rochester-ny-2-10-2001
Title: rochester-ny-2-10-2001
Author: R. "Voice of Law" Smith
Date: Feb 12, 2001
Yeah so turnout was pretty bad this Saturday but we had some decent players on-hand and I figured competition would be pretty stiff. I’m back to my Brian Hunter wannabe decks, EBO X-Wings for light and SYCFA Scum for dark. The Scum is seriously the most fun deck I have ever played in my 5+ years of playing SW:CCG...Who would think a dark deck with no Vaders could be so much fun to play??
Anyway I’m running this one on paper since the only computer at the store with the software on it is occupied. I shuffle the cards, flip the coin, and get paired against Chris Janiak in the first game.
Game 1
My EBO vs. Janiak’s (1994) Imperial Command Hunt Down.
Yeah so he starts the Hunt stuff with Epic Duel even though he wasn’t dueling. His effects were IAO/Mob Points of course and something random that I don’t remember. I draw no Terminateds but I do get Honor of the Jedi (a recent addition to my deck to cut down on drains under the shield) so after he pulls Rendili and the Death Star Docking Bay (with Ozzel there - dammit) on his turn and we each lose one, I get a couple sites with New Secret Base and drop the Honor so Visage becomes a light side card.
His second turn he drains me with freakin Ozzel and I am pissed off. But I have some crap in hand I can lose. He pulls the Executor dockbay but doesn’t have a Vader so he loses another card to Visage and I go.
I pull the third Echo site and Echo Base Garrison, activate, put the site down, put Garrison down, get a guy with that, and end my turn. He loses No Escape of the top to Visage and I laugh my head off.
He still doesn’t have a Vader so he pulls another dockbay and puts some schmoes there, then loses to Visage again. Oh yeah by now I have a Terminated in my hand so I’m waiting for him to flip. Meanwhile he is sitting across the table going "Isn’t there any way I can cancel my own Visage?? I hate this objective!! I’m never playing Hunt Down again!!!" And I’m finding it all totally hilarious.
So anyway somehow EBO is delayed a turn, I forget exactly why. But I did get someone over to kill Ozzel because he was aggravating me greatly. I get EBO out about the same time Jank flips his objective (then I Terminate Visage). I set up some huge drains but then he brings the Ex with Thrawn on it to space and that ship owns whatever system it’s at. He’s got Vader and Evazan at the DStar dockbay and Igar on Blizzard 2 on Cloud City and he puts down Search and Destroy, and with the Ex flying around in space Honor doesn’t help me with that.
So I pull Commander Luke with Garrison and sit him at the North Ridge. Meanwhile I’m able to drain for 3 or 4 a turn with my XWings running away from Thrawn in space.
He picks Vader up with Hunt Down and leaves Evazan on the Death Star BY HIMSELF so S&D will stick and I am pissing myself because I don’t have my second EPP Obi in hand. I know I havent lost it yet but I can’t find it either. Anyway I drain for a bit and move Luke under the shield so Vader won’t come @#$%-slap him next turn. This means I start losing to S&D again =( So Vader comes down to the North Ridge and I’ve got my Barrier and I consider sticking him there but I DONT HAVE MY @#$%ING ICE STORM either so I figure what’s the use. However, Jank leaves Vader at the North Ridge anyway and I wish I had the Ice Storm or even a Signal so I could make him pay but I don’t.
I squeak out some drains and plan to move Luke to the Echo DBay so I can transit him to the DStar to visit Evazan on a subsequent turn but I forget to move him. Damned. I forget to lose to S&D too.
Jank activates all his stuff and is about to drain me but then he remembers S&D and tells me to lose and I’m like "sorry Charlie" and Jank gets pissed. I guess I shouldn’t have been so shady but right now I’m not sure who’s gonna win so I gotta take what I can get. He activated like 18 so that’s 18 actions too late. He drains me with Vader, Evazan (grr), Igar, and Thrawn. I have Rebel Fleet on table so I cancel Vader’s drain (he had a saber). Then I think he put another ship out but if he did it only got Barriered or run away from. Then he LEAVES Vader at the North Ridge and I STILL don’t have a Signal or Ice Storm. GRR. I lose to S&D.
