ben-con-denver-co-6-8-01-brave-new-world
Title: ben-con-denver-co-6-8-01-brave-new-world
Author: Jason "Qui" Keen
Date: Jun 13, 2001
All right, fist i need to say that have been playing Star Wars and did ply in tournaments in May, very sucsessfully actually winning 2 Tournies going 9-1 for the month. But these Tournies I have used the same decks I have been writing about b4 Crouching Skrilling, Hidden Mains. Hence I did not not want to bore you all again with the same ho hum . . . give me Decktech points TR reports. So i decided to wait till the first CO tourny with Tatooine. So please enjoy!
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Alright first off lets explain that Ben Con is a small small gaming convention in CO, for Charity, which is awesome. This Con never really gets any respect or hype, but the Decipher Pimps of Denver decided to show up in full force so we had a SW: CCG extravaganza w/ a tourny one Friday and Saturday with a booster draft on Sunday. To start I will TR Friday, and follow up with Saturday.
Me and Loveland crew drive from Loveland to the Holiday inn in Parker in about 2 hours going through Hellish Traffic. This week Loveland Crew being Myself, Tom Meade, and Peter Cole. None of us are too sure about what to play this weekend. I expect that I will play like @#$% and go 3-3 both days since this new meta has me all screwy. I would have been happy with 3-3 in the new meta, no matter which way I looked at it I came to play and have fun. We roll in about 4:00, and check into the Hotel and pay for events and @#$%. I grab my SW crap and head to the lobby. Low and behold Scott Geata of Collectormania Fame, and John Arendt are chillin and I play John in a playtest game before he gets things rolling (Since he is running this Show) John is one of the best to playtest with by the way, he has very insightful deck advice and killa tech so everyone should listen to him from time to time :- ) Anyways the ball gets rolling a little bit past 6pm and we have like 18-19 people? It was looking good!
My Decks: Well I thought I try some new decks for me, some stuff I havn’t played since early 99 and shiat. So I had constructed and tested a little a Profit and Pods Deck, and This Deal is Getting Worse Deck, both decks which have been out of the Meta in CO. Most of all these deck were fun, and a massive change from Crouching Skrillings, Hidden Mains.
Game 1
Mike Crill (1668) Operational as Planned vs. Pods, Profit, and @#$%es!
Well I came to Denver to play some different peeps but I play to the guy who gave me my only Tourny loss for the Month of May . . . ack! Crill who was once a scrub is kinda on the rise, I think he outplaced me by one place at states so He is definatly knowledgable of SW. He too is trying something different which is good to see. Mike Starts the Endor Operations with the 3 locations and uses the interupt to grab DS2 Jerjerrod, and The DS2 Effect that lets him pull Combat Response and IAB. I start the Profit and Pods crap, but he has no Pod so auto Pod Race win for me ;) The whole idea behind Mikes deck is to build the DS2 get all the effects he needs and then start to beat down/occupy the system of the game. It seems that he runs 2 copies of the Tatooine Sytem in his deck and with Merejeck so he can get that swinging. I however look at him funny qand just flip the Obj to do damage to him. I let the Podrace get me force back for no reason and he also loses 6 for no reason . . . gotta love them Pods. I then just kinda spread my mains out and let Honor of the Jedi try to hold off the DS2 damage. He comes to the surface with his DS mains nad he battle a couple times, nothing too memorable or devestating, we pretty much pissed on each other with our Direct Damage, but we both agreed that in that game my mains, drains, and Direct Damage was much bettah so I won the game. Full Win +23
Highs: Beating a guy that beat me the last time we played.
Lows: Not really laying a Profitable Shmakdown on Crill
2 +23
Game 2
David Jones (1579) City Outskirts, and Shmi’s Hut vs. The Deal minus Imperial Barrier
Never played this kid before but his hat was wacky, so I think he was rocking the Gonge or something. Any wyas I start the Purple Card, the 2/2 Exterior Site IAB, I’m Sorry, Secret Plans, Crush the Rebellion. On my turn I grab my site so that I can activate 11 on my turn. He starts with Shmi’s Hut and Jedi Outskirts, Pulls Ranger Luke, and Shmi and I go. From there on we kinda stick to out own systems and Drain each other a bit. He plays the Vaparator Location so he’s draining for 3 and I’m trying to play convervative since I’m sure hes holding a beat down in his hand. in the Mid Game I decide to set up the Deal, I have Maul w/ Stick. DVDLOTS w/ Stick, Mara w/ Stick/ and Empy /w Janus Running around on CC so its already obscene Drains. I then drop the deal and he some to CC with like Chewie Prot and Melas. I clear them with Maul, I don’t do too much damage to them but Keeps him from trying to cancel the Deal. In the End I hit him for 17 with deal damage and I win by 12 :(
Highs: 17 Damage in one control phase, OLD SKOOL!
