Tournament Report
15-player Constructed (3 + F)
Dallas, TX
2001 North American Qualifier (Southwest Regional)
June __, 2001
I qualified again, although in a very unexpected manner.
Round 1: Screwed!
(2 VP) : TJ "Filler" Fullington: Payola (Caitiff vote whore)
(0 VP) : Patrick O'Shea: Lazvernius wall
(0 VP) : Shawn Harrison: Nosferatu-Anti. Sneak'n'Bleed/Millstone
(3 VP) : Ethan Burrow: Toreador-Anti. Toolbox
(0 VP) : me: Presence Crypt Machine
I drove fourteen hours to Dallas (big traffic jam in Alabama) because I wanted to play in a full three round qualifier. So for the first round, I got stuck between the only votes on the table and a vote whore. The game was over in twenty minutes, and I was ousted in 5. I was so unbelievably pissed off I went back to the hotel and chewed out the front desk attendant for screwing me out of my reservation. I had plenty of time to think about it, as one of the other tables had a 5-player timeout.
Round 2:
(0.5 VP): Me
(1.5 VP): "Iron" Jack Obf. Princes with Disguised Flamethrower
(0 VP): Eric Leal Tzimisce Block/bleed and S:CE
(1.5 VP): ________ (Dallas) Ventrue Unblockable Bleed
(0 VP): ________ (Dallas) Weenie Potence
I had been wondering when we'd see the new Tzimisce S:CE decks in tournament play, and Eric had a good one. Scared the bejeezus out of everybody, blocked everyone, and Melded with the Land. Luckily for me, My predator didn't draw a rush at all, so I was able to build up and threaten Jack. Silly, stupid mistake on my part, I let Greger Andersen block one of my guys, and didn't use one of the three Majesties in hand. Out comes the Disguised Flamethrower, and away goes a minion.
That turned the tide for me, as I couldn't afford to be blocked without Change of Target in hand, and I could not oust Jack, who was probably suffering between two S:CE decks. So, I bloated with Enchant Kindred, and held on to an A.I., in case I had to deal with the Ventrue, which happened a few turns later. I had enough pool (and the A.I) to deal with his bleeds, but he didn't draw a day op, and couldn't get through my untapped minions. The round timed out.
Between Rounds 2 and 3:
As I walked back and forth between the hotel and game room, attempting to salvage my room reservation (and find a place other than an anime room to sleep), I could feel that peculiar feeling of my mind coming into focus. The rust fell off, along with doubt. Two rounds without a VP in a tournament. One bad mistake in the second round cost me 1 to 3 VP. It was time to execute, and execute now.
Round 3:
(0 VP) : Shawn Harrison
(0 VP) : _______ (Denver) Auspex/Thaumaturgy small- to mid- caps
(0 VP) : _______ (Denver) "Real" Tzimisce: block and kill
(0 VP) : "Iron" Jack
(5 VP) : Me
Any time a weenie deck with any bleed potential gets 10 minions out, VPs are going to happen. Shawn almost outraced me for a VP (those !Nossies can _bleed_, btw), but I caught him with some timely Enchant Kindreds (and maybe a Legal Manipulation), and inheirited a weakened, yet dangerous, Tremere grand-prey.
Meanwhile, the Tzimisce and Disguised Weapon Princes went at it, Femur to Flamethrower. I pretty much allowed Jack to do whatever he wanted, as long as it didn't involve me losing a minion.
By time I ousted the Tremere player (again, not as simple as it looked, due to Auspex reduce/bounce), I had the required 10 minions in play. A Tribute kept my pool up, and I swarmed the Tzimisce player for the third VP. Jack's case was also almost hopeless, as he'd spend most of the game rescuing his minions from torpor. I ousted him shortly afterwards to complete the sweep.
Final Round:
(0 VP) : TJ "Filler" Fullington
(1 VP) : Jay Kristoff Block and Kill Tzimisce
(0 VP) : me:
(4 VP) : Ethan Burrow
(0 VP) : Shawn Harrison
Hmmm...this table setup looks familiar. I figured I wouldn't get squished by the vote whore if I was his grandprey, at least until he ousted Jay. Wrong again. At least I wasn't sitting next to him, so Jay and Shawn got most of the damage.
Again, Ethan had vote lock, and dictated that TJ send 2 pool from each KRC backwards. So Shawn and Jay took about 15 pool of vote damage over the course of 2 turns. Shawn was ousted, and then Ethan, having determined that TJ hadn't outlived his usefulness yet, directed another 6 or 8 pool of damage on me. It was an excellent move on Ethan's part, as I was handjammed on Majesty. With me providing no significant pressure, Ethan had the table lined up.
At some point, TJ decided that since his votes weren't being passed, he'd bleed. Jay had only been able to influence one minion (Corrine M.), but a handful of untap. So we saw a couple iterations of "Block, kill", and TJ was neutralized.
I can't remember if I was ousted by cross-table vote, or changeling bleed, but the 6 pool Jay gained allowed him to pull out Wendy, who together with Corrine, held off the Caitiff enough to allow Ethan to get another VP. Between 12 pool for ousts, and another 10 pool for Powerbase:Montreal (I think he acquired it from me), the sweep was guaranteed.
And then, Jay posted the most amazing defense I've ever seen. Corrine Marcon, Wendy Wade, and a Revenant, versus 6, then 7, then 8 Toreador Antitribu (no Embraces). We're talking over half the freaking clan, here. Over the course of 5 turns, Lachlan got burned (and re-influenced), Donatien either got burned or torped, along with Shiela and another hapless !Toreador who attempted a rescue. Eventually, Wendy ran out of blood and was torped, then diablerized, at the cost of another !Toreador torporization. 5 or 6 turns after that (with even more flying body parts), Jay cycled into some non-untap and was ousted.
Last Updated on 09/04/2002
evilpootcat@yahoo.com
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