The Road to Worlds 2012, Week 4

by James Hoskin, Director of Organized Play

19th April 2012

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. Last week's article was The Road to Worlds 2012, Week 3.

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.

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Week 3 Review

Saturday 14th April		Sunday 15th April
First Edition (OTF) Game Preserve (North) 8487 Union Chapel Road Indianapolis, IN 46240 United States [Results]		Second Edition (Standard) Good Games Burwood 195A Burwood Road Burwood, NSW 2134 Australia [Results]	Second Edition (Standard) The Pommeler's Rest 198 Tower Bridge Road London, SE1 2UN United Kingdom [Results]
		Tribbles (Standard) The Pommeler's Rest 198 Tower Bridge Road London, SE1 2UN United Kingdom [Results]	Second Edition (Standard) Between Books 2703 Philadelphia Pike Claymont, DE 19703 United States [Results]

Game Preserve (North): The only First Edition Regional of the weekend saw seven players participate in Indianapolis, Indiana. Jordan Leung (FrakkinPhoenix), playing a Hirogen deck titled "Bye Bye Bye DQ", was the only undefeated player over the three rounds and took the title - his second Regional win in the Continuing Committee-era. Jordan was one of four players taking this last opportunity to play Delta Quadrant decks before the The Next Generation expansion becomes legal (tomorrow) and General Quarters and You Are a Monument make that quadrant much harder to win with. The others being third place finisher Jeff Pugh (who'syourdaddy?), playing a Federation/Vidiian deck titled "Save the Last Dance for DQ"; fourth place finisher Joshua Sheets (prylardurden), playing a Federation/Vidiian deck titled "VidiIndy"; and sixth place finisher Cameron Kirby, playing a Hirogen deck titled "Hirogen Hunters". Seven deck lists and one tournament report can be found on the tournament results page.

Statistics from Game Preserve (North):

Total achievements awarded	23
Most achievements won	Jordan Leung (FrakkinPhoenix) with 7
Average achievements per player	3.3
Biggest ratings gain	Andrew Dick (templardick), up 30 points to 1493
Average rating of all 7 players	1526

Winner	James' Prediction	Kris' Prediction	Ben's Prediction
Jordan Leung	Jordan Leung	Carl Blackford	Joshua Sheets

Good Games Burwood: Ten players took part in this Kazon Collective Regional. Shane Brierley (Shanebrier) was undefeated over five rounds, play a Voyager deck titled "Voyager blitz V2". This was the second time in three years that Shane has won this tournament playing Voyager. Second and third places were both taken by Tongo decks. Steve Hartmann (chompers), playing a Deep Space 9 deck titled "W.T.F. - Winn Adami, Tongo and Ferengi - Regionals" took second place; while Mike Nugent (Iron Mike) was third, playing a Fernegi deck titled "The Mirage". Other decks being played included Cardassian, Terok Nor, Starfleet, Deep Space 9, Cardassian/Romulan and two Next Generation decks. Seven deck lists and three tournament reports can be found on the tournament results page, and an interview with Shane is below.

Statistics from Good Games Burwood:

Total achievements awarded	10
Most achievements won	Shane Brierley (Shanebrier) and Mike Nugent (Iron Mike), with 3 each
Average achievements per player	1.0
Biggest ratings gain	Shane Brierley (Shanebrier), up 52 points to 1754
Average rating of all 10 players	1522

Winner	James' Prediction	Kris' Prediction	Ben's Prediction
Shane Brierley	Shane Brierley	Chris Clarke	Kieren

