Orccon 1999 - Report

by Stefan Vincent
February 14, 1999

Multiplayer, Sealed Deck, booster draft

The Cast

Tim McCann,                                    drafting Ascended+?
Matt Widmann,                                  drafting Hand, Lotus, Jammers
Ray Clouse,       "Sealed With A (Butt) Kick," drafting ?
Randy Trepp,                                   drafting ?
Kris Baerman, newbie,                          drafting Architects and Dragons
Frank Bustamante, "The Hand of the Dragon,"    drafting ?
Stefan Vincent,   "The Exorcist,"              drafting Dragons and Lotus
Brandon Trepp,                                 drafting Architects+?
Mike Nickoloff,                                drafting Ascended and Hand

Everyone got a sealed Standard deck to start and mess with before the real fun began - drafting! We each got 4 Standard, 2 Netherworld, and 4 Flashpoint boosters and set about drafting these in alternating directions. Took about 1 hour to get our decks all set up in total, but it was fun once again. No Ting Tings, but Ray Clouse did get a Golden Gunman, Kris got a Little Jim, Mike got a King of the Thunder Pagoda and we saw a few miscellaneous fun cards like Bull Market, Dangerous Experiment, and Sacred Heart Hospital (the starters themselves pretty much sucked, with a few people getting the Standard-deck-screw with only 1 rare in the deck).

Round 1

First round sat randomly in groups of 3, as usual for sealed deck. I zipped off to a fast win at table 1 with an early grab of Mike's non-feng shui site powering me to a Dragon Fighter + Shotgun combo that nobody could deal with, leaving Mike and Ray tied for 2nd. At table 3, Kris fought his way past Frank and Brandon for the win, leaving them also tied for 2nd. At table 2, Matt's armada of White Disciples with a little help from Rigorous Discipline managed to carry the day, pretty much wiping Randy out in the process. Scores after round 1:

Stefan (1) 8      Matt  (1) 8     Kris    (1) 8
Mike N.    3.5    Tim M.    6     Brandon     4.5
Ray        3.5    Randy     2     Frank       4.5

Round 2

Second round sat by score, with the winners going to table 1 and the kiddies to table 3. Table 2 finished quickly, Brandon's Architects kicking in and taking over. Table 3 also finished quickly, with Mike getting revenge for his defeat by once again crushing Randy. Table 1 went the distance and ended with no real effect - none of the 3 decks had been able to get much of an advantage, and Kris' Neutron Bomb put a stop to any slow progress being made. 3-way tie for first place, each with four sites. Doh. Scores after round 2:

Matt   (1.5) 13     Brandon (1) 12.5     Mike N. (1) 11.5
Kris   (1.5) 13     Tim M.      11       Ray          9.5
Stefan (1.5) 13     Frank        7.5     Randy        6

Round 3

which left us in the odd position of repeating the game at table 1, and swapping a couple of folks at the  kiddie table. Table 1 wrapped up much more quickly this time, Matt's deck not ever really going anywhere (only one White Disciple, and him at the end) and Stefan not getting anyone of any size either meant that Kris and his well-timed Nerve Gas walked away with Matt's site for the win. Table 2 saw Mike continue his streak, this time crushing Tim from the board. Table 3, well, we were done with Tables 1 and 2 and the scores were such that no one at Table 3 had a chance, but they played on anyway with the eventual win by Frank. Scores after round 3:

Kris   (2.5) 21    Mike N. (2) 19.5      Frank (1) 15.5
Stefan (1.5) 19    Brandon (1) 18.5      Ray       14
Matt   (1.5) 16    Tim M.      12        Randy      9.5

Final

Final started even before Table 3 was done, with Matt ousted and Mike & Brandon stepping in for the four-player extravaganza. Carnage stared early, with Stefan exposing Brandon's Fortess of Shadow for 2 pts, and Mike following up with the Swat Team+Explosives for the early burn for power. Mike couldn't put up the overwhelming followup so the rest of us had a chance to catch up a bit, with Stefan and Mike building fairly good size power bases (2-3 non-feng shui sites each). With Mike looking big early, Brandon & Chris helped Stefan's attack, but the Everyday Zero in the Sports Car was no match for the Marsh. Doh. He did have a good time with his Mobility and Toughness speed-bumping any 1 Fight characters that chose to attack anywhere, and his true nature came out when Mike played a Swiss Banker. The EZ decided to cruise over and run him down, but Mike's Wandering Monk jumped in the way. Not afraid, the EZ revealed that he was, in fact, a Demon, courtesy of The Demon Within. The Monk was not impressed, however, since his Cry of the Forgotten Ancestor proved that the EZ was really The Demon Without, and sent him and his Sports Car crashing over a mountain in Zurich while the Swiss Banker steadily banked. Kris started steadily accumulating (and losing) sites, and when he put down the Neutron Bomb on his turn we thought it was over, but Mike's well-timed Covert Op revealed that he didn't actually have a hitter, so Mike tossed his Nerve Gas. With the anti-personnel weapons gone, Mike layed down a King of the Thunder Pagoda and grabbed one of Stefan's sites to put him at four. Kris promptly paid the 8 power on his turn and got himself a King and grabbed a site too, putting him at four. Brandon was rebuilding, and Stefan managed to sneak a Walking Dead stealth squad past Kris's defenses to knock him down to 3. Stefan, fearing a Shadowy Mentor to get the King back, hit Mike with an Inauspicious Reburial to remove all of his Ascended resources. Mike could not follow-up, but Kris could, laying down a site and going for the win, but his King was imprisoned by Brandon, returning to Mike's hand.
Stefan's Walking Dead and Friends of the Dragon were joined by another Dead and a Gnarled Marauder on his turn. Needing 2 sites for the win, he attacked Kris (the only one with two undefended feng shui sites in one column, with an exposed Stone Garden in the front) with one Dead, the Friends, and the Marauder. At the last minute the Marauder whipped out the Pump-Action Shotgun, taking the Garden and hitting the site behind for 6 points. With only 2 points remaining, the last Walking Dead walked on over and grabbed the site for the win, smashing Kris' up-to-then excellent run through the tournament. Congratulations to me! (although my "Exorcist" combo never did show up - Shamanistic Lieutenant + The Demon Within - the deck worked better than I thought it would. Shotguns rule!).

Stefan  1st
Mike N. 2nd
Brandon 3rd
Kris    4th

Last modified: March 5, 1999.
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