The Road to Worlds 2012, Week 6 (part II)

by James Hoskin, Director of Organized Play

3rd May 2012

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The Road to Worlds, Week 6 began in part I.

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Byes

This week, three players won a Day One, Round One bye into their local First Edition Continental Championships:

• Herman Chan (ClonedWhyMe), second place (bye handed down) at Round Table Pizza
• Ryan Sutton (rsutton41), winner at Scott's House
• Jon Carter (pfti), winner at Battlezone Games

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

• Rogue Shindler (SirRogue), winner at Rusty's Pizza
• Nick C (macgyver), winner at Super Games Inc
• Mike Camp Sr (cricketman), winner at Scott's House
• Jim Sharp (jss_hobbie), winner at Quinn House
• Len Neidorf (Dirty Nel), winner at Prudential Center Food Court

And, seven players won a 100,000 Tribbles Headstart into their local Tribbles Continental Championships:

• David Holtmann (OorylQrygg), winner at Round Table Pizza
• Rogue Shindler (SirRogue), winner at Rusty's Pizza
• Kevin Reitzel (draven88), winner at Super Games Inc
• Ryan Sutton (rsutton41), winner at Scott's House
• Joshua Sheets (prylardurden), winner at Quinn House
• Enrico Evink (enrico81), winner at OBS De Blijberg
• Mark Bloom (Nermal), winner at Battlezone Games

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 20 First Edition players at three tournaments this week, taking the total players at First Edition Regional Championships to 39 - an average of 6.5 players per tournament.

The most popular First Edition affiliations are currently:
1.	Klingon	Used by 8 (21%) players	1 Regional win
1.	Dual Affiliations	Used by 8 (21%) players
3.	Federation	Used by 6 (15%) players	1 Regional win
4.	Unknown?	Used by 4 (10%) players
5.	Ferengi	Used by 3 (8%) players	1 Regional win
5.	Hirogen	Used by 3 (8%) players	1 Regional win
7.	Bajoran	Used by 2 (5%) players	1 Regional win
7.	Romulan	Used by 2 (5%) players	1 Regional win
9.	Cardassian	Used by 1 (3%) player
9.	Starfleet	Used by 1 (3%) player
9.	Triple Affiliations	Used by 1 (3%) player

There were 35 players at five Second Edition tournaments this week, taking the total players at Second Edition Regional Championships to 125 - an average of 7.8 players per tournament. Following last week's Borg resurgence, they were not played this week. Next Generation (played six times) was the most popular affiliation, followed by Klingon (played five times) and Romulan (played four times). The best performing affiliations to date are Earth Space 9, averaging 13.8 victory points per tournament; Cardassian, averaging 11.5 victory points; and Borg, averaging 11.3 victory points. The worst performing affiliations are Maquis, averaging 7.8 victory points per tournament; followed by Dominion, averaging 8.3 victory points; and then Bajoran, averaging 9.0 victory points.

The most popular Second Edition affiliations are currently:
1.	Next Generation	Used by 28 (22%) players	4 Regional wins
2.	Klingon	Used by 11 (9%) players	2 Regional wins
3.	Cardassian	Used by 10 (8%) players	1 Regional win
4.	Dual Affiliations	Used by 9 (7%) players
5.	Starfleet	Used by 8 (6%) players	2 Regional wins
5.	Voyager/Equinox	Used by 8 (6%) players	1 Regional win
7.	Romulan	Used by 7 (6%) players	1 Regional win
8.	Deep Space 9	Used by 6 (5%) players
8.	Ferengi	Used by 6 (5%) players
8.	Original Series	Used by 6 (5%) players	1 Regional win
8.	Unknown?	Used by 6 (5%) players
12.	Borg	Used by 4 (3%) players	3 Regional wins
12.	Maquis	Used by 4 (3%) players
14.	Earth Space 9	Used by 3 (2%) players
14.	Non-Aligned	Used by 3 (2%) players	1 Regional win
16.	Bajoran	Used by 2 (2%) players
16.	Dominion	Used by 2 (2%) player
18.	Terok Nor	Used by 1 (1%) player
18.	Triple Affiliations	Used by 1 (1%) player

There were 39 players at seven Tribbles tournaments this week, taking the total players at Tribbles Regional Championships to 79 - an average of 6.1 players per tournament. Excluding preliminary heats, a total of 23,873,447 Tribbles have been scored to date, an average of 302,196 Tribbles per player. A staggering 19 out of 39 (49%) decks have not been entered this week, so the unknown stat gets a huge boost. Players are reminded that they can help their tournament director out by adding their own deck list to the tournament results. Just create your deck in the Tribbles deck builder and save it. Then go to the tournament results and click on the icon next to your name to add your deck. The process is really simple, and should only take five minutes.

