collectormania-open-06-30-01
Title: collectormania-open-06-30-01
Author: Justin "Bubba Joe" Beal
Date: Jul 5, 2001
Well, Thursday after work I hop in my non-air-conditioned car (yes I do live in Arizona, I am just cheap) and drive up to Phoenix and meet Caldera Righim (aka Mike Girard) for a ride to Colorado for the Collectormania Open. The drive was interesting, Mike started driving and then I drove for a few hours and then he finished up. I drive the speed limit, and Mike, well he drives ’slightly’ faster. We arrive at Collectormania at about 10:45. That was fine. The sealed event starts at noon, and then the constructed event is later that night. I had never played in a sealed event so I did rather poorly. I put stupid stuff in my deck but it was
fun anyway.
We get ready for the constructed event and an all-star cast of SWCCG shows up, Brian Hunter, John Arndt (sorry if I misspelled it), Mike, Joe Helfrich, and some others. As people start arriving I decide to ask the TD (Scott Gaeta, store owner) how he would rule on a card combo that I have been playing for a few months. Scott decides that it doesn’t work (first time it was ruled against me) but not before over an hour arguement ensues (me, Girard, Joe Helfrich, Scott and random others) as to the validity of the combo. So I am pretty intimidated since I have been playing less than a year and my rating is not that great. Needless to say I did go 3-1 and took 4th, so I was plesently surprized at that. Mike and I stay with Joe and start talking about what to play for the open. I want to switch out my decks, but Girard talks me out of it cause they did so well, and no one else was playing decks like them. So needless to say I kept my decks primarily the same. Jared Arthur (Don Yoda) and John Towner drive up and a random Arizona Player just happened to be in Colorado that weekend so he played too. (Sorry I forgot his name)
My information going in. 104 games 1612 rating. (All other players ratings are for after the weekend, cause it has already updated)
LS - QMC mains and fun stuff. (Starts Keeping The Empire Out Forever, Squadron Assignments, and either Insight, or Don’t Do That Again)
DS - Agents of Black Sun, not quite Surgeon (Starts Secret Plans, Mobilization Points, and Imperial Arrest Order)
Game 1
My LS vs Chris Mead DS Huntdown, no Dueling (1628)
Well, I had played this game the night before, exact same decks. I start Insight cause his Visage won me the game last night. I cut his deck and miss the bottom card and stack it on top. I said it was a ’special’ card. Just for fun, he looks at it as he draws and laughs. Lord Vader. Great..... Well, I have an OOC in my hand (I only play 1) He deploys Exe: DB and Gall and draws up. We lose to visage, and he loses a Lord Vader. OK, I say. I go, OOC his lost pile. He Grimices. I get his starting interupt. That would have ended the game real quick. Oh well, I have Obi w/, Han w/, Luke w/, and Wedge, RSL in my opening hand. Time to save up Force. I trash Insight for Honor, Activate my force, get a site and say go. He gives me the CC: DB and gets Vader to the Exe: DB and moves over to flip. OK, I activate and say go. He just activates and draws most of it up. I activate and flip putting Luke at one location, Obi at another, and Wedge in Space, and get the Admiral’s Order. He comes down with Zuckass and 4-LOM to try and kill Wedge. He draws low and Wedge lives.
I activate search, get Menace Fades. Deploy it move to Gall. Next turn he deploys Maul and a bunch of others (Ponda Boba Dr. E, Xixor, and Guri, I think) and iniates, he hits Obi. Obi hits Maul and paths away with him and Maul dying. But Obi had much ’Jedi Resilience’ that day so he comes back to my hand. I get a card durring his turn (Sorry About The Mess). I activate and get X-wing cannons. Path Luke over to SATM Guri. Deploy the Cannons, Deploy Obi, and Han and kill both Zuckuss and the only other site he had controleld in one turn. Move Obi by him self, and Wedge to Bespin. Wedge Held the system for the rest of the game, (not that I could find Celebration, but thats OK) He got Something Special Planned out to end my retreival loop (it turns out Lift Tubes are cool), but I still get to get 10 back with my edge cards. I drop Qui-Gon with a Jedi Lightsaber (Anti-Aura tech) and start draining for more. He drops Sim Aloo, and Admiral Ozzel to battle Qui-Gon and Sim decides he likes the shiny objects (the lightsaber) more than Qui Gon, so Qui Gon calls his buddy up with the lift tube and Luke and Han join the party and Obi, finds the Path Of Least Resistance to party down. That battle pretty much ended any chance he had of winning the game. But again like a scrub I draw up too many cards and end up winning by less than I could have. FW +17
Good: Good game, but my QMC just owns HuntDown (6 games, 4 different decks, 6 wins)
Bad: Don’t you just hate it when someone steals your lightsaber.
