys Jedi Luke to the forest and Melas at the Jungle. He iniates with Melas so I can’t react with that Bike, I lose my biker scout for some reason, and it is not looking good. Then he iniates with Luke and destroys me. I couldn’t play my HST cause I didn’t save the force. I lose the site and flip back or lose the game. I decide to lose the site and flip so I can do one more bit of damage even though I know I will lose the next turn to force drain alone. I drain for 5 move to block his Raltiir drains, and he drains and battles until I am dead. I lose my 19.
1 (-3)
Good: Killing Jedi Luke 3 times without 4-LOM.
Bad: Having Jedi Luke deploy 4 times, thus being more than the times I killed him.
Ugly: I think I only left enough force to react and play interupts once in the entire game. Stupid, Stupid, Stupid . . .
Well one of the players dropped at this point, so now someone gets a bye and if I lose the next game, I will be the only one with only 1 point so I would then get he bye so I have to win this game. Everyone complains about being hungry and so me and John walk over to Whataburger and get something to eat, and come back ready to kick some bootie. Right now Enirque is in first, John 3rd and me 5th. I think to myself that if we all win by alot we could all have the top scores and not play each other (or John vs Enrique) cause we would be playing the same sides, but that is cool. I eat my burger ( and wish I hadn’t) and start game 3.
Game 3: My EBO vs Joel’s new JPOTSD objective.
Finally someone I don’t know, and that means I have a chance of winning. He tries to start with 3 effects but one of them is not immune to alter so he puts it back. I could tell that he is a newbie (well so am I but even newer than me) so I felt bad making him do that. I started like crap. Not only did I not have ANSB or Signal in hand I drew my one General (Crix). Well that is how it goes sometimes, atleast I started with Echo War Room so I have some extra activation. His Rep was Bossk so I am thinking that if he has lots of Trandoshans I could have a problem. He puts down Bossk at the AC and draws. He started with Battle Plan which could be a problem but I will just have to work through it. I deploy my site and Crix, and leave the rest there. He deploys a Trandoshan and Boba with gun to Hoth 4th marker, so I am thinking I have a problem, but he leaves them there. I am thinking that I could have a problem is he flys Boba in to kill Crix, but he is content to sit there. The next turn I activate and look for a general and there isn’t one there (cause there is only 1 in the deck) and find out that ANSB is not there. I am over joyed I pull a scout and draw up until I get ANSB, and say go. He uses all 6 of his force to force drain me for 2. I say OK, and lose two cause I know I can retrieve it. (On the Edge, and Ketowl in hand, and EBO), so I activte and deploy ANSB to get the sites and deploy them and my two scouts (Ketwol, and some scrub) and say go. This turn he only uses 3 force to force drain and deploys a unique imperial to a tatooine site. Next turn I use ANSB to get my 2 DBs and an organized attack lost to get 3 x-wings for the Endor in hand. I deploy Endor, 2 x-wings (testing the waters because if he is using Battle Plan it stands to reason that he has some space presence) and TK-422 to the imperials site. Next turn is activates 8 and uses 6 to force drain and deploys that 3 dot imperial from Endor (power +2 with guns) to a lonely site and says go. I say OK, and activate bunches. Not enough yet to use that on the edge. ( I wait until I have 1 card in Reserve deck to use it that way I know what is there either my looking for a scout or a General) But I have this Luke with Stick just itching to beatdown Boba and Trandoshan. I deploy Luke there, and iniate I retrieve you lose all that good stuff. He shoots luke and luke swings at the Trandoshan. I knew I had a high destiny (two 2, three 5s, and one 6) so I knew he would have to lose Boba to attrition, but it was possible I would miss Boba, and I had to clear the site. So I did what I wanted to, and I lost Luke and thats it and then got him back using Ketowl. Then I say go. He drains me at the scrubs site and I surprize assualt him. I had the 6 and 2 left from the last turn, so either way he loses force. I draw the 2 and he only loses 1. I then get that back using Ketowl and can use it again. I love Ketowl!!! He moves that unique imperial scrub over and also deployed Bane Malar to that same site. I can’t believe my luck. He read the card, but maybe he can’t read, or didn’t read closely. Well, I drain, drop luke to the 4th marker, and then say go. He drains me at his newly reinforced site, and I sruprize him again, with 2 fives and 6. That hurts. From that point on it is a blur of what really happened but I win and I give him some pointers as to how to fix his deck.
3 (+17)
Good: EBO worked even without the perfect start.
Bad: I felt bad beating him, but a game is a game.
Ugly: Well, I think that second Surprize Assualt was kind of ugly, in a good kind of way.
Game 4 - My Raltiir vs Mike’s Alien’s on Tatooine
Mike had the bye the last round so I get to play him now. Both Enrique and John won and we all had the highest score and differential but all played the same side so we didn’t get to play each other again. Good, and bad. Anyway, Mike confesses to me that he only made this deck last night and doesn’t think it is ver good, I say that my Raltiir Ops is not very good (a lie but I think God will forgive me) and he should just play his best and see what happens. Well, I am glad that Mike was right, cause I got one of those game breaking beginings. I activate all my sites except my DBs (didn’t I shuffle?) so I get Y4 DB and draw up. Yep there they are. So I deploy 2 of them cause I have a Sleen in hand so I can get 2 sites out that he won’t activate, a bike and a non-unique. I was not wanting an alien beatdown on Raltiir so took it slow, and since that last turn he dropped Lando with schtick I didn’t have to worry about the spy thing. (or so I thought) So he goes and draws up. I get m last DB (generic) and a non-unique imperial and deploy them all with getting bikes for the uniques in hand, deploy them all and flip, and say go. He tries to FD me and I point out to him they are all minus one. Again I hate doing that to people, beating people that don’t know. I have no problem being mean and not allowing force draining if the person has a 1700 rating but when it is a kid with almost no rating I feel bad. Anyway, I wait for a few turn to get my beat down crew and hurt someone. I get Vader, His stick, Tarkin, Mara with her stick, and a non-unique biker with a bike in the reserve deck. I deploy them all in one turn and beat down the BROKEN Lando. He swings big (tries to get Vader excluded) but misses by one (cause I drew a 1), so I play HST and draw a 5 and a 6 and that was game set match. I won by 21.
5 (+38)
Good: KILLING LANDO!!!
Bad: Um, nothing really.
Ugly: Actually winning by only 21.
So I finish the day at 3-1 with a very positive differential. This was more than I expected but good cause I was feeling kind of glum after the Phoenix mega weekend. Don’t get me wrong I had a great time at the GS but I was wondering if I wanted to continue spending the insane amounts of money on a gmae that I am no good at. For all of you that live in the southern AZ area, Enrique is hosting a tourny in Tucson at Kards 4 You on Saturday so get your butts there before I get a head to big to play. I hope to see you all there.
BTW, the tourny finished out like this.
1) Enrque 8 (+lots)
2) John 5 (+60ish)
3) Justin 5 (+38) **ME**
Bubba Joe