Subject: @@@ MIAMI L.A. QUALIFIER REPORT 1/17/98 @@@ Date: Wed, 21 Jan 1998 15:11:22 -0500 From: David Doust To: fkusumot@ix.netcom.com Ever since I moved from Miami to Atlanta, I always tried to make an excuse to go back down to Miami to run tournaments. Miami’s attendance will never be the greatest, but it is always fun to go back down to the sun and see my old friends. Come to think of it, the same hotel - the Airport Regency, the site that we used this time was the first site we used 4 years ago with New Wave Convention’s first big event. Time flies! Anyway, we had a total of 84 players in the main event for a 1 slot qualifier and another 11 for the Junior Super Series, for a total of 95. Now, that is a solid showing for Miami. I would like to thank everyone for their support that help make the event a success. With numbers like this, I can keep going back down to run events! Registration went pretty smooth, but for some reason, there were only tables for 64 players, so we scrambled a little and we started just a little after 10:30 am. I announced the Paris mulligan format and it seemed that most players were happy with the change. There were again a variety of decks. There were a few big names there,( however, some of the Tallahassee boys went up to High point because it was a 2 slot.) Adam Maysonet (of course with the lovely Melody!) , Chris Honan, Kelsey Big Daddy McNair, Lee Steht, Yuk Kong Liao and Koby Kennison. After 7 rounds of Swiss, the top 8 is as follows: 1 Chris Honan Pillow Potence 2 Yuk Kong Liao Fruity Pebbles 3 Steve Kissinger Land Tax/Lands Edge 4 Al Sousa Mono Blue ( I don’t think he will ever play another color!) 5 Adam Maysonet Cursed Sligh 6 Taerthrum Bluett Prison 7 Koby Kennison Coco Pebbles 8 Chad Hitt W/R/G good stuff 9 Rene hidalgo received the V.I.P. invitation to the Atlanta Grand Prix! 1st round elim I had to watch Yuk Kong Liao vs. Koby Kennison, fruity pebbles against coco pebbles, the good vs. The evil! Yuk Kong’s denial version packs tons of counter, and Koby’s " I don’t care what you do, and I will get my combo" version had argivian finds, consults and vampirics. 1st Game: Yuk Kong taps out to get the combo on the table with 2 counters in hand (no force of will). In response to the combo, Koby consulted for a disenchant, got the disenchant and disenchanted the …………Shield Sphere! Doh, what was he thinking of! He could have survived, if he disenchanted the Enduring Renewal, but oh well! That was game 1. 2nd Game: Yuk Kong sided in 2 Aura of Silence, 2 Mana Shorts and 2 Red Blasts. Koby sided in 1 more City of Solitude, 2 Auras and 2 Disenchants. Koby got off 2 early tithes, played the Bombardment, Yuk Kong Arcane denialed it. Yuk Kong then put the Aura of Silence on the table, and Koby vampiriced for the disenchant, chanted the Aura! Then he proceeded to argivian find his bombardment….so sorry; power sink! Yuk Kong then tithed (summon Tundra) twice to prepare for the combo ( got 4 tundras, whatelse!) Then Yuk Kong got the Mac daddy secret ninja card on the table - Scroll Rack - bo’roken! Scroll for 4 and cast Aura of Silence. Koby then cast his "expensive" Aura of Silence, argivian find his bombardment again. Koby used his Aura to destory Yuk’s Aura, and then he started to put down his combo. Yuk had 5 cards in his hand, 2 of which are the combo cards but no counter, so Yuk scrolled for 3 to find the counter…..no dice, Koby got the second game. I was very suprised that Yuk did not scroll for 5 to find the counter, granted he had 2 of the combo cards, he could have got them back by scrolling, getting the counter to stop Koby’s combo was the most important thing at the time! 1:1 3rd Game: Yuk Kong got 4 counters in his opening hand. Yuk cast Aura, Koby chanted it. They went back and forth, and finally Yuk Kong got the combo in hand with a couple of counters, but only had 3 lands and the mana vault on the table……just enough to play the combo. He thought about it for a while and decided to go for broke, play the combo…Koby chanted the enduring! So, Yuk impulsed, got Force of Will, tutored for the Enduring Renewal, let’s try again…..Enduring Renewal…..Arcane!