I've played in six store championships in the past two months or so throughout the Atlanta area. Here's my writeups on all of them, hopefully complete with how the rounds went:
Store Championship 1: Tyche's Games (Athens) Don't remember the date (G_G so long ago!)
I ran Gabe and NBN:TWIY*. I can probably conjure the decklists, but Gabe was your standard "run by the seat of your pants" Gabe with Siphons/Indexing/Same Old Thing. The TWIY* deck ran 2 Biotics and was purely based on Fast Advance. Mala Tempora was out for this tournament, but I didn't run the Knight Gabe deck, because I didn't feel too confident running it with not much play experience. Both of these decks were a lot like the ones running bear (on BGG) was playing around the same time on stream.
Round 1: vs. Michael (Kate/Weyland)
My corp game involved him setting up quicker than I could draw agendas. And his deck (which revolves around having a trillion recurring credits to use for a run) murders most decks when set up well.
The runner game involved me being afraid that he switched back to a Scorched build (he'd been doing a glacier deck the past few weeks). I dropped a Plascrete early against him and then realized, nope, he was still playing glacier style. I think I hit an Indexing or two to find the points.
1-1
Round 2: vs. Gabriel (Sorry Gabe don't remember what you were running!)
Don't remember these games very well. I feel they were relatively close but I get by winning both.
3-1
Round 3: vs. Pacer (Jinteki
E/Chaos Theory)
Another guy who came over from Atlanta that I have a good bit experience playing against both his decks.
For the corp game I just do my FA thing and block archives early (IIRC) to prevent him from Retrieval Running his Femmes/Torch onto the field. Astroscript gets me the win (naturally...)
For the runner game he starts doing the advance in the open thing. I probably should've been more aggresive in the early game, but that's also hindsight talking. Afraid of his Cerebrals, I let him score two Nisei's early, and that pretty much seals my fate right there.
4-2
Round 4: vs. Andrew (NBN:MN/Gabe(?))
I don't remember much about these games. Knowing how my record turned out I know that I won as corp and lost as runner.
5-3
Round 5: vs. Wes (NBN:MN/Chaos Theory)
I remember this round very well. First game I run. I know that we both get to six points at one point. He's got an Astro token and a rezzed SanSan that I just cannot spend the time to trash. For about five or six turns, we're analyzing the board state quite frequently, counting every credit, etc. etc. I know that I cannot let him draw into an agenda or it's game over for me, so I'm trying to run R&D but no multi-access outside of Indexing really hurts. He eventually gets a Jackson on the table and starts drawing the first click of his turn and doing other things (I know helping ice R&D was one of them) with his other two clicks. I'm hitting HQ once a turn as it's virtually free for me with Gabe and trying to set myself up to Indexing him. The turn before I do the Indexing turn I hit his hand (because I didn't need that extra click to get ready to Index). I see one of five cards and turn over the Character Assassination. I'm slowly running through the fact that he HAD to have drawn that agenda with Jackson and I had only a 20% shot of pulling it from his hand. Basically, everything that had to go right went right for me in that last turn.
At this point, I know winning my next game will more than likely get me top 4 as a lot of splits have happened. REgardless, I have perfect weak side wins if I lose, so hopefully that gets me there.
The second game begins. He's playing Chaos Theory. Early on he Test Runs a Femme for my HQ ice. This is back when I was young, naive, and not thinking everyone was running Siphons. Needless to say, I get Siphoned in the face and try and make a game of it, but lose terribly.
6-4
The top 4 is called out, and sadly my strength of schedule is only enough to get me in a three way tie for fifth. Luckily, the TO liked the Virtruvius playmat from Season 3, so I traded for the TO playmat. Being so close to top 4 I still feel like I earned it.
Store Championship 2: The Raven's Nest (Marietta)
With a psuedo-mat in hand, I decide to try and play a different set of decks in Noise and HB:ETF. My HB deck ran 2 Priority Req's in order to fit in enough non-agenda cards to make me happy. These will come back and bite me. I don't remember much about the Noise deck other then the fact that I used the fixed breakers and had an Atman or two to try and deal with the bigger ice. Also, Fear and Loathing came out in this pack as second place (Michael from the first round of last tournament) was playing Blackguard Andromeda and GRNDL.
