turning-the-corner-columbus-oh-3-24-01
Title: turning-the-corner-columbus-oh-3-24-01
Author: Brian "Armus" Sykes
Date: Mar 25, 2001
Today was the weekly tournament in Columbus run by Roger McEldowney. I overslept and woke up about 10:30 when the tourney was supposed to start at 11. So I wet myself trying to find Battlegrounds for both sides since today was a Reflections II sealed. I end up calling the shop and begging roger to wait for me, and he goes for it! So I hurry my @ss on over to Silverking so I dont hold them up any longer tat I have to. Well it turns out I was the 9th person to show up so Roger played too. We set up and I am the corner guy in the group of 6 for the draft drawing Light Side. I’ll spare you the details of the draft but some of the highlights were a Scout Luke, Owen and Beru, Talon Kaarde, Liberty, and 2 Dodge. These would prove to be key. Anyway, on to the games.
Game 1: Me Vs. Larry Lim
Larry starts the Executor Holotheatre, I start Tat: Jabba’s Palace (Mainly to bounce my opponents Jabba’s palace start). I get a Y-Wing to Kiffex to set up a drain of 2 and I get an arcona to the cantinal. I get in two turns of a drain of 4 and then he decides to drop Dengar in ship, A Sentinel class thing and Dr. E/Ponda Baba and beat the snot of my Y-wing for 10 cards. Well so much for the advantage I just had. Praying that he had deployed all of his space I drop Kessel with another Y-Wing for a drain of 3. At this point I am draining on the ground at 3 sites with 1 character at each and 2 Dodges in my hand while blocking his drain at kiffex with bargaining table. The Y-wing beatdown was ugly, but I pull it out. Full win by 8.
2(+8)
Highs: Winning. Draining for 2 at the cantina with a single Jawa
Lows: That was one dead Y-Wing.
Game 2: Me. Vs. Lee Fisk
There was only 1 DS victory in the first round so I get to play a guy who lost because of my diff. He starts Anoat and I immediately think he has a ton of space so I’m thinking Kessel and Kiffex are Force Drain Fodder. I set up at the palace on turn 1 and deploy Goo Nee Tay he deploys a Swamp to anoat and Feltrivern Trevagg and Myioom Onith there. I chuckle and say "Read Goo Nee Tay" needless to say his face got a touch paler. Too add insult to injury I play A few Maneuvers on his Tie Fighter at Anoat and track it around. I deploy Talon Karrde and 2 Shistavean Wolf Men and battle, draw the 6 and hit him for the site and 7 or so. He then mounts an assault on my lone Alderaan Operative with an Imperial walker, prophetess, and Djas Puhr. A dodge cures that and nexdt turn my arcona shows up to block the drain. I drain for 3 total from 3 locations. Lee has Bad feeling have I out now so I gotta save force. Next turn I Drop Luke and battle, draw the 6, clear the sight, and drain him out on my next turn. Full Win by 7.
Total: 4(+15)
Highs: Smacking around Myioom, the artful Dodging Jawa
Lows: him owning space. Where is my Liberty?!
Game 3: Me vs. Blake Mandalis
Once again only 1 DS player won and it was the same guy who won the first round. Also, because of previous games I get matched up against Blake, who is 0-2 with bad Diff. Blake is one of my trek buddies and is still learning the art of star wars. Anyway he tries to start the palace and gets bounced, so I grab the Y4 War Room and he gets Mos Eisley. I get both Goo Nee Tay and Bargaining table in my opening hand so that is good. I set up drains at mos eisley and the cantina. He comes down with Bane Malar and Dengar with Gun. Yikes! I dodge him then come back with a wookiee, Luke, and Talon Karrde. I draw a 7 for destiny (ROCK!!) and clear the site but I lose the wookiee and Talon. I back luke up with a few scrubs and continue to drain for 4. His activation is very limited and he only can save up for more assault and what do I draw? The 7!!! I somehow managed to track it around. SO my next turn I drop kiffex and kessel while holding a barrier (he has 1 card in hand) with a Y-Wing at each. Next turn I drain for 13 and he’s done. Full win by 21.
Total: 6(+36)
Highs: winning by more than 20 for the first time in my sealed deck career :-)
Lows: Beating on Blake, he is a good guy and still learning.
So at this point I am in first place, ahead of Brandon by 3 Differential. He is the only 3-0 DS player so it is on for the final round. I start sweating like a fiend because Brandon has hella characters in his deck and pretty much got a God draft, because he has beaten 3 LS players with pretty good decks for a sealed deck. so off we go.
Game 4: Me Vs. Brandon Jones
Brandon is playing with every card in a top loader for luck because he won the last 2 sealed decks doing that. He starts the palace and I bounce him and get the War Room, and he gets the AC. The only locations that hit the table after that were his Tusken Canyon and my Kiffex. I intentionally didnt deploy any other locations because I didnt want to give him anywhere to drain. My opening hand was interesting: Both Dodges and Order to engage. I decide to try and bait him. I let him deploy first, and he goes to the AC. I deploy a lone jawa to Tusken canyon and OtE. Brandon looks at my lone jawa that is screaming "Please, come beat the hell out of me! Please!" Then deploys Commander Praji, a Sandtrooper and an operative and initiates the battle. I play dodge and the jawa scampers into the AC where Brandon has presence and he loses 3. My turn I activate, drain for 2 at Kiffex, which gets blocked by Den and save force. At this point I have Luke, O&B, and Talon in my hand with about 3 aliens on Bargaining table. His turn he deploys all kinds of guys to the AC and tries to beat down the jawa, but Dodge/OtE works again and he loses another 3. Next turn he moves out to tusken Canyon and I’m out of dodges so I gots to fortify. I deploy Talon and a Gran to the now empty AC to drain for 2, and Luke and O&B To back up the Jawa. I dont battle but I do put a blaster on luke. His next turn he battles and beats me by 7. I lose O&B, the jawa, and 1. So now with my power 12 Luke I throw everything I can at him and beat him by 4, but I draw a 6 for destiny. He is losing characters from the site 2-3 at a time and Luke isnt going anywhere because I keep backing him up with scrubs. Meanwhile, I alter his Den and my y-wing is draining for 2 like a champ at kiffex and Talon/Gran are draining for another 2 at the AC. However, on 1 drain, I get counter assaulted for 5 cards and I get my tracking messed up. However I will not be deined and I slowly whittle him down and win by 13.
Total: 8(+49)
So I win! That is huge for me because this is my 1st Wars tourney win. Even if it was a sealed deck. I feel like a better player and I know I beat the best in the area. Brandon finishes 3rd and Kyle finishes 2nd.
Props:
Me for winning
Roger for running the thing
Brandon for a great game
Roger for waiting on my scrub @ss to show up.
The Dodging Jawa
The Y-Wing
Slops:
The Liberty for not findng its way out of my deck all day.
Me for running late.
Me for not remembering to retirieve for the Gran
ok, thats the TR, I’m off to bed.