…..Force of Will……Blast! Doh! NO COMBO….Koby then went on the offensive….consult for the bombardment…first card! ….eventually got another one, play the combo to win. I tried my best to describe the match, but it was one of the best matches I have ever watched, and I have watched quite a few in my years of judging! Granted both players made a little mistake here and there, it was a really exciting match. I would never have thought that coco version would beat the fruity version. Also Taerthrum was playing Steve Kissinger in the next table. Since this round is timed, it will eventually be down to life total if time ran out. I called 7 minutes left. They just started 3rd game. Steve was playing red, so he had the advantage, he mulliganed twice….2 minutes left. Steve got out a drive by and a Solteri Priest and started the beatdown. Well, you would all think that Steve won….nah! with 5 seconds left, Taer top-decked his Gerrard’s Wisdom to win the game! Now, that’s some top deck skill for you! Semi-finals I chose to watch Taerthrum Bluett vs. Koby Kennison Prison vs. Coco Pebbles, should be interesting! 1st Game: Went pretty fast. Taer got no mana……need I say more! 2nd Game: Pay back is a bitch! Taer got out an Aura of Silence, followed by Icy, Scroll Rack, and a second Aura of Silence. Koby had the combo on the table, but cannot execute it because of the 2 Auras! Must pay 4 each time you cast Shield Sphere! Oh dear! 1:1 3rd Game: Koby got out early Bombardment, tried to cast City of Solitude! Hmmmm, don’t think so, Force of Will! Well, Koby had another City, no counter! Taer put Chill on the table, Koby forgot about the Chill and tried to cast Bombardment…Taer cast Arenson’s Aura, and got rid of all enchantments on the table. Koby argivian find the City of Solitude and cast it. Taer replied with Chill and Winter Orb! Next turn Aura, got rid of the City of Solitude….Icy….Cap….Koby consulted for a disenchant but got countered. Taer advanced. Finals: Chris Honan vs. Taerthrum Bluett 1st Game: Wasn’t too interesting. Chris got 1 mishra for 9 turns with 2 tithes in his hand. Taer got out 2 Icy and a Winter Orb…..Chris conceded! 2nd Game Game 2 was fast too. To describe it….this is how Kelsey Mac Daddy McNair put it " just too many Beta Bolts, Winter Factories and worthless little creatures like Granger Guildmage!" 1:1 3rd Game Chris applied early with the Centaur, and got out the bo’roken Scroll Rack, followed by the Erham. Taer had an Icy and a Diamond out, thought that he could control the game by Icing the Ernham, so he geddoned….mistake! Chris was holding land, eventually cast storm bind, untaped his Ernham with a charm and finish the game. By the way, Taer said the name of his deck should be " It sucks but I got laid last night until 5 in the morning!" Just want to clarify that for everyone! And sorry Chris, here is Pillow Potence ( you will now be a net deck!) 4 Ernham 2 Soltari Priest 4 Bolts ( Beta works better according to Chris!) 2 Incinerate 4 Stormbind 2 Swords to Plowshares 3 Disenchant 3 Aura of Silence 2 Serrated Arrows 4 Centaur 4 Tithe 3 Granger Guildmage 2 Honorable Passage 1 Earthquake 4 Taiga 4 Savannah 4 Plateau 4 Mishra ( Winter Ones work better!) 2 Grassland 2 Plains and as usual, I will leave the sideboard to your imagination! Junior Super Series had 11 players, under 15 was won by Robert Lam ( monored) and under 18 was won by Tyler Greene ( monoblue) his first ever DCI sanctioned tournament! Congratulations to all, and hope to see you all in Orlando this weekend! David Doust New Wave Conventions South/Florida Regional Co-ordinator Atlanta/Orlando/Puerto Rico Pre-release Co-ordinator Atlanta(GA)/ Orlando(FL)/ Puerto Rico(PR)/ Miami(FL)/ Knoxville(TN)/ Columbia(SC) Pro-tour Qualifier Co-ordinator Wizards or the Coast Policy Advisory Committee PMPA Advisory Committee Wizards of the Coast DCI Level 3 Judge