After attending East Nats the previous week, I debated on going to another tournament so soon after. Part of it was trying to be fair to my wife and kid, and part of it was I wanted to play different decks but did not have time to construct new ones. In the end, I decided to go and throw together a new DS deck but went with same LS deck that I played at East Nats.

Some of the cards I wanted to use for my DS, I did not own, so I tried to work out borrowing some cards the day before (at least work it out so they would arrive at GA states and I could finish putting my deck together before we start). Upon arriving, the person I was to borrow them from was not there and we were getting ready to start pairings, so it was a good thing I brought a backup deck for my DS (Death March). This meant that I would need to fill out a new decklist.

Swiss format (with Strength of Schedule)

Game 1: My WYS vs. Caleb’s CPIv

As soon as I saw this matchup, I new how strong CPIv was and how good of a player Caleb was, but since I was to determined to have fun (instead of overly competitive like normal), we proceed. He starts off doing normal CPIv stuff and I start setting up on Tatooine. After he blows away Alderaan, he deploys Maul With Saber and Myn Kyneugh v to the Death Star docking bay, I do not engage him until he transits Maul and Myn to one of my docking bays (after putting Sidious at the D*DB) where they get removed to attrition. The majority of the game I am able to deal a few damage a turn, but he retrieves it back through force draining and deploying star destroyers. In the end, I lose by 29 while he has nothing in his lost pile. One of the great things about Caleb is he is willing to give advice to help improve your game. He told me what I should have done differently which greatly helped me in my 5th game.

FL: 0(-29)

Running Total: 0(-29) (differential was recorded in spite of the fact that SoS was used)

During my first game the guy I was to borrow cards from, shows up, and I am able to complete my DS deck in time to play with it. I’m just sorry he got lost having travelled so far to get there.

Game 2: My ISB Big Blue vs Graham’s Profit

I really enjoy playing this guy and I have seen his deck before (I played against it at another tournament). I start of by getting Merrejk to Coruscant: Docking Bay and putting him undercover.  Merrejk pulls a system, and it’s Graham’s turn. He deploys Obi and his saber to the Audience Chamber freeing Han. On my next turn, I deploy another undercover spy to the Audience Chamber to block the drain. He plays Sorry About The Mess combo to remove my undercover spy by misses (he draws a 0 and a 1) and I grab his interrupt. Early on I am able to verify his deck and I see absolutely zero space, so unless he already has Home One in hand, I should do find in space. I deploy A Dreadnaught with a pilot to three systems and begin draining for 6 a turn while all of his ground drains are negated with undercover spies and he has 3 damage going a turn through his objective and Padame v. Somewhere along the line he drops Corran Horn and I kill him with Neval Yalnal. What allowed Graham to win is that he found Orrimaarko and a A280 Sharpshooter rifle and was able to shoot my spies during his control phase. He almost found him too late as he only won by five.

FL: 0(-5)

Running Total: 0(-34)

Game 3: My ISB Big Blue vs John Y’s TiGiH

I get set up like normal over the first few turn and am able to put an uncervocer spy down at Luke’s site. He begins to setup twix’s and the Battle Plains with mains and sabers. I am able to put 3 undercover spies down and I am able to cancel Sorry About The Mess combo with Cease Fire!. Somewhere along the line, I was able to verify his deck and again, I saw no space. I begin setting up in space and drain for a win. He was getting a drain of 1 off a turn, but I was retrieving it back with Thrawn v or my obj. I could tell the game was not very much fun for him, but it this point, what can I do?

FW: +2(+19)

Running Total: +2(+19)

Game 4: My WYS vs John Y’s Hoth CRv

He starts setting up on Hoth and by turn 2 or 3 has 2 Cyclone walkers and Veers at markers 3 and 5. He deploys Boba Fett In ship and Dengar In ship to Hoth system. In the mean time I set up at Tatooine system. Once he moves his walkers to Echo Docking Bay so he can deploy Rebel Base Occupation on his next turn, I drop a Patrol Craft, Palace Raider and 2 other smugglers to the DB and initiate a battle. He responds by playing Outflank v and the battle results in me losing a character (which I retort) and he losses Veers and a Cyclone walker. He eventually gets Rebel Base Occupation going and keeps putting walkers down. I keep the pressure on by invading Hoth and moving to Hoth system from Tatooine and Kessel. He has no choice but to abandon Hoth system (canceling Occupation). I’m draining at his locations and at Kessel. We play cat-and-mouse by me moving to block a drain and him running away. He gets Zuckuss In Mist Hunter and Bossk In Bus out and I win through draining on the ground. This was a much more enjoyable game for both of us.

FW: +2(+16)

Running Total: +4(+1)

Game 5: My WYS vs Jeremy’s CPIv

Probably my most enjoyable game of the day. Going into it, wouldn’t have thought so because of how miserably I lost against this matchup in my first game. He starts out doing the normal CPIv thing by moving a parsec and downloading stuff. During my first three turns, I start deploying in mass to Tatooine system. After he blows away Alderaan, he deploys Tarkin Doctrine to the Death Star system, Expand The Empire to the core, and gets a Star Destroyer to Alderaan. During my turn, I move Outrider (with Dash) to Alderaan, Booster in Pulsar Skate and Wedge to Death Star (canceling Tarkin Doctrine), and leave BoShek in his freighter at Tatooine. If I was going to get beatdown, I would have expected it at Alderaan on his next turn, but he instead drops U-3PO to a docking bay to block a drain and Maul With Saber to the Cantina (where I project on my next turn). For basically the rest of the game we fight over Alderaan. We both have retrieval and after I burn through Imperial Justice v, he starts having to lose his good stuff while I keep putting high forfeit characters down as fodder. One turn I draw a 6 for battle destiny and I am able to track and draw it 3 more times (twice for BD and once for On The Edge). The game goes to time, and in the end, he only had about 5 cards left, so if I have had one more turn, it would have been a full win.

TW: +1(+29)

Running Total: +5(+30)

Game 6: My ISB Big Blue vs Eric’s Farming

This game went like my other games with the exception that Eric has some space. He sets up at the farm (with R2, Subversive, a Firextinguisher, Owen v) and I setup undercover spies and some space. He gets Corran Horn down and I kill him with Nevar Yalnal (he could have used R2 to make me fail but forgot). He eventually gets some ships out (Home 1 and Tantive IV v) and uses Savrip to forfeit from hand instead of at systems. We end up playing cat-and-mouse in space and are only doing 2-3 damage a turn to each other. The game goes to time and I have 2 more cards in my life force than he does.

TW: +1(+15)

Running Total: +6(+45)

I ended up placing 9th out of 19 (a very good turn out) and went 4-2. We do some prize support and I have to leave because I have a 2 hour drive ahead of me and it is already past 8 o’clock. Otherwise, I would have enjoyed participating in the cube draft to follow.