Tournaments | trekcc

Matthew Zinno (commdecker)
Tournament Report - 1E - Online Event
2014-03-03 - 12:00 AM
Cardassian Jurisprudence
Introduction
I felt it was time to play 1E online again, and what came up was the League finals. I haven't been doing many League events this year, but I played in this just because it was OTF when I wanted it. I brought one of the decks I'd been working on since Emissary came out, a DS9 Cardassian deck with lots of capturing. Plus, I decided to risk Ore Processing for two draws, betting that Reactor Overload has fallen out of general use.

Round 1	Bye	BY (0)
Bye. One step closer to The Full Set.


Round 2	Brian Sykes	FW (+100)View opponent's Report View original Report
Brian and I had something of a mirror matchup, duplicating three missions, two facilities, and Garak's Tailor Shop. I seeded Terok Nor first, and started processing ore early. He wasn't using any Q's Tent, and so didn't stock many Ref cards, and I got away with drawing 2 from it each turn. He played a Breen ship (okay, that's different) to Central Command first turn, and I shot it -- but he then staffed it and docked at my Terok Nor's pylons to repair. We both built up some forces, until around turn 4 or so, when I drew into Elim, and flew to his Verify Legendary Journey (with my CS combo) to steal it: Elim and Dorza passed the dils, and Hogue/Jasad/Darheel solved. They then docked at his [univ] Nor there and captured his Dorza, starting my capturing engines. Everyone headed to Cardassia IV, where my Labor Camp could score 5/turn, and started to attempt so I could get the draws too. Brian started to attempt the shared Cardassia, but dilemma stops led me to capture two more (Odo got Kira, and Kidnappers got Belva). Eventually he got to the last (of 6) dilemmas: my Dead End. I solved Cardassia IV, and was up to 83 (incl. 8 from a Prison Compound). I could then waltz over to Cardassia and solve it to win ... but I hadn't played HQ Secure Homeworld, I had instead cycled it into my deck several turns earlier. Brian tried one more mission, the shared Kressari, where my Scout Encounter Extradited Quark (who forgot to download Natima), leading to a stop at Cardie Processing. (I later realized I could have won during his mission attempt, by having Makbar download another Prison Compound.) But I had drawn into Internment, so I played it to download HQSHW, played it for free, and solved to win.
Matthew was playing Cardassian Capture. We duplicated Cardassia, Bajor, and Kressari. He beat me to the punch at VLJ, scoring 40 and, more importantly, preventing me from scoring 50, as there were dead ends at both Bajor and Cardassia. I was never really in this game, and was playing from behind the whole time. Matthew ran into my medical combo at Rescue Prisoners, and stopped for DNA Clues, making solving the mission academic on his next turn. With my non-duplicated missions on the far end of the spaceline, and no way to get there in time, all I could really do is throw the people I had at Kressari and hope for the best. No dice, as I got stopped by a Cardassian Processing due to lack of Law and Transporter Skill in my crew. It didn't really matter though, as Matthew was able to get by the Dead End at Cardassia on his turn for the win. This was a very frustrating game for me, but Matthew deserves credit for playing well. If he made any mistakes, I didn't catch them.

Round 3	Michael Van Breemen	FL (-100)View opponent's Report View original Report
Oh boy, I made so many bad decisions in this game. The biggest strategically was that I didn't focus on my missions at all, instead I got distracted with the idea of again stealing Verify Legendary Journey. But there was no facility there where I could leave my solvers safe from Dejaren, so I kept waiting until I had enough people (or Dejaren-safe people) or another ship, to get it in one turn. It was all moot, since he had not one but two Defensive Measures seeded. (As he told me, "With 3 stealable missions, I have to.") My biggest mistake tactically within the game was that mid-game, when I came over to his Kidnap/DeadEnd-stuck team, and captured two personnel (with Kidnappers and Tandro), I didn't flip Fajo's Gallery to get my draws. I was hurting for draws the whole game, which was part of why I only got one ship. At that point in the game, I also should have: (1) gotten DH for Odo to capture a 3rd, and (2) used Captured to get a 4th. I also poorly decided to only draw 1 each turn with Process Ore -- Michael turned out to not have Reactor Overload as I predicted during deckbuilding, but he had a Civil War unlike my previous opponent so I got skittish. Anyway, Michael solved Host Meta for 50 points (5 for AMS DrChris, and 5 for the killed Agyer), later the universal planet that had the Dead End, then on the same turn (after I reminded him that getting limited to 50 points for this turn was still enough for a win) a planet mission that had my Extradition combo, which fizzled because he left no-one on the ship. FL 100-0.
He was working a DS9 Cardassian deck that was having a hard time getting going. He did capture a couple of people with Ilon Tandro and his Kidnappers dilemma but some early mistakes cost him. He hadn't even attempted a mission and his thoughts about stealing wasn't going to work.

