durham-north-carolina-1-27-01
Title: durham-north-carolina-1-27-01
Author: Henry "Henry Ward" Jicha
Date: Jan 28, 2001
I’d stayed up ’till about 12:00 the night before working on my LS scouts and a DS Hunt Down to playtest for the Swiss next week (my Court had been ready weeks ago), and didn’t have a DS by Saturday morning. Which was all right, because my DS was going to be bikers anyway, which I didn’t get until I traded Adam for assorted ’tech as we’d discussed for a while before the tournament (I didn’t buy Endor packs, just a set). I wound up building that deck in about 15 minutes.
Anyway, my LS deck went first, so I had a little extra time after that game to finish my hasty DS deckbuilding. LS was typical scouts. Adam, my mentor (I’m his Padawan, he’s Matt’s), had convinced me that trying to play LS space was just going to get me killed, so I’d dropped all of that last night to free up space for combos like Panno and Olander Brit and Wedge, Hobbie, and Tycho. I felt ready to take on the biker scouts.
Game 1: My LS TIGIH v. Mike Gallinari’s Biker Scouts
My opponent’s start was Forest Clearing (!) and Biker Scout Gear was in the effects so I knew I’d be in for a slugging match. He didn’t give me an Imp at the Endor DB on the first turn (although more locations fell), so I had enough force to get Crix and his DB and moved Luke over to the next site. Turned out he didn’t have a Vader in his deck, and several times he lost force for having Luke captured throughout the game. Anyway, before long, a team of unique bikers came down, along with Relentless tracking on the General Han I’d deployed. I was running from the Relentless, soaking up a few drains, pulling scouts with Crix, and getting Luke captured to rub in a little force loss. Finally, I get lucky, and draw an Insertion planning. I used this to pick off one of his scouts as he moved to chase me for Relentless and leaving a few guys and a gun all alone to face a horde of scouts, including Cracken, Solo, etc. On my next turn, I battle him, playing Take The Initiative and canceling his first destiny. Cracken gets shot, which is unfortunate, but I manage to ruin all the bikers and lose General Solo to attrition from a destiny adder, getting rid of the Relentless Tracking so I could deploy another Solo and a gang fresh from my hand to the Endor DB. After that, the game was fairly closed. I tried to play a Grimtassh, which found nothing except destiny adders. These hurt me later, but Insurrection made my forfeits so high anyway that it didn’t matter, and Take The Initiative was a beast. Eventually I set up an Ewok and Midge among others at dark forest and a horde at back door, and am draining for 5 each turn because with Kensaric on the table at Dark Forest and my huge stack of guys at the DB there’s not much he can do to hurt me.
The result: FW by 24
I am now at (2, +24), putting me in second place behind Chris Harmon.
Game 2: My DS BHBM bikers v. Adam Weinstein’s RST scouts.
Well, this game left me worried. My dark deck was the very same bikers that Adam knew I was playing, and Adam is my master anyway, and a bit better than I am. However, I am surprised to see him start Rebel Strike Team, and know that I have a very distinct edge in generation. I start IAO, Mob, and Battle Order, knowing that he isn’t playing space. Palpy drops to E: Rebel Landing site on the first turn to block the quick deploy, and I pull Force Lightning on my turn and his, leaving two in my hand, as well as deploying Carida as standard. Adam pulls and drops Crix to Rebel Landing Site, who pulls and drops Chewie, who would have pulled Wuta had not Chewie been lightninged. Adam’s big problem was not reading the fact that Rebel Landing site’s GT is canceled not if it is controlled by DS, but occupied, and he was out of Force. At the end of his first turn, Crix is all alone flapping in the breeze at Rebel Landing site with Palpy sitting there, and