The most popular Tribbles powers in each deck are:
1.	Unknown?	Used by 22 (28%) players	3 Regional wins
2.	Go	Used by 14 (18%) players	3 Regional wins
3.	Poison	Used by 9 (11%) players
4.	Bonus	Used by 7 (9%) players	1 Regional win
4.	Rescue	Used by 7 (9%) players
6.	Clone	Used by 5 (6%) players	1 Regional win
7.	Discard	Used by 3 (4%) players	1 Regional win
8.	Tally	Used by 2 (3%) players	1 Regional win
8.	Clone/Go/Utilize	Used by 2 (3%) players	1 Regional win
10.	Freeze	Used by 1 (1%) player
10.	IDIC	Used by 1 (1%) player
10.	Replay	Used by 1 (1%) player
10.	Time Warp	Used by 1 (1%) player
10.	Clone/Go/IDIC/Recycle/Safety	Used by 1 (1%) player
10.	Copy/Replay	Used by 1 (1%) player	1 Regional win
10.	Discard/Go	Used by 1 (1%) player	1 Regional win
10.	Discard/Recycle	Used by 1 (1%) player

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Predictions

James' Accuracy	Kris' Accuracy	Public Predictors' Accuracy
11/35 (31%)	8/35 (23%)	6/35 (17%)

Last week, 45 predictions were made. I managed 4/15, Kris managed 4/15 and Michael, on behalf of the public, managed 3/15. These predictions lowered my average a little and boosted the averages of both Kris and the public. Last week's public predictor, Michael Van Breemen (The Ninja Scot) made the highest number of correct predictions of all public predictors so far. He also made the highest number of incorrect predictions too, which is why the table below is sorted by accuracy percentage. This week we have two public predictors. Interviewee, Jim Sharp (jss_hobbie), initially declined to make predictions and suggested I ask the runner-up at his Regional, Tyler Fultz (DJstormtrooper), instead. This I did - thanks Tyler! - but then Jim sent me his predictions too. Not one to waste material, both players predictions are included below.

Past Public Predictors
Week 3	Ben Hosp (bhosp)	2/5 (40%)
Week 5	Michael Van Breemen (The Ninja Scot)	3/15 (20%)
Week 4	Shane Brierley (Shanebrier)	1/8 (13%)
Week 1	Will Hoskin (Gumbo)	0/3 (0%)
Week 2	Kenneth Tufts (Worf Son of Mogh)	0/4 (0%)

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Week 6 Preview

The complete schedule can be found in the article 2012 Regional Championships Schedule. There are 14 Regional tournaments this week:

Saturday 5th May		Sunday 6th May
First Edition (OTF) Tara's Place 11442 76 Avenue NW Edmonton, AB T6G 1N4 Canada [Discuss] [Pre-register]	Second Edition (Standard) Tjark's Place Sankt-Josef-Strasse 29 56068 Koblenz Germany [Discuss] [Pre-register]	Tribbles (Standard) Claytons Hobbies and Collectables 5 Paul Court Baulkham Hills, NSW 2153 Australia [Discuss] [Pre-register]	First Edition (Sealed) Restaurant "Peking" Brabantse Turfmarkt 78 2611 CP Delft The Netherlands [Discuss] [Pre-register]
Tribbles (Standard) Tjark's Place Sankt-Josef-Strasse 29 56068 Koblenz Germany [Discuss] [Pre-register]	Tribbles (Standard) Arby's Restaurant 7110 Clairemont Mesa Blvd San Diego, CA 92111 United States [Discuss] [Pre-register]	Second Edition (Standard) Restaurant "Peking" Brabantse Turfmarkt 78 2611 CP Delft The Netherlands [Discuss] [Pre-register]	Second Edition (Standard) Jazzland Franz-Josefs-Kai 29 A-1010 Vienna Austria [Discuss] [Pre-register]
Second Edition (Standard) Fantasy Flight Games Event Center Suite 10 1975 Oakcrest Avenue Roseville, MN 55113 United States [Discuss] [Pre-register]	Tribbles (Standard) Fantasy Flight Games Event Center Suite 10 1975 Oakcrest Avenue Roseville, MN 55113 United States [Discuss] [Pre-register]	First Edition (OTF) Cranberry Cafe 115 West 45th Street New York, NY 10036-4005 United States [Discuss] [Pre-register]
Second Edition (Standard) The Guardtower 3600 Trabue Road Columbus, OH 43204 United States [Discuss] [Pre-register]	Tribbles (Standard) The Guardtower 3600 Trabue Road Columbus, OH 43204 United States [Discuss] [Pre-register]
Second Edition (Standard) Deathbymonkeys Place 253 NE Fairgrounds Road Apt 202 Bremerton, WA 98311 United States [Discuss] [Pre-register]