Ugly: After this game they started doing deck checks, my Light deck was missing one Jedi Lightsaber. Scott found it and just reminded me to count my deck before and after each game. I thanked him grately.
The Arizona Crew went 4-1 in the first round. So I won, big deal, I didn’t know ths guy from Jose and I figure I will get beat around in the next round to make up for it.
Game 2
My DS vs Christopher Baker Basler’s LS, Hidden Base X-Wings / Podracing
Hmmmm. In all my playing, I haven’t played against a Hidden Base, but this could be bad cause he could block my drains and just hurt me out. So I gotta play carefully. I don’t figure I will see much of Luke so I have to flip as fast as possible. God (not Brian Hunter) must have heard me cause he gave me Caridia, CC: DB, Emperor Palpatine, Guri, and 2 Vigos in my opening Hand. He starts the Anti-Mob Points card so my activation is somewhat limited, but I know that HB give off alot of force, so I am not concerned. I do my standard 2nd turn flip but I am at both sites, and will start to really hurt him with damage. He deploys a few X-wings to "The Point", but doesn’t do much else. We are racing and he pulls ahead in the final leg, with a total of 23 and me at 20. But I have lost very little and done much damage to him. I have Fett with the Emperor, and Jodo Kast with Xixor and Search And Destroy out killing him too. He puts out more X-wings and flips. Next turn he draws a 1,1,4. I need a 5 to tie (win) or a 6 to win outright. I draw an Oh Switch Off (6), and that pretty much makes it my game. I retreive he loses. I deploy some ships in space, Bossk And Dengar at one system, and Zuckass with a Vigo at another. Destroy 2 fo his ships, and probe durring his turn. Move away and deploy a lonely Stinger and probe the rest and by default hit it. Since he can’t cancel my drains I win.
FW +10 4(+27)
Good: An Excellant Game, Winning the Podrace was Key.
Bad: Nothing really, just solid play on both sides.
Ugly: It must stink to lose the podrace to someone that doesn’t care if they win or not (no interupts).
We (Arizona) improved to 9-1 after the second round. We are kicking some major Keaster now!!! But now the games will start getting hard....
Game 3:
My LS vs Tom Meade’s DS That Thing’s Operational Deck (1615)
I have never feared That Thing’s Operational before, but with the new helper card it could be formidable. Before you could just waltz in and blow it up without any real worries. Now you are lucky if you can get to the core without crashing into the side of the capacitors. Well, I get set up on Cloud City with Luke, Han and Dash at the system by like 3rd turn. The DS2 is built soon there after and he drops Thrawn in the Chimera and kills Dash, but it covers the damage. I then think I can blow it up with General Cal, and Corran Horn, well Baron and his most of his wing CRUSH me like a bug. (Actually shot me out of the sky) So then I have to be careful. U-3PO blocks some drains for a bit, but he dies eventually. As does Arica. The Edge cards keep my life force alive, but he has much more, and I am losing more a turn than him but I am setting up a one turn win if I can just pull it off. He eventually moves his Interceptors over to the Bespin system and the Chimera with Thrawn and Chinereau over to Sullest to drain. I ventually find all the cards I need, and drop Lando on the Falcon and Jek on his ship and Wedge as a passenger on the Falcon, and X-wing Cannons on Jek. Iniate, and play I Have a Bad Feeling About this. he plays Imperial Command, and I sense. get it. I power pivot the Chimera, and we draw. I draw a 6 he draws a 4 (cancel) and a 1. 17 difference in power, 34 in battle damage. He loses it all and 11 cards. That was pretty much game. I squeak out the win. FW +19, 6(+46)
Good: This was one of the best games I ever played. I got the victory because I pulled off an impossible combo (Impossible for anything other than QMC, that is)
Bad: Losing horribly in 2 tries in space.
Ugly: Who would have ever guess that would have happened.
Now it is time eat for the Jedi as well. Hmmmm. =) So me and Girard head off to get food at King Soopers (grocery store) and are talking about the game. We find out through the grape vine that there are only 4 undefeateds left. Me, Jared (AZ), Brian Hunter, and some other guy. Upon further inspection it turns out I was the only LS undefeated deck to win that round so I am all gearing up for Hunter. Boy was I surprized.