we restart because Adam didn’t read his cards carefully enough. The second time, I do the exact same things as before, and look forward to some beatdowns with 2 non-unique bikers, Tempest 1, and others in my hand. He drops Crix, General Han, and as I recall a scrub to the E:DB that I’ve deployed, and I get to look through his reserve deck when he doesn’t find a DB with Insurrection, finding only a Home 1 for space. I drop two bikers and a bike to E:DB and move Palpy over, who promptly Lightnings Crix. Now Adam didn’t have character pulling capability, and when he tries to battle me I You Rebel Scum Han, meaning that he can’t cancel my destiny, allowing me to beatdown some guys with heavy attrition and power. After that, I had control of the Endor DB. Adam next tried to get his objective set up, deploying a ton of sites, the bunker, and a few explosive charges and scrubs, and I win a few more battles with Palpy, the bikes, and Tempest 1. Luke still hasn’t fallen, as Adam couldn’t find him, and he takes the loss on at least one of my turns. As the game progresses, Tempest 1 and a horde more biker scouts come down, and Executor hits Endor, fulfilling my Battle Order and giving me steady drains with Palpy and the bikes all over and Tempest 1 at Rebel Landing site. Luke also finally comes out to the same site as Palpy, who is by now at the Hidden Forest Trail near the bunker. This is met with a prompt beatdown, and I move Merrejk and a few biker scouts and scrubs to bunker to hold off his Epic Event. He tries to battle at the bunker, I play Sneak Attack, and add 6 to my battle destiny, stacking yet another card as I win the battle to total about 5. That pretty much ended it. I had Vader ride a speeder bike to pick up Luke and then use creative speeder bike movement and docking bay transit to get Vader and Emperor to the Throne Room within 2 turns, where I duel him to convert for the win. At this point, I am quite happy, having beat my mentor. Next week I’ll have to see if I can beat his mentor, the formidable Matt Guinn.
The result: FW by 17
I an now at (4, +41), still in second behind Chris at 4, +46. Next game, I know I’ll play him, and I look forward to determining the tournament then and there.
Game 3: My LS TIGIH scouts v. Chris Harmon’s BHBM bikers.
This matchup worries me, both because I am facing BHBM and because Chris is boasting rather loudly, even though I beat him badly at the Swiss two weeks ago. I start up with the standard stuff, and he draws up on his first turn. I could have shouted for glee. Taking my full activation with the Luke bonus, I ignore the Crix I’d pulled from reserve and on the first turn I drop Page and Kensaric to E: DB, along with moving Luke over. Chris then started having some very serious activation problems. He got Vader out to the DB after finally getting through Kensaric, but by now I had Crix out who had pulled Cracken. Cracken and Kensaric make sure that Vader’s scout buddies don’t come down as Chris had intended, and I promptly beatdown the lone Vader with General Solo and the gang, taking my first stacked card. It isn’t long then before another Vader comes out, this time with support, but at this point I have the docking bay firmly in my clutches, and Vader and his team, along with my captured Luke, soon retire to the D^2 Throne Room where the Emperor awaits. The entire game was fairly non-interactive. Chris deployed another site, to which I deployed Panno, Olander Brit, DoS, and Midge and moved Kensaric, leaving the rest of my team at the DB. He tries to duel Luke, losing twice and giving me several stack cards in the process, and just never comes back on the ground. Between Midge and my stacks of guys, I drain him out fairly quickly.
The result: FW by 22
I am now at (6, + 63), leaving me in first. It was around this point that I knew I was going to win, and it felt very good.
Game 4: My DS bikers v. Chris Harmon’s TIGIH scouts.
