Brisbane 2009 Qualifier, TWD
SteveHarris
(standard constructed)
Brisbane, Australia
March 28, 2009
10 players
3R + F
Julian Gatt’s Tournament Winning Deck
Let’s Get Some Tongue Action
Crypt [12 vampires, average capacity: 9.16667]
3x Alexandra 11 ANI AUS CEL PRE dom inner circle
Toreador:2
3x Anneke 10 AUS CEL PRE dom justicar
Toreador:1
3x Francois Villon 10 AUS CEL PRE chi obf pot prince
Toreador:2
1x Masika 10 AUS CEL PRE primogen
Toreador:1
1x Dorian Strack 4 AUS cel
Toreador:1
1x Isabel de Leon 3 AUS
Toreador:2
Library [75 cards]
Action Modifier [20]
5x Change of Target
11x Crocodile's Tongue
1x Enkil Cog
3x Voter Captivation
Action Modifier/Combat [3]
3x Resist Earth's Grasp
Action Modifier/Reaction [4]
4x Scalpel Tongue
Combat [10]
5x Catatonic Fear
3x Majesty
2x Target Vitals
Master [15]
2x Aching Beauty
1x Art Museum
1x Creepshow Casino
2x Fortitude
1x Giant's Blood
2x Information Highway
4x Minion Tap
2x Vessel
Political Action [12]
2x Banishment
6x Camarilla Exemplary
4x Parity Shift
Reaction [11]
5x On the Qui Vive
6x Telepathic Misdirection
10 Methuselah’s turned up to do battle at the Brisbane 2009
qualifier. I elected to sit back and judge the event. The day
proceeded well with howls of laughter keeping spirits up. Some
notable quotes from the day include:
“Is anyone blocking a Hellhound {recruit action} ?”
“I’ll touch myself with spirit’s touch”
“I’m not tapped out, I have my hellhound! Fear my Hellhound.”
“Howler’s untapped? That’s b*@#$%&t !!!” - this after a tapped
Howler played Speak with Spirits and the acting minion played Change
of Target.
“This is so embarrassing. I discard a Cooler because I can’t afford
it”
I feel the need to add that hellhound played poison pill like a
Machiavellian prince.
Jon Darbro had 13 blood dolls in his deck. Why so many? When Jon
first started playing in Brisbane he had no vessels with him. He soon
came to hate the sight of vessels as his blood dolls would constantly
be burnt (sometimes cross table!). So I think he planned to outlast
the vessels by having a multitude of blood dolls. Despite his
constant loss of blood dolls over time, Jon still enjoys coming along
to play “Vessel, the Blood Doll Burning”…. I mean, Vampire, the
Eternal Struggle…
Finals table:
Steven Balwin (Luna dominate powerbleed deck) bleeding Jon Darbro
(Weenie obfuscate with coolers, which he has named “Every deck is
cooler with a pimp and a mansion”) bleeding Ivor Blockley (Lutz s/b)
bleeding Tony Wedd (Ahrimanes toolbox/block deck) bleeding Julian Gatt
(Troeador crocodile’s tongue bleed/vote).
Early on the finals table Julian made a mistake. After bringing out
Alexandra, he then transferred 10 pool to a second copy of Alexandra,
thinking it was Anneke. Luckily he had Info Highway out but it still
slowed his game down. He later referred to himself as a “Transfer to
wrong minion” virgin, claiming it was the first time he had ever done
that, in social or tournament play.
Luna started bleeding hard hitting his prey for bleeds of up to 8 at
stealth. Fortunately Jon had all those blood dolls in his deck and
was doing his best to bloat. The Lutz deck moved forward slowly and
bloated with Villein, but his weenie deck predator could only really
go forwards, was still losing pool constantly. The Ahrimanes deck was
setting up, recruiting High Top and various retainers while the
Toreador deck sat quietly and gathered his resources. The toreador
deck claimed it can’t work without 2 minions, yet still manages to
apply some forward pressure (despite only having Alexandra out for
most of the game).