I drain some in space and drop another system to spread some more. I move Luke to the stinking Hoth DBay so he can transit next turn. Still losing to S&D.
Jank drains, I cancel one w/Fleet, I lose to S&D, my turn again. Vader is STILL at the Ridge and Evazan is STILL by himself on the DStar.
So I drain some more and transit Luke to visit Evazan. Don’t have to lose to S&D. By now my drains are taking their toll on Janiak and he is nearing his death. But S&D is hurting me as well and the outcome is still uncertain.
Jank goes, drains, and drops a mess of people on Luke’s head, beating him so bad I have to Houjix. Poor kid. Now I’m losing to S&D again.
Fortunately I’m draining for a ton in space too (while running away from Thrawn and Co.). I use Rebel Fleet to help out, and I do pull off All Wings for a significant amount of retrieval, and I win the drain race by 9.
The good: Getting some good competition early, and rising to the occassion.
The bad: Luke getting massacred.
The ugly: He lost more force to Visage than I did that game =)
Oddly enough all 4 light side players win their games. I pair us off, and find I am playing...
Jonathan Colby (1454) with Watch Your Step/Cantina Brawl.
Yeah so I start the SYCFA junk with No Bargain, Power of the Hutt, and Mobilization Points. He starts Staging Areas, Squadron Assignments, and Battle Plan.
I get Jabba’s Palace in my opening hand along with the Audience Chamber which is brutal. I also drew Carida, which kinda sucks.
So first turn I activate 7 and search for the DStar War Room. It’s there, and I deploy it, Carida, Jabba’s Palace, and the Audience Chamber. I had activated the Lower Passages so I can’t get that. I don’t remember why I didn’t put a guy out but I think there was something in my force pile I wanted so I just drew.
Jonathan activated TEN force his first turn and used 8 of it for Jedi Luke (w/Luke’s Saber) at Dockbay 94. Slipped Rycar Ryjerd on him to make him a smuggler. My turn.
I activate 982 force and use the Chamber text to pull Gailid. Put Mara in the Cantina (maybe that’s what I drew for last turn) and her saber too (from hand, I drew it opening draw). Had S&D in my hand so I figured what the hell, threw it down and made him lose to that as I drew. Had None Shall Pass and a Japanese Barrier to protect little Gailid all by himself over in the Chamber.
By now we’re each activating pretty much all we want - and it’s only his second turn. Playing like that is actually kinda fun. So he drains me for a couple and puts Melas and Mirax in the Cantina. Theron Nett in Red 10 to Carida. Objective flips. Jedi Luke moves into the Cantina. Oh boy. My turn.
I drain for two at the Chamber and drop 4-LOM, Xizor, Snoova (sans the Ax - when you activate two zillion force each turn you rarely are able to pull specific cards from your reserve), Dengar, and Boelo into the Cantina. I battle and cancel Luke’s text. Boelo gets smacked by a lightsaber draw that could have hit anyone there. Mara draws a 1 and a 5 against Luke, which doesn’t cut it. Dengar shoots one of the scrubs but misses the other. I get one battle destiny and it sucked but Boelo cancels his (thanks to Xizor). Everyone on his side dies except Luke. I only have to toss Boelo. He has to lose to S&D again. I draw and get Mighty Jabba and Ephant Mon so I am happy.
So he goes and drains me at Carida. Puts some more schmoes in the Cantina. Shows me Cap’n Han in hopes of pulling the Falcon with Squassin - no dice. Tries to put Han in the Cantina, but I say no dice there either. Then he plays Cantina Brawl - not good. I draw a 5 and he draws something inconsequential. Mara dies which upsets me greatly. He plays it again from lost but nobody gets hurt. He battles and we each lose some guys. Luke hits the Prince, 4LOM blanks Luke, Dengar shoots some scrubs, and when the dust settles he draws low and I stick it out with 4LOM and Snoova. He loses everyone but Luke. So S&D kicks in again.
