Tournament Reports!!!
Peter D Bakija
For the love of punk rock! Someone post who won what. There were, like,
5 big tournaments this past weekend. And it is Tuesday. And I want to
live vicariously through exciting tales of victory and humiliating
defeat...
Peter D Bakija
pd...@lightlink.com
http://www.lightlink.com/pdb6/vtes.html
"It's too bad she won't live! But then again, who does?"
-Gaff
John Flournoy
> So just a friendly poke:
>
> For the love of punk rock! Someone post who won what. There were, like,
> 5 big tournaments this past weekend. And it is Tuesday. And I want to
> live vicariously through exciting tales of victory and humiliating
> defeat...
Short version:
The Vegas Qualifier was won by Matt Morgan. Other finalists were
myself, David Tatu, Ruben Feldman, and Jeff Thompson. Vladimir Segdiev
and Preston Poulter also qualified.
Decks/seating at the finals: Matt (Askinya !Gangrel vote) -> Ruben
(Legacy of Pander w/ events) -> David Tatu (Masika Enkil Cog, although
he never played the Cog and might not have played it all tournament) -
> John (Ravnos w/ Dementation) -> Jeff (Adonai !Sal/and other AUS)
Matt ousted Ruben partway through, and the table timed out, but not
for a lack of trying; at least Jeff and I were on the receiving end of
potentially ousting bleeds at different points during the final and
nobody was really walling up and trying to play for time.
Ruben had a very terrible start - he got two minions out, and tried to
pass two quick votes (instead of bleeding once and passing one for
sure), but Matt had two votes in hand to pitch and failed them both.
He did manage to get Legacy into play, but Matt had gotten a Cardinal
Benediction and Powerbase Madrid going and was largely able to quiet
Ruben's votes. (Also, David played Scourge of the Enochians and
several Panders died to it before Ruben was ousted.)
The Mini-Q was won by Ruben Feldman; other finalists were Matt Heslin,
David Litwin, Ian Lee and Dennis Lien.
David (Lasombra vote) -> Ruben (Council of Doom) -> Ian (dunno what he
played) -> Dennis (Khazar's) -> Matt (Black Hand Big Eyeball).
Ruben's deck was basically the "Council of Doom" deck that had won
"Praxis Paris" in 2006, presumably with some tweaks.
> Peter D Bakija
-John Flournoy
John Flournoy
> Decks/seating at the finals: Matt (Askinya !Gangrel vote) -> Ruben
> (Legacy of Pander w/ events) -> David Tatu (Masika Enkil Cog, although
> he never played the Cog and might not have played it all tournament) -
>
> > John (Ravnos w/ Dementation) -> Jeff (Adonai !Sal/and other AUS)
Going into the finals, seeding was:
David Tatu (2 and I'm not sure how many; 7 I think)
Ruben Feldman (2 and 6)
John Flournoy (2 and 5.5)
Jeff Thompson (1 and 8)
Matt Morgan (1 and 6)
Matt beat Vladmir for 5th on tournament points, and Preston qualified
by beating David Litwin on tournament points at 1 and 5.
-John Flournoy
The Lasombra
>So just a friendly poke:
>For the love of punk rock! Someone post who won what. There were, like,
>5 big tournaments this past weekend. And it is Tuesday. And I want to
>live vicariously through exciting tales of victory and humiliating
>defeat...
I don't want to steal Kevin's thunder, as he has promised to post on
Tuesday.
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.games.trading-cards.jyhad/browse_t...
I will however spill a few details:
27 players in each event
Pictures were taken by David Litwin (aka Obtenebration).
http://pics.obtenebration.org/pics/LVQ%202009/
Room was poorly lit, but the tables by the windows were good.
I enjoyed the majority of my games.
I played a variant on Ariadne's Trophy Ritual in the morning Mini-
Qualifier, and I sat on one table with 3 auspex intercept decks.
(Black Hand Auspex, Weenie Auspex, Tremere Carna Auspex). I did
manage to trigger Trophy: Library and Trophy: Hunting Ground on a 3-
cap Tremere, and Smiling Jack would have ousted me if the table hadn't
timed out. On my first table with this deck, Dennis Lien's Khazar's
Diary Deck swept the table, he was my predator and I was unable to
cycle successfully enough to hold him back.
http://www.thelasombra.com/decks/ariadne_trophy.htm
(The final apparently timed out, with only 1 player acquiring a VP.)
In the Qualifier, I played a variant on Adonai's Eyes, without the
Anarch stuff, and with Eyes of Argus. I got 2 VPs at every table but
the finals and swept my 4 player 2nd round table due to an interesting
back-rushing reaction of my original grand-prey and my predator. (He
was my prey at the time, and had Fame on one of his Embraces. The
Animalism Taunt deck took out the Embrace and Lutz, which
significantly dispirited the player and he allowed the Fame to oust
him, though my bleeds of 5 did help.) I then put all of the Taunt
decks vampires in torpor with Eye of Unforgiving Heaven.
http://www.thelasombra.com/decks/adonai-vitals.htm
(This final also timed out, with only 1 player acquiring a VP. If
there had been 10 more minutes, I think I would have had 2.5 VPs as my
prey only had 1 ready vampire and ~6 pool.)