Tara's Place: There are nine players pre-registered for this Rura Penthe Regional in Edmonton, Canada; including a group of players from Vancouver - who are making a trip of over 700 miles (1100 Km). The local playgroup appear to focus on First Edition only, and have been playing together for just over a year. Tournament director Thomas Solway (tksolway) has won four of the last five First Edition tournaments at the venue and is the local form player. However, Kenneth Tufts (Worf Son of Mogh) is one of the Vancoverites invading for this tournament, and his form is even more impressive than Thomas'. Kenneth is on a 33-game, eleven tournament, winning streak. He is the number one ranked player in the world, and he has already won a First Edition Regional title this year. It should be pointed out that Kenneth has never played any of his potential opponents from Edmonton, but I don't think that will stop him. Kenneth to win.

Kris: Ken Tufts to win. Why? Mr. Tufts has already Blackhole Slam'd one Regional this year, and hasn't lost a match since January. If that weren’t enough of a reason to pick him, Pro Wrestling Illustrated says he's the #1 wrestler in the World, and where I come from being #1 means something.

Jim: There are a lot of cool names playing: Jurasek, Silvorski, and Correia. But if he is ranked #1, he should be until someone beats him, Kenneth Tufts to win.

Tyler: Kenneth Tufts - How did we let a Canadian become the #1 First Edition player in the World?!

There are no past First Edition Regional results at Tara's Place.

Tjark's Place (Second Edition): This will be the third year that this Vandros IV Regional has taken place. Two years ago, seven players took part; and Maquis and Klingon decks were the most popular. Last year, eight players participated; and although Borg decks were played by two players, the other six all used different affiliations. Thomas Schneider (thsch) leads a number of pre-registered players with high ratings, but there are others who haven't pre-registered to think about too. Last year's winner Johannes Klarhauser (Kaiser) is always a threat, and has won five of the last six tournaments he has entered. 2010 World Champion Tobias Rausmann (garetjax) has won four tournaments this year, and placed second another two times. Neither Johannes or Tobias have pre-registered though, so I'm picking Thomas to win.

Kris: Tobias Rausmann to win. Why? The man's a former World's Heavyweight Champion, what else is there to say? Don't you have a banana to go peel or something, Gorilla?

Jim: I will say an Ott is going to win, I have good odds here.

Tyler: Thomas Schneider - I'll always pull for a fellow Manhattan Project member.

Past Regional results at Tjark's Place:
2011 (alternate venue), won by Johannes Klarhauser (Kaiser) playing Earth Space 9.
2010 (alternate venue), won by Marco Puelsch (Galen) playing Klingon.
2009, not held.
2008, not held.

Tjark's Place (Tribbles): Last year saw four players contest this Regional, with Johannes Klarhauser (Kaiser) bagging back-to-back Regional wins. Assuming that all of the Second Edition Regional players participate in this tournament too, there is no easy choice when it comes to picking a winner. Tournament director Thomas Schneider (thsch) has the most Tribbles experience, but he only has six tournaments under his belt. Two other players have played Tribbles once, and four players have never played Tribbles. When in doubt, go with the experience. Thomas to win this one too.

Kris: Johannes Klarhauser to win. Why? Kaiser K has won nearly half of the Battle Royale's he's entered; and having tangled with the man back in March, I can tell you with absolute certainty that, in that environment, he's a purveyor of pain.

Jim: Thomas Schneider, hands down (at the time of this prediction, he was the only one listed to participate).

Tyler: Svenja Ott - She beat us all at Dominion last year. I think the skills will transfer.

Past Regional results at Tjark's Place:
2011 (alternate venue), won by Johannes Klarhauser (Kaiser) playing a Rescue deck.
2010, not held.
2009, not held.
2008, not held.