Lows: Having a low diff that game.
4 +35
Game 3
Jordan Duffy (1646) Hidden Mains vs. The Deal minus Imperial Barrier
I thought Hidden Mains would kinda be lame after Tat, but apparently people in Parker still play it so I have a good chance here since I know this deck real well ;) We both start the standard stuff and we set up some stuff for most of the early game. He deploys directly to CC which is smart, gives me a harder time to set up the Deal. We both do drain damage to each other, have some battle that cause minimal spillover damage. I have a Tie at the Sector, and I play Bobba Fett in ship to hold Bespin, He didn’t play the Falson yet so it was good. After I deploy to Bespin I play the CC: OCC to do some more damage to him. That when the big epis plays take place. He comes down to Bespin with the Home One and Battles poor Bobba Fett, I figure I in a bad position cause he might have tracked a 6 to wreck me, however he did not, he drew a one for Destiny which Boba is immune and I drew a 6, so my 13 to his 10 he loses 3 foces and keeps the Home one there. On my turn I do some Drains and I deploy Zuckass in ship and Dengar in Ship to Bespin, and I battle. I of coure don’t do damage but we say goodbye to Home One for this episode. Now that I am holding Bespin with Dengar, Boba, and Zuckass I need to turn my attention the ground. Jordan decided to consalidate his forces on my Emeror and EPP Vader at the 2/2 location on CC with Jedi Luke, Ben Kenobi, EPP Han, and EJP Lando. After that I activate to where I think I tracked some destinies and I deploy Darth Maul w/ stick, and Thrawn. I battle I first swing at Ben, Draw a 6 and a 5 so its a hit. He then excludes my Thrawn. I then Swinf at luke with Vader 6 and a 1, nice another hit! He misses his shot so we draw destiny, he draws a 6 and a 3 and I drew a 5. So I lose Empy to Attrition and I clear his whole site, and I still have two dark jedi. Jordan wasn’t really running retreival in his deck so I would just drain him since I had no Deals left to play, I get a full Win +15
Highs: Pulling off some truly Epic Battles in Space and on Ground, the Deal getting the Job Done baby!
Lows: Not playing the Dark Deal itself, oh also not being able to play with imperial barriers in my deck ;(
6 +50
Game 4
Tom Meade (1606) Hunt Down /w no Duel vs. Pods, Profit, and @#$%es.
I don’t need to mention That I have had to play Tom at the last 10 Tournaments that I have been to, @#$%ing pisses me off to no end. But I digress . . . its all a conspiracy. I had no real idea what Tom was playing, all I know it that he placed Mara and Dr. E in the AC for some reason. He stats Mob Points, IAB, and Crush . . . no Epic Duel mind you! On the Podrace he plays evil pit droid interrupt and draws a 4 to injure my Pod, I think I can hold on and with the Race but he plays yet another Pod tech card just for my deck so I concede the race real early just to beatdown on his peeps. He plays Palpy to the AC right away and gets stick on mara. I think I play Master Luke and Ben w/ Stick to the AC but he clashed Ben. hmmmm So I battle to mess with him anyway so I play Freindly Fire and draw a 0 to kill his Dr. E, he swings and hits Luke and I then Top Deck a 6 on the Mara Unsummon so he loses stick. Me and Empy Draw and I lose Luke and nothing else. After this we both Draw up and look for more stuff while Ben recovers from the Clash. Tom plays DVDLOTS and Darth Maul i beleive and I deploy Master Luke w/ Stick EPP Leia and Chewbacca Prot? Either way I battle and Glance Vader right away. I then tell Tom that he may not be able to Epic Duel . . . but I can and I play You’ll Find I’m Full of @#$%! I draw a 6 and he Draws 2 5’s! So I have 6 power to his zero so vader is lost from the Game and he will stay flipped forever!!!! Yay! Not to mention I played Honor real early on. Well that Battle ends up me with taking back the site and I pop Han and Retreive 10 force. Tom retaliates by playing Darth Maul again and I come down with Qui-Gon and Stick in the Podrace Arena. I battle he tries to snatch my stick but Qui0Gon says . . . I don’t sense anything . . . and draws a 2 on the sense draw which in turn is a 6 due to 0 side Obj. I draw a 4 and a 3 to hit that sucker fool sith Boy and I draw a 5 for Destiny and Maul brings it with a one. After that I spread, drain, piss on Tom with honor, and chill with my @#$%es and I win . . +20
Highs: poppin Mara with Lukes Game Text blind Draw.
