The Road to Worlds 2012, Week 5 (part II)

by James Hoskin, Director of Organized Play

26th April 2012

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The Road to Worlds, Week 5 began in part I.

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Week 5 Preview

The complete schedule can be found in the article 2012 Regional Championships Schedule. There are 17 Regional tournaments this week:

Thursday 26th April		Friday 27th April
		Second Edition (Standard) Mark's House 181 MacEwan Road SW Edmonton, AB T6W 1K2 Canada [Discuss] [Pre-register]
Saturday 28th April		Sunday 29th April
First Edition (Revised) Round Table Pizza 2960 Treat Boulevard Concord, CA 94518 United States [Discuss] [Pre-register]	Tribbles (Standard) Round Table Pizza 2960 Treat Boulevard Concord, CA 94518 United States [Discuss] [Pre-register]	Second Edition (Standard) OBS De Blijberg Gordelweg 216 3038 GA, Rotterdam The Netherlands [Discuss] [Pre-register]	Tribbles (Sealed) OBS De Blijberg Gordelweg 216 3038 GA, Rotterdam The Netherlands [Discuss] [Pre-register]
Second Edition (Standard) Rusty's Pizza 3731 State Street Santa Barbara, CA 93105 United States [Discuss] [Pre-register]	Tribbles (Standard) Rusty's Pizza 3731 State Street Santa Barbara, CA 93105 United States [Discuss] [Pre-register]	First Edition (OTF) Battlezone Games Suite B5 4333 Czech Lane NE Cedar Rapids, IA 52402 United States [Discuss] [Pre-register]	Tribbles (Standard) Battlezone Games Suite B5 4333 Czech Lane NE Cedar Rapids, IA 52402 United States [Discuss] [Pre-register]
Second Edition (Standard) Super Games Inc Suite 134 11060 Alpharetta Highway Roswell, GA 30076 United States [Discuss] [Pre-register]	Tribbles (Draft) Super Games Inc Suite 134 11060 Alpharetta Highway Roswell, GA 30076 United States [Discuss] [Pre-register]	Second Edition (Standard) Prudential Center Food Court 800 Boylston Street Boston, MA 02199 United States [Discuss] [Pre-register]
First Edition (OTF) Scott's House 8037 Wilson Woods Drive Mint Hill, NC 28227 United States [Discuss] [Pre-register]	Tribbles (Standard) Scott's House 8037 Wilson Woods Drive Mint Hill, NC 28227 United States [Discuss] [Pre-register]
Second Edition (Standard) Scott's House 8037 Wilson Woods Drive Mint Hill, NC 28227 United States [Discuss] [Pre-register]	Second Edition (Standard) Quinn House 4212 Inwood Road Fort Worth, TX 76109 United States [Discuss] [Pre-register]
Tribbles (Standard) Quinn House 4212 Inwood Road Fort Worth, TX 76109 United States [Discuss] [Pre-register]

Mark's House: This Rura Penthe Regional being held in Edmonton, Canada has the distinction of taking place on a Friday. It also has the distinction of being the first Regional I have ever seen offering "sexy" prizes. What tournament director Mark Morris (BaronMorrath) does with his An Issue of Trust promo in the confines of his home is none of our business! This tournament is only the second tournament to be held at this venue, the first being a Peak Performance release event held 18-months ago. There are just two players pre-registered so far, but the recent Second Edition Canadian Nationals, also held in Edmonton, attracted at least six players from the province of Alberta; so sanctioning looks likely. Tournament director Mark won the corresponding Regional last year, and was runner-up at the Canadian Nationals for the last two years. The other pre-registered player, Mike Slivorski (Empty_Mags) managed seventh place at the most recent Canadian Nationals, having only played in two Second Edition tournaments in the Continuing Committee-era previously. The third player to watch out for is Thomas Solway (tksolway). He finished in third place, behind Mark, at the Canadian Nationals for the last two years. My gut says home field advantage will take Mark Morris to the victory.

Kris: Mark Morris to win. Why? Lemme tell you something, Gorilla, I used to manage The Baron back in the 70's when he used to wrestle bears all over the northern Canadian Territories. Do you really think a man capable of surviving a wrestling match with a real, live bear is gonna have any trouble in there with a lowly humanoid?!?

Michael: Mark Morris will win is because it's his house and, to quote Under Armour, "WE MUST PROTECT THIS HOUSE!"

Past Regional results at Mark's House:
2011 (alternate venue), won by Mark Morris (BaronMorrath) playing Terok Nor.
2010, not held.
2009, not held.
2008, not held.

