Subject: "A Force Too Near"
Date: Thu, 9 Jul 1998 11:26:02 +0000
From: Edward.Bradley@psygnosis.co.uk
To: fkusumot@ix.netcom.com

[TOURNAMENT]
"A Force Too Near"

It's Wednesday 8/7/98 at the Labyrinthe Club in Waterloo, London, and at
last the 'Bridge Too Near' type 2 tournament has been reinstated. Four
rounds of frantic Swiss, no knockout, and several of the UK's top flight
players are in attendance. Fortunately, most of them decide to draft,
leaving about 16 of us to play the type 2. I decide to play Jamie
Wakefield's "Secret Force" deck. I play the latest version of the deck,
with Unyaro Bee Stings and Mirris rather than Lure of Prey and Overrun. And
it goes like this...

Round 1 Vs Glynn Forster playing "14".
Glynn wins the first game with a timely Abeyance which prevents me from
taking his last 4 life with a very spiky feeder. He "14'd" a couple of
turns before but was only attacking with the Spirit of the Night due to his
dangerously low life total. I sac all the feeders rather than let them get
eaten by the volcanic dragons. I have a Bee Sting in hand and enough life
for about 3 turns. He then lobotomises the sting and finishes me off with
his horrid flying beasties. Saw no Forces that game....
Games 2 & 3 I get the early Forces out backed up by a bit of land kill.
Glynn helps me to victory with his lavish use of 2-pain-per-tap land and
Vampiric Tutors.

2-1, 1-0-0

Round 2 Vs Dan Paskins playing Necro with gnomes and lobotomy.
In game 1 I get 2 Forces out by turn 5 and draw a Monkey to kill his disk.
It was a pretty quick game.
Game 2 goes almost exactly the same way except I don't draw the monkey. He
clears the board, drops the necro and the gnomes, gains control and I die
to gnome beatdown and drains.
In game 3 Dan Nekrataals the early Force and I'm stuck 2 more in hand and a
Creeping Mold when he lobotomys. I pray he takes the Forces as I have 4
1/1's in play, he's on about 8 life and only has 4 land in play. I plan to
waste and creep him down to 2 land. He takes the Mold. I topdeck a Natural
Order and the Final Force wins by dint of Dan drawing his disk a turn too
late. Dan is a very good player, probably in the UK top 10, so I am v.
pleased to win this one 2-1.

4-2, 2-0-0.

Round 3 Vs Piers Shepperson playing Goblincraft with Ensnaring Bridges.
In game 1 he goes mountain-goblin-mountain-goblin which makes me think
sligh. Then the bridge comes down just after Mr Force makes his appearance.
I have two monkeys in hand and Piers (strangely, I think) decides to take
massive amounts of damage rather than chump block with his goblins. He
plays an Earthcraft which I Creep as I never like to see this card. The 2nd
Force finishes it.
Game 2 is won when he obligingly plays a forest. Spiked up 4/5 Mirri goes
all the way. 2-0

6-2, 3-0-0.

Round 4 Vs Dave Gazey playing a rogue lock deck with Stasis and Maro.
Going into the final match I am the only player on 3-0.
First game he gets a smug looking Maro out on turn four. The Force jumps in
next turn to wipe the smile off Maro's face. It then seems that Dave's deck
stalls and after a bit of chump blocking Da Force and his little friends
win the game.
In the second game Dave gets rolling, countering the early Quirion and
getting out birds, elves, propaganda, earthcraft and Stasis for the lock.
He's on about 9 life but is having to stretch to maintain the lock with
birds and elves which leaves him little opportunity to develop his
position. I try another Quirion which gets countered like the last one.
Dave's deck seems to be giving him trouble again so I save up land for a
Tranquillity. I play it, thinking that I will concede if it is countered.
It isn't!!! He clears his enchantments and asks if it's his turn.
Unfortunately it isn't. With the Propaganda gone I swarm him with about 15
saprolings that have been produced by my tapped Force for the last 9 turns!
2-0 to me!

8-2, 4-0-0.

So, my first tournament win comes courtesy of a "Net Deck" but I don't
care. I played the Force because it looked like fun and it didn't
disappoint. Some much needed ranking repair work for me!

Cheers,
Ed Bradley.
London Scrub.