The Pommeler's Rest (Second Edition): My home Regional attracted eight players, for five rounds of action. Soren Ramme Nielsen (s_ramme), playing a Starfleet deck titled "Starfleet Invades Britain" was undefeated, and had an easy time against his four London opponents, who between them only managed to complete one mission against him. Soren's toughest game was against his Danish compatriot; Peter H. Møller (Peukon), playing a Voyager deck. Peter managed to complete two missions against Soren, and would likely have won the game if time had not been called. As it was, Soren took the modified win 80-65. William Hoskin (Gumbo), playing a Deep Space 9 deck titled "Hop on the Phoenix to London", took second place having only lost to Soren; and Doug Hughes (gtdoug), playing a Klingon deck titled "Danish Klingon mmm" took third place. Remarkably, Doug had turned up to the tournament with a Klingon starter deck, but was persuaded to borrow a deck from Nick before things got underway. Doug then went on to beat Nick 100-0 with his own deck in the second round. Six deck lists and five tournament reports can be found on the tournament results page.

Statistics from The Pommeler's Rest:

Total achievements awarded	8
Most achievements won	Soren Ramme Nielsen, with 3
Average achievements per player	1.0
Biggest ratings gain	Doug Hughes (gtdoug), up 64 points to 1483
Average rating of all 8 players	1549

Winner	James' Prediction	Kris' Prediction	Ben's Prediction
Soren Ramme Nielsen	James Hoskin	Soren Ramme Nielsen	Soren Ramme Nielsen

The Pommeler's Rest (Tribbles): Three players departed following the Second Edition Regional, leaving five to fight it out for the title of 2012 Regional Champion in the backyard of the reigning World Champion, William Hoskin (Gumbo). Proceedings took a slight delay when Nicholas Yankovec (nickyank) realized that he had forgotten to bring his deck with him. Thanks to new technology (a cell phone) and old technology (pen + paper), Nick was quickly able to recreate his deck. He even had time to add a few artistic flourishes to his cards to make them look more interesting to passers-by. With Nick and Will both playing Poison, and Soren Ramme Nielsen (s_ramme) and Peter H. Møller (Peukon) both copying those Poisons whenever possible, it may surprise you to learn that only two of the five rounds ended with an Antidote, even though all five players had Antidote in their decks. It was a low scoring game though, and Soren, playing a Go/Clone deck, went out in two of the five rounds and won the tournament with just 242,526 Tribbles scored. Five deck lists and three tournament reports can be found on the tournament results page

Statistics from The Pommeler's Rest:

Total achievements awarded	7
Most achievements won	Soren Ramme Nielsen, with 3
Average achievements per player	1.4
Total Tribbles Scored	702,225
Average Tribbles scored by all 5 players	140,445

Winner	James' Prediction	Kris' Prediction	Ben's Prediction
Soren Ramme Nielsen	James Hoskin	James Hoskin	William Hoskin

Between Books: Eleven players participated in this Romulus Regional. Last week's Sector 001 Regional winner, Ben Hosp (bhosp), undefeated record made it two-for-two for him in Regionals this year. Ben was playing a Klingon deck titled "Legitimate Leader of the Empire". My prediction to win, John Corbett (KillerB), took second place with an Original Series deck titled "Prevent & Overcome = Herpes", having only lost to Ben. Phil Schrader (pschrader), playing a mirror Starfleet deck titled "Who Needs a Watchdog When Damaged Archer Can Reconfigure Everything to be......Alternate" lead the pack of five players with three wins to take third place. Next Generation was the most popular affiliation of the day, played by four players, but the highest position any of them could manage was fourth place. Eight deck lists and one tournament report can be found on the tournament results page.

Statistics from Between Books:

Total achievements awarded	14
Most achievements won	Phil Schrader (pschrader) and Diane Hain (ladyslew), with 3 each
Average achievements per player	1.3
Biggest ratings gain	Ben Hosp (bhosp), up 50 points to 1854
Average rating of all 11 players	1612

Winner	James' Prediction	Kris' Prediction	Ben's Prediction
Ben Hosp	John Corbett	Neil Timmons	Ben Hosp

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Interview

This week, Shane Brierley (Shanebrier); the number three ranked player in Australia, winner of over one-third of all tournaments he participates in, and the winner of the Second Edition Regional at Good Games Burwood; sits down for a chat.

