Where to start.... well I got to Calgary with my bro on Friday and crashed with our older bro, Marcelo. We didn't care about the sealed deck tourney and decided to go out and get HAMMERED. We visited Outlaws, The Drink, and COWBOYS... we ended up blowing around $160.00 between the 3 of us, and ended up meeting the waitresses at these bars... this was indeed a great night for us.
Saturday, we woke up with hangovers and we were questioning if we were able to participate at all in the sealed deck tourney. We went, as luck would have it my bro, Eric, and I were paired together. He got DS and I got LS.
We opened our packs and what we got was unbelievable: a Gift of the Mentor, an Obi-Wan Lightsaber, and a DARTH VADER! (It would've been hard for me to give that vader to somebody else other than my bro.)
Anyway I played him and lost and that would be the only loss that my Mos Eisley, Shistaven Wolfman, Old Ben, (those were the best cards) deck would suffer. I made it to the final confrontation against some guy named Steve and lost honorably to his Dr. "Let's Shoot Down Everyone" Evazan Deck. Oh well I got a C-3P0 t-shirt out of it.
Later that night we made Eric's light deck which was a bespin clouds drain deck, which he had been successful at tournies in Winnipeg with. His Dark deck consisted of an imperial space decree deck that had the basic Darth Vader power ground element to it. It was able to beat my bro's light deck regularly in pre-regional prep games.
I came to Calgary prepared (unlike my bro) with my Mains and Monks light deck (w/o s/a/c, and w/ 4 shocking info's) and my Manipulator deck. I tested both decks with him, and they were very close wins, however I knew if I played him in the tournament I would probably lose. I decided not to make any changes with these decks and just decided to re-evaluate the way I played them. I decided for my LS deck that the name of the game is speed, and that I should look inside my deck with the Chimes to see what was in my force pile. As for my DS deck I decided to avoid deploying the holotable (in there because it's immune to revolution) as it may be an easy drain of 2 for the LS.
Saturday, after being dropped off by Marcelo and humiliated by his "May the Force Be With You" goodbye, we met up with Mike Hughes (Red 35) and that completed TEAM WINNIPEG. The 3 of us traveled this far and we were determined to place in the top 8 and have lots of fun! I had a mock game with my LS against Mike, and discovered that my LS worked as fast as it ever did dismantling (sorry Mike) his DS spy deck.
However I was still a little uneasy on how I was using it... but as they say the show must go on!
Game 1 LS vs Some Newbie (Sorry) DS
Starting
DS: Tat: JP SE: All Wrapped Up
LS: Y4: Throne Room SE: Do Or Do Not
I got the monk out and the quick drain of 2 going, as the game progressed, I backed the monk up with Luke and Benny and controlled his just deployed audience chamber. He brought the big man out DV but I made short of his defense with Gift of the Mentor, I drew 5,5,1, and forfeited my monk to his destiny of 2. I continued draining at his JP sites and deployed more backup like the sticks, a few extra characters, and a savrip. I won by 26. 2 (+26).
High Point: The Chimes was in my opening hand.
Low Point: This was his First Tournament
Game 2: DS vs Craig (From Edmonton) LS
DS: Death Star SE: There Is No Try
LS: Dag: Yoda's Hut SE: Do Or Do Not (I think)
Right off the bat he stone piled me for Djas Puhr and Jabba, thank god he didn't take my scanning crew, prophetess, and jundland wastes away. My start was pretty cool. After a couple of A Dangerous Times (ADT) and scanning crews I knew that he didn't have manipulator defenses and went crazy, getting Onith out at the audience chamber and spreading my drains thinly. However I missed his Obi-Wan, but I just need to say that my DS ground armada was in my hand to dispose of him. And that was all folks.
I won by 26. 4(+52).
High Point: Cool starting hand.
Low Point: A unfortunate ruling regarding Onith and "OR" in it.
Game 3: DS vs Kenny Sidhu
DS: Death Star SE: There Is No Try
LS: Hoth: War Room SE: Do Or Do Not
I did the typical scan and deployed my sites for the force generation. I then realized what I saw... a lot of 7's and a surprise assault (SA). I see why he could of won his first game by 40 force. As the game progressed he only got to SA (drawing 7's) twice in which I lost 4-5 force each time. He got Princess Leia out at the CC: Lower Corridor and drained there for 2, that is until I got the Vader/Tarkin with Stick Combo out and cleaned up that mess. The Turning point of this match was when I ADT 3 of his SA's and voyeured (lost) them away. However before and after this move it is interesting to note that I witnessed some funny things happen to his force pile... I did approach him about it but I had no way of proving anything... All in all I survived this fiasco and came out victorious by 19. 6(+71)
High Point: Beating this guy felt good.
Low Point: The thingy with the force pile.
