madrid-ithor-05-05-01
Title: madrid-ithor-05-05-01
Author: Heraclio "Morgoth" Sanchez
Date: May 9, 2001
I sucked at Ithor States (14 from 40) and was quite upset about my pairings. There were lots of people from outside and I had to play vs 4 locals (losing to some I win every day). TDs sucked too but I won´t say anything else, just hope this will never happen again (and I learn from my own mistakes).
Now for this tourney. I felt confident about my DS Abyssins with space deck but had no idea of what using for light. I´ve benn playing WYS PR with Crafts and Harvest with good results but I was tired of it and the local meta is becoming weird just to counter this deck. I needed a change and was looking for some crazy tech that would broke the meta.
Finally I recalled the AITC with Klatoonians (props to Brainchild for the idea) and found it was strange enough and could win too. I knew few decks could survive its huge drains and drain me faster. My main enemy could be a fast Dark Deal deck but who plays this? ;-)
So I went on Saturday morning arriving just in time. Eight people there, poor performance but what would you expect? It was too early. Angel DJ arrived a bit late but we let him play because we know him and he´s cool.
Pairings are called and I find myself playing vs Victor. This is a game that we played some weeks a go and meant my only loss to EBO with my new Abyssin deck. That was a close (won by 2 cards) and fun game. He plays a matching pilot EBO with Mains! Now I knew what to do and hoped to do well.
Game 1: My DS vs Victor´s EBO
I start as usual with POTH, No bargain and TINT/OE. He starts Strike Planning, Squad Ass. And Menace Fades. First turn as usual (deploying Barge, Passenger Deck and AC) and draw one. My hand is not bad and I hope I can flip early and get Resistance, S&D and Secret Plans. That would be game because it would force him to go to sites.
Even my decks packs heavy space (for MKOS) I know I would be smacked by his so I concentrate on ground. His first turns he tries to set up EBO. I flip really fast and get a good beatdown hand (IG-88, 4-LOM, Xizor and 3 Abyssins). I can´t get my effects but Gailid is killing him so he takes the risk and tries to satisfy Menafe Fades deploying Madine and Cpt. Solo on the 4th marker. He could not set up EBO yet and was mad about it.
My activation was low and I could not deploy my beatdown crew this turn. I set up completely over the palace (with Mosep and Bib) and deployed IG to 4th marker. He deployed the Bacta Tank and Gen Cal. Which made the game longer than it should have been. Next turn my hit squad payed a visit to Hoth. First Strike and S&V on table so I retrieved three and he lost one. From there it was downhill for me. His huge forfeit guys and Bacta Tank took it longer but as we battled each other every turn there I was draining huge and retriving more. I could not get my extra Myos and was running low on characters (weird, a swarm deck running low on characters!).
Finally he took me out of Hoth but I was retrieving my losses and he began to set up EBO. He needed every single character he had to throw me out there so there were no ships over Hoth.
I built myself a new hitsquad ready to go back to Hoth but it was not needed. He On the Edged hard so it took a little longer. Game ended when I controlled every single battleground site and even Hoth system. Retrived as much as I could and drained him out. FW 2(+23).
Overall 2(+23)
The good: total control of the game. Revenge to my only loss to EBO (with my new MKOS deck).
The bad: running out of characters!
The ugly: beating Victor hard. He´s a great player that played much worse than he´s able to. I´m sure next time won´t be that easy.
I´m on the lead and Miguel “Big Tarkin” Tarin on second so I know I´ll be playing him. He´s one of the best players here so I know this will be difficult but I beat him one of our last games (not too many people can say so) and I know my Klatooinians will smack TIEs easy (I pack 2 ships and 2 claws AND I hope she´s allright) and Miguel has been playing TIE decks for a while.
Game 2: My LS vs Miguel Tarin speed Dark Deal
What!? I was pissed. He brought one of his brother´s deck because he felt tired of TIEs. You cannot do that! And what´s worse he was playing Dark Deal, by far the worst macth up I could find. So I was in front of a computer-minded player (no mistakes, playing ultrafast) armed with my nemesis deck. This sucks!
This would be a non-interactive game at all and lasted for about 15 minutes maximum (we both play pretty fast and turns were fast too). The were only two breaking points. Firs one was his speed, he could find his sites soon set up really fast. I set up fast too but my drains were lower than his (8 plus some AFA damage to 15 I think) so I needed to reduce those horrible drains. I packed Ultimatum and Bargaining Table but signaled for the wrong one (Bargaining Table), I soon realised my mistake but luck was not on me and my second Signal missed finding Ultimatum (it was one of the three activated). I had my signals grabbed (from first turn) and there was none left in my deck, that was game. FL 0(-11).
Overall: 2(+12)
The good: playing Miguel, he´s a cool player (even when he wins). Fast game.
The bad: my mistake with Ultimatum.
