August 3, 1998
Well, the day started the previous evening when, under the heavy hand of sleep deprivation I tried to make a new dark deck. Delerium, as well as my friends dire need for any decks at all kept me from making one, instead helping him build his. At about 2:00 am, we made the hour drive back to my place (it was much closer to the Regional than his) and got about 4 hours sleep before we got up and finished his dark deck. It may not sound like much, but after working nearly 30 hours over the past 2 days, then driving an hour to make decks and an hour back, it was heaven.
Still under massive fatigue, I went to the regional. I was using the same decks I used at Origins (LS Mainz & Monkz DS TIE Decree), with modifications. My Dark Deck went 1-2 there, and no matter how well it does in playtesting, I had absolutely no confidence in it. But with no time really to work on a new deck (I've played once since Origins) I had to go with it.
First game DS vs. Joe Gaus (Droid Insert w/Mains for drains)
First off, Joe's the #1 ranked player in MI and we've met a couple times. He lent me the sleeves I needed before the regional and we chatted whilst waiting for everybody to be entered into the Tournament Software (fresh out of the UPS box). He said he was using an experimental deck, which meant he'd probably win in some weird way. I started Yavin IV/Decree, as per usual. He started w/Dagobah. I dropped a TIE at Yavin and played Hoth and the D*, drew the rest. He uses the Dag text to start putting down Dagobah sites and puts out a Tatooine site. He drops 8D8 there and starts inserting. Well, since I'm a character low deck, I begin looking for my Resistance. After a couple turns of drawing up I get it before the insert comes up (with an Artoo and another droid joining 8D8). Next turn I activate some, ending up one too many (sleep, need sleep) and the odds comes up. I lose 14. This is a really low-pressure game between friends, so I tell him how ironic this is. He doesn't understand until I play Resistance in my deploy phase. He groans, I groan, we go on. For the rest of the game there is always an Odds or an Anger,Fear in my deck. He doesn't occupy any battlegrounds, so I think I'm safe. Nope. Obi drops down with the droids to set up occupation, so now I must get one more (I'm only occupying two right now). Next turn I activate none, Presence the Death* (it's now a battleground) and the rest of the game is a drain race. I go through getting all the systems I can to drain at, he drops a couple drain sites and some characters to drain. Last turn, his last drain reveals AFA and the Odds on top of each other. I'm about to lose my 4 remaining Force, but Joe reminds me that I don't have to lose to AFA until after MY battle phase. So I lose 2 to the Odds, and drain him out on my next turn, exactly. One more Force and I would have lost. Whew. Win by 2. 2(+2)
Second game LS vs Dan Pinkering (Jabba's Palace Drain I think)
I've played against Dan a couple times, and he's played against my decks. Unfortunately he forgets that and starts with the Dag. Cave. First turn I save up Force to Revolve the Cave, but then he deploys the Tonnika's to my Throne Room. Interesting. Well, I Revolve the Cave, play the War Room, and draw the rest. After eating the drain of 2, I deploy Obi w/Sabre to the Throne Room and slice up the Sisters. Now Dan's only activating one and is looking for sites. Good thing he cancelled the Disorder. For the next approximately 20 turns the game consisted of me draining for one and he activating one and drawing looking for sites. He finally gets a Moisture Farm down, but because he has no Force he can't deploy anyone, and I drop the small army I'd been holding. I revolve the Farm and continue to drain. He finally, as a last resort, he puts Boba at the Farm. I proceed to Nabrun Obi over to meet him, Sense his Hidden Weapons and Res Luk, and hit him for about 20 damage. Finishing the game. I won by 41. 4(+43)
Third Game LS vs ??? (Hoth Manipulation)
Cool, a manipulation deck. Never had to play against a serious one, so it was good experience. I shock his first SCrew, much to his dismay, and when he scans my hand he sees the second one :). Anyway, Wedge goes to the Used and the game continues. I begin Revolving his Hoth sites for generation, and Tunnel Vision make sure I can get my characters onto the table when I need them. I eventually revolve all his Hoth sites and drain him out at the Defensive Perimeter. He's only activating 3 a turn and is tossing his Walkers. I shock him like 4 times over the course of the game. Felt good. Win by 17. 6(+60)
Lunch Break. Pizza and Pop, provided by Fred, who owns the MGC. Right now I'm high off Fruitopia (only 5% fruit juice, I may as well be drinking karo syrup).