Round 4	Daniel Matteson	MW (+40)
Daniel was playing Baj/Car, but without DS9. I got my Terok Nor and Central Command in play, both targets for my ASP but not his. But he seeded a univ Nor for that. Early action took place at Central Command, where he played Crell Moset and killed one early Gul before I Captured him. I couldn't escort him on Cardassia IV, but I could escort him in Central Command, and I put Jurisprudence on him to give my people MEDICAL. With that, I solved Cardassia IV on my first attempt (where Damar dl'd For Cardassia to save people from Firestorm, and then Elim passed ITPM). Many turns later, Daniel attempted CNE and found my Extradition combo, which captured 2E Bareil and Ulani Belor, and left Daniel a Diplomacy-or-TS away from passing Cardie Processing and solving. Then on my turn, I similarly got a mission down to a wall which I (elsewhere) had the skills for. He took his last turn, and because it was his last turn he said "I'll just send everyone", using FMS to pass the dilemma and then solve the mission, his first. Then my last turn, which I started with a Prison Compound for 12 points, then I flew all my ships to his and played the Outgunned I'd been holding onto, to capture all 23 people aboard. I solved my mission, and then Makbar downloaded another Prison Compound for ... get out the calculator ... 88 points. Yes, In the Zone, but ... 100 bonus points in a turn! Anyway, MW since I was held to 75 and time ran out.