James: Congratulations on your win Shane. Let's start by discussing the decks you were considering playing?
Shane: Thanks. I've been fine tuning a Ferengi deck while working on the Ferengi Master achievement, so it was that or Voyager. Though the possibility of something entirely new is always on my mind.

James: What decks did you expect to face?
Shane: Sydney tends to bring out a Ferengi and a Bajoran deck every week, so that was likely; but bigger events often see a return to speedy Next Generation and Original Series. I was happily surprised at the variety that actually turned out this year.

James: Can you give a brief description of how your Voyager deck works?
Shane: The deck list is here. It's basically a solver focused heavily on speed over tricks. Minimal core events and These Are the Voyages on 7 cost Chakotay gives a consistent draw, and going for four missions allows me to speed up with two or three copies of At What Cost?.

James: Are there any special tricks in the deck?
Shane: The new Olarra (Chariot of Light), which many may have noticed can never be played, is a 6 cost ship. Once downloaded and discarded with Finding Our Way, Rebuilding the Fleet allows me to draw five cards. Other than that, it is just a race to the finish line.

James: You played a version of your Voyager deck last month. Did you learn anything from that tournament that helped you prepare for the Regional?
Shane: That was a trial run to see if the deck was fast enough. It worked out. I did eventually decide to cut Amanda Rogers, and to go with Tom Paris (Best Pilot You Could Have) instead of Tom Paris (Competitive Pilot) as the Range is a nice added bonus. Energize almost didn't make the cut but in the end I'm glad it did.

James: How did the tournament play out, from your perspective?
Shane: My deck got some really good draws, coupled with my opponents' bad draws in at least two games, I got quite lucky. The games where I didn't win off deck luck were pretty tense.

James: Who was your toughest opponent?
Shane: Pete Hill gave me the biggest scare. Two mission can really sneak up on you, and I think I went from three missions ahead to wondering if I could pull off the win or not.

James: Now the tournament is over, how would you improve the deck?
Shane: I had Back to Basics in the dilemma pile but I think I only hit with it once. I'll cut that for sure. I'm also pondering dropping some Honor or Treachery personnel with all the new An Issue of Trust promos floating around.

James: The Project Iron Final Cut was launched earlier this week. What are your thoughts on the three cards, and which two do you think should be cut?
Shane: Looking at the three, I really have to discount J'onn. I really like the subtlety of the ability but it's more open to abuse (Goval-style lameness) than creativity (Sybok to beat Dignitaries and Witnesses). I really think we need more creative dilemmas and Species Gambler is different and fair, I'd love to vote for it but The Bodyguard will be getting my vote because he hits a few important points for me: kill protection, Vulcan species and Mirror. All without Treachery.

James: Do you have anything else to add?
Shane: With worlds this year, I'm expecting everyone here in Oz to be lifting our games, so I'm really looking forward to the upcoming major tournaments. It's going to be a blast!

Thanks for taking the time to answer these questions, Shane.

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Byes

This week, one player won a Day One, Round One bye into his local First Edition Continental Championships:

• Jordan Leung (FrakkinPhoenix), winner at Game Preserve (North)

And, four players won a Day One, Round One bye into their local Second Edition Continental Championships:

• Shane Brierley (Shanebrier), winner at Good Games Burwood
• William Hoskin (Gumbo), runner-up (bye handed down) at The Pommeler's Rest
• John Corbett (KillerB), second place at Between Books
• Phil Schrader (pschrader), third place (bye handed down) at Between Books

And, one player won a 100,000 Tribbles Headstart into his local Tribbles Continental Championships:

• Soren Ramme Nielsen (s_ramme), winner at The Pommeler's Rest

Congratulations to all players, and I wish better luck to anyone who didn't make it this time. These bye winners have been added to the list of current bye winners for the Continental Championships and the World Championships here.