I’m still draining for two in the Chamber, and I have Jabba and Ephant in hand. I also have Scum and Villainy; I deploy it and put Jabba and Ephant in the Cantina to rid myself of the Jedi once and for all. 4LOM is still there so he blanks Luke again and adds a destiny, Jabba adds a destiny with Ephant, and my power is high with the Wookiee but my draws are low and his are high so I dont break Luke’s forfeit for any spillover. Snoova gets saber-smacked and Ephant dies to cover the attrition. Tatooine is now Rebel-free and Jonathan loses to S&D.
His turn, Nett drains me at Carida and the Cap’n finally finds his ship and goes to Tatooine. The Pulsar Skate goes there too, with some unnamed smuggler piloting, and Watch Your Step is flipped again. He plays yet another Cantina Brawl and draws a zero, I’m not 100% sure it works on droids, but I lose 4LOM anyway. He’s still losing to S&D.
I go and drain at the Chamber and Cantina, deploy First Strike, and put Bossk in the Tooth to Tatooine for some retrieval. I initate the battle, retrieve 3 and he loses 1, then I cancel it with Projective Telepathy. Then I go to fly Bossk away and I realize ... he can’t make it. Tatooine, Carida, Alderaan, and the Star are the only systems on table. Youch. So I land him at Docking Bay 94 and draw for my Masterful Move. Play it to get my Ghhhk. I’m safe.
He drains me for a couple in space and drops the Lars Farm with Luke there. I’ve got a second Mara in hand along with some support so I drop that to take out Luke and finish him off with drains and S&D. Full win by 29.
The good: Huge activation and lots of interaction. A truly enjoyable game. Thanks Colby!
The bad: Nothin’
The ugly: Well, me almost killing myself by putting the Bus out was pretty nasty.
Game 3 My light against Nick Bongio’s (1508) BHBM numbers.
His deck is such a pain to play against. But then, I helped him build it, so I can’t complain ;-) He starts IAO, Mob Points, and Battle Order which is huge.
First turn Palpy hits the DS2 dockbay and an insert hits my deck. I draw Honor again so that comes out and so does my Arcona which I drew. Put him at the War Room, adjacent to the Docking Bay.
He draws second turn.
I go and activate everything considering Honor is out and the Arcona is on table too. No insert. Darn. I get the third Echo site out and Garrison too. Get a guy with Garrison and my odds total is up to 5. His go.
No Escape hits the table (darn) and so does Tech M’or. I’m in trouble. Emperor’s Power is out but Palpy is still at the Dockbay.
I activate it all and don’t get an insert (phew). Get EBO out with a solitary X-Wing at Rendili. Start moving the Arcona to the Ridge so I can satisfy BOrder.
He goes and beats down my X-Wing with some random bounty hunter ship. I get away with no spillover thanks to Incom and EBO.
I start dropping systems and X-Wings, and moving the Arcona out to the Ridge. Rebel Fleet comes out to cover his one drain. I am searching and shuffling every turn to try to avoid the inserts but I do get hit with them and lose 5 each time (his Tech Mo’r and Palpy against my Arcona, Zev, and Hobbie). BOrder is making me pay to drain which is the biggest hassle of all but I console myself with the knowledge that soon the Arcona will finish his journey and render the hated BOrder useless.
Meanwhile he is battling me in space (his deck does have a decent fleet) which is rough because to fight back I need to activate force, and when I activate I risk hitting an insert. So mostly I’m just wimping out in space, cutting my losses and running around to drain. This means I am losing to Insignificant Rebellion too which sucks. In one battle he Lateral Damages my lone X-Wing and drops Fett and Zuckuss on it with Emperor’s Power adding a battle destiny. Good thing I had a Houjix for that one =)
Luckily Vader does not hit the table and I am able to squeak out some decent drains in space. Finally the Arcona reaches the Ridge and I don’t have to pay to drain. This means I can use my force to fight back in space.
