Bad Blood Results!

by Kris Sonsteby, Staff Writer

2nd February 2011

Good evening, 'Trek fans! For my absentee broadcast partner, Matt "The Original Champion" Frid, I'm Kris "The Old Pro" Sonsteby welcoming you to a very special edition of T2E Confidential; the only show that brings you, the fans, through the ropes for an up close and personal look at the game's greatest Superstars. On tonight’s show, we will be taking a glance at T2E Entertainment's Bad Blood pay-per-view, which went down at Nationals: West 2010 in Chicago, Illinois just a few short weeks ago. Regular viewers will likely recall, but it bears repeating that as is customary on our program, all of the upcoming analysis will be told from the players perspective of everyone’s favorite broadcaster, “T.O.P.” So, without any further ado, let’s take a look back… at Bad Blood.

True to form, the first match on the Bad Blood card was about settling a score, nothing more, as I was sent to Chicago with one primary objective: take out the man who put Matt on the shelf at Premiere Series -Minnesota. Right out of the gate, I put the experience that only years of practicing our craft can offer to work in this no-holds-barred instant classic, sending Nate reeling with an early dose of gamesmanship followed up with a Hard Time / Gomtuu Shockwave combo at Practice Orbital Maneuvers on his first attempt. On my turn, he returned fire with a Hard Time / Gomtuu Shockwave combo of his own at the exact same mission, and we both dug in our heels for the impending grind.

While Nate hammered away in space, I cunningly pulled off a one-attempt solve at Investigate Massacre, effectively tipping the scales in my favor in this track meet. Once we both finally conceded Practice Orbital Maneuvers to the other, the game degenerated into a mad dash to the finish line, as I came crashing down on Avert Danger in waves while Nate double-barreled Geological Survey and his own Avert Danger as time dwindled. However, in this first of likely several encounters, my dilemmas were simply too much for my Cadet wielding brethren to overcome and I picked up the victory in this crucial opening contest.

This intriguing second round pairing had all the ingredients of a show-stealer: two fairly reclusive players, old-school verses new-school designs, and a sharp contrast in high-level tournament experience. As such, Brian sprung into action early, downloading two copies of Ruling Council and blind-siding his seasoned opponent with an onslaught of black and white copied Jem’Hadar, Vorta, and Cardassians while I drew for a ship and enough Cadets to fly it. On his first attempt, I decided to force his hand by tossing The Dreamer and the Dream and An Issue of Trust, which in turn led to both interrupts being burned up to garner an extra dilemma apiece.

Meanwhile, I went to work at Practice Orbital Maneuvers a turn later than usual, eventually taking it down in three attempts as Brian polished off Navigate Argolis Cluster and started working away at Search for Survivors. However, scooping two more missions without the benefit of a Ruling Council was quite a tall order for him, and the turns spent trying allowed me to sneak back into this game as I double and even triple teamed my two planets. Once again fighting the clock in this iron man match, I made a critical mistake in forgetting to report a second Diplomacy personnel in the form of Rachel Garrett, Displaced Captain, which proved pivotal as Brian’s well played dilemmas at Investigate Massacre turned a potential full win into a modified one, thanks in no small part to the five bonus points earned from Avert Danger, as the bell rang.

With turnabout being fair play, it was all too fitting that round three featured Ed’s chance at revenge, as I had narrowly defeated him in our only previous pairing last June at the Iowa Regional 2010. In spite of the fact that both of us were playing completely different decks, there was an air of familiarity to this contest as both players had a healthy level of admiration for what the other’s build could do, provided it was given the opportunity. The game itself started off with a shotgun blast from my side of the table, as I fired a dozen or so personnel and a ship into play over the course of the first few of turns and began crop-dusting Practice Orbital Maneuvers and Avert Danger with the assistance of Leonard H. McCoy, Remarkable Man. In the interim, Ed was stuck playing two or three personnel a turn as a tough luck discard from Ensnared left him digging for a ship for roughly six turns, which is practically an eternity against any well-built Cadet deck.

However, Ed was not about to go quickly or quietly on this day, getting himself back into the contest by one-attempt solving Intercept Renegade and Eliminate Harvesters via opportune uses of The Central Command, all the while punishing my captive personnel through Tribunal Sentencing. With the match coming down to the wire at two missions apiece and an auto-complete waiting for me at Investigate Massacre should I get another turn, I threw the proverbial table, ladder, and chair at his final mission attempt at Commandeer Prototype in the form of Personal Duty, Agonizing Encounter, and The Captain’s “Guest”, thereby earning myself a walk-off victory.

Similar to the opening matchup, my fourth round first blood face-off with Al was also about settling a score, but this one was personal as he had defeated me in our only preceding encounter at Nationals: West 2008. Sure, we had attended the same tournament once or twice since, but for one reason or another my shot at redemption had remained elusive. Elusive, that is, until that day.

