paris-france-11-12-2000

Title: paris-france-11-12-2000
Author: Julien "Dark Padawan" Riviere
Date: Nov 13, 2000

Pre-tournament & meta-gaming:
The last week I’ve made a Belgium tournament. I’ve finished 3rd (see my own-page). And saturday, I went to Paris with some friends. Like in Belgium, I waited a lot of Hunt Down and Bring Him. So I chose to play Hidden Base again (X-Wings swarm like Chu’s deck). However, parisians usally play Hidden Base too. So I chose for dark side a court (see my own-page too) which put an heavy pressure with big drains and direct damages. Like new cards it uses Power Of The Hutt and Hutt Inlfuence: I think this cards are very good against anti-drain decks (like Hidden Base) ! So that was 16 players who show up for this tournament...

Game#1 Light against Thomas Ronsin (Hunt Down dueling)
I had a Transmission Terminated in my starting hand so I could cancel immediatly his first Visage. But in his second turn he played No Escape to retrieve this visage in his hand and and deploy it again. He put Vader+saber on CC docking bay then Palpatine on Tatooine dock. I answered by deploying Rebel Fleet and a projection on Tatooine. I lost a few from visage and played Tunnel Vision to take another Transmission Terminated (I canceled his second Visage). At that time, I have deployed a lot X-Wings on RDV point so I moved them on Endor to start draining. But Thomas deployed a third Visage ! I had to play immediatly All Wings Report In to retrieve my Transmissions and Tunnel Vision. I chose to flip despite Security Precaution and move all my X-Wings on Kessel (it was my hidden base so Thomas will have battle damage...). He deployed Zusckuss and started to probe. I ignored him and drew one Transmission I have tracked. I canceled his third Visage... But now he put Search&destroy. So I started to search for a Tunnel Vison or the Forest to put Obi and avoid Search&destroy. Thomas had a small reserve deck due to the drain on Kessel (he always lost 3 forces) but has probed all the system but Kessel. And he deployed a 4th visage ! Damned... And I made the bad choice: I used Tunnel Vision to take Transmission instead of the forest :( I canceled the visage for the 4th time but he put Battle Order. He then deployed Boba in S1 on Kessel, I barriered but he probed. I lost 8 forces due to Security Precaution and my reserve deck was also small. I prayed he hadn’t a Ghhhk and initiated with S-Foils. He played Ghhhk :( So the games ended by draining (him for free) and I lost by three due to Battle Order...
FL 0(-3)

At that time, I was confused: I played Hidden Base to beat Hunt Down and I have just lost against Hunt Down...

Game#2 Dark against Benoit Morel (Hidden Base like mine)
I started by deploying mighty jabba, hutt influence and a 1/0 docking bay. He put X-Wings on RDV point, lost one (my objective) and drew. Then I deployed Ephant (power of the hutt) and presence of the force. At that time, Benoit was feeling very bad: he coudln’t cancel or modify my drain and he couldn’t deploy any undercovered spy. So he lost three per turn early and fliped despite Security Precaution. I deployed Mara+saber on AC to raise my drain there and Chall Bekan+Boelo on Cantina. I added Search&Destroy... However he was draining on Kiffex and Kessel. He put the forest+Luke on Yavin 4 to avoid Search&Destroy. I deployed IG-88 on the forest with a 6 tracked destiny on the top but he barriered. So I added Boba Epp+Dr. Evazan and initiated with Scum + First Strike. I had to lose from his drain again before going in space. I beat him with Zuckuss + Bossk in boat and moved before another drain. The pressure was too high for him so he spread his X-Wings everywhere to drain a lot. I lost a few but he was dead...
FW 2(+14)
2(+11)

Game#3 Dark against Thomas Ronsin (Hidden Base B-Wings swarm)
OK I had my revenge against Thomas. I started by deploying Mighty Jabba and Hutt Influence first turn then Ephant Mon and Presence of the force on Audience Chamber second turn. He deployed a B-wings on RDV point, lost one, moved on Kessel and drew a lot. So I play Masterfull Move for Monnok Lost. He had 3 B-Wings, 2 Ralltiir Freighter Captain and 2 Hyper Escape :) I also see Jedi Luke and Kessel Run but no Houjix. I twileked for Search&destroy and drained. I deployed Cantina with Chall Bekan + Boelo and Search&Destroy. I had no starship in hand and no in reserve deck, only Dengar in Punishing One. So I couldn’t beatdown his lone B-Wing :( He answered to my direct damage by deploying Jedi Luke on the Cantina. I barriered put First Strike, Scum and 4-lom then battled. He lost Luke. At that time he was losing from my drains and my direct damage so he chose to flip to drain also. I just battled with my independant starships + eventually the Projective telepathy combo. I was retrieving a few and he was losing a lot so the game finished fastly, but I had 12 cards in hand...
FW 2(+22)
4(+33)