Round Table Pizza (First Edition): This Risa Regional in Northern California is being played using the Revised rules. There hasn't been a sanctioned First Edition tournament at this venue since the Regional last year. Dan Webster (retsbew197) was victorious then, but he hasn't played a sanctioned tournament since the North American Continentals, nine months ago. Dan appeared to be one of a group of players who travelled in for the Regional last year, and I can't find any information about their plans for this year. The local First Edition playgroup hasn't played regularly since 2010, and with just one player pre-registered - tournament director Rich Joakimson (Outsider) - it is hard to look past him for victory, but I'm going to do so. 2011 North American Continental Champion Stephen Lee (grendelX) is the form player, having won his last three First Edition tournaments, even if two of them were sealed events. Stephen is my pick to win.

Kris: Rich Joakimson to win. Why? Like I said last week, The Outsiders have taken control of everything around here. Considering the man is once again doubling as a combatant and the guy dressed as a zebra, why would I pick against him?

Michael: Stephen Lee will win because he didn't win last week.

Past Regional results at Round Table Pizza:
2011, won by Dan Webster (retsbew197) playing Federation.
2010, not held.
2009, not held.
2008, not held.

Round Table Pizza (Tribbles): In what may be the shortest preview ever, Tribbles hasn't been played at this venue before, and no players have pre-registered at the time of writing. Seeing as it follows the First Edition Regional (above), I'll assume that the players will stick around to participate in this one too. Rich Joakimson (Outsider) is my pick to win.

Kris: Rich Joakimson to win. Why? Clean the wax outta your ears, Gorilla, I already told you The Outsiders control everything in this business... the locker room, the boys in the back, the referees, the creative department, everything!

Michael: Rich Joakimson will win so that he'll get the best two out of three. Why? Because I know stuff, and Layla Miller said so (X-Factor comic reference)

There are no past Tribbles Regional results at Round Table Pizza.

Rusty's Pizza (Second Edition): This Regional is also being held in the Risa Region, approximately 300 miles (500 Km) South of Concord in Santa Barbara, California. It is the second year this Regional has been held, with eleven participants last year. On that day, no fewer than ten different affiliations were represented. There have been five Second Edition tournaments at this venue since the Regional last year. Chris Donati (Swisherfan), and Carlos Maya (Vindelron), have both won two of them; and Nathan Wineinger (Naetor) won the other. Nathan is the highest ranked pre-registered player, and with one triple-headquarters Tongo deck being the exception has finished in the top three of every other tournament he has played this year. He is my pick to win.

Kris: Nate Wineinger to win. Why? The man's a transplanted Continental Champion, and given his strong performance in San Juan last week, I would be foolish not to pick 'em again when he travels East to Santa Lucia. By the way, did you know I was an A student in Geography, Gorilla?

Michael: Nate Wineinger will win because he will be faster than his opponents. Plus, it will make him happy on his blog, and I'm all about the happy.

Past Regional results at Rusty's Pizza:
2011, won by Chris Donati (Swisherfan) playing Earth Space 9.
2010, not held.
2009, not held.
2008, not held.

Rusty's Pizza (Tribbles): The second California double-header sees some of the top-scoring Tribbles players in the world face off against each other at this Risa Regional. Rogue Shindler (SirRogue) has a lifetime score of over 31 million Tribbles, and has won 23% of the Tribbles tournaments he has played in. Thomas Kamiura (Bosskamiura), with a lifetime score of over 24 million Tribbles, has won more Tribbles tournaments at this venue than anyone else since last year's Regional, and he has a 27% winning record. I can't see past these two players for the win, and am picking Thomas to win.

Kris: Rogue Shindler to win. Why? The Rogue and his tag team partner, The Hangman, have been participating in Battle Royale's since long before any of the rival promotions cut in on the action. However, in a match where it's every man for himself a friend in need is a pest, so I expect The Rogue will go rogue to get the job done.

Michael: Matt Kirk will win because he was inspired by my crazy deck to try something that ends up winning the tournament. Tribbles outside the box for the win!

Past Regional results at Rusty's Pizza:
2011, won by Rogue Shindler (SirRogue).
2010, not held.
2009, not held.
2008, not held.