Lows: Playing and beating my Padawan learner Tom Meade.
8+ 70
Wow, So I’m doing good today since I was really happy that I already had 4 wins today, but now I had some tough games ahead.
Game 5
Chris Fanchi (1866) QMC vs. The Deal minus Imperial Barrier
I can’r explain how bad of a matchup this was, almot not even worth mentioning the game its self. Fanchii’s deck was similar to Brian Hunter’s QMC which involves gay retreival after the flip on CC. Not as much react away stuff as Avatar plays but still a solid deck that Fanchii played like a champ against me, so props to him. Basically I stried to set up my Strategy with the Deal and Occupation but Chris was the first to space with Dash Rendar I beleive, so Instead I tried to get Chriss into a bad battle on the ground where I could make him lose some foce. This of course would not happen. At one point I got frustrated and played Aurra Sing and Bane Malar to EPP Leia’s site. He had a luke at my Palpy with some fools. I battled Luke firtst like a scrub and he Pathed over to Leia’s site. I onlky had one force left wo I had to keep those two fools there and face a beatdown. The Beatdown did come on his turn. He played Corran Horn and battles, he swung at my Aurra and hit then Blaters Proffed her out of there, then Leia hit bane with gun, so I Drew Destny with Bane and got a 1, sweet! So I think Chris beat me down by 18 force there, so you can do the math. I had like 6 cards in myt reserve deck after thqat and I tried to to more damage to him but I just decided to draw up since playing longer would increase his differential. Once he could start tracking 7s it was no good, so I lost like a scrub -24 which was the lowest loss to Chris’s QMC of the day by the way!
Highs: Getting to play against a good QMC deck for the first time!
Lows: Playing like a fool and getting beatdown by 17 or 18 . . . sigh.
8 +46
Game 6
Chris Fanchii (1866) MKOS Mains vs. Pods, Profit, and @#$%es!
So this game was for the tourny, but I was a little worried about this game Chris was @#$%y about this deck. That fear went away when I saw him deploy aliens to the AC and then looking at my hand ;) I played Goo Nee Tay for the Start and we got the Pod Race started in good Fashion. HE got his Stick out for Mara and Xizor was ready too! On my start I play Master Luke with Ben Kenobi the Good Book and his Stick :P It was kinda on I battle I pop Xizor back to hand, and he swings and he draws a 3 and a 1 missing luke. I play like a scrub and for get to swing at mara but my destiny and power clears the site. I draw some cards and he goes. We draw Pod Destiny I am down do I draw 3 and keep a 6 and a 5 yay! I beleive I pop Han After that to start doing damage Either way When I take over the AC Chris CANNOT regain control from me, I play some mad mains spread out and drain, and do DD. I win the Podrace and retreive 6 force and he loses 6 force for once again no reason :P He is never able to establish board control after me and I trash Chris by 30!!! Revenge is Mine fool!
Highs: Beating a player rated higher than me for once . . . sheesh.
Lows: Forgetting to swing light sabers not once that game but twice!!!!
10 +76
Yay! the Tourny is over and I am named Grand Champion . . . but not really. I get first and Tom Meade actually got second while Peter Cole went 3-3, so Team Loveland kinda wrecked shop on Ben Con which is niiiiice!
Props
Holiday Inn, for letting me Play Star Wars CCG in my bare feet.
John Arendt, For running a smooth boat.
Chris Fanchii, for being Parker Fodder in game 6 ;)
Tom Meade, For playing me and not @#$%ing the whole game through!
Mike Crill, for playing a deck that is fearless and inventive.
Pods, Profit, and @#$%es: For going 3-0 in its first Tourny!
The Deal minus Imperial Barrier, For being way better than I expected!
Slops
Aurra Sing and Bane Malar, fot not being able to hold a location!!!
Ben’s Lightsaber, Not just swinging through DS mains without drawing destiny . . . shame on you!
Tom’s DS Deck, for playing anti-podracer tech!
QMC a la Fanchii/Hunter, For being sooo gaaay!
Ben Con, I know its charity but you can do better for Prize Support, One pack or RF1?
Holiday Inn, food was waaaay to expensive.
Look Out for, Gooooood TR, Ben Con 6/9/01 Coming Soon!
Jason "Qui-Gon" Keen
-OUT