Great, another game against Chris, who was the best LS player at the time. My Palpy and Janus come down first turn to E: DB, and with Battle Order out he doesn’t even drain me, instead drawing. I am pulling Lightning as standard and trying to draw for one of my three Vaders, which don’t show up for a while. It is not for that same while, however, that Chris reminds my to lose for my (and his) objectives, which we’d both been forgetting. He tries to deploy a squad to E: DB to wrest control from me, but I Force Lightning General Solo and rock his world. More stacking, and even though I miss against Chewie with my other Force Lightning later I retain ground control. I also deploy Dominator and The Emperor’s Shield to Rendili, putting Battle Order into effect for me and ignoring Chris’s objections that the Emperor’s Shield isn’t the best ship in the closed environment (trust me, it is). I even try dropping Davod Jon and Captain Sarkli to Chief Chirpa’s Hut. This unfortunately results in a beatdown as new General Solo comes out, backed up by Midge and another scrub, but Jon survives (the forfeit bonus from IAO is amazing). Next turn, his mains find themselves trapped in the Hut while I drain for 2 with Palpy, Janus, and a few biker scouts at the E:DB. Drawing for characters, I grow even happier as I pull Tempest 1 and Igar, among others. He deploys Hidden Forest Trail with a few guys, moving Han over, and Midge is in Chirpa’s Hut, but I am not afraid. Tempest 1 and Igar come down to help out Jon, who has moved from the Hut to the Hidden Trail, along with more bikers, and everyone moves over, making a stack about a centimeter tall that Adam (who is watching) and I have a great time laughing about and that drives Chris nuts because he doesn’t understand that guys can move inside Tempest 1 for no additional cost. The rest of the game simply involved my massive stack o’ guys chasing him and draining when he ran away, eventually draining him out as I deployed yet more guys and spread. He tries deploying a few ships to the E:DB for forfeit fodder, along with more guys, but the sheer power of about 2 piloted bikes and Tempest 1 with Igar and Palpy and Janus and Davod Jon ruin that plan. I forfeit Janus and a bike, deploy the second Janus from my hand next turn, and end that fiasco. He then tries invading the Death Star with Chewie and a scrub, but Piett, Palpy (who has moved up), and Sim quickly ruin that plan. It was surprisingly easy.
The result: FW by 20
I finish at (8, + 83) putting me in first place for the tournament. Chris Harmon has fallen to second from his big losses to me.
The rankings:
1) Henry "Mazzic" Jicha (8, +83)
2) Brian Robinette (6, +40)
3) Brad Hilton (5, +31)
4) Adam Weinstein (4, +18)
5) Chris Harmon (4, +4)
I collect my A Few Maneuvers foil, receiving a few cheers from everyone, numerous lucrative trade offers for said card which I promised to consider, and hearty congratulations from Adam, my mentor. It looks like my rating will receive a much-needed boost from this one, and I looked forward to telling my folks about it when I got home. Thanks for reading!
Props:
-First and foremost to Adam Weinstein, my mentor who had talked ’tech with me all week, traded me the biker scouts and bikes that made it possible for me to beat none other than him himself, and for tolerating and laughing about both the Force Lightning that incinerated Crix in my game against him and the Lightning that hit Han and missed Chewie (along with my huge stack of guys) that I used to win game 4.
-To Patrick Hines, the local TD, who is always patient with ’tech advice and assorted trade and ruling requests, no matter how nitpicky or irritating. For hosting and for just being nice.
-To Decipher, for making such cool things as an A Few Maneuvers foil.
-To Force Lightning, for being an incredible source of laughter and loud "bzzzzt"s as well as killing everybody I really needed killed when I needed them killed (that card is GREAT!)
-To Corporal Kensaric, who has received far too little mention in this report, for saving my butt from Chris Harmon’s would-have-been early deploy (beating Vader was great) and other scouts and scrubs.
-To Janus, for just being cool.
Slops:
-To Chris, although not in a personal or offensive way, for letting his arrogance be his greatest weakness. I also beat him in the practice round we played after the tournament, my Court v. his "invincible" WYS. Chris, when EPP Han is Disarmed, he just doesn’t work so well. Oh, and BTW, Chris, never start Draw Their Fire against a Court deck. I was retrieving 2-4 in like 2/3 of the battles in that game, and you were losing to your own effect AND my First Strike.
-To Decipher, for sending NO prize support EXCEPT the foils (Pat had to rummage through his stuff for about 7 packs, which went to the lower-ranked players (not that I need packs)).
-To BHBM, for just being broken in good hands in BOE format. Palpy and Lightning from reserve is too good, even though I didn’t play against it. Palpy’s just impacable.
-To Sports Cards Unlimited, for not having a public restroom. GRRRRR. (but thanks for hosting).