The game itself was swift and decisive, which given the raw speed my build can harness spelled Al’s impending disaster. In a bold decision, he came to Nationals: West 2010 armed with Bajor, Gift of the Prophets as his headquarters, planning to utilize the ageless Borum, Selfless Hero for Bareil Antos, Esteemed Vedek, Benjamin Sisko, The Emissary of the Prophets, and / or Opaka, Kai of Bajor trick that had made Bajorans a micro-teaming powerhouse back in 2003. Unfortunately, I drew into and played Dukat, Pah-Wraith Puppet off of my first copy of These Are the Voyages, which meant Al would have to pay full retail price for each of these expensive personnel. As if that weren’t bad enough, I somehow managed to scrape together a one-attempt solve at Practice Orbital Maneuvers, and after that it was smooth sailing as I burned through both of my planet missions as cannon-fodder Cadets were backed up by Data, Lucasian Chair and a solid set of Scientists. All told, the concise shutout was just what the doctor ordered, as Al, Zach, and I were then able to break away for a bit while the round finished to grab a drink, a snack, and just clear our heads in preparation for the home stretch we all faced.

Four hard-fought battles had put first place at Nationals: West 2010 within sight, but to bring the title home I would have to dodge bullets from one of the current era's biggest guns, Neil. Within seconds of the announced pairing, the room became electric with the buzz that only a street fight between a contemporary champion and an unwavering icon can offer, and I in turn silently vowed to put on a good show win, lose, or draw. The match itself was tense from the onset, as given the stakes neither competitor was willing to give up any ground to the other. Considering Neil's unabashed affinity for Tragic Turn, my opening objective was to get nine inexpensive people and a ship into play quickly, at which point the three most valuable would serve as de facto pilots while the other six meat suits would be run through the grinder at the aptly named Investigate Massacre. Unfortunately, my plan misfired from the start, and as a result I was forced to put several of my All-Stars in jeopardy throughout.

In the meantime, Neil was slow to depart from the Delta Quadrant, and upon arrival at Assimilate Resistance was further hindered when he absent-mindedly placed drones at his headquarters instead of aboard his ship as intended. Yet even as I exploited this window of opportunity to complete Investigate Massacre and churn through Avert Danger with nominal casualties, I became increasingly aware that I had yet to draw many Cadets, whom would be called upon in the game's final push. As I continued to mine for these specific human resources, Neil was able to assimilate a pair of personnel to power through Assimilate Resistance by way of Knowledge and Experience and lay the ground work for a two-mission win via the points scored from One With the Borg. As we approached the final resolution, I charged off on a fool's errand at Practice Orbital Maneuvers as Neil plodded over to Restore Errant Moon. In spite of the fact that both of my bluff attempts were thwarted and he took the opportunity to swoop in and assimilate another victim, I overcame three dilemmas and was primed to go for broke on my next turn with two eventually drawn Cadets and a copy of the U.S.S. Enterprise-J in my core. Unfortunately, Neil had other plans as in a shocking turn of events he wrapped the bout up when Locutus, Voice of the Borg sat in on a Show Trial as his remaining Borg brood came up with just enough attributes and bonus points to secure the full win.

In a true showcase of the immortals, Bad Blood’s main event saw “Hollywood” and “The Old Pro” locked inside a steel cage of a final confrontation over a decade in the making. With a mutual respect dating back to our last encounter at Origins 2000, it seemed only fitting that both of us would reach the same conclusion as to what to play at Nationals: West 2010. However, I was at an advantage as I essentially knew his Cadet deck card for card, while apart from the obvious choices, he would be facing a different spin on the design sight unseen. And in a bout between two of the game’s legends, any advantage, however slight, can often prove to be the difference between victory and defeat.

The game itself lived up to the historical hype, as both of us were out and attempting Practice Orbital Maneuvers on turn three. In a high-risk gamble, I conceded three overcome dilemmas there in order to eliminate a copy of James T. Kirk, Original Thinker from play by way of The Dreamer and the Dream, and then from the game via my discard pile eating Dukat, Pah-Wraith Puppet. The risk paid off as it would be several turns before James T. Kirk, Original Thinker would make another appearance on his side of the table, which meant I was free to nickel and dime his mission attempts as I chipped away at my own copies of Practice Orbital Maneuvers and Avert Danger. While we continued to trade blows at our respective planets following eventual solves in space, the final turn essentially boiled down to dilemma selection gamesmanship, as I gave off an impression of pure agony despite the relatively easy choice of a Timescape / Hard Time / Rogue Borg Ambush combo at Geological Survey. The feigned distress led Jared to take, rather than prevent and overcome, the Timescape with his false team, effectively opening the door for me to pick up the win at Investigate Massacre following a mop-up at Avert Danger. But on my turn, I was faced with a dangerous decision of my own, as just my first away team could solve the mission and I had two dilemmas standing between me and the win, only one of which I could prevent and overcome. In the end, I suspected that the first dilemma was a bluff and took it, and as I flipped over Skeleton Crew and dispatched The Dal’Rok that was behind it, I knew I had successfully navigated the 19-man, 2-woman minefield that was Nationals: West 2010 en route to a second place finish.

So folks, with our coverage of the Bad Blood pay-per-view drawing to a close, as is often the case here at T2E Confidential we are once again left with more questions than answers: will Neil “The Big Show” Timmons turn his back on the independent promotions and sign on with T2E Entertainment? Will “Bad News” Brian Gondek defect to Minnesota: Land of 10,000 Champions? Will “Hollywood” Jared Hoffman demand immediate vengeance from Kris “The Old Pro” Sonsteby, or will another ten years pass before we see them settle this newly rekindled rivalry? For answers to these and all of your T2E Entertainment questions, tune in to Fully Loaded to find out!