viper-plays-again-phoenix-i-10-day-2
Title: viper-plays-again-phoenix-i-10-day-2
Author: Steve "BlackViper" Marshall
Date: Apr 11, 2001
I apologize for this report in advance - I realize it isn’t going to be as detailed as you would expect of me, but I usually construct details when the tourny is over, and I didn’t do that this time for all of my games. I was thinking about other things. Anyway, on to the report!
So I go undefeated with Jay on Day 1, but I had a timed win, so I’m a victory point behind. All I need to do is win 1 more game than he does and I’ll be okay. But then again, I didn’t finish the last half of my brownie, so maybe I’ll run out of luck on the second half of the I-10 Cup. I don’t know... whatever. I took my buddy Jeff out flying his model plane early in the morning. He crashed it into a pole the first time, and last time he lost his radio control in the air, so I haven’t seen a successful flight yet. He manages to fly it awesome, but he has his instructor land for him. I don’t think so! He needs his confidence back, so I told him he had to fly again and land this time. He does, and the landing is perfect. He’s all good. As for me, on the other hand, I might not be so good. It’s 11:00 in Deer Valley (EXTREME North Phoenix), the tournament starts at noon in Chandler (EXTREME South Phoenix suberb), and I’ve got to pick up a friend in East Mesa (EXTREME East Phoenix suberb). Um, this could be bad. To top it all off, the freeway is shut down and I’ve got to find an alternate route which happens to be clogged with traffic because of all the other people who had to exit. And Andy, you live WAY too far out there!
Anyway, I finally find the house, and we haul it to make it to Gamerz Edge at 12:45. So the options are:
1) Andy and I will play each other first round (not likely because we’ll only have 15 minutes)
2) We will both get byes
3) We won’t be allowed to play that day.
As it turns out, I was completely wrong. The tournament actually started at 1:00 - I was wrong on the time. Okay, I can live with that. Turns out Enrique was waiting for us anyway because he knew I was going to be there. Sounds good! I ask around if anyone has a Security Precaution that I can use just for the day, as many people were playing Hidden Base the previous day. Aaron McCormack offers me one, and we agree that if I don’t return it, he can yell at me on the local email list. Cool. We start the first round pairings. I’m going into the I-10 cup with a rating of 1644. Here’s what I’m playing:
DS: Same old Hunt Down, but I took out a Chimaera for Security Precautions (I usually play 2 - thanks to the TX Champion deck listed on DeckTech somewhere)
LS: Same old WYS as yesterday (couldn’t find anything I really wanted to trade out)
GAME 1: LS vs. Robert Seymour’s Hunt Down w/out Duelling (1677)
I don’t remember many details, and it was so long we almost timed out, so I didn’t get to write much down. I promise my other games will have more detail! Anyway, it took me forever to find a Luke! Geez, it’s not like I play 3 in the deck or anything... I finally find Lukes of the Master and Farmboy persuasions, and decide to drop the Master Luke to a docking bay with Fallen Tarkin in hand. He doesn’t come after Luke for the longest time, so I eventually drop Farmboy to a drain. He finally decides to fight my Skywalker and kills him, and I took a couple damage. The first card - Jedi Luke. DOH! Now he gets to stay flipped the rest of the game unless I can kill off a Dark Lord. I don’t remember if I did or not, but I ruled space and offered a little ground resistance every once in awhile, but he was draining for 1 at a couple sites and I was hitting him for 3 at Kessel, 1 @ Tatooine, and some site somewhere, so I’ve got the edge on him.
FW by 26
Today’s total: 2 (+26)
2-day total: 9 (+91)
The Good: Starting the day with an upset win (via rating, anyway) is nice for day 2.
The Bad: Not getting Luke forever
The Ugly: Not remembering enough game details to make a good report on it
Props To Opponent: Robert is fun, and we cracked a couple jokes and talked some smack to each other. This was a fun, relaxed game.
1 down, 3 to go. Must win games...
GAME 2: DS vs. Jonathan Dunn’s SYCFA TIE Bombers (1786)
I HATE THIS DECK! I still have no idea how to beat it. I was told that the easy way to defeat the deck is to use I Hope She’s Alright. Let me tell you something - I tried that once. It doesn’t work if every battleground site is collapsed! Leia at the Spaceport Docking Bay, the ONLY battleground site left, isn’t enough to fufull IHSA. DOH! Anyway, I shelved my ground beatings deck just because of John - I need space! So here we go.
