parker-co-9-15-01

Title: parker-co-9-15-01
Author: Chris "Artwo" Fanchi
Date: Sep 18, 2001

It all started on the 8th at the first Episode I constructed held at Collectormania. I had really no idea as to what I should use, so I threw together a random light side Jedi’s and mains deck and, since I was greatly lacking in the cards needed for senate, I built a similar dark mains deck. Both had racing, of course. Well, I would manage to get timed wins in my first 2 games and then my last 2 to Brian Hunter by 34 both times. Great start to this environment.
A week later, the 14th to be exact, Brian calls me up and says we’re going to the EPI Constructed in Parker tomorrow. Super. I hadn’t really planned on going to said tournament and I wasn’t thrilled about having to build new decks at midnight the night before. First I start to change up my dark side deck, small things at first, but I would eventually decide to go all out and change it to the Watto objective and pray that I don’t face the Hyperdrive. For light, again I started by making minor changes to my previous week’s deck, but again I essentially scrapped that and tried something different: Podracing with Slave Quarters start and massive space. The only sites in my deck were the Quarters and the Arena, but I had a decent amount of ground power for I Did It! to do its thing.
So I wake up the next morning and I’m not all that thrilled about driving 45 minutes just to get my @#$% kicked again, but I do anyway and pick up Brian on the way. My rating going into this tournament is 1468 (EPI closed constructed). Yay. We have 9 people not including the TD Scott who is boycotting the EPI tournaments.

Game 1: Watto deck vs. Unknown new player’s Senate.
Well, I was relieved to see that I would get a rather easy game to start it off. This guy has only played in one tournament before that I know of and that was last weeks EPI closed. So the game starts quickly for me as I get the Watto damage going early and often and inflict heavy damage quickly. He would slowly start to take over the Senate, but it just wouldn’t be enough. I get out the Mos Espa DB first turn and eventually get Tatooine down with a random battleship there and he really doesn’t do me much damage, so the game ends rather quickly with a big win for me. FW +30
2(+30)

Highs: I finally have a full win in EPI constructed.
Lows: Having to beat a new player by so much early.
Props to opponent: He played well and I think he could definitely become a threat once he gets down all of the basic mechanics of the game.

So after my quick victory I walk around and browse at the other games going on. I watch Josh Bader win with his light side deck by 32, and I have a good feeling that we’re going to play next. I also watch Brian Hunter’s racing Senate lose the race and yet Brian somehow comes out with the win over Joe (although it would be a timed win which would be huge).

Game 2: Light Side Space Racing Thing vs. Josh Bader’s DS Senate.
I knew Senate would be big. I bet I was the only one there not using at least 1 Senate deck. So anyway, the games starts as usual with him getting the Senate up and running quickly and getting out every Political Effect in existance early. He would also put out Maul to the Landing Site first turn, take the lead in the race, and start deploying docking bays. My deck would be very nice to me by giving me Speak With The Council opening draw. So on my first turn I get out the Council Chamber with Yoda and I get Shmi/Threepio going too. Josh’s second turn consists of him remaining in the race lead and moving Maul to the Slave Quarters and drawing to get Dod or the Phantom Menace. On my turn I come down with Phylo to his Mos Espa DB and Qui-Gon against Maul and initiate, using Threepio/Shmi to set up a 5 so that I could be garunteed to hit Maul. My plan works until Josh simply stacks a Senator on one of his effects to reduce my destiny by 3. So Shmi croaks, Maul lives, and Qui-Gon runs and joins Phylo at the DB. After this there would be very few battles on the ground. I would start to set up in space with my Naboo Fighters and Fighter Pilots and I also eventually win the race. I use Josh’s DBs against him by running away from Maul continuously and still satisfying I Did It! for the ’retrieval’. Josh would realize that the game was lost for him as my space drains were really beginning to add up and it took him until after the race had ended to finally get out Dod. We would have some small skirmishes and Maul would make his way to the Council Chamber, duel away Yoda with Maul Strikes, and drain me for four. But it was too late, and I manage to pull off the win. FW +15
4(+45)

Highs: Beating Josh, one of the best active players in Colorado right now.
Lows: Josh’s bad luck.
Props to opponent: Excellent game. What more can I say?