Fourth Game DS vs. Brian Fred (Tatooine Nighttime)
Grrr. One of the modifications I made was to take out Tarkin's Orders because I never had the system I needed to use it. Well, it would have helped here. He starts with Tat:Nightfall. I immedately get a TIE down at Tatooine and begin draining. It turns out he has little or no space, and he drew most of his locations in his opening hand. We both set up drains pretty quickly. I'm draining for 8, he for 7. An early Lost Grimtaash yielded him 3 Controls (bad luck) and that was the game for him. He won the drain race by 4. 6(+56)
Fifth Game DS vs ??? (Hoth Cloud Inserts)
Talking at the lunch break, my friends were reporting how many Insert decks they'd been seeing. At this point I decide to start with Resistance instead of Decree. It turns out to be the right choice. Unfortunately, I can never keep it activated. He drops two Chadra Fans at the North Ridge to make me occupy three. I don't get any of my cheap ships, and RLR2 knocks my TIE off of Hoth. Next turn I activate just enough to deploy the D*AS (It was either that or the Executor). Insert. Lose 10. I drop the D*AS and Lateral Damage Red Leader, but he Houjixes the damage, and drew his one needed to off the Squad (grrrr). He inserts again, I activate 4 to put another TIE there. Insert. Lose 10. Grrr. I drop the TIE. Gold Leader. I can't get a Tallon Roll to save my life. He knocks me off. I activate 4. Insert. Lose 10. It was like that the rest of the game. *sigh* Lose by 16. 6(+49)
Now I'm completely out of contention. But there were some hefty differentials floating around, so even if I'd won one of these two, with the really low diffs my Dark deck was pulling, I wouldn't have made the final cut anyway.
Sixth Game LS vs. ??? (Jabba's Palace Misc.)
I drop Wedge at JP right away. I've found that I don't necessarily need B'omarrs right off, most people assume that while you have a character at JP they can't get their sites. Well, he drops Ree-Yees at JP. Next turn I deploy Luke and battle, but draw a hefty 0. He loses 2 cards and goes on. He eventually deploys some sites from his hand. Ironically, after I had cleared off the Palace he asked if the cancelled text expanded. I truthfully said no, because at that point I controlled the Palace, and we went on (please, no ethical complaints). He gets Myo, Zuckuss and Gailid down at the Audience Chamber, as well as Scum and Villainy. I eventually work Obi over to the Audience Chamber. For some reason (fear I guess) he doesn't battle me. Next turn I Mess Zuckuss, send Myo away, and slice up Gailid. Meanwhile, back at the Palace, Chewie, Luke, and a couple Monks are grappling with Jabba, Ephant, and some misc. henchmen. I made a differential mistake and forgot to Mess Ephant, but at that point it didn't really matter. With Yoda at the Hut he wasn't getting any attrit against me, and I eventually work through the horde. I slice up Jabba, and he loses Ephant to cancel the rest of the damage (I drew a lot of 5's over the day). Next turn I sweep the rest away. I eventually drain him out. Win by 25. 8(+74). And after the game I did tell him about B'omarrs vs. any other character at the Palace.
So the day was finally over for me. Again, my Light deck dominates 8(+83). Again, my Dark Deck fails me. I will make a new Dark Deck for Gen•Con, so hopefully my fortunes will be much better. I end up taking 7th and get a little plastic trophy. Cool. Nothing in the prizes tho (bright side, I need a WB Send a Detachment Down, I guess).
Ć