Subject: The SA State Championships Date: Tue, 9 Jun 1998 16:31:03 +0930 From: Michael Damien Kazantzis (I appologise as this is a week late) The SA State Championships occured on Sunday the 31st of may, one week before the Exodus pre-release. There was a fairly modest turn out - a little over 40 people - but this was reasonable due to the short notice and lack of advertising. On offer was a bus trip to Canberra plus a box of stock for first place, half a box for second, and a quarter box for third and fourth. More importantly, with news that places in the nationals would be limited to only the top eight on the day plus top 25 combined rankings in Australia there was much concern among the players with low rankings. Many Adelaide player felt as though they had been "discriminated against", as only one DCI sanctioned tournament has had its results counted this year - the stronghold pre-release. As it was there was nothing that could be done to prevent the four or five players who would qualify on rankings from taking part in the event and possibly denying fellow South Australian's from competing in the game at a national level - fare enough though it is a Regional Championship and everyone has the right to compete. Perhaps - with a little forsight - we could have held them after June 1st - as NSW did - thus allowing places to pass down to players at the tounament rather than to players with combined national rankings 26 - ?. In the end it didn't really matter that much with only one highly ranked player making top 8, but many disagreed with this years selection procedure, however compared to some poor souls in Canberra ... I guess we don't have much to complain about. Anyway... on to the magic Being the reigning champion I felt obliged to prance around and wear my crown and generally act in the spirit of the game. Despite this I played Pros-Bloom, even though I was done over when I played it in Sydney ... Round 1: Opponent James Young James was playing a fat green vineyard deck Game 1 - He got a slow start, I played a sylvan and burnt up eight life and went off fairly easily. Game 2 - Played some walls and held him off then went off under Abeyance when at low life. 1-0-0 Round 2: Opponent Russell Barlow Chunky played stupid red burn (SRB), I think he got a bad draw in the first game, while I got a good one ... he died. Game 2 - he failed to draw one of his eight gold lands and couldn't cast any disenchants ... I don't think it mattered as my hand was good and I crushed him. 2-0-0 Round 3: Opponent Mark (A local up and coming player) Mark played Godzilla, as I discovered, as he ritualed out a first turn hidden horror, my draw was OK, but short of squandereds ... he played a fourth turn small creature and firestormed me for three before I could play my fifth land ( i also drew no counterspells). Game 2 - no first turn horror (thank God) he buried a verdant and some thunder mares, then animated a Mare, it didn't matter too much as I had a decent draw and killed him. Game 3 - no counters for me means Mark gets off a labotomy, but in his haste he grabbed the drain life instead of the Bloom - I'll put it down to lack of experience as he is a pretty good player - I untapped and finished off with a thirty or fourty point prosperity for a draw. 2-1-0 Round 4: Opponent Jim Crockart Three close games me losing the first I think, I was very lucky to beat Jim's crazy one casting cost White Weenie as he had heaps of disenchants and Aura's ... I think I powersinked him out in games 2 and 3 to kill him. 3-1-0 Round 5: Opponent ?? He was playing Red Green - mostly commons - I drew crap in the first game but made up for it in games two and three. 4-1-0 Round 6: Opponent The Fish (Stephen Finney) Fish was playing my mono-green wilderbeast deck ... 7 walls, monkeys, peaches, elves, beasts, boas, Over-runs + cool stuff. Having a pesonal objection to ID's I conviced Fish who was on 4-1-0 also after ID ing the round before that he'd easily get in on countback if he lost, we played. I Drew all the right stuff and mashed him two games straight. 5-1-0 WOOHOO Top of the swiss (a moral victory at least) After 6 rounds of swiss top 8 played off in seeded finals (Damb). 1 Michael Kazantzis (ME) - Pros-Bloom 5-1-0 2 Daniel - SRB 5-0-1 (I hleped him tune it adding my four ball lightning) 3 Oliver Oks - crazy tradewind Land Destruction (I think) 4-2-0 4 The Fish - George of the Jungle (I think that's what I decided on) 4-1-1 5 Lee Copus - White Shadow Weenie with armours and Winter Orbs 4-1-1 6 Michael Doecke - 5C Kastle - without Maro's + Hermit Driud 4-1-1 7 Barrie Collis - White red Weenie (i think) 4-1-1 8 Jim Crockart - WW 4-0-2 I played Jim in the first round of the three game untimes elimination finals, again I was aided by good draws and was fortunate to beat him. In the second round I played Lee. He went first dropping a Mox diamond and a creature, followed by second turn creature and third turn creature.I was screewed, as he wastelanded my first land. I drew another land and with a city of brass and a gemstone mine on the table dropped a sqandered, Lee attacked leaving me on less than six, I untapped natural ballenced and killed him - it turned out he only had two Aura's base deck and no base deck disenchants. I felt really bad beating Lee, but that's Magic. in the Second game I dropped an elephant grass, upkept it about five turns then had enough cards to kill him. Bad luck Lee, he could have easily beaten me and had already beaten Doecke in the first round of the swiss. (Jim and Lee were possibly the two worst match-ups for me as they were playing offensive decks with enchantment removal.) The final came down to a rematch between the winner and runner-up from last year - Me versus Doecke. Doecke's deck wasn't incredibly offensive so I figured I had a pretty good chance. First game he draw two tradewinds and I draw only one counterspell. He locks me for about ten turns and I'm unable draw a squandered - my hand was abeyance, Bloom, contract, contract, balance, prosperity, counterspell. He finally gets out a fallen angel and firestorms me for a win ... the next card was a squandered, so if I'd taken a risk and abeyanced him in my turn I would have one. Games two I draw three squandereds and he draws three emerald charms - my draw was pretty poor and I died to a spike feeder. Anyway in the end Michael Doecke became the new South Australian Champion, so I've nick named him The Champ for the time being - he took out the exodus pre-release as well. Anyway good luck to The Champ. On a down side it was disappointing to not have Nathan Russell play, but at least all that madness will be over come the nationals, when he'll Be Back. That's all from this former state champion and I hope to see everyone at the nationals! Smiling Mike Kazantzis :)