Game 4:
My DS vs Jared Arthurs LS flipping Hidden Base (1895)
WTF OVER!!! Jared is a nice guy and all but what in God’s great EARTH is he doing here! A better question is WHY AM I HERE!!!!! We joke around about being two scrubs from Arizona at the #1 spot and the #1 table. It was just classic. We get started and I start fast and with Xixor and 2 Vigos to the Coruscant DB first turn. Second Turn I flip with Xixor, Vigo, and Guri at CC: DB, and Emperor and Vigo at CC DB. I get to hurt him with drains for quite a while longer. My one mistake in this game was trying to alter Honor. I had No Escape in my hand, but nothing in my lost pile, so I was reluctant to use it. I waited an extra turn to use it. He eventually comes down with Han and Luke and tries to kill Xixor. He can’t and he loses Han. I come down with everyone in my hand, and kill Luke and like 10 over. He flips the next turn and slows down my drains. I start looking for my ships, and get Bossk and Dengar up to space to annoy him with an occasional drain. But he finally cuts off all my ships from escape and they die. I have him almost beaten but he finds his last Our Most Desparate Hour, and gets it off for 5 or 6 force. I had tried to Set For Stun Wedge but he had just shuffeled my reserve deck so I missed it. That turned out to be the difference in the game. It was a strategic battle that lasted 59:50 and saw me on the losing end. FL(5) 6(+41)
Good: THIS was my best ever game of Star Wars, most of the game is still a blur so some specific instances that were interesting I can’t remeber at the moment
Bad: Well, you would think losing, but I almost prefered losing. I forgot to hit for Search and Destroy most of the game.
Ugly: Traveling 15 hours by car to play a local. That is just silly...
OK, so now I am in the sea of 3-1 players. There are now only 3 undefeateds and Jared is their leader. So I get bumped down to the Second table. No problem, I am having so much fun I don’t even care about winning.
Game 5:
My LS vs Jordan Duffy’s Desert Landing Site / Jabba’s Palace Start Mains. (1777)
Jordan seemed like a cool guy, but like me felt uncomfortable at the top tables. We both spend a couple turns activating, but he deployed first. He drops Vader and Tarkin to the cancel drains location. I am like sure whatever. I needed another turn of force (more expensive characters in my hand) so I say go. He deploys Emperor, Janus, and Sim to another site. Hmmmm, this could be interesting. I flip with Han w/ and Luke w/ and General Calrisian at the system. I move Han to Luke and say go. He activates moves Vader, Tarkin to My location and draws up. I drain him at the system. Deploy Obi from Force Pile and move Han and Luke to block a drain via lift tube. He activates and deploys Fett and 4-LOM to the Carbonite Chamber (with Vader and Tarkin). Tries to Battle Luke and Han and they react away. I track the Lift Tube Escape to retreive my Celebration (that I had lost to a drain off the top earlier in the game). As soon as I activate my next to last force he tries to Disarm Obi. I am like I am still activating, and he is like you only have 1 force left. I am like I can still activate it. I then declare each action and the phase it is in. I Edge and Path Obi away during my activate phase. Drain, deploy Qui-Gon to Tatooine with a Jedi Saber. He deploys Maul, Saber, Ponda Boba & Dr E, and Bossk w/ Gun to Qui Gon. Misses everything. I hit the Good Doctor. And I lose some cards to the damage. He moves VAder and Tarkin over to Obi. I then activate to the cards I used to hit last time (5 and a 6, the good doctor and his friend were very dead), and decare that it is my control Phase and that I get the first action. I Sorry About The Mess Vader. Then I Celebrate, Drain and get a card. I see Jek, with Wedge in Hand. I deploy Wedge and Jek to Qui-Gon’s Location and clear both that site and Tarkins site with a total breakthrough of like 10. From there, I am out draining him and retreiving. He draws up soon after. FW +27 8(+68)
Good: A fun game where my QMC did what it was supposed to. Choose the battles and make the opponent pay for bad decisions.
Bad: Letting CC get over-run with bad guys. =)
Ugly: Being able to clear out the bad Guys with only 3 battles. =)
Well, now someone asks me (I think Kyle Craft) where I am for games. I am like I only lost 1, and he replies you are 4-1. Then it hits me. I am 4-1 at an Open Con. I don’t know what is going on, but I shouldn’t be here. I am a scrub that wanted a weekend away from Tucson and here I am about to get my butt kicked in this final game cause I don’t belong here. Well, the pairing are announced, and it isn’t Craft, Hunter, Arendt, or Girard, so I figure I ’guess’ I have a ’chance’.