It was raining in the hour leading up to the events, i.e. 10-11 am,
but wasn't bad most of the rest of the time.
Blue Man Group performed up to expectations.
:>
Carpe noctem.
The Lasombra
Your best source of V:TES information.
Now also selling boxes and individual cards.
John Flournoy
> (This final also timed out, with only 1 player acquiring a VP. If
> there had been 10 more minutes, I think I would have had 2.5 VPs as my
> prey only had 1 ready vampire and ~6 pool.)
Quite possible - I was actually feeling like I could hold David off
for another 10 minutes - I would have had a new vampire out on the
next turn and had several bleed-reduces in hand for him to play - so
you might have been able to get all three of us in turn, actually.
-John Flournoy
Kevin M.
> So just a friendly poke:
>
> For the love of punk rock! Someone post who won what. There were,
> like, 5 big tournaments this past weekend. And it is Tuesday. And I want
> to live vicariously through exciting tales of victory and humiliating
> defeat...
Find three (or even two) more days of vacation and come out next year. ;)
Kevin M., Prince of Las Vegas
"Know your enemy, and know yourself; in one-thousand battles
you shall never be in peril." -- Sun Tzu, *The Art of War*
"Contentment... Complacency... Catastrophe!" -- Joseph Chevalier
Please visit VTESville daily! http://vtesville.myminicity.com/
Las Vegas NAQ 2009! http://members.cox.net/vtesinlv/
Kevin M.
Many players said to me that if each of the finals had been 30 minutes
longer that they would have finished the games.
And no, I do not think that due to this we should lengthen the finals, since
that creates an imbalance between the preliminary rounds and the final round
which I do not appreciate.
And no, I am not still bitter that I did not officially win the NAC07 when I
was ousted at 2:11. It must still be Ben Peal's fault somehow. grrrr >:(
John Flournoy
> > "John Flournoy" <carne...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > > The Lasombra <TheLasom...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> > > (This final also timed out, with only 1 player acquiring a VP. If
> > > there had been 10 more minutes, I think I would have had 2.5 VPs
> > > as my prey only had 1 ready vampire and ~6 pool.)
>
> > Quite possible - I was actually feeling like I could hold David off
> > for another 10 minutes - I would have had a new vampire out on the
> > next turn and had several bleed-reduces in hand for him to play - so
> > you might have been able to get all three of us in turn, actually.
>
> Many players said to me that if each of the finals had been 30 minutes
> longer that they would have finished the games.
I couldn't have finished the game given an infinite amount of time,
likely; I had a couple of outside shots at ousting Jeff early on, but
then got hammered by both predator and prey steadily after that. I was
actually pleased I managed to _not_ get ousted before time hit; my
deck was not an all-out stealth bleeder and the defense I'd put in was
sufficient to keep me alive.
Had I somehow ousted Jeff early on, I would have been in great shape
to win the final, but after my initial attempts failed my vampires
were bouncing in and out of torpor and generally too short on blood to
ever reasonably finish him off.
I did send an ousting bleed Jeff's way at about the halfway mark; he
Misdirectioned it and Matt immediately DI'ed the bounce. Jeff then
played My Enemy's Enemy to keep the bleed moving, much to my dismay.
Late in the game I thought I probably had another chance at Jeff based
on cards in hand, but it would have required Matt to Giant's Blood my
torpored, empty Kiradin and then rescue him for me. If he had done so,
I was ready to Pentex one of Jeff's vampires and Will of Wisp at
superior past all the others with a very large bleed, and I think that
might have been sufficient barring a DI/Sudden cancel or Jeff and/or
David repeatedly Eagle Sight'ing the rescue attempts. (Also, David had
inadvertantly flashed me what I thought was a Pentex in his own hand,
and might have pre-emptively Pentex'ed Kiradin before I got to act.)
Matt apparently considered for a brief moment removing Jeff from the
table in this fashion, but decided that wasn't in his best interest;
afterwards we both agreed that this choice was correct because if I
had ousted Jeff, the table would likely have timed out with me beating
him on a tiebreaker at 1.5 apiece.
I didn't really think it was in Matt's best interest when I suggested
it to him, and even said that I thought it was a bad idea from his
perspective, but wanted to suggest it on the off chance he really did
want Jeff eliminated at that point. And because at that point I knew I
wasn't going to oust Jeff any other way.
-John Flournoy
John Flournoy
Oops. James Messer, not Preston. My error.
> -John Flournoy
Frederick Scott
news:LTnkl.6982$Qn1...@newsfe19.iad...
> "Peter D Bakija" <pd...@lightlink.com> wrote:
>> So just a friendly poke:
>>
>> For the love of punk rock! Someone post who won what. There were,
>> like, 5 big tournaments this past weekend. And it is Tuesday. And I want
>> to live vicariously through exciting tales of victory and humiliating defeat...
