Brian Sykes (Armus) |
Tournament Report - 2E Standard |
2011-03-27 - 02:00 PM |
Trying to win a Gold Achievement |
Introduction |
So after finishing 2nd at the last tournament with a DS9/Promenade School deck, I decided that this deck type had some merit. After winning a VERY close game against Charlie's DS9 Earth deck, I decided that type might also have some merit. And since I was still on my quest for a gold achievement, I looked at the Strange Bedfellows requirement and saw DS9 Earth/Qo'Nos as an option: I had my headquarters, now missions: Jaresh-Inyo is a GREAT addition to a DS9 Earth deck, and he has mission skills for 3 missions AND can power Bridge Officer's Test?! That is TIGHT. Now, what to do for Klingons? Well, Azetbur and Gorkon are both Klingon versions of Jaresh, they can be Downloaded with Guidance of the Council, and can power my event engine with K'tal, so the klingon package of the deck took shape rather quickly. I added two Klags because I was sick of my DS9 people getting hammered by Personal Duty and An Issue of Trust. Finally, since all of my missions required Diplomacy anyway, I threw in K'mtar and some 4-cost events I wanted to try out: Heightened Perception (a total player card and vastly under-rated) and Not Easily Avoided, because I always seem to have the right dilemmas in my pile but never seem to draw them.
Anyway, at the start of the event we had 5 so we decided to go round robin style so everyone would get 4 games in. I did pairings and away we went. |
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Round 1 | | Jared Hoffman | FW (+50) |
Jared was rocking Cadet 2-mission win with the new Enterprise-D and 40 point missions. He also had Historical Research and lost the toss, so while I go first, he gets to download Jean-Luc Picard, Genial Captain and get his ride. It takes me a couple of turns to set up, and Jared starts attempting early at Practice Orbital Maneuvers. Heightened Perception comes in VERY handy against OT Kirk. When I finally do start attempting, I'm locked and loaded with a solid crew and get through Investigate Maquis Activity on one turn, and Track Survivors on the next. Meanwhile, Jared solves POM and starts working on Restore Errant Moon. I take out a few people and get a key stop giving me one more turn. I attempt Mediate Peace Treaty and Jared only is able to play one dilemma: Outclassed. Fortunately, Jaresh can make the tough decisions and pass the Bridge Officer's Test, allowing me to solve for the win. |
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Round 2 | | Joel Skon | FW (+40) |
Joel is playing Androids with Fed help. I know the key to beating androids is keeping Lore off the table, which I'm able to do early with Secret Identity, delaying him from solving Amnesty talks for a couple of turns, and when he does solve, he has to kill Lal to do it. Meanwhile I'm doing my thing and putting the pieces of a strong solving crew together. Heightened Perception again keeps Kirk from being too useful and I'm able to win a turn or so before Joel can finish off his last mission. |
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Round 3 | | Joshua Sheets | FW (+100)View opponent's ReportView original Report |
Josh also decided to go for the Strange Bedfellows achievement, combining Cadets with Kruge to annoy the opponent. I got off to a slower start than usual thanks to Josh Grav-Plating TWO of my Promenade schools. However, My dilemmas do a good job of Keeping Josh off the board as well and I'm eventually able to solve Investigate Maquis Activity. I decide to go to space next, as Kruge had hit the table on Josh's previous turn and the mission text came in real handy. I'm able to solve Mediate Peace Treaty on the second attempt and get a 2nd ship into play, so I head to my final mission (Track Survivors) Josh is able to stop me, but doesnt kill anyone. On his turn Kruge comes over and steals my ship, stranding my people (good thing it's my last mission). On my next turn I play another ship and bring in a few reinforcements. Josh gets another stop and on his turn he takes THAT ship. Unfortunately, all of this interference, while effective, is also keeping Josh from solving missions and with no major personnel losses, being stranded doesnt really bother me and I'm able to finish off Track Survivors for the win on my next turn. |
Brian went for the same achievement, with the same HQs and took an entirely different spin (see attached deck). Turns out, he made the better call. We both got out to missions about the same time and took some hits. I made a big mistake when I decided to use Karen Farris (vis Security Drills) as my target for Bridge Officers Test at POM. Brian picked the other cadet (tim watters) for the choice kill and I promptly failed Breaking the Ice (Watters was the only physics). Oops. Brian finished his missions and won. |
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Round 4 | | Bye | BY (0) |
I had the bye this round so I called the wife and a couple of friends and made dinner plans. Mmmm... dinner.... |
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Round 5 | | Charlie Plaine | FL (-30)View opponent's ReportView original Report |
Charlie had all of the tools to beat my deck, and the talent to use them. Going into this last game, I had already locked up first place because I beat Jared head to head and everyone else had at least two losses. It's a good thing too, as Charlie did everything right: He canceled my promenade School with Our Death is Glory to the Founders, he used Lustful Distraction to get both of my dilemma support events off the table, forcing me to play more dilemmas than I otherwise would, and he hit me with Instigate Dissention on my first mission attempt, locking out my earth for more turns than I care to admit because I COULDNT DRAW A FED IN A FED DECK!!!
