wa-state-championship-4-21-01
Title: wa-state-championship-4-21-01
Author: Douglas "Douglas" Harvilla
Date: Apr 25, 2001
Awake. Barely. Clinging to consciousness. Shower, brush, and go through the motions of a morning like any other. But today, a matching of wits will decide who represents the Evergreen State at Worlds. Pack the decks, the Glossary, the clear plastic cubes of trade stock and cards you always contemplate working into a deck at the last minute but never do.
Broken Games is already packed at ten in the morning, with players agonizing over small decisions they’ll later blame for a poor performance. At the center of this hurricane is Doug Taylor, Red 4, probably the most dedicated squadron member in the game. He’s spending his birthday running this tournament, so we all are in his debt. Martin Norris could compete for the title, but chooses to help Doug run the event instead.
"If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend six sharpening my axe." - Abraham Lincoln
My Light Deck - Keil und Kessel, a Watch Your Step battle deck with No Questions Asked to chase down and gun down the opponent’s characters while a solid space complement says "Imperial entanglements? Bring ’em on!"
My Dark Deck - Twisted and Evil, Hunt Down refined over two years, updated with each new set, and honed to a razor’s edge. Made a few changes to trash the one-turn kill decks floating around.
Game 1 - DS vs Andrew Taylor’s Home One Space and Mains
Andrew is the TD’s son, he’s been playing Star Wars for a few years, and is very good at it for his age. He gets DSII Wedge in his ship down at Bothawui and General Cal in the Falcon at Corulag while I flip with Vader at the Death Star DB.
Colonel Cracken and Leia with Blaster Rifle invade the Holotheater and cancel Visage. Spiral and Biggs take over Kiffex. I had put a 6 destiny back with Operational As Planned, and now I activate down to it, deploy Boba in Slave 1 with Sim Aloo on board to Kiffex. Check his destiny, it’s a 3, let him keep it. Battle, take out Biggs.
General Cal in the Falcon moves over from Corulag. Deploy Bossk In Hound’s Tooth, battle, flip two 6s, clear his side of the system. The next turn, a beatdown on the Executor ends the game as IG-88 captures Leia and he helps Tarkin and Janus beat down Cracken.
Win by 19
2(+19)
Andrew played boldly, getting some drains in before I went up to battle him. So it wasn’t a big win, but that doesn’t bother me this early.
Game 2 - LS vs Charles Hickey’s Hunt Down
All these guys from over a hundred miles away, from the rain shadow of the Cascades or from the Tri-Cities, and I’m playing locals. Figures. I expect a Brangus Glee version from Charles, the same one he’s been playing in local tournaments lately, but he just goes for battle power.
He plays a Monnok early and gets nothing, then drops Vader and his stick at the DS bay. I flip with a couple smugglers in Rogue 1 at the Tatooine DB and Outrider with Dash and Melas piloting at Kessel. He gets down the Emperor at the CC bay, we exchange force drains.
Control/Set for Stun on Dash, bouncing him to my hand, followed by Chimaera with Grand Admiral Thrawn and Admiral Chiraneau. Melas is now alone on the Outrider facing all this. His eye twitches involuntarily. Mercifully, he only beat me by 11, so Melas and 5 cards let me keep the Outrider.
On my turn, deploy Theron Nett in Red 10 with X-Wing Laser Cannon, Dash on the Outrider again, with Talon Karrde and a couple Ralltir Freighter Captains to cover attrition. Battle, play Power Pivot from the lost pile, add a destiny to total power with Theron, get two battle destiny draws of 3, 3. I have 25 to his 6, so he loses everything to cover the damage. I ditch a Ralltir Freighter Captain and Kessel is mine for the rest of the game.
I deploy Jedi Luke to drain at the Cantina. He gets paid a visit by Mara. I play The Force Is Strong With This One but only draw 1 and 2, he gets a tracked 5, nice draw but too low to take out Jedi Luke. I lose by a couple cards and cover it with the low draws from my used pile. I ask if he’s moving away, he says no way, I could Run Luke Run for a beatdown.
True, but I had No Questions Asked on table and a ship at the Tatooine system, so Chewie moves over in my control phase anyway, without using up by once per turn interrupt from lost pile. Deploy ECC Lando, battle, shoot, and play SATM/Blaster Proficiency from the lost pile to add 3, hitting Mara. One card left in the deck to draw for battle destiny, power 21 to 8, the game’s over.
Win by 7
4(+26)
A good, hard-fought game. Lots of draining and battling, so we finished quickly. Time to relax and take a lunch break, see how everybody else is doing. Some players have around 70 differential already, so I’ll probably have to go undefeated to make the final confrontation.
Game 3 vs Sean Estes’ Court of the Vile Gangster
He’s got No Bargain in his trio of effects, I’ve got Menace Fades in mine. That tells me a lot about how this game is going to be played out. Sean gets Gallid, Mara with her saber, and some ugly alien dudes to his Jabba’s Palace sites. I flip with Talon Karrde and ECC Lando at the Tatooine DB and Wedge in the Pulsar Skate with a Ralltir FC in Red 6 packing X-Wing Laser Cannon. I leave 3 force open.