I had an awesome start. He puts down a pair of ability-2 TIEs at Tatooine, 1 has a bomb. I really like my Cantina and don’t want it destroyed, so Farmboy took his little xwing up into space, shot down 1 (taking away his destiny), and leading the other to slaughter + 12 damage. A quarter of his deck on turn 1... I think I’ve seen that done before somewhere... In a couple battles that followed, I caught All Power To Weapons and reduced his TIEs down to power 0 (1 with All Power) with I’ll Take The Leader. Well, that’s about where the book "Things Steve Did Well" ended. He drops SO MANY ties down on Tatooine that I can’t stand it, along with Thrawn in his little destroyer. Okay, he’s got the planet back. Drat. I drained him for 3 @ Kessel until he stopped me, then I went to the DS: DB and took off for the other drain of 3. A pair of Dreadnaughts came up and beat my immunity with a destiny 5, killing my pilot and leaving the Skate floating where I can’t deploy to it. I’ve got Houjix in my lost pile, and I’ve fought to stay flipped, so I sent Lando & Han (formerly draining at the DS: DB and War Room w/ No Questions Asked on table and the Skate at the DS) upstairs to battle the lone Dreadnaught remaining. It ran away, leaving me a drain of 3, but flipping me to 0. I forget to drain for 6 and drop Talon Karde at the DS: DB and a lone RFC at the Spaceport DB to flip with a Fallen Portal in hand and Houjix in the lost pile. He manages to flip me w/ U-3PO forcing Talon Karde to move away and battles me one last time at the Death Star with his fleet. I lose both pilots, both ships (the Skate had been damaged and was forfeit=0), and 12 more. As they say in Spaceballs, "Suck! Suck! SUCK!" Yeah, it sucked. He drained me out from there, but it was a close race. Remember that drain I forgot? Well, remember - it was for 6.
FL by 6
2 (+20)
9 (+85)
The Good: Beating the snot out of a lone power-1 TIE
The Bad: Getting the snot beat out of my smugglers for the same amount
The Ugly: Forgetting to drain for the game-ending amount! DOH!
Props To Opponent: John is fairly new around here, and he’s a really fun opponent.
Suck! Well, I hear that Jay lost his game as well, so I’m still in the running with everybody else. It’s not too bad, although forgetting to drain really sucks. I’m such a scrub! Anyway, it was a fun game, and by the numbers, he was supposed to win. Anyway, I need to keep my head and win the next 2 games or I’m sunk. Here we go.
GAME 3: LS vs. Jay Webb’s Endor Ops (1576?)
This rating MUST be wrong, because I think Jay is rated much higher. Decipher wouldn’t give me another number, so who knows. Anyway, I must win this game. I’ve beat his Rumors before with WYS, but it was because I dropped spies in his bunker. I have since removed the spies for blasters... this should prove to be interesting.
I count his cards and encourage him to count mine, as I do with everyone I play against. This way he gets to ensure I’m playing with 60, they’re not marked, and he gets to put them in whatever order he wants to ensure that they are randomized. HE’S GOT 62! He says he should only have 60 (well, duh) and tries to figure out which ones don’t belong as I call over the TD. He’s taking out Battle Order and searching for another. Well, Battle Order probably belongs, and if you get caught with 62, you don’t take out what you least need and try again. Enrique (the TD) agrees with me and allows me to remove 2 random cards. U-3PO and Merrejk are out.
First off, CONTROL FROM THE LOST PILE RULES!!! There is nothing more broken in this game right now. I play 3, which turns into 6, which cancels drains of 4, 5, and 6. I saved myself 30 Force with these 3 cards. Anyway, I’ve got the Skate and Mirax, and I search for Wedge on turn 3, but he’s not there. Great, Jay gets to search my deck. Next turn, he’s still not there. I finally find him on the third turn - took long enough! I drop him at Kessel for the drain of 3. Now here is some of the best tech I’ve ever seen - He drops Dengar (power 2 with my Admiral’s Orders) in front of Wedge and Mirax. They get damaged, and he plays Overwhelmed to send everything to the Used Pile. And I worked so hard to get them on the table! Not fair! Somebody call the waaaa-mbulance! I’ve got Dash in hand, so I search for the Outrider. Guess what - it’s not there! He gets to search AGAIN! He declines this time, as he knows what’s in there by now. So instead I took to the ground. I Signal for Aim High and drop ECC Chewie and ECC Lando, battle, and clear the site of his nasties. They move to the Cantina, where their drain is uncontested the rest of the game. I cancel a drain of 5 with Control and cancel another 5 from the Lost Pile, then I lose from the top of my deck to his Docking Bay drain. MENACE FADES! Okay, that could suck. Maybe my Controls will hold up. I was draining him and damaging him like mad and cancelled all of his drains. ALL of them. I battled his space fleet, using his First Strike to up my diff by 1 as it stole his last Force.
FW by 18
4 (+38)
11 (+103)
The Good: Hey, Decipher: CONTROL & WYS IS BROKEN!!!
The Bad: Not finding Wedge for 3 turns and when I do, having him go to the Used Pile next turn.
The Ugly: 58... 59... 60... 61... 62... "um, Judge?"
Props To Opponent: Without the aid of 2 spies, he still played a decent game.
Okay, I REALLY needed that win. Now I’ve got more total victory points than anyone else in the running. I need to win this last game!
GAME 4: DS vs. Aaron McCormack’s TIGIH Scouts (1773)
Wow - is Aaron really 1773? Sweet! Way to go.
Great. It would have been more amusing if he was playing Hidden Base, as I was using his Sec Prec in my deck. tee hee. I start with 5 Force and have a Lord Vader in hand. must... deploy... vader... now...
