Suden Käpälä (SudenKapala) |
Tournament Report - 1E - Online Event |
2021-01-30 - 10:00 AM |
Hugh`s Borgasmic Artifactual Next Regeneration Exclamation Project. (7v4) |
Introduction |
What an adventure, this! I really wanted to experience a 1-day tourney; and since there was only one slated at the moment, I decided to dive in right at the end of my other two running gigs (Coyote's OTF 2A; and Carter's Open OTSD+Q; both 21.01.05). I had decided right after the publication of the 'Q Who?' expansion set -- a year ago! -- that I wanted to play TNG Borg. Desperately. But at first, I still had all the physical/Traditional decks I was working on; and so many other things on the afterburner. I knew it was the first thing to do, though, if I ever got into playing Constructed and/or online. But even after I finally was forced onto lackey (corona has its good sides -- though not many, and they don't outweigh the bad ones), that didn't get off the ground immediately. There were the above-mentioned two tourneys; sealed things that I couldn't pass up on.
But, being in a position to make the time, and having decided to join this tournament, I finally was able to commit and get on board. And then the terrible race started to get a deck in order... and get familiar with it. The latter failed completely beforehand; the former, I finished 15 minutes before the gig lifted off. And that's after I got up really early in order to work on my game. (Well, it was early for my taste -- but I know some other players had to get up in the middle of the night! Kudos.)
Here and now, a big shout-out and thank-you for the preceding 48h must go out to 'The Kazon' PADDy Tye, for helping out during the construction phase. I had read and re-read his article on the first Borgasm deck version and had seen version 2 pop up and be discussed as well; and it was that iteration that I twisted and distorted for the perverse needs of my 3rd hive (45d / "deck 45" is my 3rd constructed Borg deck). I sent Paddy long lists with questions that he answered pointedly (that's a word, isn't it?) and speedily. I even think he kept drinking cups of pitch black tea as well as mugs of the strongest coffee and stayed up all through the night to keep waiting for my nocturnal PMs just in order to aid in my deck building crisis... but of this last hypothesis, I can't be completely sure. What I do know for certain : Padd was instrumental -- and very jovially helpful -- in my getting the totally wrecked (and fun! Just how I wanted it! Well, almost) version of the deck ready in the nick of time. (And getting me to understand the bare minimum of it, that still fit in my mushy brain.)
Thus it came to pass that I could attend the party, but was worn-out even before the first game started. I think I cried from exhaustion for a while in a corner of Carter's skaip channel, but he comforted me and put me on track again. And I set out courageously, to boldly play 3 games in 1 day for the first time since Worlds'19! (I normally play 1 game in 3 days...)
Having made some screenshots -- I love to shoot some visual souvenirs from the games -- I can try to remember some details from the games. Hopefully, there'll be some interesting stuff left in my mushy brain. Let's see. |
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Round 1 |   | Niall Matthew | TT (0) |
g217 (21.01.30): I had the pleasure to see Niall in action in Vienna; that was a blast (it involved Admiral Gary's and Niall's Cool Tourney decks, a wheelchair, Starship Troopers, and me crying. Not from exhaustion, but from laughing!) but it's a wholly different story on its own.
In any case, I was enthusiastic about playing him again -- I had hoped to. And he played a Doomsday Machine! I love the episode and loved to see it on table -- however shortly that might've been.
Niall helped me a lot to get my act together as much as possible for the next games -- he took the Brunt of me not yet being familiar with my deck. (First thing I learnt was that I shouldn't wan't to play a FER Trade Post at my starting mission -- it must be at NZ!) Thanks mate.
The Sexecutioner himself played Who You Gonna Call Maquis; and KCA with a fully loaded Regency 1. (And a wholelot of cards. Can't see the table through the cards on his side.) Awesome to see; although I'd hoped to see more Maquis characters. I did get to see Rebecca Sullivan a lot, somehow -- which is nice. And too many Vartoqs -- but that was because they got "repurposed" by my Defrosted Menace (another nice art image from my favourite Enterprise episode). Nice dilemma, that!
Mila, the lovely old lady and Housekeeper Of The Month, went to town with her Transport Inhibitor On A Broomstick. So much so, even, that I wasn't able to beam down to The Last Outpost to get me some considerable skills there.
And... Khan!!! He destroyed the points that were rightfully mine when my Assimilated Vessel exited the 'line!
Sexy had some tricks up his mirror sleeve... Baryon Beef-Up, Gaps In Space and Emergence Evac. I got through that in good enough shape to pull out the one Consume Outpost, but I'd not have gotten anywhere else, soon. In the end I got to build my beloved, Borg-themed, Repurposed Outpost (residence of The One); and mah man Hugh got to walk around there for a moment before the game ended.
