billings-mt-8-11-01-finally-a-foil
Title: billings-mt-8-11-01-finally-a-foil
Author: Travis "Com Igar" Rumans
Date: Aug 12, 2001
I bought three boxes of Coruscant and built some decks to try out. I did some playtesting with Cody and my brother Troy and then I realize I have a tournament the next day and I have no dark deck because I need to give Peter all his ORS back. So I build a deck that’s been kicking around in my head since I’d seen the first Coruscant cards, Senate space. Imperial Commands get the Admirals, Merrejk gets the systems, and tunneling with Lot Dod lets me get the final component of the triad, ships.
But then the tournament ’the next day’ is moved back. Peter, Cody and I were planning on going to Sheridan, in Wyoming, for a constructed tournament but I lost my glasses and spend half an hour looking for them until I get a call from Regis (Wyoming’s TD) that the tournament there has been moved from noon to five. I realize it would get over at like nine or ten, and then I wouldn’t get home until late because I think Montana’s night speed limit, unlike the day limit, is actually enforced. So I chuck it and wait for the typical every-two-weeks affair at the Splash Page tomorrow.
This will probably be my second-to-last tournament in Billings before I return to college in Boston, nice ’n fat with rating points for the Kashyyyk people to take.
Anyway, as I’ve said I’m playing Senate Space for Dark, and for light I decide to go with Jedi Council mains. People who want to use the new EP1 Jedi for a beatdown are wasting their time--they’re far better manipulating destinies at the chamber. Besides, with no forfiet=0 weapons their beatdown potential is limited.
I also bring my brother Troy. He is continuing to play TIGIH/Speeders for light, and although its awesome, it really only works as a surprise deck. For dark he’s playing a Battle Droid deck with sick destinies. He also has all three of my destroyer droids (we could easily make it a destroyer droid deck if we had about ten more). I also pick up Cody, who will probably do his own TR, but for the sake of being complete I will say he’s still playing MBO but has abandoned RalOps to return to Court because Cody rocks everything with Court.
I’ve only been able to play two or three games with each of my decks before the tourney but they both seem pretty solid. Besides, the space component of my Senate Space is what I used for ISB space, except I dropped Overwhelmed and I threwin the new Laser Cannon Battery (so the Dominator can fire it twice =)).
Anyway, the matches are called and I have to play Peter first round.
Game 1: My Senate Space vs. Peter’s Hyperdrive Generator’s Gone
I call the new LS objective the GOP objective because you have to use Republicans.
I was uncontested in the Senate...and Peter actually ahd a fair number of characters with politics. I’ve heard some people talk about how many cards it takes to hold the Senate but I was just fine with three senators and a Coruscant guard (the guard makes sure they don’t think about attacking you to get some attrition and count on forfeit to save them).
Anyway, he get in like one drain at Watto’s Junkyard. Then I put down U-3PO there and keep him flipped the entire game. Later I heard a ruling that undercover spies don’t stop them, but I’ve also heard that only applies to the closed environment (which is why its the Kedir the Black ruling...although the dark one put in an appearance later to stop another drain). Between my two spies and my political effect he’s not draining me on the ground for much. The ds senate can easily cycle its senators becuase you can stick them in the used at the end of turn and tunnel for them. You can do the same as LS, but the DS can get the Senators and put them on effects on their turn.
Anyway, U-3PO stopped his flipping, and Kedir canceled another drain, so he was draining me for jank on the ground so he realizes he has to go to space.
Fairly early on the Outrider showed up in space and got killed. The added attrition from the Senate cleared the system. Ric shows up in the Queen’s ship, but rahter than try to mess with him I just stick the homing beacon on him and chase him around. Peter uses Vergence in the Force to slow my drain at one system. He sets up Qui Gon with saber at Cantina, but I have Decree and in a few turns my spy is there. I screwed up when moving my spies though so he gets one more drain at Watto’s. He ended the game with only two cards stacked. I outdrained him by a drekload.
Highs: The 49er water bottle didn’t do its hex on me this time.
Complete domination of space.
Figuring out how to keep Cycling my Senators.
Lows: Well, his deck was totally shut down by the spy, so it was a pretty dull game.
Meanwhile Troy’s played a Hidden Base deck, and although he was losing late game he showed up with some Battle Droids and shot Obi and Qui Gon because his destiny is just that good.
Game 2 My Jedi Council Mains vs Nathan’s Speed Deal
His objective lets him start Secret Plans so he can use that to get the combo. He drops lots of sites, so my activation is pretty good but I just drop Yoda, draw a few, and save a few because I know I’ll need to be able to deploy at last two things he doesn’t want to mess with to get around the wookie kisser. On his second turn he uses his troopers to set up the Deal, and he has Obsidian 8 at Cloud City. My second turn I drop Premiere Obi who gets kissed, but then I drop Olie in the Queen’s ship and smack Obsidian 8. Next turn he drains me for a lot and I eat it. My turn I drop Obi for free and he’s joined my EPP Han. I also think I drop Willaims and Radiant VII to Bespin. The drains at Cloud City and the System will hurt him all game. I battle his motley troopers, he trooper assaults, and plays You Overestimate Their Chances to triple damage. I shoot like Xizor and make someone move away but I lose so I take triple damage but its just Han and three more. We battle a bit, but eventually Obi gets his saber and clashes a guy. Its kind of annoying when the best character to clash is Wallen. He has a Commlink so I know he probably has stuff to react down so I drop Jedi Luke and battle him at two locations to draw out his react stuff. Anyway, Obi continues to hold a site and I Vergence the other site he’s been holding on too so it doesn’tmatter that he controls it. I On the Edge for a few and the drains from the system and sector (and all the force he lost to his own interrupts) just wipe him out.
