Subject: GP Texas report Date: Tue, 27 Oct 1998 01:26:24 PST From: "Mason Peatross" To: fkusumot@ix.netcom.com How Nazis ruined Grand Prix Texas or How my brother kept the Finkeltron from getting top 8 a Team Houston report... I figure I have stewed long enough in my juices to finally write a report about Grand Prix Texas and get everything out of my system. So I turned on my Tool CD and got my cat Hades to stop purring long enough that I could get in the right mood. I had decided a while back that I didnÕt want to play at the Grand Prix because I had done pretty dismally at the last few qualifiers I had gone to after making the top 4 in the first one I had attended. So I went with the intention of judging, mostly to further the possibility that I could get Level 3 at some point in the future. However most of my teammates encouraged me to play, so I flipped a coin, and it said I should play so I decided to make a run at the title. Also coming with were sponsors Scott ÒJailbirdÓ Smith and Russell ÒI am theÓ Law, Teammates Sidd Rao, Jeff Clark, Leland Simmons, Bob Coonce, Rick Burton and TJ Hooper. Also coming were fellow collaborators Ryan Fishbeck, Caleb Freeman, and Chris Nolan. We had all playtested pretty heavily and I think everyone was fairly confidant in their deck choices, which I will get to later. Day Zero: We drive to Austin in a fairly rapid manner on Friday and follow the directions to the hotel pretty explicitly. We pass it. No one mentioned that this place was essentially a motel with a nice pool. With shades of the Austin Stronghold pre-release in my mind, we gather our things and go into the main room. I guess after attending Nationals I was pretty spoiled on what size room I would want to play magic in, and this place wasnÕt it. I was worried the first day that people would show up and the room would be so crowded that I would have to stand in line for a toilet. However attendance was pretty low and I never had to wait. Now according to every other Austin report, at this point I should mention that I had major gastrointestinal problems, but remarkably, I didnÕt. I wander around for a while and put my Death deck back together. As IÕm sitting there this guy comes up to talk to me and Leland about what store IÕm with, what kind of sponsorship we have, etc... I talk to him for a while and after he leaves Leland mentions that he was the organizer David Doust. Well, thatÕs a good way to start. We playtest some, watch some drafts, I run a Type 1 tournament, and we all get to bed fairly early so that we can be fresh. Jeff gets some info about a ÒsecretÓ mono-black deck after some limited playtesting, decides to switch to it, in hopes that he can surprise the three round bye people. Decks: Leland - Death Mason - Death Sidd - TradeAwake Bob - Sligh Rick - Sligh Jeff - BlackTech Ryan - Death Caleb - Sligh Chris - TradeAwake Russell - Sligh Scott - Spike Madness IÕm not gonna list the deck because it was fairly standard, though not the Salt Flats -disenchant version, which we playtested and thought was weak. Our innovations were mostly sideboard things like Death-Death, we sideboard in Stronghold Taskmasters to make Assassins, Surgeons and Queens useless. It was very effective, And we also used Harrow as anti-land destruction or Capsize tech. Day One: I had a one round bye on rating, so I got breakfast. Round two I play against David Goodnuff and land screw gives him two easy wins. Round Three I play against random guy playing red and land screw gives him two easier wins. Between rounds three and four TJ shows up and I have him talk nice to my deck for me. Round Four I play against Hatred, a matchup I should lose horribly. Except I have Taskmaster beatings. Yea! A Win! Round Five I play against Daniel OÕMahoney Schwartz and he wins game one which is all we have time to play. At that point I drop as I have no hope of day two. I wander around, cheering on teammates, just trying to have a good time, and I sign up for a type 2 tourney for a laugh. I put Bloom back together and judging fishiness begins. First round I play against a white weenie player playing the sleight version. First game I win easily. However this is the situation. I play a squandered resources. The guys goes, I disenchant your squandered. I say, you have to respond to something since I am the active player, so you canÕt start a batch of effects. He thinks he can. We call over one of the judges - Now I know the judge, a Level 2, and he rules that this guy is right! So I appeal to the head judge and he clarifies things. I still lose. Bloom hates me. So then I wander around some more during the last round of day one some VERY fishy action happens. Finkeltron is playing Dan Clegg, who is apparently