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Deck statistics

There were seven First Edition players at one tournament this week, taking the total players at First Edition Regional Championships to 13 - an average of 6.5 players per tournament.

The most popular First Edition affiliations are currently:
1.	Dual Affiliations	Used by 5 (39%) players
2.	Federation	Used by 3 (23%) players
3.	Hirogen	Used by 2 (15%) players	1 Regional win
4.	Bajoran	Used by 1 (8%) player	1 Regional win
4.	Cardassian	Used by 1 (8%) player
4.	Klingon	Used by 1 (8%) player

There were 29 players at three Second Edition tournaments this week, taking the total players at Second Edition Regional Championships to 54 - an average of 9.0 players per tournament. Following three Next Generation wins the previous weekend, the affiliation didn't win this past weekend - despite being used by more players (five in week two, six in week three.) There is just one affiliation yet to be played - Borg!

The most popular Second Edition affiliations are currently:
1.	Next Generation	Used by 11 (20%) players	3 Regional wins
2.	Cardassian	Used by 7 (13%) players
3.	Deep Space 9	Used by 4 (7%) players
3.	Klingon	Used by 4 (7%) players	1 Regional win
3.	Starfleet	Used by 4 (7%) players	1 Regional win
3.	Voyager/Equinox	Used by 4 (7%) players	1 Regional win
3.	Dual Affiliations	Used by 4 (7%) players
8.	Ferengi	Used by 3 (6%) players
9.	Bajoran	Used by 2 (4%) players
9.	Earth Space 9	Used by 2 (4%) players
9.	Maquis	Used by 2 (4%) players
9.	Romulan	Used by 2 (4%) players
13.	Dominion	Used by 1 (2%) player
13.	Non-Aligned	Used by 1 (2%) player
13.	Terok Nor	Used by 1 (2%) player
13.	Original Series	Used by 1 (2%) player
13.	Unknown?	Used by 1 (2%) player
18.	Borg	Used by 0 (0%) players

There were 5 players at one Tribbles tournament this week, taking the total players at Tribbles Regional Championships to 23 - an average of 5.8 players per tournament. Excluding preliminary heats, a total of 6,725,562 Tribbles have been scored to date, an average of 292,416 Tribbles per player.

The most popular Tribbles powers in each deck are:
1.	Go	Used by 7 (30%) players	2 Regional Wins
2.	Bonus	Used by 3 (13%) players	1 Regional Win
2.	Rescue	Used by 3 (13%) players
2.	Unknown?	Used by 3 (13%) players
5.	Clone	Used by 2 (9%) players
5.	Poison	Used by 2 (9%) players
7.	Discard	Used by 1 (4%) player
7.	Freeze	Used by 1 (4%) player
7.	Replay	Used by 1 (4%) player

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Predictions

James' Accuracy	Kris' Accuracy	Public Predictors' Accuracy
4/12 (33%)	2/12 (17%)	2/12 (17%)

One-third of the 15 predictions made last week were accurate. This figure would have been even higher if I had made the sensible choice and picked Soren Ramme Nielsen to win my local Regional, like everyone else did. Also, Ben Hosp (bhosp) became the first public predictor to correctly predict a winner, even if one of his two correct predictions was himself at the Romulus Regional. This week's public predictor is interviewee Shane Brierley (Shanebrier). We'll find out how well he performs next week.

Past Public Predictors
Week 3	Ben Hosp (bhosp)	2/5 (40%)
Week 1	Will Hoskin (Gumbo)	0/3 (0%)
Week 2	Kenneth Tufts (Worf Son of Mogh)	0/4 (0%)

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Week 4 Preview

The complete schedule can be found in the article 2012 Regional Championships Schedule. There are eight Regional tournaments this week:

Saturday 21st April		Sunday 22nd April
Second Edition (Standard) Round Table Pizza 2960 Treat Boulevard Concord, CA 94518 United States [Discuss] [Pre-register]	Second Edition (Standard) Arby's Restaurant 7110 Clairemont Mesa Blvd San Diego, CA 92111 United States [Discuss] [Pre-register]	Second Edition (Standard) State Library of Western Australia 25 Francis Street Northbridge, WA 6003 Australia [Discuss] [Pre-register]	Tribbles (Standard) State Library of Western Australia 25 Francis Street Northbridge, WA 6003 Australia [Discuss] [Pre-register]
Second Edition (Standard) Sci-Fi City 6006 E Colonial Drive Orlando, FL 32807 United States [Discuss] [Pre-register]	Second Edition (Standard) College of DuPage Student Resource Center 425 Fawell Boulevard Glen Ellyn, IL 60137 United States [Discuss] [Pre-register]	First Edition (Sealed) College of DuPage Student Resource Center 425 Fawell Boulevard Glen Ellyn, IL 60137 United States [Discuss] [Pre-register]
Tribbles (Standard) College of DuPage Student Resource Center 425 Fawell Boulevard Glen Ellyn, IL 60137 United States [Discuss] [Pre-register]

Round Table Pizza: This is the third year this Regional has been held in the Risa Region. Stephen Lee (grendelX) was victorious at the last two tournaments, over modest fields of five other players in 2010 and four other players last year. Borg decks were the most popular affiliations at those tournaments, but they haven't seen much play in recent times. The tournament director, Rich Joakimson (Outsider) also looks like a good pick. He has only participated in 16 sanctioned tournaments in the Continuing Committee-era, but he has never placed lower than second. Rich has also won the last two tournaments at the venue, and is my pick to win this time.

Kris: Rich Joakimson to win. Why? Since bursting onto the scene in '96, The Outsiders have taken control of everything, Gorilla, including the referees! As leader of the faction and head judge, I'd say the odds are stacked heavily in that man's favor.

Shane: I'll go with the top 50 player on this one - Rich Joakimson

Past Regional results at Round Table Pizza:
2011, won by Stephen Lee (grendelX) playing Deep Space 9.
2010, won by Stephen Lee (grendelX) playing Borg.
2009, not held.
2008, not held.

Arby's Restaurant: The San Diego playgroup is home to five members of the Continuing Committee, anyone of whom could win this tournament. Chairman Charlie Plaine (MidnightLich) last won a tournament almost exactly one year ago. He has played in 33 tournaments since then, and has picked up eight second place finishes, but can't quite seem to grasp that elusive victory. Art Director Johnny Holeva (jjh) has won 44 of the 100 tournaments he has participated in, but he hasn't won any of his last six tournaments. If he doesn't win this one, he'll equal his longest ever streak under the Continuing Committee without winning (seven tournaments from July to November 2009). Achievement Master Rogue Shindler (SirRogue) seems to have good days and bad days. He has won three tournaments in the last six months, but he has also finished in the bottom half of a tournament 13 times in that period too. Shipping Manager Dan Hamman (SirDan) hasn't won a tournament since this Regional last year, but has finished in the top three of around 25% of the tournaments he participated in since then. Finally, Second Edition Creative Manager Matt Kirk (CaptMDKirk) hasn't won a tournament this year, but ended last year with two wins and a second place. Last year, I picked (some might say: cursed) Johnny to win, and he failed to win the Regional for the first time in four years. He may not be playing up to his usual standards, but he has the pedigree; and I'm picking him, and whichever big fat deck he plays, again this year.

Kris: Nate Wineinger to win. Why? Arriving in San Diego by way of Saskatoon eight months ago, The Alabama Slamma has quickly made a name for himself in the land of the rising sun. And after collaborating with the man over the past few months, I'm certain he will prove this brain thing of mine isn't just a gimmick.

Shane: From Past history, Johnny Holeva seems the best pick but I'm going for Nathan Wineinger in this one based on his recent results.