A drain race shapes up. Sean uses Elis to Jabba and a good squad lined up against Luke and Lando. He Disarms Lando in my control phase, I deploy Rogue 1 and move my guys away. Control/TV and Menace Fades keep his drains from getting out of hand.
He started First Strike, so when he moves some characters in front of Rogue 1 and Jodo Kast is left alone at the Cantina, I deploy Draw Their Fire, drop Jedi Luke at the Cantina, and start two battles, for an 8 card swing. Jedi Luke makes him lose Jodo and another couple cards, Rogue 1’s smuggler pilots get a couple of tracked 5s for battle destiny and take all but the last couple cards in Sean’s life force. He gets in a last couple of small drains, and I finish him off.
Win by 15
6(+41)
Not the most interactive game I’ve ever played, but we got a little battling in. The Disarmed was a pain, I wanted to use No Questions Asked and SATM/Blaster Prof., running around blasting Sean’s aliens.
Game 4 - DS vs Paul Wilkins’ Alderaan Ops & OMDH
Very unusual deck. Anyway, I start with No Escape, so Vader and Tarkin only cost 4 at the Farm. He gets operatives out to docking bays to generate extra force with Staging Areas. After he draws a little, I hit him with Monnok and get a couple operatives and a couple Palace Raiders.
Deploy Secret Plans and Mighty Jabba at the Death Star DB, Paul deploys Ben Kenobi to the Tatooine DB and Jedi Luke with his saber to the Farm. He spends his remaining force to tranit Ben to the Death Star. On my turn, drop Mara at the Death Star DB, Dr. Evazan/Ponda Baba at the Farm and battle there. Swing, hit, he swings at Vader and I cancel the 2nd draw to save the Dark Lord. Play I Have You Now, get three battle destiny draws. 5,1,7. He loses Luke and 20 more cards, I forfeit Dr.E/PB.
Once he’s covered all that, I battle at the Death Star DB, not surprised at all when he takes out Jabba with Fallen Portal. That’s what Mara was for. Put All Sections On Alert, Ben’s immunity is gone and he doesn’t get a destin. Draw a 1, we tie, but Ben is gone. The remaining cards are drained away next turn.
Win by 31
8(+72)
Finally, a big win, where differential is concerned. The merging of Alderaan Ops, Our Most Desperate Hour, and Palace Raiders was a little odd, never seen that one before.
Game 5 - LS vs Nick Jones’ Hunt Down
On my first turn, I cancel Visage with OOC/Transmission Terminated. Nick deploys the Emperor for force generation at a docking bay, I get down Kessel and hold it with Wedge and a Ralltir FC in the Pulsar Skate with No Questions Asked.
He gets Vader to the Cantina and deploys the CC docking bay. I put down Rogue 1 with Melas and Theron Nett piloting there to flip. Vader gets his saber and moves to the DB, switching places with the Emperor and Sim Aloo so he has two drains of 2 instead of one weak drain and one Control bait.
However, Menace Fades cuts it all down to where I’m still outdraining him. Another Visage, and an OOC/TT from lost pile to cancel it. I get Draw Their Fire out and deploy ECC Lando and a Ralltir FC to the Cantina, hoping he will try a Force Lightning and miss. He does, and the Emperor is now defense value -2 with no immunity. So I battle, shoot at him, and play a SATM/Blaster Prof. from lost pile, nailing the Emperor and clearing the site. He gets a couple good draws, so I lose both smugglers.
Vader and Tarkin take on Melas and Theron in Rogue 1, one draw gets through and takes out Tarkin, while Theron goes away. He counterattacks and gets rid of Melas, but Mirax and a Ralltir FC get two flips and avenge him next turn. In control of the table, I drain him out.
Win by 12
10(+84)
Lots of battling in that one, a great game. Both of us got off to a slow start, it seems. I’m glad to be undefeated so far, but I have to win the next game or there’s no way I’ll make the final with such low differential.
Game 6 - DS vs Keith Watabayashi’s Force Choke Mains
He starts Echo War Room and Seeking An Audience to grab Artoo & Threepio for How Did We Get Into This Mess and fly through the deck getting out twix sites. I’ve played against it a couple times after league or tournaments, so I know what to expect from it.
Keith deploys a Frozen Assets every other turn, but I’m activating enough force it doesn’t mess me up, and my deck is set up well against one-turn kill attempts. I get DLOTS with his saber to the Death Star DB, Keith gets Corran to the Holotheater to cancel Visage.
EPP Obi goes after Vader at the Death Star DB, swings, and misses. Vader swings and connects, we tie on power, Obi is gone. Mighty Jabba and 4-LOM go after Corran, cancel his text, and take him out. He flips a 4, so Jabba is gone. A replacement Corran is deployed next turn and Artoo & Threepio lets him battle 4-LOM, with no battle damage.