The ugly: facing Dark Deal played by player number 2 in Ithor.
So we were joking all game long and when finished went outside and waited for the other games to finish joking a bit more.
So Miguel is on the lead and I´m not bad because every game was close and I got a big differential from first game.
Game 3: My DS vs Eduardo weird HB
Well Eduardo is not a comfortable player to play with. He seems to ALWAYS forget every card on table that hurts him so you have to remind him every single turn to lose cards for whatever he has to lose (S&D, Ability x3, etc) or any restriction or modification that affects him badly (No Bargain, Resistance, etc).
At the beginning I told him to put his cards all the same way, he had some cards upside down (but with sleeves right whats was suspecting from marking this cards). He was pissed about that but I didn´t care. I could have called the TD to verify his deck but I´m a nice guy after all ;-).
Game begins, I start as usual and he stars Squad Ass. And Menace Fades which makes me think of weird tech (Hidden Mains but no Insurrection?). My first are standard turns but my hand sucks so I´m quite slow. He looks for some systems and deploys Yarna making my Evader/Monnok almost useless. I spread over the palace with a good backup my hand and get some of my ships. Then he deploys Raltiir from reserve, Koensayr Manufacturing and Bargaining Table. Wtf!!! He´s packing Y-Wings with RFCs! He spreads thin, saves one and flips. By then I´ve got Zuckuss in ship, 4-LOM and one Abyssin. I´m activating huge so I play Monnok lost to check if he´s got a barrier and/or cards for a beatdown and get nothing but now I know he has no barrier and won´t be able of beating me back but he´s got Houjix. I deploy my beat squad and force him to use his safe-belt card. Probed and moved to Raltiir.
From them it was my space fleet chasing his. Xizor in Virago and Guri in Stinger came for another beatdown and found his base quite fast (he had just deployed 5 systems). He was packing several mains which after some battles took control of Lower Passages. He had Premier Obi and pissed me off with him but I was in complete control of the game. He retrieved one Y-Wing every turn (I prefered chasing him on space rather than suspending KM) and some more with Nar Shadda and All Wings. I could not find my extra Myos and Den of thieves just came at the end so my differential was quite low. FW 2(+10).
Overall 4 (+22)
The good: Winning Eduardo. My MKOS space fleet chasing his HB flipping one!
The bad: low diff. Playing Eduardo.
The ugly: Premier Obi.
Miguel has ripped Nacho off but the other games were close ones. Miguel is the only undefeated and Angel, Nacho and me can still win. Pairings come and I have to play Miguel again. Well it´s OK for me but I got confused when they told me I have to play LS again. Wtf!?? Don´t ask me why or how pairings were made. Most TDs in Spain (I would say Madrid, the ones I know) suck but this is just too much. He revised the pairings and said that he will not change it.
Game 4: My LS vs My Nemesis
This game was pretty much the same as the other one. No interaction at all and huge drains. He set up even faster (which I thought it could not be possible) and I signaled for Ultimatum first turn,which he grabbed, but wasn´t enable to occupy three battlegrounds fast enough and took one drain of 15. We both spread as thin as we could (I was holding Ke Chu Ke Kukuta) and I tried to hit him with Masta Luke, Yoxgit and a couple of Revolutionaries but he was holding Tempest Scout 6 (the one that deploys –2 as react, I´m not sure it is TS 6) so he got a battle destiny and finished blocking my forces in Bespin.
Vader and Tarkin went to Trade Route and slipped slowly into the palace. I had no force left to make him pay with a beatdown squad of Klatoionians and finally both imperials blocked my drain on the Audience Chamber. My only way to retrieve was with Nar Shadda Wind Chimes but there was no way as I was too low on Revolutionaries and my destinies were pretty high. It ended up me losing by 8. 0(-8)
Overall 4(+14)
The good: are you kidding?
The bad: Playing Miguel WITH SAME DECKS. The TD.
The ugly: Tempest Scout reacting.
I was quite upset. As I said it´s great palying Miguel but same game was just too much for me.
Miguel was the only undefeated so he got first place. Angel and Nacho were playing each other for second place and Nacho finally took it. Sorry man, you would have won if I had defeated Miguel but he payed much more money than you ;-).
Prizes were Signal and Imperial Decree foil and some CC boosters :-p. Miguel got The Signal which I hope I can trade him, Nacho the Decree, Angel finished third and I was in fourth place.
Props and slops:
Props:
To Miguel “Big Tarkin” for winning.
To everybody who came BUT the Cheater (by now you should have some clues about who he is)
To MKOS for being one of the most reliable decks out there.
Slops
Mad slops to the TDs running events in Avalon. We´re not there for the money or the prizes just for fun. You´re stealing our money, our prizes AND our fun.
To anyone who stayed at home sleeping.
I hope you enjoyed,
Heraclio.