Fortunately I am able to use search-and-shuffle methods to keep the inserts from mashing me. I spread out disgustingly in space and drain him out for the win by 11.
The good: ’Twas a solid thinking match. I earned this one.
The bad: Battle Order + inserts = frown =(
The ugly: Fett + Zuckuss + Lateral Damage on lone X-Wing = praise the Lord I had a Houjix!
Pairings suck and I get paired against Bongio again in...
Game 4
SYCFA Scum against my "Alternative Lifestyles" deck. Bong used this deck on my suggestion, it’s on my page, go check it out. It’s Agents in the Court jank with massive spreading out and battle evasion.
Anyway it has a slight weakness to SYCFA Scum which can convert the Audience Chamber. I do just that first turn as I draw the Palace opening hand. I pull Carida and the DS War Room and put Gailid in the Chamber.
He goes and gets the Homo One dockbay with a Chadra-Fa.g there.
I have MJ in hand but I hold off on violating the Chadra-Fa.g just yet. Plus I figure he has a Fallen Portal/It’s a Trap/Houjix or something to get out of it anyway. Drain for two at the Chamber and put Jabba or somebody there. Put a ship at Carida because I know he has no space in the deck. His go.
He Signals for Bo Shuda and puts Tessek in the Chamber. Draws a couple.
I drain at Carida, put Scum out, and go ahead with Jade to the Homo One dockbay. Get her Saber and battle. I wait for him to Portal or whatever, but he doesn’t have it - he doesn’t have anything. Jade smacks the Chadra@#$% and he loses quite a bit in spillover.
So he cuts his losses and starts spreading out with Chadra@#$%s at docking bays. I drain for 1 at Carida and two with Jade, but he cancels Jade’s with Bargaining Table. I put Bib Fortuna by himself at Jabba’s Palace to drain for a couple, then move Jabba out there eventually.
He spreads out too far for me to catch him everywhere, and I take a good amount of drains, but then I am able to drop some guys and retrieve when I battle - which is pretty big. I don’t battle often because I fear the Portal but somehow he never hits me with it. He does It’s a Trap and Houjix a couple times, but all that aside, I am able to outdrain him by quite a bit - 23.
The good: Mara Jade vs. the Chadra@#$% - oh yeah.
The bad: Having to play Bong twice in a row.
The ugly: @#$% Leia on the It’s a Trap! card. That should be Ackbar. He says it so much better.
So as is often the case in 4-game tournaments, the only other undefeated player, Justin Roth, didnt play me at all, and he is still playing his game when I finish. So I go check his game out...
Justin Roth’s (1688) goofy Hunt Down w/o duels vs. Jason "Ears" Stewart’s (1818) EBO inserts.
Yeah so basically Ears, being the brainchild that he is, built an EBO deck that started ANSB and played inserts. PURE GENIUS. Of course ANSB says S-Foils and light side inserts are canceled. When I saw this, I couldn’t hold back the laughter .. this made it obvious to Roth (who hadn’t noticed until I came over) that Ears’ little strategy was illegal. I suppose as the director I should have said something anyway .. or maybe not .. maybe I should just leave well enough alone. That’s a tough call .. do you guys think I made the right one ?
Anyway it didnt matter because Ears still pulled off the win (even with a good many dead cards in his deck) which sealed the victory for me. Ears’ differential boosted him over Roth into second place, and Justin came in third. Janiak had taken a loss to Roth in his second game and finished a distant fourth. Yeah that’s right Jank, I said DISTANT!! Hahaha... 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th were Nick Bongio, Daniel Castle, Dan Pratt, and Jonathan Colby, respectively.
Props to Colby for one of the most fun games of SWCCG I’ve played in a while, I thoroughly enjoyed our game dude. And slops to Ears for building an EBO insert deck ... I guess he got away with it in his first game!! You nut ...