Arby's Restaurant: This was the venue for the first-ever Tribbles Regional last year. It saw Dan Hamman (SirDan) beat a field of eight other players with his Clone deck to take the title. There are only four players pre-registered for the tournament this year, but we can expect more players to show up on the day. The nine Tribbles tournaments at the venue this year have attracted between four and nine players, and six different players have been victorious. Thomas Kamiura (Bosskamiura), Jesse Hallmark and Johnny Holeva (jjh) each winning two tournaments. The Risa Region boasts eight of the top ten scoring Tribbles players in the world. Thomas and Johnny may have the highest winning percentages, 28% and 27% respectively, but I think Jesse will edge them both out.

Kris: Dan Hamman to win. Why? The Hangman has participated in more Battle Royale's than anyone, and I'm banking on that experience putting him over the top. Is everyone from California nuts about Battle Royale's, Gorilla, or are we just lucky to see all the ones who are?

Jim: This looks to be tough, I will go with Johnny Holeva in an upset.

Tyler: Rogue Shindler - I've never seen someone play Tribbles more seriously than Rouge. He'll come with new tech.

Past Regional results at Arby's Restaurant:
2011, won by Dan Hamman (SirDan) playing a Clone deck.
2010, not held.
2009, not held.
2008, not held.

Fantasy Flight Games Event Center (Second Edition): This Andoria Regional is likely to boast the largest Regional turnout of the season. The last three years have seen between 18 and 26 players participate, in what can only be described as the hardest Regional to win in the world. Anyone playing could have to face the current Second Edition World Champion, Mike Harrington (Ajnaran), and three former Second Edition World Champions: Kevin Jaeger (Hoss-Drone), winner in 2008; Caleb Grace (caleb), winner in 2007 and 2006; and Matthew Frid (bandana8472), winner in 2003; along the way. Besides these players, there are many other names to watch out for: Nat Kirton (Nate Jeezy), who has won four of the six tournaments he has played this year; fellow writer, Kris Sonsteby (LORE), who has won four of the seven tournaments he has played this year; Matthew Hayes (karonofborg13), who has played 26 tournaments this year and won 17 of them; and Michael Van Breemen (The Ninja Scot), whose ingenious decks are capable of catching even the best players out. With so many players to choose between, I'm going to pick Kris to win. He tells me he has been working on his Regional deck for months now. Good luck Kris!

Kris: Kris Sonsteby to win. Why? Love 'em or hate 'em, The Old Pro has countless title reigns over his fifteen plus year career and is always a dangerous opponent. As if his in-ring performance weren't enough, rumor has it that his tough talking style may also soon lead him to the announcer's table. Stay tuned!

Jim: Josh Sheets. He learned some things down here in Texas.

Tyler: Nat Kirton.

Past Regional results at Fantasy Flight Games Event Center:
2011 (alternate venue), won by Mike Harrington (Ajnaran) playing Original Series.
2010 (alternate venue), won by Matthew Frid (bandana8472) playing Next Generation.
2009 (alternate venue), won by Kevin Jaeger (Hoss-Drone) playing Deep Space 9.
2008 (alternate venue), won by Barry Windschitl (JamesValEson) playing Borg.

Fantasy Flight Games Event Center (Tribbles): If there are any players still standing after the  Second Edition Regional, they can cool down with this Tribbles Regional that follows. It is the first Tribbles Regional to be held in the Andoria Region. There hasn't been a Tribbles World Champion from Minnesota yet, so I expect fierce competition in the build-up to this year's event. Matthew Hayes (karonofborg13) is the highest scoring Tribbles player in the world, and his lifetime total could surpass 50 million at this tournament. He has played almost three-times as many Tribbles tournaments as any of the other pre-registered players, so his experience should help. Another player to watch out for is Steve Nelson (Boratus). He has a 26% winning record at Tribbles tournaments, and even though he didn't win any of the seven tournaments he played in during April, he won four out of five he played in during March. Tournament director Jeremy Benedict (flrazor) hasn't performed particularly well at recent tournaments, but he always seems to raise his game at big tournaments. At the four Tribbles tournaments he has played in this year with eight or more players, Jeremy has finished second twice, and won the other two. Jeremy is my pick to win.

Kris: Steve Nelson to win. Why? The Full Nelson's mother told me that his first word was "headlock," and ever since then he's been earning submission victories all across the Midwest. With over ten million on the board already, he's a sure bet to make all of his opponents in the Land of 10,000 Champions tap out this weekend.

Jim: Jeremy Benedict. I am a History teacher, so I go with the name I recognize.

Tyler: Matthew Hayes - He's the most prodigious breeder on the planet. 'Nuff said.

There are no past Tribbles Regional results at Fantasy Flight Games Event Center.