>
> Find three (or even two) more days of vacation and come out next year. ;)
There will be a next year? Fantastic! But find another venue with more light.
Or find some portable light to put in that one.
("Is that...is that you, Arika? You've come for my last pool, haven't you?
Come closer. I need to feel your face before you oust me!!!")
The Lasombra
>> Going into the finals, seeding was:
>> David Tatu (2 and I'm not sure how many; 7 I think)
>> Ruben Feldman (2 and 6)
>> John Flournoy (2 and 5.5)
>> Jeff Thompson (1 and 8)
>> Matt Morgan (1 and 6)
John,
I have your Prophecies of Gehenna.
Contact me and I will send it to you.
Peter D Bakija
> So just a friendly poke:
>
> For the love of punk rock! Someone post who won what. There were, like,
> 5 big tournaments this past weekend. And it is Tuesday. And I want to
> live vicariously through exciting tales of victory and humiliating
> defeat...
Ok, so now Vegas is on the books. Templecon? Anyone? What happened?
-Peter
Jozxyqk
I think we were all waiting for Matt to do a report, but I guess he's busy
feeding his geckos.
Short story:
Friday night: Ben Peal wins with a Corrupt Construction deck.
Saturday: John Eno wins with a !Ventrue deck.
Sunday (draft 4 KoT + 3 TR + 1 free Fee Stake Boston for everyone): Ben Peal
wins; Anarch Manifesto + Steely Tenacity is shockingly popular.
My personal record: 0GW+3VP (not qualified) on Saturday, and top seed into
the Draft finals (1GW+6VP in 2 rounds with a nicely-tuned malkavian deck
that had only 2 Zip Lines for stealth)
Jozxyqk
> My personal record: 0GW+3VP (not qualified) on Saturday
I should mention that I was playing a rebuilt-and-tuned version of my old
Orlando deck, correctly assuming the metagame was going to be full of voters.
I managed in one round to blow up Lutz with Fear of Mekhet, which was my
Play of the Day.
Peter D Bakija
> Short story:
> Friday night: Ben Peal wins with a Corrupt Construction deck.
> Saturday: John Eno wins with a !Ventrue deck.
> Sunday (draft 4 KoT + 3 TR + 1 free Fee Stake Boston for everyone): Ben Peal
> wins; Anarch Manifesto + Steely Tenacity is shockingly popular.
Sweet. Thanks for the update. Go John Eno! And Ben too, but he always
wins :-)
I'm sure we'll see the Corrupt Construction deck soon, but anyone have
any insider info? I'm intrigued. Specifically 'cause I spend all my
time mocking Corrupt Constructions :-)
> My personal record: 0GW+3VP (not qualified) on Saturday, and top seed into
> the Draft finals (1GW+6VP in 2 rounds with a nicely-tuned malkavian deck
> that had only 2 Zip Lines for stealth)
Nice!
-Peter
Kushiel
> I'm sure we'll see the Corrupt Construction deck soon, but anyone have
> any insider info? I'm intrigued. Specifically 'cause I spend all my
> time mocking Corrupt Constructions :-)
It shut me down during the finals (I was its predator). I used to mock
it too, but damn, Construction is freaking powerful. I'm not one to
foment unrest about banning cards, but once this decklist hits the
airwaves, we'll see what the people have to say...
John Eno
Kushiel
> I should mention that I was playing a rebuilt-and-tuned version of my old
> Orlando deck, correctly assuming the metagame was going to be full of voters.
It was certainly the most vote-heavy tournament I've played in. During
four games, there wasn't one table that had fewer than three vote
decks on it, which is pretty impressive.
John Eno
jcrossn...@gmail.com
> It shut me down during the finals (I was its predator). I used to mock
> it too, but damn, Construction is freaking powerful. I'm not one to
> foment unrest about banning cards, but once this decklist hits the
> airwaves, we'll see what the people have to say...
As Ben's prey, I was terrified. Utterly terrified. I wanted to go
backwards to slow him down the whole game, but those Corrupt
Constructions in the deck were so nasty that I could hardly even
consider it. So I got a VP instead. And then I died.
Jesse
Salem
....i can't tell if you guys are kidding or not with your talking-up of
corrupt construction...
:/
i love the card, but i think it's crap. there's got to be a trick in
there somewhere....
--
salem
(replace 'hotmail' with 'gmail' to email)
henrik
> ....i can't tell if you guys are kidding or not with your talking-up of
> corrupt construction...
>
> :/
>
> i love the card, but i think it's crap. there's got to be a trick in
> there somewhere....
I haven't played against a Construct yet, but anything that can hit
for 8-9 is scary.
Sure, you can pretty easily use stealth, s:ce, maneuver etc to get
away. But if the construct stands there long enough, eventually he'll
probably catch you (especially with +1 unmasking intercept). And once
you're caught you'll go down in one punch.