Here’s another prop to the TX State winner again - because of him, I put Operational As Planned in my deck because a few players use Deadbolt. It’s in my starting hand. I drop a docking bay to my Force Pile and deploy Vader to the Endor DB. I dropped Choke Vader instead of Lord, as he was playing Scouts. SWEET!!!!! Transmission Terminated takes out my Visage. DOH! I worked so hard to flip, too...
He doesn’t drain and activates his whole 2 Force. Drops the Home One DB, finds Crix, moves Luke to Vader, and draws his remaining Force. Vader ran away like a sissy to the DS: DB to join an armed Mara, and Guri held a tea party for Palpatine on Cloud City. I’m draining him for 2, 2, 1, and 1 (total of 6) against his drain of 2 and 1 (total of 3). With 10 starting cards on the table and me with the early Visage damage, I was well ahead anyway. When I had a substantial Force, I went back down to Endor to take out a few scouts. Choke Vader took Chewie out of the running, and I Have You Now along with a saber swing took out just about everyone else. I’m immune to his destiny 4. Satisfied at his display of raw power, Vader takes to his Death Star again to continue the drain. He never tries to take me at my docking bays, so I win.
FW by 13
6 (+49)
13 (+116)
The Good: Getting Vader down turn 1, despite only having 5 Force.
The Bad: Transmission Terminated spoiling my fun.
The Ugly: You only generate 2 Force if I go to your Docking Bay? That’s weak!
Props To Opponent: Aaron is fun, too. I brag that I always let him win, but this time I need the points. He points out that I’m full of it and he’s just better than me. This was a fun game, and it would have still been fun even if he had defeated me.
So I come in first for the 2-day total, and Brett Kitani (1869) is right behind me with 1 less victory point. We have the final confrontation, but I’m not going to post the games. Yeah, I know, it sucks. I’ll generalize the details. We exchanged decks to randomize, and when I let him know I intended to count, he told me that I had included 2 cards he didn’t actually plan on playing with. Um, okay. Sure. He takes 2 cards out of the upside-down deck. I know he’s got Hunt Down for dark, so I decide to play my dark first so I’ll know what’s coming on our last game. He starts Rendezvous Point, but not Hidden Base. DOH! His deck is actually ground mains, and I really wish I was duelling right now. I get a good beatdown early in the game, but Mr. Clutch himself returns it near end game and beats me by 12. On the flipside, I realize that WYS is supposed to lose to Hunt Down. Again, I gave nice beatings near the beginning of the game, but he came back and returned the favor again because Houjix isn’t in my lost pile like I thought it was. I repeat - DOH! His Visage and S&D hurt when he gets 3 battlegrounds (Is Kessel a battleground? I don’t remember...) and I give him a Raltiir Captain to beat up on and end the game. I don’t know how much he beat me by; it didn’t matter.
Brett is the I-10 Cup Champion, I’m the runner up, and the cup stays in Chandler. I had such a blast this weekend I can’t even tell you. I searched for Aaron when our game was over, but I didn’t find him and assumed he left. Turns out he didn’t leave, I just missed him... oops. I’ll get your card back to you next weekend! Sorry! I received a shiny EPP Leia for Prize support and pulled Lord Vader from my pack of DS2. I have lost 1 sanctioned game out of 8 over this last weekend, and that ain’t bad. My rating right now (after the I-10 cup results) is 1710, meaning I completely blasted through the 1600s in only 3 tournaments.
Anyway, here are your top finishers, courtesy of Justin Beal’s TR.
1st: Brett Kitani @ 8 (+57)
2nd: Steve Marshall @ 6 (+49)
3rd: Chris Shaner @ 6 (+38)
4th: Jonathan Dunn
5th: Jay Webb
I-10 Cup 2-day victory point totals:
1st: Steve Marshal 13
2nd: Brett Kitani 12
3rd: Chris Shaner 12
4th: Jay Webb 12
Props:
* Enrique for running a fabulous event
* Gamerz Edge for hosting us
* Enrique for waiting for us!
* Control for being a beating
* The TX State Champion for his tech
* The brownie for holding up even though I left you
* Aaron for letting me borrow the card
* TIE Bombers for being too cool to beat. ;-)
* Justin Beal for letting me steal your final standings
And then there was a HUGE Prop:
* Enrique and that other guy (you know who you are) for being excellent judges - I may not like it, but it was the correct ruling.
Slops:
* Jay, the only person to beat me day 1 and who took my shiny Signal, for playing with 62. COUNT YOUR OPPONENT’S CARDS!
* Brett, the only person to beat me day 2 and who took my other shiny Signal, for playing with "2 cards I didn’t actually intend to play with." COUNT YOUR OPPONENT’S CARDS!
* Andy for living so far away! :-) I’m just glad we weren’t late.
* US-60 for being closed
* Jeff for not wanting to land his plane
* Menace Fades for being on the top of my deck at the wrong time!
* Me for playing like a scrub and not draining for 6
Thanks to all who came and made this a really fun weekend. I hope to see you guys at States and the Vegas DPC! Thanks for reading!
-Steve
A PBS mind in an MTV world