Super Games Inc (Second Edition): This is the second year that this Cardassia Regional in Roswell, Georgia has been run. Tournament director Nick C (macgyver221) was victorious last year, despite losing his final game. Nick has played in four Second Edition tournaments this year, playing a different affiliation each time. He won three, and was runner-up once; so he is most definitely the form player. Nick's competition looks to be Greg Hodgin (tomalak). Greg won a Sector 001 Regional ahead of Nick last year, and has won 33% of his tournaments since that day. I think it will be Nick who takes the title though.

Kris: Greg Hodgin to win. Why? The man has a better record against his primary adversary, Macguyver, and he took home the title last year. 'Course, Gorilla, you wouldn't know anything about that, seeing as the only gold you ever won is in your teeth.

Michael: Gotta go with Macgyver. You can't bet against the mullet! Even if he has no cards in hand, he'll make a laser out of a paper-clip and a stopwatch to drop people and solve missions for the win.

Past Regional results at Super Games Inc:
2011, won by Nick C (macgyver221) playing Deep Space 9.
2010, not held.
2009, not held.
2008, not held.

Super Games Inc (Tribbles): Double-header day continues with this Tribbles Regional following the Second Edition tournament earlier in the day. Since the playgroup began playing Tribbles seven months ago, two players have dominated proceedings. Nick C (macgyver221) and Kevin Reitzel (draven88) both winning three of the seven tournaments. There is very little to choose between the two. Kevin has the higher lifetime Tribbles score: 5 million to Nick's 3.5 million; but Nick has a better tournament winning percentage: 50% to Kevin's 33%. Both players frequently finish in the top two places at Tribbles tournaments, but Kevin has had a couple of lower-half finishes earlier this year, so my pick to win is Nick.

Kris: Kevin Reitzel to win. Why? In putting two million on the board in December and another 800 thousand in March, Mr. Reitzel's proved when it comes to Battle Royale's he's no ham-and-egger. Provided he makes an appearance, I'll stake my reputation on him picking up the victory.

Michael: Gotta keep going with Macgyver. If the above is true, then this must be true.

There are no past Tribbles Regional results at Super Games Inc.

Scott's House (First Edition): In what may be a Continuing Committee first, this is part one of a triple-header. This tournament in Mint Hill, North Carolina begins at 9am, with Tribbles following at 1pm and then the Second Edition Regional starting at 6pm. There were five players at last year's First Edition Regional, won by Scott Baughman (Darik); and five have pre-registered for this event too. Three of those players didn't participate last year, so an even larger turnout could be on the cards. Christopher Coyle (startrekccggeek) is the most experienced First Edition player to have pre-registered, with 26 sanctioned tournaments under his belt in the Continuing Committee-era. None of the other players have reached double figures yet. Ryan Sutton (rsutton41) may be worth a punt. He has only played in one First Edition tournament since 2002, but he won that tournament in February against a field of eight other players, many of whom he could see again at this Regional. Ryan is my pick to win.

Kris: Scott Baughman to win. Why? The man's the reigning Regional Champion and has a winning record against everyone he's likely to face. He's also playing host for this throw down, so he can get security to haul out anyone standing in his way.

Michael: Christopher Coyle because a wizard told me too. Then again, the wizard's last name was Goyle...

Past Regional results at Scott's House:
2011 (alternate venue), won by Scott Baughman (Darik).
2010, not held.
2009, not held.
2008, not held.

Scott's House (Tribbles): Part two of the Sector 001 Region triple-header sees Tribbles taking the spotlight. This will be just the fourth Tribbles tournament to be held in North Carolina in the last year. There was a different winner at each of those tournaments. Last year's winner Nick C (macgyver221) can be discounted because he'll be playing in Georgia. With little experience, the field looks wide open. I'll choose Nathan Miracle (GooeyChewie) to win because he scored over 1 million Tribbles at a recent tournament. If he can do it once, he can do it again!

Kris: Nathan Miracle to win. Why? The man's batting .500 in Battle Royale's, and like me is big fan of bonuses. Do you think he'll tip the commentators if he wins, Gorilla? If so, you heard it here first, all hail The Miracle of Mint Hill!

Michael: Nathan Miracle wins due to the cooing effect that Tribbles has on everyone else.

Past Regional results at Scott's House:
2011 (alternate venue), won by Nick C (macgyver221).
2010, not held.
2009, not held.
2008, not held.

Scott's House (Second Edition): Regional three of three in North Carolina will surely see some tired players. Last year's event saw eleven players participate, but a number of them travelled from Georgia and are unlikely to make the trip again as they have their own Regional this weekend. Of the local players, Nathan Miracle (GooeyChewie) performed the best, finishing in third place, with just one loss to his name. At the Unity release tournament, held in January at this venue, there was a four-way tie for first place and Will Hawkins (ehudwill) came out on top, thanks to the tiebreakers. Will has only played in two Second Edition tournaments in the last 18 months, but he was victorious in them both. If Will plays, I think he has a good chance of winning; but he hasn't pre-registered, so I'm picking Nathan to win.