Past Regional results at Arby's Restaurant:
2011, won by Dan Hamman (SirDan) playing Equinox.
2010, won by Johnny Holeva (jjh) playing Cardassian / Ferengi.
2009, won by Johnny Holeva (jjh) playing Borg.
2008, won by Johnny Holeva (jjh) playing Borg.

Sci-Fi City: This Cardassia Regional in Orlando, Florida usually attracts around ten players. It would seem that the semi-retirement of three-time winner Geoffery Peterson (Madred) continues. He hasn't played a game since the World Championships last year, but that doesn't mean he won't come out of retirement for this tournament. However, I wrote that last year and then predicted him to win; but he never played, so what do I know? Eric Robinett (rycar60) looks to be the challenger for Geoffery's crown. He won last year's Regional, and he has won half of the twelve tournaments he has played since Geoffery last retired. An impressive 71% winning record makes him my choice to win this year.

Kris: Geoffrey Peterson to win. Why? The Uncrowned Champion's been in exile since the Indianapolis screw job, but the man has a habit of crashing Regionals and coming home with the title. Provided he does make an appearance, just like a broken drum he'll be hard to beat.

Shane: I can't go past a top 20 player. It has to be Eric Robinett.

Past Regional results at Sci-Fi City:
2011, won by Eric Robinett (rycar60) playing Borg.
2010, won by Geoffery Peterson (Madred) playing Next Generation.
2009, won by Geoffery Peterson (Madred) playing Dominion.
2008, won by Geoffery Peterson (Madred) playing Klingon.

College of DuPage (Second Edition): Last year, this Deep Space 9 Regional broke the mold. It's usual attendance of eight players was smashed with 14 participants. It broke its three-year streak of having a Next Generation deck finish in the top two, and the 25% of dual headquarters that usually rears its head were nowhere to be seen. Michael Van Breemen (The Ninja Scot) has won this tournament for the last two years, and he was victorious in two of the five tournaments he has played this year. Casey Wickum (MrCub21) is someone to watch out for though. He has only played in six tournaments since last year's Regional, but he won three of them and finished in the top half of the others - all with an Original Series deck. Casey is my pick to win. Potential attendees are reminded that there is a warm-up event on the Friday night, and that a Con-Badge is mandatory (a one-day badge costs $5) to participate.

Kris: Al Schaefer to win. Why? The Sandman and MVB each collected Regional wins last year in the other man's hometown, despite never squaring off against one another. Considering he's traded in the zebra stripes for taped fists this year, I've gotta assume The Sandman's going to keep it in the "Family," Gorilla.

Shane: MVB's innovative deck building should win the day here.

Past Regional results at College of DuPage:
2011, won by Michael Van Breemen (The Ninja Scot) playing Klingon.
2010, won by Michael Van Breemen (The Ninja Scot) playing Ferengi / Original Series.
2009, won by Mike Burke (ChairmanKoval) playing Voyager.
2008, won by Brian Gondek (Escape Artist) playing Next Generation.

College of DuPage (Tribbles): Following four years of Second Edition events at CODcon, the other games supported by the Continuing Committee are getting a look in this time. The Tribbles Regional follows the Second Edition Regional, and the First Edition Regional is the following day (see below.) Of the ten players pre-registered, Eric Bieche (biecheer) has the best winning record. He has won three of the twelve Tribbles tournaments he has played in this year, and finished in second place another three times. Brian Leonard (MrVorlon) has played ten Tribbles tournaments, and has two wins and two runner-up spots to his name. Maggie Geppert (jadziadax8) also has two wins, while Michael Moskop (Comicbookhero) has one win and three second place finishes in his recent record. I think any of these four players could win, but I have a hunch Eric Bieche will do the job. Potential attendees are reminded that a Con-Badge is mandatory (a one-day badge costs $5) to participate.

Kris: Ed Pigman to win. Why? Earthquake's got the highest Battle Royale win percentage of any of the competitors, and in this environment he's always gonna be one of the last men standing. Mark my words, Gorilla, you won't need a vacuum for this one... he'll clean house on his own.