The Guardtower (Second Edition): This is the fifth year this Qo'noS Regional has been organized. Last year saw the largest attendance of ten players, and was won for the third time by Jared Hoffman (Mugato), playing Klingon. This was despite Jared losing his first round game to Brian Sykes (Armus). Both players have impressive winning records: 75% for Jared and 67% for Brian. The third player to watch out for is Joel Skon (RedAlucard). His rating of 1735 puts him at #29 in the world, so he is no slouch. While he has beaten both Jared and Brian in the past, he has losing records against them both. I think 2011 United Sates (East) National Champion Jared will take his fourth title in five years.

Kris: Jared Hoffman to win. Why? Hollywood has been linked to 2TE Entertainment since before the ink dried on The Original Champion's oversized check. As a current Nationals: East and Regional title holder, he'll be looking to keep it in the "Family" this Saturday to prove once and for all that he's n.W.o. 4 Life.

Jim: Joshua Sheets. As I said, he learned some things down here in Texas.

Tyler: Jared Hoffman - He's always been a solid player.

Past Regional results at The Guardtower:
2011, won by Jared Hoffman (Mugato) playing Klingon.
2010, won by Jared Hoffman (Mugato) playing Equinox.
2009, won by Sandy Barnabas (sandy).
2008, won by Jared Hoffman (Mugato) playing Starfleet.

The Guardtower (Tribbles): The Columbus, Ohio double-header concludes with a Tribbles Regional after the Second Edition action wraps-up. Tribbles were first spotted at the venue only nine months ago. In that time, five different players have won tournament; but only one of them, Joshua Sheets (prylardurden), has pick up more than one win (he has three). Of all the Tribbles players in the Qo'noS Region; Joshua has played, and won, far more tournaments than anyone else. In fact, no one else has won more than one tournament. Buoyed by winning the Void Regional last week, I think Joshua will make it back-to-back wins.

Kris: Josh Sheets to win. Why? The Nomad will likely be the only veteran participating in this Battle Royale, and provided he sticks to his usual game plan of: rolling out of the ring, making his opponent come after him, picking up a chair, and bashing him with it, I'm sure he'll walk away with the gold!

Jim: Joshua Sheets. I predict he will actually go out this time.

Tyler: Joshua Sheets - He won our Void Regional last week with some crazy new tech.

There are no past Tribbles Regional results at The Guardtower.

Deathbymonkeys Place: This is the first Regional to be held at this venue in Bremerton, Washington, but Regionals were held in nearby Seattle for the last two years. Each attracted eight players and, although nobody has pre-registered yet, previous tournaments at the venue have at least been sanctioned, so we can expect the same again. Last year's Ferenginar Regional winner, John Kalmen (deathslittlebro) has won four of the five tournaments he has played this year, and in 17 tournaments in the Continuing Committee-era he has only placed lower than second on two occasions. Tournament director Deathbymonkeys looks likely to be John's challenger for the title. Mr monkeys has won eight of the 23 tournaments he has entered and was the most recent winner at the venue. As much as I talk Death (is that really his forename?) up, I can't see past John to win.

Kris: John Kalmen to win. Why? The man's won four of the five brawls he's been involved in this year, and carries a winning record against everyone he's likely to face. Mark my words, Gorilla, the title reign of King Kalmen is far from over.

Jim: Deathbymonkeys (at the time of this prediction, he was the only one listed to participate)

Tyler: Deathbymonkeys - As he appears to be the only one attending.

Past Regional results at Deathbymonkeys Place:
2011 (alternate venue), won by John Kalmen (deathslittlebro) playing Borg.
2010 (alternate venue), won by Jason DeShaw (Jaybird) playing Voyager.
2009, not held.
2008, not held.

Claytons Hobbies and Collectables: This is the first time a Regional has been held at this venue. The Tribble infestation was first sighted just over one year ago. Since then, ten Tribbles tournaments have been held. Clayton Walton has won four of them, Steve Hartmann (chompers) has won three, and three other players have won one tournament each. Clayton has the better recent record, but Steve has more than double the experience. I'll go with Clayton to win.

Kris: Steve Hartmann to win. Why? The man's won a dozen Battle Royale's in the past, and as head ref has the authority to call it however he sees fit. So don't be surprised when he starts handing out chair shots like candy on Halloween, Gorilla.

Jim: Mike Nugent. I am a fan of Ted Nugent (the guitar player, not the extremist)

Tyler: Steve Hartmann - His name sounds kind of like Hamman, which is reminiscent of Tribble victory.