EPP Luke and EPP Han at Lars’ Moisture Farm flip my objective back, and Orrimaarko backs up Corran on the Executor. Put All Sections On Alert to cancel Orri’s text before Keith ends his turn, and track it. Tempest 1, Commander Igar, and Guri show up to trounce Luke and Han. Battle, flip a 6 and 1, he gets a 3. He forfeits Luke.
Keith deploys another Luke and battles, he flips a 4, I get a pair of 6s, clearing the site of EPP mains. Guri is lost, but she served her purpose, the Luke/Han combo only gave him one draw. A turn later, Owen & Beru and Lando with Vibro-Axe show up and Keith plays a Harvest, paying 4 to retrieve 4.
Grand Admiral Thrawn for forfeit fodder, battle, flip 6, 6, clear the site again. We get a round of drains in, he spreads Orri and Corran on the Executor, I send Mara after Corran but flip a 1 to his 5. Drat. Try again next turn with Janus, this time with a tracked 6, and take him out. The drains end the game soon after.
Win by 15
12(+99)
Most of the deck must’ve been Frozen Assets, Effective Repairs, sites, or How Did We Get Into This Mess. Keith is a great player, but it seems like the twix deck doesn’t have enough characters to make use of the force generation, or enough battle cards to take full advantage of the hand cycling.
Anyway, I finish the swiss part of the tournament in first place, the only undefeated player out of 47, with Nick Jones in second with higher differential but only 10 points.
Final Confrontation Game 1 - DS vs Nick Jones’ HBX
He pulls out systems and drains with X-Wings while I search the deck for this or that and keep finding all 5 of my Vaders floating around in the reserve deck, never activating them. So I get Grand Admiral Thrawn to the Executor DB and save force to go to space.
Nick cancels Visage with OOC/TT, sees how much I’ve saved, and masses his X-Wings until he can flip or I put some ships down. Monnok clears his hand of a couple X-Wings and It Could Be Worse. I attack right into the pack of six X-Wings without hesitating, because I’ve got Bossk In Hound’s Tooth and Dengar In Punishing One with some forfeit fodder. That ought to be good for a handful of ships, between the attrition bonus and multiple flips.
Battle, he reacts with the Spiral and plays Organized Attack. I flip a pair of 1s (good grief!), but still barely lose the battle, my forfeit fodder covers it. He loses Spiral and an X-Wing. From here, it runs together a bit. He runs away from me in space much of the time, relying on his ability to spread to more systems than I have ships to get drains in. On turn 5, Vader finally shows up, and I use him with some backup to trash Corran and a pal who invaded the Executor to drain.
Secret Plans hasn’t shown up in the whole game. Couldn’t start with it, IAO is necessary, Mob. Pts for generation and the Executor grab, and Crush The Rebellion for Monnok. So he gets 8 force back with All Wings Report In when he’s only got 6 cards left. My drains start going through again when the last system I probe is his HB, but too much has gone wrong by now, so he wins by 12.
Things didn’t fall apart, they flew apart. One correction, in an earlier report, someone said Civil Disorder cost me the game. No, I lost 2 force to it once. If it had been a Power Pivot instead, it would’ve ended things more quickly.
"Man invented language to satisfy his deep need to complain." - Lily Tomlin
Final Confrontation Game 2 - LS vs Nick Jones’ Hunt Down
We played this match-up before and I won by 12, but now Nick knows the contents of the deck. He gets a quick start, I struggle to get off the ground. He deploys the CC Downtown Plaza and is set to drain me pretty bad next turn, so I dump characters there for a beatdown and take the place over, putting Menace Fades in effect between the Plaza and Kessel.
I cancel his Cantina drain three times, I’m outdraining him and Visage is hitting us both. So I’m coming back into control of the table, but not quickly enough to make up for the Hunt Down’s performance last game. I’m set to win the game, but not by enough cards to pull out the win. Instead of playing for a win by a mere few cards, I make one desperate move to finish Nick off in battle, but he successfully chokes one character and beats the other down to end the game.
So Nick Jones will be going on to the 2nd day of Worlds to represent Washington State. Congratulations, you played well, watch those other players at Worlds like a hawk. I’m sure at least a few others who competed at States will be there to play through day 1, dunno what my schedule looks like yet. That’s quite a ways off.
Prize support was great, the shop gave away loads of stuff, including three foil Japanese Darth Vaders and an Imperial Barrier foil at random. We also all sang Happy B-Day to Doug Taylor and munched on cake. The shop’s gift to him was a box of Reflections II, a cool gesture. We’re blessed out here, between Bob at Broken Games, Doug, and Martin, I’d like to thank the lot of you if you’re reading this.
Other props go to Sean Estes because he demanded them ;)
Also Dan Tibbles for donating a lot of prizes from his collection, Derek Snook for giving his foil Japanese Vader to a little kid, and Keith for putting up with my comments during our game. People always gave me a hard time for using force choke and Frozen Assets, just passing it along.
This report has been brought to you by Breath Savers - For the love of God, don’t leave home without ’em, by the number 2, and the letter z. G’night, all.