Subject: Better late than never - Newcastle Tourney Report Date: 16 Dec 1997 10:12:24 GMT From: Neil.Gow@ncl.ac.uk Newsgroups: uk.games.trading-cards.misc Tournament Report Type Two - Newcastle, December 6th Introduction This one was always going to be interesting. The first T2 since the loss of the Ice Age block was touted as a battle between the Big Blues and the Red Horde. Getting that little one out of our systems might allow us back into the lands of originality but until then... Turnout was 21, which breaks our all time record by a massive... one! There was a lot of 'new' blood, and a lot of regulars missing. If we managed to get them all together in one place it would be great, but retention is a problem. My deck selection was unique. Completely bemused as to what to play; Big Blue Bouncy,Orb of Boredom or TurboSquirrel, I allowed my wife to pick on the strength of the name. Obviously in a bit of a Teletubby moment she decided that Bouncy Blue sounded nice. As it would transpire, so did a number of other wives 8) Christines Folly 3 Man-o'-War 16 Islands 3 Ophidian 4 Quicksands 3 Suq'Ata Firewalker 2 Vodalian Illusionist 2 Floodgate Sideboard 2 Wall of Air 2 Rainbow Effreet 1 Chill 2 Steal Enchantment 2 Propaganda 2 Sea Sprite 3 Impulse 2 Zur's Weirding 2 Manta Ray 4 Counterspell 2 Dream Tides 3 Dissipate 4 Hydroblast 2 Power Sink 1 Dismiss 3 Capsize 2 Boomerang 1 Scroll Rack 2 Puppet Strings Round One vs. Mike Ormston ( playing Grindstone) Game One Mike was only playing with one Grindstone and never saw it this game. His only defence was a Stinging Licid which didn't last long and he was merrily pinged to death by the Firewalkers. Game Two First Turn Grindstone vs Mono-deck. Oooh hell! Luckily my shuffling was vegas-style and my mana distribution was perfect. He only managed one continuous mill and I proceeded with as much beatdown as I could muster. He was one mill away from winning when he got hit by 2 effreets and an Ophidian. Round Two vs. Mick Black ( playing Red Burn) Game One. Umm, quite a qucik one this. In his previous round Mick had won before most people had shuffled. This game didn't last much longer. Incinerate, Fireblast, Ball Lightning, Death. Game Two Out comes Supersideboard! In go the blasts, Chill and Sprites. Second turn chill and third turn sprite soon wipe the smile off his face. With the game slowed down, my hand began to fill with counters and he was nicely locked whilst Ms. S.Sprite nibbled him to death. Game Three Chill? Not this time, it was the quicksands wot done it! Three Ball Lightnings in a row were sucked into the mire and then the Chill and Sprites arrived to save the day. Allied with Puppet-Strung Firewalkers it was not a nice sight. Victory was mine and the theme of Blue's success over red was set for the day. Round Three vs Kev Domini ( UR Frenetic-Hammer) A few months ago I was playing this deck and Kev and I have duelled it to death. When Alliances disappeared I went in search of pastures new whilst Kev adapted the old faithful. Game One Frenetic Death is all that I have to say. Nothing I drew was of any use whatsoever. His blasted Effreet survived four Firewalker pings before he Sleighted and Hammered my Firewalker. Boo. Game Two This was even worse. I drew nothing of use, no counters, no creatures. Indeed I hardly seemed to have any land. I'm not really sure what quite happened but it ended with a 10point Earthquake. Round Four vs. Graham Simpson ( playing BR???) I had gone from Top Table to middle in one go. I had to win both of the next rounds to qualify for the finals and it was going to be a long haul. Game One and Two I don't know what Graham was playing as he never seemed to get anything other than a Death Pits of Rath out in both games. Lots of board control just screwed him over. Round Five vs. Gary Barker ( playing WWShadows!) Game One Short and sweet. I was creamed by turn five under the weight of the sneaky shadows. I could feel that finals place slipping away as he pummelled me. Game Two The game swung in my direction. I had a Man-o'-War, a Firewalker and a Propaganda down and he had no creatures. He cast Armageddon. I looked at him. He insisted on casting the 'Geddon. I shrugged and boomeranged an Island. He didn't play a land. In fact he didn't play another land until he was virtually dead. I still don't know what he was thinking of but it was going to rub off on me in the next game. Game Three I was always on the ropes and he got four creatures down and I have a Floodgate. I'm concentrating so hard on getting a Man-'o-War or a Capsize I completely forgot about Boomerang. He attacked and I Boomeranged his Soltari Priest. Even after that I didn't realise what a complete donkey I had been until I drew the Illusionist and then was dead. Needless to say I was gutted and swore profusely at myself. So there you go. He had no more creatures in his hand and I would have probably won because I was stocked with Ophidians and Counters. There was no excuse though, just a lack of concentration and bad ( very bad!) play. The tournament was won by Andrew Watson against Mick Black. Andrew was playing Mono-Blue as well, and Mick died to the same Sea Sprite horror as he did with me. Newcastle Invitational Rankings 1. Andrew Watson 25 ( 3) 2. Kev Domini 19 ( 3) 3. John Paul Drinkwater 18 ( 2) 4. Mark Wild 15 ( 2) 5. Peter Meredith 11 ( 3) 6. Dave Terry 09 ( 1) 7. Neil Gow 09 ( 3) 8. Mick Black 08 ( 1) 9. CJ 08 ( 3) 10. Paul Wright 08 ( 3) 11. Rick Hudson 07 ( 1) 12. Gary Barker 06 ( 2) 13. Patrick Fall 04 ( 1) 14. Flec Goodwin 04 ( 1) 15. Paul Richardson 03 ( 1) 16. Wayne Batho 03 ( 1) 17. Mike Ormston 03 ( 3) 18. Mark Hadley 02 ( 3) 19. Ken Nicholson 02 ( 2) 20. Jeremy Larner 01 ( 1) Neil Gow