So Brian wins his game against Joe, and Jordan Duffy also wins making 3 undefeateds going into game 3.

Game 3: Watto deck vs. Jordan Duffy’s LS Senate
That’s 3. The senate is everywhere. Anyway, the Watto deck gets one of it’s trademark rediculously fast starts and Jordan eats the early damage. He would pretty much leave the Senate empty for the first 5 turns or so and start focusing on kicking me off of Mos Espa. Well, the Watto deck doesn’t need to HOLD Mos Espa. So he gets Qui-Gon out to ME first turn because he was generating so much force. So I respond by dropping a character to flip, making him lose 2 force, and then running my @#$% away. And the strategy would work. Despite Jordan coming to Tatooine with Obi, Phylo, Qui-Gon, and I believe Depa Billaba, I would still continue to cause him steady damage with my objective without even having to fight. He would manage to do quite a bit of drain damage with his lightsaber, Phylo, and the gay Senate effect that lets him add to his drains at battlegrounds. I would counter with Grotto to his Naboo DB for the drain of 3 with Gardulla the Hutt for a little retrieval. There were no battles in the entire game. I win the drain race and the Watto objective damage puts him over the edge. FW +15
6(+60)

Highs: Not facing the Hyperdrive deck. Winning both of my DS games.
Lows: Getting drained for 6 at my own DB. Ouch.
Props to opponent: Jordan is a really good player and games against him are always a challenge.

So after my victory I walk over to observe Brian and Josh’s game. It is a constant battle over the Senate but Brian’s Podrace victory gives him enough of an edge to pull out the win. Since Brian just played Dark, I get to face Jordan again for game 4.

Game 4: LS Space Racing Thing vs. Jordan Duffy’s DS Senate
That’s all of ’em. 4 games, 4 Senate decks. Derp. I know this matchup will be tough as it’ll likely be a replay of game 2. So I get Speak With The Council in my opening draw again, so it looks like my luck is gonna continue. We start the race during Jordan’s first turn and he doesn’t bother to flash me, so I know that the race is mine. I believe he simply draws up his first couple of turns trying to get one of his 4 Mauls. My first turn begins with me playing SWTC, failing to find the Chamber, deploying Shmi and Threepio anyway, and drawing my last 4 (I managed to spend the Chamber in the 2 force I used for Threepio). I would not deploy the Chamber the entire game. By the time we’re both ready to get going, I win the race and the game is pretty much mine. I get to verify his deck at least once and, seeing that he has no space, spread to my 3 systems (Naboo, Malastare, and Tatooine) soon thereafter. He would deploy the Theed Palace Throne Room and put down a small force there. Given that the only battlegroundsites are that and the Arena (which is being held by Maul and Aurra), I decide to foolishly go after the Throne Room. Four or five battles would ensue with the main result being that I lose a large chunk of my life Force to P-59 and P-60 thanks to Jordan’s insanely high destinies. I would lose at least one Qui-Gon and 4 other characters to the battles, but by the last turn of the game, I would be able to take the site. Despite this, my drains were simply too much for him to handle and I don’t bother battling to take the site and I just drain him out. FW +11
8(+71)

Highs: 4-0 after going 2-2 last week. Beating Jordan twice.
Lows: The Throne Room.
Props to opponent: He played 2 excellent games and really made me think to win them.

So Brian pulls out another extremely close game against Josh to finish at 4-0, but his timed win gives him 7 win points to my 8, so I win the tournament and claim the foil Maul (to go with my foil Qui-Gon from Tacticon). My prize packs yeild A Million Voices Crying Out, Master Qui-Gon, and AI Yoda. Not bad for a days work.

And now the infamous...
Props:
to Brian for convincing me to go and for going 4-0.
to Brian for going 4-0 and not winning the tournament. That’s crazy.
to Josh for a great game and for breaking 2000.
to Jordan for 2 great games.
to everyone there and especially the other guy I played (sorry man) for making it a great tournament.
to Scott for running the tournament despite hating the environment.
to my prize packs. I mean, Damn!
to Decipher for the cool-ass EPP Qui-Gon and Maul.

Slops:
to Scott for not playing and making us have a bye.
to Coruscant for being gay.
to Podracing for being gay.
to Decipher for slowly ruining this game.

Chris "Artwo" Fanchi