Kris: Nathan Miracle to win. Why? Mr. Miracle's been around the Regional block before, Gorilla, having participated in title matches in two of the past three years. And, even though he hasn't won gold yet, my sources tell me that's about to change.

Michael: Scott Baughman to win, due to the staying power of cupcakes.

Past Regional results at Scott's House:
2011 (alternate venue), won by Greg Hodgin (tomalak) playing Cardassian.
2010, not held.
2009, not held.
2008, not held.

Quinn House (Second Edition): The final double-header of the day sees a Second Edition Regional and a Tribble Regional being held Fort Worth, Texas - also known as The Void Region. There are no past Regional results to use as a guide for either event. There have been three Second Edition tournaments held at this venue this year. Two of them were draft events, so they don't help. At the only constructed tournament, Jim Sharp (jss_hobbie) was undefeated and won. Despite this, Second Edition Rules Master and tournament director Tyler Fultz (DJstormtrooper) has to be the favorite for this Regional. His rating is almost 300 points higher than every other player pre-registered. It should be pointed out that Tyler lost to Richard New (The Guardian) in that solitary constructed tournament, so he can be beaten. Who am I kidding? Tyler to win.

Kris: Tyler Fultz to win. Why? The man's the Rules Master, Gorilla, and we all know that inside the squared circle rules, like bones, were meant to be broken. Considering he's tight with the Chairman, I'm sure he'll be allowed to break either in order to come out on top.

Michael: Tyler Fultz. He's... Tyler. Enough said.

There are no past Second Edition Regional results at Quinn House.

Quinn House (Tribbles): The fourth double-header of the day concludes with a Tribbles Regional. Even though only two players have pre-registered at the time of writing, we can assume that most of the five Second Edition players will stay for this event too. Tyler Fultz (DJstormtrooper) began his Tribbles career with a pity Tribble at the 2010 World Championships. He has since played in 13 other events; often scoring well, but rarely winning. Richard New (The Guardian) has played a similar number of tournaments to Tyler, and averages just 20,408 Tribbles per tournament less than Tyler, but he seems to be unable to win very often. My pick to win is Gerhard Halgren (Psi Limit). He scored 691,627 Tribbles at the last tournament at this venue to win the tournament ahead of the other four pre-registered players.

Kris: Tyler Fultz to win. Why? When it comes to Battle Royale's, Mr. Fultz is the lone star state's most experienced participant. He'll also be accompanied to the ring by his valet, so it could easily turn into a handicap match out there.

Michael: Triumph, because it's his name. How can you go against someone with a name like Triumph in Tribbles?!

There are no past Tribbles Regional results at Quinn House.

OBS De Blijberg (Second Edition): This is the third year this Regional in the New Bajor Region has taken place. In the last two years, a contingent of players from Germany have crossed the border into the Netherlands, and have then taken the title home with them. There is no word on whether any will try again this year; but as none have pre-registered, it might finally be time for a Dutch player to shine. There are just eight Second Edition players in the Netherlands, and they only have six tournament wins between them. Tournament director Enrico Evink (enrico81) has three of those wins, and is also the highest rated of the players. Peter van der Helm (Helmp) has two tournament wins to his name, while Auwerd Bijker (Auwey) has the other. I think any of these three players could win this tournament, but as Enrico is the only one of the three pre-registered, he is my pick to win.

Kris: Enrico Evink to win. Why? Double E's got an impressive 87% win percentage, but has never tasted Regional Gold. As a full time broadcast journalist and part time wrestler, I can tell you it's a dog eat dog world in there, and I'm positive Double E's gonna be the one to snatch that bone.

Michael: Peter H. Møller because I think he should go there and win, due to my sheer say so in the matter.

Past Regional results at OBS De Blijberg:
2011 (alternate venue), won by Tyler Fultz (DJstormtrooper) playing Klingon.
2010 (alternate venue), won by Tobias Rausmann (garetjax) playing Original Series.
2009, not held.
2008, not held.