Despite all of this, I am able to make it through both of my planet missions with relative ease, although Charlie made some player moves and stopped one attempt with one under and another with zero under (Hard Time + Instigate Dissention... that's just wrong). I stop Charlie at his first planet mission multiple times and hit him pretty hard with Necessary Execution, getting rid of Phlox and Archer. I think I'm in pretty good shape for the win until the pivotal turn: Charlie plays Tapestry, getting a bunch of good people back, then plays At What Cost (powered by a Sight for Sore Eyes) and gets several of them back into play, including Archer. He then finishes off his first planet mission and splits his crews, attempting both of his other missions. He first goes to Space, and I draw 7: 3 Planet, 4 Dual, one of the duals is a duplicate, so I play the three playable dilemmas I have, and I manage a stop, but have put a LOT under. Charlie then attempts his planet mission with 7 and I draw 4 Space, 3 Dual. Figures. I throw the three dilemmas I can play at him but it's not enough and he solves his 2nd planet mission, so now he's set up to double-team his way to the win. On my turn I go to space with the only ship I've managed to get into play and the motley bunch of people I have reported. Charlie hits me with a Personal Duty Combo, which of course hits becasue Klag is in my hand instead of on the ship where he should be. On Charlie's turn I pull everything I can and am able to stop both of his crews, but now the mission is totally buried. I get one shot and go again, and Charlie throws an An Issue of Trust combo, which also hits, BECAUSE KLAG IS STILL IN MY HAND!! So I come up 2 Integrity Short despite my mission skills getting through and Charlie is able to finish off the game on his turn right as time expires. Good game. After everything shakes out, I end up in first and get my gold achievement, Jared finishes 2nd on the tiebreaker, Joel finishes 3rd, two points back, and Charlie and Josh round out the field. Overall, this was a very fun, very competitive tournament. |
Brian and I always have epic fights. He had a great deck that was meant to use insane dilemma manipulation, including Heightened Perception and Not Easily Avoided to get what he needed and react to your strategy. I was able to shut that down with Lustful Distraction, but he still jumped out to a 2 mission to 0 lead. But the power of double teaming got me through my 1st planet, and then to simultaneous attempts at my space and 2nd planet mission.
Luck was on my side as he drew poorly at both attempts (woe would have been me had I reversed the order of the attempts), and I completed my 2nd planet but was unable to complete the space. I managed to stop him at his space mission with a Personal Duty + Gomtuu combo, but he stopped my double attempt at Investigate Derelict.
With time rapidly running out, I thought there was no hope. My combo of Hard Time and An Issue of Trust, however, managed to hold him to insufficient attributes, and just as time ran out I started my final turn. I was lucky and was able to attempt with seven, leaving him just one draw, which he couldn't play.
The clock was kind in this game, and I "stole" the win. I'll take it, though! |
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