Game#4 Light against Sylvain Duc (Bring Him)
I was pretty confident with my deck against BHBM since I could cancel all his drains. But Sylvain’s Bring Him was different: he played on Tatooine with overseeing it personnaly. He took Executor in hand due to Mobilization point and deployed Palpatine on Tatooine docking bay. I put a Projection on the dock and my X-Wings on the RDV point. He deployed Mara+Saber on generic dock and drew. I answered with Tk-422 to ignore his drain and continued to pull off my systems and my X-wings then drew a few. And he played Masterfull move... At that time he could activate all his deck (my systems and his @#$%s) and track immediatly the 6’s for Force Lightning or Sniper. And I had 2 stack (he’ll take Monnok for sure). So I stack his masterfull move. He took monnok and made it lost. No double X-Wings but 2 Organised Attack. He put Battle Order and Executor on Kiffex with some pilots. I followed it with a lot of X-wings and Order To Engage. He feared Power Pivot so he lost 3 a few times. The game was mine untill he put Search&Destroy and Sniper on Tk-422. So I fliped, put others X-Wings on Kessel and Coruscant (I stopped to follow executor since he had Security Precaution and no battle damage). I never had Obi Wan so I couldn’t put Luke+Forest to avoid Search&Destroy: he could capture him with Vader. I lost a few from S&D but retrieve with All Wings Report Him. I drained him like a mad because he tried to find my base instead of block my drains. But I had 7 different systems so I could still cancel all his drains (he had overseeing it personnaly :) I succeed to win before he probed my hidden base...
FW 2(+17)
6(+50)

Game#5 Light against Maxime Kwasigroch (Sienar)
I hate playing with X-Wings against Tie Interceptors: it’s always a very close game. The beginning was boring: I deployed 5 or 6 X-wings on rdv point and civil disorder. My strategy was: make him deploy without retrieving (he haven’t lost any forces yet) to avoid a beatdown and could move through hyper espace easier than him with order to engage. So on his turn, he put a dreadnaught + 2 ties on bothawui. I deployed Rebel Fleet, canceled his drain each turn and added the x-wing on rdv point to raise my civil disorder ability. Each turn he drained and added a tie on bothawui to satisfy Civil Disorder. And that till I had my 12 X-Wings on rdv point and he had his 8 Ties (sometimes he lost 2 forces) on bothawui. I moved on endor to start draining. I lost the drain on bothawui till I had 12 forces in the lost pile and played All Wings Report In. I then put my 2 squadrons and replaced 6 X-Wings in the deck. I could continue to use Rebel Fleet. He tried to follow my X-Wings but he had less hyperspeed so I could drain. When I had my 12 X-wings again on the table I chose to flip. I could still cancel his drains. After a few turns he probed the right system but my drains were higher and he had even a lot of cards in lost and on table (he added all his dreadnaughts, the sword and the shield squadrons). He played Short Range, retrieved 8 and he started to drain. I feared the time win but I finished before with my drains and Order To Engage...
FW 2(+14)
8(+64)

Game#6 Dark against Jimmy Faelens (Quiet mining colony)
Jimmy is the first in France by rating. He has won his 2 first game with this light side deck by 33 and 29 ! He must have a high retrieval potential. I waited Off The Edge, On The Edge and Sabacc (he started with Casino). But I was confident since my deck was very fast (so secret plan would kill him). OK I made my usual start: Mighty Jabba, Ephant Mon and Hutt Influence. On his first turn, he lost to my objectif and drew a lot. I drained, added Presence Of The Force and put Zuckuss on Bespin with Dengar in P1 from the deck. His next turn, he lost 4 from my drain and 1 from my objective. I added Mara+Saber to my drain and drew to have my secret plan :) He activated a lot, played 2 tunnel visions and deployed Home One (barriered) + Hash’n + 2 another pilots. OK I deployed IG-88 with Gun and 4-Lom aboard Zuckuss. I put First Strike + Scum, initiated and retrieved. 3 battle destinies and he lost all the pilots but hash’n + more cards from his hand. I lost IG-88 (I had IG-88 in IG-2000 in hand :). He tried to reinforce his home one with Han (barriered) + Luke but on my next turn I added Bossk in Hound’s Tooth, IG-2000, initiated and retrieved. 4 battle destinies and he lost the Home One entirely. I lost 4-Lom + Ig-2000. So I drained for 6 forces and he lost 1 per turn. He deployed Han+Palace Raider+Patrol Craft on CC, played On The Edge, paid for Secret plan and retrieved 5. But I attacked them with Boba Epp (adds one battle), Dr Evazan and Djas Puhr. I retrieved my entire lost pile (IG-2000:) and he reacted by embarking Han who feared the demoniac doctor ! I drew my 2 battle destinies, he lost Han + the raider and I lost Djas Puhr. My drains killed him just after and I won with no card in my lost pile (but again 12 in hand:(
FW 2(+24)
10(+88)

Jimmy had a high differential (he was playing that quiet mining and sienar !) but he had made a time win before and he had only 9 points. So I won this tournament after a "sub-marine" tech ! It was the first time I had lost the first game of a tournament. But I have won the 5 others. I think I’ll be the first in France by rating after this tournament since I was second before. The next week I’ll go to Bochum in Deuschland and I’ll make a report of course !

Good luck !
/Julien RIVIERE