And... it ended in a True Tie; 35-35. Which I hadn't hoped to get this soon; need it for an achievement, I think. Be thankful for small mercies. And having this very nice & fine first game (after such hasty preparations for this tourney) was a big mercy! |
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Round 2 |  | Sebastian Kirstein | FW (+100) |
g218: Having seen and -- only briefly -- talked to Seppel in Vienna, it was great to get to play him. He was very patient, and surprised me to awesome effect with playing a Ferengi deck with Empok Nor! I had been working on a thing like that -- Traditional/Open, for my local play group -- last month. Never played it yet and had a lot of questions about Empok. Got to see them in real time! It was a great education.
One of the things I learnt about my own deck, was that I couldn't stack cards that I can't use. I did get to play the wonderful AI version of Awake; but it didn't do much -- at all. Because of course, TNG Borg can't download drones like my two regular, Traditional Borg hives (i.e., my decks 14 & 24) can. So when encountered, also the Unexpected Beam-In fizzled ("What we received back didn't live long"). Sad, because that AI version, also, is very nice. Too bad that I didn't see this beforehand! Still, I did get to play/see them tabled, and it hampered me less than I initially feared. At least in this game.
I got to see Sarda a lot, somehow -- which is nice. I like her. (The Intuition that she inspired fizzled a few times, because the deck as it should be contains a lot of personnel perhaps, but I stacked a lot of other things on top of that.) And there were the naked Trois, LOL. I learnt that FER Conference can draw out one, and she brings the other... neat trick!
Mulder and Scully peaked in from time to time, to see how the hibernators of my shipwrecked Sphere -- stranded in time -- were doing. They were still a Deep-Frosted Menace; but I did get to draw a few cards from Temporal Investigations (Nagus Gint; an Enterprise-era FER pirate).
I experienced how crazy Ferengi end up shooting at an empty Nor (well... empty except for 5 or 6 dilemmas) out of boredom. Or wait -- no, it was for target practice. The economy must be stimulated, so torpedoes have to be spent. Why not fling them against a derelict Nor's docking pylons?
Stepping into my Contingency Plan and Cytherians trap (with his mainstay vehicle of Brunt's shuttle -- and 23 crew that were stuck in there all the way to Cytherian space; must've got smelly real fast), Seppel saw that he couldn't do much more. We were nearing the time limit for out game, but he was so kind as to coax me to hurry the heck up, so that I might actually get a full win! And, with his advice to try for it, I actually managed to "git 'r done". So, Seb, thanks for that; and thanks for a very friendly and great game. Nice to have got to know you more! Next time, hopefully we can chat a bit afterward. (Auf Deutsch!) |
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Round 3 |  | Michael Van Breemen | FL (-40) |
g219: A game of total solitaire; the Ninja ruled the DQ while I set up shop in the NZ. Short 'lines. Which landed Michael his Cutherian cookies real soon -- and without any problem. Not what I intended. But at least that also made sure that the points -- rightfully mine, still! -- of the Assimilated Vessel exiting the 'line came to me early. And nothing could (or would) stop "them points". Except OTF rules, which say I had to actually work for my reward. The audacity...
We both Experienced BiJ! But Kavok had it in for me a bit more, I feel.
I made some mistakes, as usual. I knew I could draw 2 cards with We Are The Borg. And I didn't forget that! I just forgot to play it first. But we were able to remedy that mistake, and the Ninja was smooth about it. (Luckily... I'd not want to go up against any katanas, please.)
I got to meet the Excalbian Kahless; the Great And Ultra Rare Kirk on his famous E'prise-A; Penk; and "Hogan and his Heroes". Seska was there, and I got to visit Neelix' Homestead (he wasn't at home).
I Consume Resources and tried afterward for Con sume Technology; and while my main man Q prevented the Cy(the)r(i)an's call from luring me into the deep darkness of space, my Borg didn't know what to do about the choo-choo (Emergent Life-form) and I was effectively out of the game. It was already nearly our time, though. This time it was I who had rushed through my last turn to be able to get MvB into his Full Win result -- which he earned.
Thanks for the explanations, patience and the good game, Michael! |
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Closing Thoughts |
Well, that was a fantastically full day of First Edition. It all came together really well, after a frantic 24h deck building rush. I had great fun, great games, and a pre-arranged dinner was served almost unto my desk. Yep, these 1-day tourneys are really a great thing. At least from where I'm sitting (i.e., in my time zone; my biological rhythm agreed with it).
I can't be certain after such a small number of gigs (and everything being so new, still: Lackey, OP, time zones, Virtual cards, and OTF), but maybe I like a one-day thing even more than longer-running events. But I'll have to get back to y'all 'bout that when I've done a few more of both.
Since this was a standard-type for most people, I guess, there wasn't much discussion beforehand. Maybe I missed that a bit, but that can't really be helped. I could've asked questions in public, if I'd thought of any -- to get some preliminary banter started. But that's what I think of, only now. Having the gig being hosted via Skype was, for me, a bit of a chaotic thing; but in the grand scheme of things it's probably by far the best way to organize all that. So, good to have seen, and I'll definitely be more used to it next time.
So, I sure hope to be able to see (and have opportunity to join) these 1-day weekend gatherings again in the future!
Thanks for construction-supporting, playing, hosting, and making a great game greater.
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