7-28-01-billings-mt-i-suck
Title: 7-28-01-billings-mt-i-suck
Author: Travis "Com Igar" Rumans
Date: Jul 28, 2001
Well, the day before the usual every-two-weeks constructed at the Splash page was a Reflections II sealed in Sherida, so I drove Peter and Cody down there so we could play. If Cody can get around his computer problems he will do a full TR, since a lot of people dropped I didn’t even get a full four games so I’ll just have some random comments and get on with the constructed.
Sales tax irritates me. Montana has no sales tax, but we were being oppressed by the Wyoming sales tax.
Wyoming’s highways are pinkish. Almost right on the state border, the interstate changes color. I don’t know why.
Peter ended up winning because he pulled a foil Palpatine but, more importantly, he bought a 49er water battle in the shape of a football player. This powerful talisman would prove to be a great boon to him later.
My average driving speed was about 95 mph, with a high of 120 mph. At one point we were going 105, and there’s this car in front of us, and Pter and I are looking at it and wondering if that thing on the top is some kind of rack or police lights. Its going as fast as we are, and if I accelerate to get a better look than I will REALLY be speeding. Then it turns on its lights, and I’m thinking I’m screwed, but it just wanted to use an emergency vehicle turnaround.
The couples and the computer printers are in a conspiracy to thwart my bid for world power. We went to grab some food at the subway, and there were like five boyfriend/girlfriend pairs there. It was later commented that the people there probably thought we were gay. As for computer printers...best not to talk too much about that, I still need to print decklist forms.
Anyway, QMC had went 1-1 for me at all tournaments but the first I had played it at so I was sick of it. People were starting to meta against HD/P so I decided to retire it. I have deck ideas for after Coruscant comes out, but I’m stuck with nothing I really like for this meta. For light I go with WYS because its hard to go wrong with it. For dark I notice no one is playing SAC protection or Don’t Do That Again so I bust out BHBM with IAO/Mob Points. I was trying to meta against RST and QMC, which were the most popular light decks at the past tournaments, because they are both hosed if they don’t get any battle tricks. I should’ve gone with the other thought I had and played TIE Swarm to counter the HB that would come into play to counter popular dark decks, but I didn’t and made a bad meta choice.
My brother Troy is willing to come out for his third tournament ever. For dark he’s still playing a mainsy MKOS, for light he abandoned RST for a TIGIH/Speeders deck that uses lots of Barriers and It Can Wait to set up a beat down on the poor sap who picks up Luke. Cody may not do a constructed TR, but he was playing MBO and RallOps/Bikers.
It figures that for the first game I play Peter.
Game 1 My BHBM vs Peter’s HB
I hate Hidden Base. Back whent I started playing after Endor, it was all I saw. I hated it then and I hate it now. And this was a matchup I really didn’t want. Worse, he’s podracing, and Sebulba can’t flash the vents because I need my turn one Palpy.
I pulled Milwaukee with Mob Points so he was afraid I was playing TIEs so he didn’t spread until he got to verify my deck a few times. My plan was to stick Maul on a ship because all he has (as far as I know) for ability four+ characters is Luke. But I can’t find asny ships and he kills Maul with a suicide Luke. I sense and alter some things. S/A is kind of fun if you’re playing it. "I’ll Signal." "No, you won’t." Meanwhile his 49er water battle is looking down with his grim visage. It OWNED me. I fail to Force Lightning Boush. Eventually I haul Luke back to the throne room and duel him once before I get drained out.
FL-25
Highs: Uh, sensing and altering some stuff. Winning a duel. Faking him out with Milwaukee.
Lows: I was destroyed, in game one. Ouch.
Anyway, Cody wins his game with MBO because his opponent was playing a build the DSII deck and MBO is already set up to take them out nice and good (Farmboy+Proton Torps+Electrobinocs). Troy won because he played a new guy who didn’t battle him or force drain.
Game 2 My WYS vs Preston’s HD/P
Preston hadn’t quite decided what deck to play when I sit down, and he’s tired from a concert last night. He decides on Podracing/Hunt Down, and right there I know I win because I playtested the drek out of this matchup with my own HD?P deck and I know what will happen is that he will get down some big early characters and do lots of damage in the podrace but then I’ll kill his activation and choke him with Battle Plan and Goo Nee Tay. In fact, my deck was originally WYS/Podracing but in playtesting it won more consistently when it ignored the podrace and I really wanted a three-effect start.
Anyway, the game goes pretty much as I expect. Visage gets canceled. He No Escapes, I TT from hand again. It was pretty much dead all game. Maul takes over the Cantina, and Lando with Afro and Melas attack but I get a bad draw so I accomplish nothing and Melas runs. Vader comes out with his saber and gets portaled. Later Lord Vader comes out and Preston tries to duel but I cancel. I set up celebration, and he’s paying for three to drain me for two and I’m retrieving two. I spread to the podrace arena to get a little more retrieval. IG-88 comes down and gets barriered. I run from him a bit, but and Prestong ets some DBs out, but eventually he just doesn’t have the force to do anything.