OBS De Blijberg (Tribbles): Following the Second Edition Regional and a First Edition sealed event held at the same time, this Tribbles Regional ends the day in Rotterdam. There are only two players pre-registered at the time of writing, but two tournaments worth of players should provide more than enough to sanction this Regional. The two favorites are First Edition tournament director Arjan Hoek (arjan242) and Second Edition tournament director Enrico Evink (enrico81). Of the seven Tribbles tournaments they have both entered, Arjan won one and Enrico won three. They also have four runners-up spots between them. I'm picking Enrico to win this tournament too.

Kris: Enrico Evink to win. Why? Double E won a Battle Royale in that same arena three months ago, and he's the referee for this one. Although I've never met a referee who didn't accept cash, Gorilla, so I reserve the right to change my pick mid match!

Michael: Enrico Evink. It's just fun to say the name Enrico (although I keep putting the Suave on the end in my brain so I'm obviously of questionable sanity)

There are no past Tribbles Regional results at OBS De Blijberg.

Battlezone Games (First Edition): Another double-header (the sixth of the weekend, if you're counting) begins with this First Edition Regional in Cedar Rapids, Iowa - in the Deep Space 9 Region. This is the second year this Regional has been organized. First Edition Brand Manager Jordan Leung (FrakkinPhoenix) was victorious that day in a field of four players. He has played a lot of Delta Quadrant decks recently. Will the referee cards in The Next Generation, which became legal on Friday, affect his deck choice? There are five players pre-registered for the tournament so far. The top challenger to Jordan, in my opinion, will be Jon Carter (pfti). Jon has honed his skills playing in online tournaments, and three top-two finishes in his last four tournaments show his recent form. This will be Jon's first "in-person" First Edition tournament in the Continuing Committee-era (In a weird coincidence, Madonna's "Like a Virgin" is playing on the radio as I write this...) Despite this omen, I still think Jordan will win.

Kris: Jordan Leung to win. Why? The Dragon's a former World Champion, and in his storied career he's never lost two matches in a row. The man's got more hits than Elvis, Gorilla; so don't be surprised when the bell rings and he's handed Regional Gold.

Michael: I think that Jon Carter should make up for the movie and win this Regional.

Past Regional results at Battlezone Games:
2011, won by Jordan Leung (FrakkinPhoenix) playing Starfleet.
2010, not held.
2009, not held.
2008, not held.

Battlezone Games (Tribbles): The Deep Space 9 Region First Edition / Tribbles double-header concludes with this Tribbles Regional. This will be the first time a Tribbles tournament has been held at the venue, so there is little to help with predictions. The three pre-registered players only have five previous Tribbles tournaments between them. That they only have 263,647 lifetime Tribbles between them isn't much help either. Given that Michael Van Breemen (The Ninja Scot) is planning to play in the First Edition Regional earlier in the day, I suspect a modified version of his 250-card Tribbles deck will get an outing and the sheer size will intimidate the other players into submission. Michael to win.

Kris: Greg Bloom to win. Why? Despite being a Battle Royale rookie, in tag team matches The Bloom Brothers move more furniture than the Mayflower, and my sources tell me we can expect more of the same come Sunday.

Michael: I'm going to go with the Blooming Greg because he's a Bloom and Blooms do strange and powerful things in Cedar Rapids.

There are no past Tribbles Regional results at Battlezone Games.

Prudential Center Food Court: The final Regional preview of the day (congratulations if you've made it this far), is neither a double-header nor a triple-header. It is simply a one-off Regional. Can you remember what they are like? It is the second Regional to take place in the state of Massachusetts. Last year, twelve players participated in a five-round bloodbath. John Corbett (KillerB) was undefeated on the day, with tournament director Chris O'Connell (Brak_) finishing just one victory point behind him in as runner-up. This year tournaments at the venue have attracted between six and eight players. Len Neidorf (Dirty Nel) won three of those tournaments, but Lucas Thompson (edgeofhearing) was victorious most recently. I think the winner will be one of these two players, and I'm choosing Len.

Kris: Len Neidorf to win. Why? Getta loada this, the man has a six game winning streak and has only lost one match in that arena. He better be careful, with that kind of efficiency the city of Boston could legally condemn 'em!

Michael: Lucas Thompson will win because Kerri Green was in Goonies, filmed near my home town. Is there a better reason than that?

Past Regional results at Prudential Center Food Court:
2011 (alternate venue), won by John Corbett (KillerB) playing Klingon.
2010, not held.
2009, not held.
2008, not held.

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Next Week

A review of the 17 results from week five, an interview with a winning player, more statistics, and a preview of the 13 Regional Championships taking place in week six. If I start writing now, I might just be done in time.

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