FW+14
Highs: I was kind of nervous about this...it was a beatdown deck vs a drain deck, and beatdown won (although I didn’t get many real beats in besides Obsidian 8).
This was a good game to be Obi. He almost singlehandedly took over Cloud City.
Lows: I didn’t get any other Jedi Council people.
Game 3 Jedi Council Mains vs Preston’s Court
Well, I don’t like playing the same deck twice in a row, but I guess it was better than dealing with WYS (which Preston turned out to be playing for light) again.
Early on I use the signal/Radiant VII puller and he grabs it. He wonders how many cycling 5s I have so I Bith Shuffle and he grabs that. I think I free ride him, too, but he doesn’t have another grabber for that.
I eat court damage for a bit as I get set up with Yoda and Plo Kloon (who lets me cancel and redraw battle/weapon destinies) at the Chamber and get out Savrip.
Now, I have a Home One in my hand, so I’m pretty confident if things get hairy there’s always that for Savrip, so I go ahead and drop Qui-Gon to the AC. Preston Barriers, I despserate reach (Paying extra for the grabber). Then I smoke screen. He has like Mighty Jabba, Ephant Mon, and Mara so with my smoke screen we’re pretty even on power but he has to satisfy 7 attrition so he loses Ephant Mon. I draw a couple. He drops Boelo and I smoke screen again (which gets around Boelo) and I have to lose a couple to keep Qui Gon around. Mara has a hard time hitting Qui Gon, especially since Plo Kloon will cancel and redraw any destiny that’s good. I know I can’t count on getting smoke screens forever so I drop EPP Han and get irritated I don’t have enough to drop Jedi Luke too but I battle anyway and shoot Boelo. His turn he drops some more guys and I think I savrip Jar Jar. He only has Mara and Jabba. I Gift of the Mentor for Qui Gon’s saber, Clash Mara, drop Jedi Luke, and beat him down for about ten. He drops Dr. E and the Walrus, and hits luke and operates but Qui Gon hits them and I draw good enough to get Mara, too. On my turn I drain and cancel scum, and I get the LS Sim to the Council Chamber. I have too edges in hand but no rebels so I draw more than I should to Leia. Preston drops Endor and gets lots of ships there, but I put down Williams in Radiant and use savrip to keep him alive. Usually I have to lose just one card to savrip and I’d lose two to drains. He piles on ships and eventually I lose Home One from hand to satisfy it. When I get Leia and On the Edge going he just draws up.
FW+15
Highs: If Obi was the star of last game, Qui Gon was of this game. Practically by himself, he took voer the audience chamber.
Lots of battling.
Lows: Although I forgot to lose to Court once or twice, when I kicked him off Tatooine I forgot to make him lose for the rest of the game.
I had to draw a lot to get Edge going because lots of rebels were dead.
Game 4 My Senate Space vs Preston’s WYS/Podracing
This is typical of a 4-game tourney; you just switch opponents from last round.
Anyway, he has no chance of messing with me in the Senate so I get all the benefits I want. Lot Dod and Imperial Command make for a smooth setup. U-3PO stops the cantina drain. He drops the new Db chick (for free to a db) and puts her on Outrider and sets up Menace. It Can Wait slows my setup down a bit, but even with WYS my activation from BG systems is huge so when he Waits Chiraneau I can reinforce with another SD so he doesn’t think about beating me down there. Although Outrider doesn’t have two smugglers I think it does so instead of messing with it I just use Homing Beacon to kill Meance. Theron Nett shows up but I lat damage him and beat him down but then Preston wins the race and retrieves it all. I’m outdraining him by a lot, but he retrieved a lot so he may outlast me. I see him grab AFA with either effective or signal (can’t remember) so I know I’ll have to kill Outrider so I put another ship there besides the token one to stop Menace. I’m cycling Senators from political effects. AFA pops, so I have to kill the Outrider with the Homing Beacon. I activate all but two and play my AO to replace his (he had replaced mine earlier). He waits it, and we have to get a ruling on It Can Wait and AO replacement. The ruling is that Preston’s is gone, but without the deploy bonus I can’t drop Accuser and Thrawn so I decide to just go with Thrawn. Turned out to be a smart move because I drew two Senators for destiny and with the Senate guy adding he had like 14 attrition to satisfy so I clear him from space. He gets out Battle Plan/DTF. I have exactly enough cards left to tunnel for a Senator, drain at two systems, and cyrcle the senator. I have two cards in hand. I don’t need them because I own all of space at this point. Anyway, Battle Plan saved him a bit because I was ’only’ draining him for about 8. He can’t drain me at all, though, until he Edges but since I started Something Special is goes Out of Play. Eventually my massive space drains take him out.
FW+8
Highs: I like the Senate. Its kind of a ’designer objective’ because you pick what Senators and effects to focus on for benefits.
Total domination of space.
Homing Beacon rules.
Lows: I don’t want to podrace anymore.
So I go undeafeated and win the tournament. And unlike the other two tournaments I’ve won since returning to Billings, this one actually has a foil. So I get my Dark Sense foil. Cody gets second, which is cool because Court is a beast. When we get home we try two Senate decks against each other and find out Senate battles are kind of silly because all the politics totals are so low. I play Cody’s Court some and he justly mocks my ability to play it right.
Props
Coruscant, because its a much better set than Tatooine
Cody, for going back to Court and doing awesome with it
Jeff, for being the first TD to have a foil on hand when I win
The Senate, because its cool and as a political science major I feel obligated to play it
Troy, for coming and doing well at a Magic tournament the night before (he managed to hold up against a Power Nine deck)
Slops
The Wyoming people for moving their tournament. At least Regis called me, so he gets Props-within-Slops