FW+16
Highs: Visage was dead
I lost the podrace but won the game
I like WYS...I don’t think I ever found an LS deck I really liked until it. Too bad Coruscant really hurts it...expect to see DS Senate decks from people who have had to put up with one too many multi destiny, tripled battles.
Lows: Not being able to kill Maul.
I lost both AO to podrace so I had little drain potential and the game went very slowly.
Troy’s light won--he played RallOps and started Ounee Ta (which is moot in a speeder deck because the ASP droid is a stud, but still). Peter lost to a guy from Wyoming’s WYS. Serves him right for talking all the trash about Wyoming.
Game 3 My WYS vs Peter’s Garrison
I’m afraid to make the first move in space. He activates a whole lot. Although I killed most of his stuff at Hoth, he set up at Hoth and Fonder systems and drained me and I lost a lot of me ships off the top early on. Chiraneau is helping him out. I manage to set up a few decent attacks but he takes no overflow from most because I can’t hit him with weapons. And again the 49er water bottle is owning me with that look. The Wyoming people must be immune to it, but I am sure not. I have a decent attack crew in hand (Melas, EPP Han, Artoo/Threepio Combo) but I wait for four turns for an ice storm to pass, then I realized at the end I could’ve controlled it. By the time the storm passes he’s put down another Walker and pilot so I beat it up with Run, Luke, Run instead. However, since I was losing a lot of cards I only got two destiny when I could pull three. Then he drains me out, mainly from space.
FL-11 (I think...from my TR report notes its 101, but if I lost a game by 101 force I really suck)
Troy’s MKOS triumphs over Cody’s MBO and Troy is the only undefeated player. Because four-game tourneys have weird mathcups, he plays Cody again and since Cody must deploy to exterior sites Troy’s deck auto-wins. I’m thinking I should bring that to GenCon instead...people will meta against WYS, but who would expect TIGIH/Speeders? (Of course, its auto-loss to Dark Deal or Space, but still...)
Meanwhile I get paired with Preston and I know I will auto-lose because I played an earlier version of his deck and I know it is good and my dark is not.
Game 4: My BHBM vs Preston’s Podracing/Mess deck
Preston looks at my starting stuff, but he doesn’t quite get why Your Destiny has "You Have No Chance Make Your Time" written on it and Insignificant Rebellion has "All Your Base Are Belong to Us" on it.
The store’s power died as we were setting up. We’ve had lots of weird thunderstorms and I fear the energy crisis might effect more than Cali. Anyway, Palpy was in my opening hand so I can’t play him on turn one so I set up and he forgets the podrace. Next turn I have enough force to flash the vents and play Palpy. The podrace taks awhile because I don’t bother reminding him to draw (what interest do I have in resolving the podrace? I’m not a podracing deck, i’m inevitably going to lose). I could alter Honor or the Tank because he occupied no bgs yet, and I alter the tank because I think Preston’s going to give me Luke like most people and because I think I can get to three battlegrounds. Mara gets beat up whenever she tries to claim the third site, though...one time I sense Don’t Get @#$%y to save me some pain. Most of the damage was done by inserts like AFA and numbers. I have no interest in playing my deck anymore so I lose to the podrace from the deck even though I have cards in my hand before he can retrieve even more.
FL-18
Highs: None really. I got Maul’s electrobinoculars working and they were kind of neat.
Lows: Palpy died
The lights were out
I altered the wrong card
So my brother, Troy, 1550-ish, wins the tournament over peter (1900-ish) and I (1800-ish) go 1-3 in my first tournament ever. Appropriately, true gets a snowspeeder foil.
This does not give me a great feeling of confidence as I get ready to go to my first really huge tournament at GenCon. Well, at least I’m playing a different dark deck, and I won’t forget to control Ice Storm again.
And the next local tournament is after Coruscant...I know its only been a few months since Tat and the meta hasn’t settled, but I’m ready to shake things up.
Props
Troy, for winning the tournament with the decks I built (leaving me to wonder why I didn’t play them myself)
Preston, for going to a concert while I was driving to Sheridan like the gaming mofo I am
Cody, because he got to blow up disco balls. The mere threat of his MBO deck is enough to keep SYCFA out of out meta.
Peter, for loaning me lots of cards for GenCon and getting a foil Palpy so he can play Dark Surgeon now
The 49er water bottle, who owned me. I need to get a charm of comparable power for when I get back.
The policeman who didn’t pull me over for going 105 mph.
Wyomingites, for being immune to the 49er water bottle
My Grandma, it was her birthday
Slops
Inserts...some cards I look at and simply wonder why they thought that printing them was a good idea.
BHBM...the last BHBM I played WAS BHBM/TIEs, and if I ever do BHBM again that’s what I’m doing.
Sales tax.