There are no past Tribbles Regional results at Claytons Hobbies and Collectables.

Restaurant "Peking" (First Edition): This is the third year this Regional has been held. Arjan Hoek (arjan242) won in 2010, and Enrico Evink (enrico81) took the title last year. Neither player has won a First Edition tournament so far this year, but they have both finished in second and third place at the two events they played in. To make matters more complicated, Arjan beat Enrico in one tournament, and Enrico beat Arjan in the other. There is very little to choose between them. The only difference I can spot is in their complete records. Arjan has won two tournaments out of the 13 he has entered, while Enrico has won eight of the 15 he has entered. Based on this, I'm picking Enrico to win. Please note that the format of this tournament was recently changed to sealed, at the request of attending players.

Kris: Enrico Evink to win. Why? Double E is a reigning Regional Champion two times over, and carries an 83% win percentage into this bout. He's also wearing the zebra stripes for these matches, so he'll hold all the power between the ropes.

Jim: Enrico Evink. Looks like with his ranking, he has the most experience.

Tyler: Enrico Evink - He's a First Edition player at heart, and it shows in his rating.

Past Regional results at Restaurant "Peking":
2011, won by Enrico Evink (enrico81) playing Non-Aligned.
2010, won by Arjan Hoek (arjan242) playing Borg.
2009, not held.
2008, not held.

Restaurant "Peking" (Second Edition): This Regional at OBS De Blijberg wasn't sanctioned last week due to a lack of players, so it has been rescheduled for this Sunday, to follow the First Edition event (above). The remainder of this preview is from last week's article...

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 Restaurant "Peking":
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.

Jazzland: This is the fifth year that this "Borg Region" Regional has taken place. 2011 European Continental Champion Stefan Slaby (Winner of Borg) has won three times in the last four years, and looks to be favorite for this one too. He has won his last three tournaments, and is only two points short of breaching the 1900 ratings point barrier. Jeronimo Mitaroff (Kangaxx) is the second highest-rated Austrian player on the leaderboards, and has not finished lower than second place in the three tournaments he has played in this year. Tournament organizer Julius Melhardt (Clerasil ToB) is the third player to watch. He has the best win/loss record against Stefan (22 wins out of 51 games - 43%) of any of his regular opponents. I still think Stefan will win though.

Kris: Stefan Slaby to win. Why? The man's won sixteen matches in a row, and took home the gold in that very arena last year. But don't waste your time trying to shake his hand, because both of his will be wrapped around his opponent's throats!

Jim: Julius Melhardt (at the time of this prediction, he was the only one listed to participate)

Tyler: Stefan Slaby - He'll come and probably win.

Past Regional results at Jazzland:
2011, won by Stefan Slaby (Winner of Borg) playing Voyager.
2010 (sealed), won by Stefan Slaby (Winner of Borg) playing Ferengi.
2009 (sealed), won by Peter Machovits (Pille1701) playing Deep Space 9.
2008, won by Stefan Slaby (Winner of Borg) playing Borg.

The Cranberry Cafe: This is the third year that this Regional has taken place. Two years ago there were six players. Last year, the tournament had to be rescheduled after the first attempt failed to attract enough players. The second attempt drew four players. At the time of writing, five players have pre-registered, so the chance of needing rescheduling again seems slim. Tournament director Austin Chandler (DarkSabre) is the highest ranked pre-registered player, but he hasn't played First Edition since last year's Regional (which he won.) Christopher Coyle (startrekccggeek) has played in 16 tournaments in that time, and his form has markedly improved this year with one win and two runner-up spots in his last six tournaments. Both players have similar win percentages - Austin:59% and Christopher:54% - but Christopher has played almost four times as many games as Austin. I think his experience will win the day. Christopher to win.

Kris: Christopher Coyle to win. Why? The man's never held the Regional belt...WHAT?!? Did you hear that, Gorilla? Some ham-and-egger mark behind us just called me a weasel! Don't you dare call me a weasel, Gorilla! Ever!... EVER!

Jim: Austin Chandler, even though Coyle could surprise here.

Tyler: Christopher Coyle - He's the only person pre-registered that I've met.

Past Regional results at The Cranberry Cafe:
2011, won by Austin Chandler (DarkSabre) playing Federation.
2010, won by Matthew Chandler (noach83).
2009, not held.
2008, not held.

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Next Week

A review of the 14 results from week six, an interview with a winning player, more statistics, and a preview of the 7 Regional Championships taking place in week seven.

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