very methodical in his playing (read slower that shit) and the head judge has given them unlimited time to finish their match. Yes, unlimited time. This is according to the spectators who says that the head judges words were that this was a ÒSteel Cage matchÓ and that it should finish. Now my problem with this is that the judges wouldnÕt discuss it, and they were just RIGHT, and that was end of story. You canÕt get more wrong then when you canÕt admit you were wrong. So we hang out for a bit, and I find out who made day two and that Sidd went UNDEFEATED. Praise the lord and pass the ammunition! We celebrate at Taco Cabana, which I manage to pass. Austin has some fucked up roads. DAY TWO: We find out that all day two matches are going to be in a smaller room and no spectators will be allowed, meaning that we have to stand and watch the featured matches, or we had to wait outside the room to see what was going on. I played in a sealed deck and went 2-1, so my weekend wasnÕt a complete wash, but it wasnÕt good. So the day goes on, and every round seems to be delayed, and anyone that tries to go into the room is persecuted. Nazi judges riding a power trip are some fun. So then I hear that my brother, who is judging side events, has called a judge to give Finkel a game loss for not drawing a card after he used an Oath of Druids during his upkeep. Yes this kept Finkel out of the Top 8. No its not funny. Ok, Yes it is. Flash forward to the Final 8 for more pissing and moaning. >From the Penalty guidelines: 1.Judges at the Table (Including Finals) The philosophy for warnings and penalties changes when a judge is present from the start of a match to its finish. When a judge is present at a match from beginning to end, he or she should never issue a warning or penalty for technical issues. A judge should simply ensure that all cards and rules are played properly. This does not include matters of cheating, unsporting conduct, or other non-technical play problems. This having been said, the judges at the finals were as a whole, pathetic. The head judge was there, but most of the judges were clearly outclassed by the players and didnÕt have a thorough rules knowledge to guide them. So I can see the Tsai - Krakower match and hereÕs the situation. Krakower has taken TsaiÕs Dominating Licid with his own Dominating Licid. Then he uses the stolen Licid to steal TsaiÕs Tradewind. This happens. Tsai moves the licid over to the Tradewind and says is that it? And Krakower says yes. So KrakowerÕs Licid should die and Tsai gets back the licid and the tradewind. But When the Head judge comes over, Krakower ADDS that he would pay one blue to save his licid from dying. The head juge lets that happen. Then in the Rao-Kastle match, in the third game, Rao gets a match loss for almost drawing an eighth card and putting it in his hand. >From the Penalty guidelines judges shouldnÕt let players draw extra cards in the first place. But he never put the card in his hand, so he didnÕt Òdraw itÓ he Òlooked at itÓ. G.9. LOOKING AT EXTRA CARDS A player accidentally looks at the top card(s) in his or her library at an inappropriate time. Level 4 or 5 First Offense: Single warning. Second Offense: Single warning and duel loss. Third Offense: Double warning and match loss But instead they ruled a Misplay of the Draw-Play rule, and gave him a game loss, ending the match in the Name-playerÕs favor. Now this made me angry, but I didnt flip out until I heard that in the match at the very next table, a player had played a land without going through is draw phase and wasnÕt given any penalty at all when Finkel had been given a game loss for the very same thing. I lost it then. Suffice to say I was rude beyond belief. Suffice to say they deserved it. Anyways, Sidd qualified for Rome so I was happy, and I got to see a lot of the Pro-Tour guys again, who are mostly really cool, so all in all it wasnÕt a complete pooch-screw. Hey, the Tool CD ended, so IÕll just go to props n slops. Props: Tool. ÒI hope it sucks you fuckerÓ Deadguys and associates... you guys are great. Ru-Tang - thanks for the inside dope. Buehler - For playing with plains. Team Houston - ÒOur snappy slogan goes here!Ó Tim Weissman and David Doust - for a mostly well run event Slops: Judges that make type 2 with NO rules knowledge so they can qualify as organizers. Head Judges who wonÕt admit when they are wrong. Austin roads. You suck. ----------------------------------------------------------- Mason Peatross M:TG Ironman - Spokesmodel, Team Houston http://www.browsergames.com/team.htm "Of *course* I won. I copied this deck off Usenet yesterday and you copied yours a week ago." -Alex Shvartsman ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com