The table began to buckle with Luna’s prey and grand prey sitting on 4
pool each. At this point I’m thinking that maybe Jon’s weenies will
get Lutz but then on Turn 8 or 9, Jon was inevitably ousted by the
power bleed behind him. Ivor then played Villein on his next minion
(Rafael de Corazon, iirc) for 7 pool and gives himself a fighting
chance, however his Ahrmines prey can block many of his actions.
The Luna deck continued forward unperturbed by the fact that his
predator had been slowly whittling him down. With the Lutz deck
sitting on 4 pool, he bled forward for some huge amount that caused
Black Lotus to be Archoned. Lutz is then ousted on the next bleed.
With victory in sight, Luna continued to move forward, however his
minions were low on blood. Luna was blocked by Howler while on 1
blood and sent to torpor by Howler’s hand strike for 2. Luna’s
remaining minion, Preston Varrick, bled forward with a Govern into the
Ahrimanes who control High Top, so the bleed is for 4. This bleed was
promptly AI’d.
With only a limited amount of pool and no ready minions, Luna’s game
was pretty much over. Alexandra had been Giant’s Blooded by now and
was slowly bloating through a Vessel. Alexandra then ousted Luna and
brought out Dorian Strack. After a few rounds of bleeding each other,
the game became very close with the Ahrimanes on 1 pool and the
Toreador also quite low. Nonetheless it felt like the Ahrimanes
should have gotten the victory at this point.
Then I saw one of the most unexpected come backs I’ve ever seen. The
Toreador deck packed 2 Aching Beauty’s and had one in hand. He played
one on Alexandra which was promptly Washed by his prey. However he
top draws his only other Aching Beauty and played it. With the
Ahrimanes on 1 pool and no way to reduce, Alexandra bleeds and the
game is over.
As a spectator, after Julian's transfer early on, had assumed either
his predator or prey would win. Once Luna got 2 VP, I was convinced
that deck would win. But a second Archon Investigation sealed his
fate.
Congratulations to Julian Gatt for his victory! Even he stated is was
more ass than class.
gra...@hotmail.com
time in a row that I've gone into the final at the Brisbane Qualifier
as first seed. :P
Some highlights from the day from my perspective:
In game 1, I had Golconda played against my vamps 5 times (by one
player).
During the whole day, I had 2 parity shifts successfully called... all
the rest were blocked.
Enkil Cog only twice, once I got it on Masika (how good is that?) and
the other time on Francois. On Francois, it won me a game.
In game 2, I binned Siamese with a Catatonic Fear/Target Vitals combo.
I sat on a table twice (including the final) with Ivor and his Rafaele
deck. In one game I convinced him not to influence him out, on the
final table - it didn't matter.
Thanks for a fun day. And it's great to see that once again, a
Queenslander cannot win the Brissie Qualifier! :P
Now all that's got to happen is a NSW'man get the Sydney Qualifier
back, and an Australian get the Aussie Championship back!
--> J
grail_pbem "at" hotmail.com
http://www.geocities.com/grail_j
SteveHarris
> Queenslander cannot win the Brissie Qualifier! :P
> Now all that's got to happen is a NSW'man get the Sydney Qualifier
> back, and an Australian get the Aussie Championship back!
I think that if a non-Queenslander wins the Brisbane qualifier, then a
Queenslander or Victorian should win the Sydney Qualifier...
And as for the Aussie Championship, I mean really, come on, isn't New
Zealand just another one of our states? :D
Steve Harris
Prince of Brisbane
jason...@iinet.net.au
> I think that if a non-Queenslander wins the Brisbane qualifier, then a
> Queenslander or Victorian should win the Sydney Qualifier...
> And as for the Aussie Championship, I mean really, come on, isn't New
> Zealand just another one of our states? :D
I always think of it more as a Territory. It's not really important
enough to be a State, is it?
jase
SteveHarris
That's too true... you've got just the right word there... LOL.
gra...@hotmail.com
Do we really want to be associated with them, even if they are just a
territory?
I mean, it's New Zealand.... where men are men and sheep are nervous!
Juggernaut1981
Well it appears we've already annexed some of England... just visit
Bondi Beach and I think we've appropriated a sizeable part of the
Ukraine and a good chunk of East London...