Game 4: LS vs Phillip DS
DS: Hoth sys. SE: Imperial Decree
LS: Y4: Throne Room SE: Do or Do Not
This game disturbed me... because it was not JP, I feared that my start wouldn't be a good as I hoped. I started considering a new starting Location for the next game but on I went with the game. Opening hand I got Yodas Hut Luke, Falcon, Chewbacca, and gift of the mentor. I pick up first to get Capt. Han and CC: Guest Quarters. I deploy Luke and Chewie to his 3rd marker and got the stick out to drain for 3. He deploys an obsidian tie to the sys., I respond with Han on Falcon.....TALON ROLL (I hate this card I could only pray that I would beat him with my high destiny deck). I pulled a 2, as he did, ending up in a tie. I battle, seeing to it that afterward he has nothing out on the table. He tried rallying by deploying a couple of characters, including Vader, but I held him back with my savrip and hacked him down. I win by 29. 8(+100)
High Point: Reached 100 with 2 games to go, meaning I needed to win one more to go to the final.....so I thought.
Low Point: I'm starting to question my starting location.
Game 5: LS vs Preston Hunt DS
DS: Death Star SE: Imperial Decree
LS: Throne Room SE: DODN
Ahhh no JP. I was pretty sure then that all the top players knew that JP was a death sentence so I made it clear to myself that I would change my starting Loc. to something else. Well anyway, I was pretty scared of this guy. He defeated my brother with this very same deck, I had no idea what to expect, so I just decided to roll with the punches and see what he would do on his turn.
My first turn I deployed 2 sites and realized that I'd pulled a lot of sites as I only had 6 in the deck, and I had the only 2 sticks in my hand so I just needed the characters. So I pick up... Obi-wan. He deploys the 3rd marker and draws. I deployed obi w/ stick at the 3rd and pick up ...... Luke w/ gift of the mentor. I grimtaash 2 alters away and deployed luke w/ stick. He then deploys U-3P0. I hate that droid, so I chime away for Yarkora and have him do his thing.
I deployed the Tantive to the Death Star, pick up chewie (ability 2), and Capt. Han.. He responds with the avenger and kiffex (big mistake). I battle away with chewie and said bye to the avenger. I pick up the Falcon, and say sssssssswwwwwwwwweeeeeeeeeeetttttt!! I knew that space was mine and that I just had to get rid of that stupid U-3P0. I finally did it on my 6th turn and drained for nine, he tries battling back with vaders and walkers but I pick off the DV and draw some nasty attrition: end result he had nothing on the table... but a huge problem. Despite this he lost honorably and congratulated me on my victory. I win by 27. 10(+127)
High Point: Definitely best game played thus far. Lots of battles. And got the opportunity to meet a cool guy.
Low Point: No one playing with JP.
Game 6 DS vs Dan Holmes LS
DS: Death Star SE: TINT
LS: Tatooine system. SE: None.
Look at that I got lucky again. No shocking infos or grapples of any kind. I spread thin for some good drainage. He just gets some aliens out and retrieves with our most desperate hour. But he could not compete with my massive ground drains. I setup a little trap for him to lose that pesky falcon on the table by playing slave 1 w/ Boba at the Tatooine system. with the executor waiting to make an appearance. After the ensuing battle I continue manipulating away with ADT, SC's and of course Onith. I win by 33. 12 (+160).
High Point: I'm off to the final confrontation with my "good buddy" Kenny.
Low Point: My deck was shuffled poorly as I only scanned twice.
Final Confrontation:
Game 1: DS vs Kenny Sidhu LS
DS: Deathstar SE: Broken Concentration
LS: Hoth: War Room SE: NONE
Yep, I chose to go with what I won with before, basically it was the same game as previously mentioned except that I placed zeroes on his reserve pile and waited for him to pick up that second Surprise assualt. After he did that I played a monnok that I was flicking in my hand for the longest time and drained like crazy with all the tat. sites.
PEACE OUT! I end up winning by 21. 2 (+21).
Game 2
To make a long story short my gamble of starting with Dag: Yoda's Hut payed off. The most memorable quote was on the opening turn, when he tried to scan me and to return the favour, I respond by playing Shocking Info and say, "When you play with fire, you gotta play with fire!" Vader showed his ugly face twice and twice fell to the swoosh of a lightsaber. And a critical grimtaash dismantled his walker garrison deck. All and all PEACE OUT! I win by 34!!!!!!!!!!! 4(+55).
TEAM WINNIPEG IS GOING TO THE WORLDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I would like to thank the following people that made this trip the best ever!
Marcelo Orellana, for the free room, board, and booze. : )
Mike Hughes, for bringing out TEAM WINNIPEG to the show.
Marc Cosgrove, for jedi training TEAM WINNIPEG (and proofreading this
report).
Eric Orellana, for convincing me that everyone might not play
with those shocking info's and giving me the confidence that I might be
able to do better this year.
Thanks a bunch guys!
P.S.- Cya there Tyler.....Peace out!
Cris Orellana