Game 6:
My DS vs Derek Mower’s LS Train to 6 (1775)
Well, I don’t know what I was expecting but it wasn’t this. I know my drains will mean next to nothing, but in the end it is all I have. I flip early, and start hitting him for damage. I also find an Emperor fairly early, but Battle Plan is slowing me down. I eventually get Caridia with Bossk and Zuckuss, So I am hitting him for 4 Direct and 3 in drains. He drops EPP Han and Luke to Xixor’s Site, but I only lose the Vigo. Luke Stays. Luke Takes it next turn for like 15 over, because IG-88, 4-LOM, Fett, Dengar, and Jodo Kast pay him a visit. Fett Hits him, but I only draw a total of 5 for Destiny, but it was enough. He is about to complete JT 5, and I am concerned. I start Secret Plans so I just have to get him down to 9 cards. I drain and hit him for direct damage. (5 total) and he is down to 13 (11 active, and 2 in Reserve Deck) I know the 7 is on top of his reserve. Then I remember Search and Destroy, (I had forgoten it most of the game) and hit him for one in my turn. He tries to skip all the way to End of Turn but I make him lose a force durring his turn. He calls a judge over and everyone is like yes you have to lose a force. He loses the 7 and I know I have him. He retreives and stacks a 4. From that point I just drain him out eventhough he retreives another 6 with edge cards. FW (+28) 10(+96)
Good: I am 5-1 ??!?!?
Bad: Forgetting Search and Destroy
Ugly: Very non-interactive game, not very much fun, eventhough it was close to the end.
Well, now I can’t believe what it happening. Before the last game there was still Brian Hunter and this other guy that were undefeated, and I was the top 5-1, but since we all played the same time I was at table 2. Not that I minded. I wait around and see the other undefeated guy finish and I ask if he won. He didn’t, which means I have a chance. I am really excited at this point, and I hope that Jared can beat Hunter in his game, but alas he cannot. This one guy asked me what my dif is and I am like "mid 90s" and everyone starts thinking I am in the final confrontation, with Brian. Now I am just completely confused, and everything up to and including the Final confrontation was a blur. The Final Standings are..
1) Brian Hunter
2) Justin Beal (me?!)
3) Mike Girard
Team Arizona finished 2, 3, 9, 12, 22; out of close to 40 participants. In the final confrontation Brian beat me both games first by 19 then by 5. I remember him being somewhat surprized by my QMC deck but I guess nothing surprizes Hunter to the point he will lose. They were fun games, and I am glad to have gotten the oportunity to play the highest rated player a total of 4 times. (BTW I have lost every time, incase any one was wondering). The following day I played in the team tourny but prior to playing, the Utah guys came up to me and presented me with an stuffed monkey and a beer. Now most people know, and if they don’t they do know. I don’t drink alcohol as a general rule. So I still have that beer, and it will probably finihs its days in my frige. They game that to me and said Go Team Ape Smash! I was like whatever. I went 4-2 to finish out a great weekend of Star Wars, and helped The Kalit Diggers (the Utah Guys: Zach Marshal, Casey Barson, and this other guy) to take second in the team tourny. Well, the weekend was great and I hope to see everyone at ComicCon and DCON 2001. Oh and the results have posted already. My rating went from 1612 to 1750 just from this weekend. Now for the greatest section....
SUPER PROPS:
Mike Girard for driving.
Joe Helfrich for letting Mike and I stay at his place.
Enrique Huerta, Andres Lopez, and Kyle Schielman <sp> for helping me prepare for this event by facing every plausable deck design thinkable to man-kind. (aka The Sea of Jizz we thoughtfully call Arizona)
Regular PROPS:
Jon Dunn for convincing me my decks are good.
Brian Hunter for being a great player, and just fun guy to be around.
Scot of Collectormania for being too cool, with the entire weekend.
All My opponents for being good sports, about winning and losing.
Jared Arthur, and Jon Towner for driving up the same day.
Search and Destroy for being a GOD card this weekend.
SLOPS (also known as Brandons)
This guy that said I would never amount to anything in SWCCG. (Incase there was any question that would be Brandon) =)
Peace, Out
Bubba Joe