This is a weekly series that aims to preview upcoming Regional tournaments, review Regional tournaments that have just taken place, highlight winning decks, interview players, and more.
How can you contribute to this series? First and foremost, I am relying on results and deck lists being promptly entered into this site. I can't write about them otherwise. Other ways you can help include: taking photos, interviewing players, writing previews, and providing background information. Any other way to help the community be a part of your Regional tournament would be appreciated, too. Contact details are at the end of this article.
Predictions
This year, the Road to Worlds series will feature three predictions for each tournament. That is triple the predictivization (ED: Is that a real word?) of last year!
T2E's own Kris Sonsteby (LORE) will be joining me in predicting a winner each week. The third prediction will come from that week's interviewee. As there is no player interview this week, reigning Tribbles World Champion Will Hoskin (Gumbo) has agreed to make some bad predictions to make Kris and I look better.
Week 1 Preview
The complete schedule can be found in the article Regional Championships Series 2012 Schedule. There are three Regional tournaments this week:
Saturday 31st March | Sunday 1st April | ||
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Tribbles (Standard) Jazzland Franz-Josefs-Kai 29 A-1010 Vienna Austria [Discuss] [Pre-register] |
First Edition (OTF) Roxanne's Place 1206 Duthie Avenue Burnaby, BC V5A 2R5 Canada [Discuss] [Pre-register] |
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Tribbles (Standard) Roxanne's Place 1206 Duthie Avenue Burnaby, BC V5A 2R5 Canada [Discuss] [Pre-register] |
Jazzland: It would appear that someone left a few Tribbles behind after the 2011 European Championships where Tribbles made their first appearance at Jazzland in Vienna, Austria. They must have been a slow breeding variety though (if there is such a thing?), because regular Tribbles tournaments didn't begin at the venue until last month. The first tournament saw seven players in attendance, and was won by Peter Machovits (Pille1701) with 535,617 Tribbles scored, only 200,000 ahead of the next three players. There were five players at the second tournament, where Michael Albrecht (Ein Gast...) was victorious with a healthy 1,298,923 Tribbles scored, over 800,000 ahead of the second place finisher. Two of the five players that day received a pity Tribble. So far, nobody has pre-registered for the Regional tournament, but given Michael's margin of victory at the last tournament, he is my pick to win.
Kris: Michael Albrecht to win. Why? Despite being a rookie, he is batting .500 in Battle Royale's, winning two of the four he has played in, and he managed to get on the board in both of his other forays. Consistency in the midst of chaos is the trademark of a champion, Gorilla.
Will: As the current Tribbles World Champion, I'm using my extensive knowledge of the game to pick Peter Machovits. I'm going all or nothing. Peter will either win or he'll get a pity Tribble.
There are no past Tribbles Regional results at Jazzland.
Roxanne's Place (First Edition): Tournaments at this venue in Burnaby, Canada only began in May 2011, but in that time the players have clocked up an impressive 40 tournaments, with back-to-back First Edition and Tribbles tournaments being held every couple of weeks. Kenneth Tufts (Worf Son of Mogh) is the form player. With a 21-game winning streak (that he is still on) helping him win the last five tournaments, he recently became the number one rated First Edition player in the world. If he is undefeated at this Sunday's tournament, he will be very close to breaking the 1800-point rating barrier. Kenneth has a 79% winning record against all players, and a 90% winning record against his opponents this Sunday. He is the clear favorite, and my pick to win.
Kris: Kenneth Tufts to win. Why? Lemme tell you something, Gorilla, I remember playing Kenneth Tufts back in 1998 at Worlds in Virginia Beach. Dude Blackhole'd everything I put on the table, including my lunch. If that weren't enough of a reason to pick him, conveniently he's also the head referee for this melee, and I know from personal experience that the refs hold all the power inside the squared circle.
Will: My extensive knowledge of Canadian First Edition players leads to believe that I should be picking Kenneth Tufts. However, the-Hoskin-that-isn't-a-World-Champion and Kris have made the obvious choice, so I'll go with James Monsebroten.
There are no past First Edition Regional results at Roxanne's Place.
Roxanne's Place (Tribbles): This is the inaugural Tribbles Regional at this venue in Burnaby, Canada. However, with seven Tribbles tournaments held in the last three months, there is plenty of form to look over. Kurtis Correia (CmdrSpork82) has won four of the last five Tribbles tournaments he entered, but he hasn't entered his decks so what he played will remain a mystery to all but those he faced. Both Kenneth Tufts (Worf Son of Mogh) and Julia Chen (LadyFenix) have placed in the top two of the last three tournaments they played in, winning one each. Neither player appears to have a favorite deck, instead they appear to be focused on earning Tribbles achievements. I think anyone of these three players could win the title, but have a feeling that Kurtis will just about edge it.
Kris: Julia Chen to win. Why? My sources tell me that LadyFenix trained alongside former T2E Woman's Champion The Asian Sensation, and in an inter-gender field such as this one I expect the sexes will split the difference on the day.
Will: I feel guilty for not picking Kenneth Tufts for the First Edition tournament, so I'll pick him for this one instead.
There are no past Tribbles Regional results at Roxanne's Place.
Byes
The list of bye recipients has been prettified (ED: That can't be a real word, can it?) for 2012. To date, 45 byes to the 2012 Continental and World Championships have been awarded. As with last year, Regional Championships award one Day One Round One Continental Championships bye (or head start in Tribbles) for every ten players in attendance. Should the recipient of a bye/head start already have one, it will trickle down to the next eligible player.
Rules and Expectations
Earlier this week, a number of changes were made to the Organized Play Guide. Tournament directors and players alike should familiarise themselves with this document. Please see the article Changes to Organized Play for 2012 for a description of the changes and a link to download the new Organized Play Guide.
Rules specific to this year's Regional Championship can be found in this post 2012 Regionals: Rules and Expectations. Again, tournament directors and players are encouraged to read this information.
Please note that deck lists are mandatory at all Regional tournaments this year. Please help your tournament director out by attaching your deck list to the tournament results once they have been entered. If you fail to do this, it will become the responsibility of the tournament director to enter your deck list for you.
Next Week
A review of the three results from week one, an interview with a winning player, some more made up words, the onslaught of statistics begins, and a preview of the four Regional Championships taking place in week two.
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