Shane: Random.org says Maggie Geppert!

There are no past Tribbles Regional results at College of DuPage.

State Library of Western Australia (Second Edition): This small but dedicated playgroup in Perth, Australia haven't played much Second Edition since last year's Regional. In that time, Robert Dawson (TBT) and Matthew Townsend (thac0276) have both won two tournaments at the venue each. Matthyas Kiraly (stoovie) has consistently finished in second place in every tournament he has played in since the 2011 Australian Continentals, and stands a chance of doing well. However, I'm going to pick the form player: Matthew. I just can't look past his three tournament wins in a row.

Kris: Robert Dawson to win. Why? He rules the roost in Western Australia, collecting gold in three of the past four years. But in this business, championships are just like Jell-O, Gorilla... there's always room for more!

Shane: I think Rob Dawson is the strongest of the Perth players in high-end play by a small margin. He's my pick.

Past Regional results at State Library of Western Australia:
2011 (alternate venue), won by Robert Dawson (TBT) playing Original Series.
2010 (alternate venue), won by Matthyas Kiraly (stoovie) playing Klingon.
2009 (alternate venue), won by Robert Dawson (TBT) playing Voyager.
2008 (alternate venue), won by Robert Dawson (TBT) playing Earth Space 9.

State Library of Western Australia (Tribbles): The second half of the double header in the Deep Space Station K-7 Region is (unsurprisingly) likely to feature the same group of players. Since last year's Tribbles Regional, the group have held four Tribbles tournaments at the venue, with Robert Dawson (TBT) and Matthew Townsend (thac0276) each winning two. Looking at their overall records, Robert has had some low-scoring tournaments in recent times, while Matthew seems consistently able to put a couple of hundred thousand Tribbles on the board each time he plays. Matthew is my pick to win this one too.

Kris: Matthew Townsend to win. Why? The man won six Battle Royale's last year, three of which were in grand fashion. And if my sources are to be trusted, he's due for his fifth dominating victory.

Shane: Cassy Nova, dude is a Tribbles powerhouse.

James: I'll award bonus points to Shane if the rake actually wins.

Past Regional results at State Library of Western Australia:
2011 (alternate venue), won by Matthyas Kiraly (stoovie).

College of DuPage (First Edition): With Second Edition and Tribbles Regionals on Saturday, Sunday sees First Edition called up to take over Star Trek duties at CODcon. This will be a sealed tournament, with each player receiving an Official Tournament Sealed Deck (OTSD), a number of other booster packs, and a selection of virtual cards designed to even the playing field. There are only 15 places available at the tournament, and seven of those have been pre-registered already. Of those seven players, four do not have a First Edition record, and two more have only one sanctioned First Edition tournament under their belt. Tournament director Corbin Johnson (Corbinq27) has the best Continuing Committee-era record by far; and has actually played sealed events before, but both times he only managed two wins out of four games. With little data to make a prediction with, I'm going to look at some Second Edition sealed results to help me. Michael Van Breemen (The Ninja Scot) has played 13 sealed events in the last two years. He has won four of those events and finished second or third another five times. None of the other players have much sealed deck experience, so Michael is my pick to win. Potential attendees are reminded that a Con-Badge is mandatory (a one-day badge costs $5) to participate.

Kris: Corbin Johnson to win. Why? Like being the tallest kid in the 4th grade, Mr. Johnson's experience puts him a head above the rest. And in the Steel Cage that is straight sealed, only the wiliest of veterans have what it takes to survive.

Shane: This one is wide open, I'll pick Corbin Johnson because he seems to have actually played First Edition before

There are no past First Edition Regional results at College of DuPage.

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Next Week

A review of the eight results from week four, an interview with a winning player, more statistics, and a preview of the 17(!) Regional Championships taking place in week five. My own personal "Fortnight of Writing Hell" begins on Monday.

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