Round 5	J	FL (-12)View opponent's Report View original Report
J had a Ferengi/Android deck which early on gave Cybernetics to Sovak and started playing free androids and Ferengi to his FTP. I flew over to capture someone, preferably Sovak, but he left before I got there. (I could have DH'd Odo to that FTP and captured, but he just would have killed me and rescued the victim.) A little later, he attempted the FTP's planet mission, finding my Sleeper Trap, which captured his two universal androids. Around the same time, I attempted Bajor, and on a second attempt passed the Med Crisis to solve. We each attempted a space mission. He found my Extradition and lost The One and Morta (but passed and solved on a later attempt), I got damaged by Gomtuu and later tripped a Friendly Fire. His mission attempt also kicked off the Nexus, which passed through my missions to get to his Soran. We both saw my very bad luck that once I waited out the countdown on Friendly Fire, on my next turn the Whale Probe would be there and I'd still have to wait another turn to solve it. I was scoring 5 points a turn from Labor Camp, and hoping to get to my space mission (Kressari) before J reached 100. With Makbar able to download a Prison Compound, that would put me over the top. On the final turn of the Friendly Fire, J solved a planet mission, with AMS points bringing him to 75. And because I had committed too many people to battling him on that planet, trying to delay or obsctruct his solve, he was able to battle a ship I had left empty, and thereby get 5 points from FMO. This set up his win, as on his next turn (after my turn where the Nexus was blocking me at Kressari) he walked Soran out of his landed ship and into the Nexus. (I did do my Makbar download before game end, to reach 88.)
My last game was against Matt Zinno, who was playing DS9 Cardassians and capture as well, which was cool to see. We ended up seeding the spaceline with a my half and a his half, which worked poorly for me as I could not get anyone to his mission in order to download the Equipment(s) with FCO. I was drawing fine out of the gate, but was not getting the personnel to bust Capture combos. Inevitably, I decided to just sacrifice lives for the cause and dove in - but that was after Zinno first attempted. He took one look at my Undercover Op and didn't have the skills to get by. I attempted Salvage Borg Ship with HQ:War Room but no Lower Decks or handgun. The first Dilemma was Sleeper Trap and Zinno opted to fight me, which got him a Captive via Captured and a decent number of kills. He re-fought me on his turn to clear more of my personnel and moved a ship toward the mission, with not enough range to get there in one go, so I retreated to Ferenginar to lick my wounds. While I rebuilt, Zinno reattempted Bajor and lost just two to flapjacks since he had the skills to four man over Undercover Op, and was stopped by Medical Crisis. This combo looked very bad against him, as every other person he had out had Biology but he'd only one Medical in play and had to use two turns of ASP to get the others. He tried to double download that turn, so I obliged him with General Quarters. I wanted the skills to attempt space but had not seen them, so I tossed a Handshake and then used my Continuing Mission draw to get Q the Ref and that to get Obolisk to cycle my hand more. This worked to get me Holodeck Door (for the Dom Perignon), I'm a Doctor Not a Bricklayer, and Hidden Fighter. But Zinno pointed out when I tried to turn my end of turn draw into Q the Ref that I had already burned the Once Per Turn on Tribunal of Q. Luckily, he was not in range of Ferenginar. In the mean time , I attempted space and found a Scout Encounter (which did not battle,as I was bigger) and a Extradition, followed by a Cardassian Processing. This brought Matt up to 4 of my personnel as captives and he had chosen mostly Androids. He then retreated to his Labor Camp to start racking up the points while solving his planet. I was almost out of a deck and Matt was on 49. I knew I needed Honor or Law to pass Cardassian Processing but not if my deck had either. I did know that there was one more Reflection Therapy in there, so I handshaked away a decent hand to get it and made that the next turn's card play. As such, I finally bust the dilemma and solved the mission - though without specialists for 30. Meanwhile, Matt had had one go at space and failed a Gomtuu Shockwave. I had checked here and with his little scout ship if I had a Daimon in play to get the FMO bonus points, but did not and was missing out on some chance pickin's. I knew that Matt could regroup to bust the Gomtuu and after that I would have two turns to win, as it was a Personal Duty + Friendly Fire combo that followed. I set my Marauder up at Salvage Borg ship with most people on Ferenginar and then on the next turn (with the Marauder at full range) moved everyone over to try to solve the planet mission. I needed to do one or the other this turn: deliver Soren to the Nexus or solve the planet. The question was which and when. I sent a big crew to attempt and left Transporter skill on the mission (Capture dilemma, remember) and also left a few good wall busters (Levins) and staffing for the ship on the outpost. The key was that I had Dom Perignon in play and could use the range on the Marauder , then upgrade it and use the range on the Kurdon to get double turns range and deliver Soren to the Nexus. What's more, if my people saw the final dilemma, I could use the Kurdon's download to bust it. However, I managed to muddle the plan. The next dilemma was Now Would be a Good Time and my people beamed up as requested. But then I could pick a new crew to bust the last dilemma. Without set-up, I thought that everyone could do it and sent them all, only to have the last dilemma be Crisis (who puts Crisis last?!?) So on Matt's turn he was still waiting on the Friendly Fire and decided (wisely) to spend it battling me on the planet. This worked, but to my luck he opted to pick off my Leaders with his capture/kills (since Elim made it all his choice) to prevent me from busting the Crisis on my next turn. He was generous in letting me keep my mission specialist and Tolian Soren (the good doctor, as the name of the deck suggests) I happened to have another mission specialist (free with AAH) and another leader (Gozar) in hand and solve the mission for 45 points. I was all over patting myself on the back when I realized that my math was off. While we both had realized that my FF fire actually afforded my 3 turns due to the Nexus landing on that mission during Matt's subsequent and first FF free turn (total luck) so I could simply deliver Soren for 20 then. But that would only put me on 95, I needed another 5 somewhere. I tried attempting the next mission, but hit another solid wall: Matriarchal Society (no females in play, they had all been captured). I had just Soren out of the mission attempt and a Transporter Skill and an Officer on the ship in orbit. Then I figured it out. I used the Kurdon download on Picard and attacked Matt's orbiting ship (forced there by the nexus) as his best ship was at the neighboring planet and one of those at this planet was damaged and empty. This got me the 5 FMO points to make it a certain thing. One more turn OR The Nexus not landing on the mission that Matt wanted to solve and this game was over in his favour as he'd been racking Captive earned bonus points and draws for most of the game.

Closing Thoughts
My Reactor Overload bet paid off, I never got hit by it in any of the games. And things went pretty well, I just had bad luck and timing against J and bad decisions (as usual) against TNS. Prison Compound is big, and this deck could have used more of them. That last game tells me that I should probably start using A Missing Day more often. And that Soran is worth far too mamny points.