Round 1: vs. John (Jinteki
E/Some runner)
I think I ran first. Power Shutdown dumpsters my Corroder (you'll read this again in this report). At some point, he Celebrity Gifts me the knowledge that he has two Punitives in hand. At some point, I decide to last click run his archives because, you know, that's wise and all against a Jinteki deck. He hands me a Priority Req and murders me the next turn.
I don't remember much about my Corp game. Except Priority Requsition gets stolen(?) I don't even remember if I win or lose this game.
0?-2?
Round 2: vs. David? (?/?)
Don't remember these games at all, sadly.
Round 3: vs. Lionel (Weyland/Gabe)
I know that as Corp I get Siphoned five times and lose terribly. I know as Runner I have my Corroder Power Shutdowned and have to face check Archers at time to try and keep pace. Yeah, i get blown out here!
Round 4: vs. Robyn? (?/?)
I might have actually played her husband, which goes to show how much I remember about this tournament, LOL. I just know Priority Requsition gets stolen (like usual). Luckily, I don't remember Corroder getting Shutdowned, which I guess is something.
I don't even remember my record, I might have won 2 or 3 games here. The Noise deck wasn't great but I eventually cut some fat from the HB deck to run it a few more times (and cut the 3 pointers!)
Store Championship 3: The Tower (Suwannee)
This was the beginning of a double-header weekend. At both events, I went back to my TWIY* Biotic deck (but who needs Wraparound?! [not that I thought it would've done me any good!]) and ran an Opus Andromeda deck (basically Aaron Andries top four decklist from World's except Lemuria Codecracker instead of Infiltration [I was done having Corroder die to Power Shutdown!!!]).
Round 1: vs. Mark (NBN/Gabe)
Mark won the first store championship in Athens, and top foured the Marietta store championship, so I know he's a good player (I think he also won a regionals last year, but I was't playing at that point!)
In the game I run, I hit two early Neural Katanas (completely unexpected spash!). I don't remember losing too many vital cards. Eventually my rig is set up. He installs a card behind an unknown ice/Tollbooth server. I take money and run it. He rezzes an Archer. I do the math and figure I can access the card if I give him the two credits. I do it, and he has an Astro in the remote for me to win.
The corp game I know he get's a terrible draw and I'm not pressured at all and can ride my way to the win.
2-0, and feeling good that I beat such a great player (you'll read this again... Oh delusions of grandeur...)
Round 2: vs. John (Jinteki:RP/?)
I run game one. I know that he's got an uber scoring server setting up but I steal six points. He gets some Sundews going with Encryption Protocols as protection. However, I get greedy, being at six points and all, and let him keep the Sundews going. He has Tsurugui protecting R&D, and that quickly becomes a problem as my Killer is Ninja
. Eventually, he's got like five points. I hit R&D and have one credit left. Of course I see an agenda whose name is Fetal AI
. The elation of thinking I've won... to the realization that he's probably got the game. I think next turn after he install-advance-advances in the Ash/Hokusai/crazy ice remote I try and give myself a chance in R&D again but whiff, and he scores like a Nisei next turn (to make sure I didn't steal the agenda from hand).
He runs something and beats me soundly in the second game.
2-2.
Round 3: vs. David (?/?)
Sadly, I don't remember much from these games other than that they both are relative close. Luckily I take both to give myself a shot at top 4.
4-2
Round 4: vs. Kevin (NBN/Reina)
I run first. He scores three Astros. What do...
I corp second. I'm always poor because Reina is a succubus.
4-4
Oh well, still a relatively strong showing beating some good players and learning to always trash economy.
Store Championship 4: FCB (Alpharetta)
Still running Opus Andromeda and TWIY*
Round 1: vs. Wes (NBN/Chaos Theory)
Since playing in the last round of Athens he ended up winning the one in Marietta. So naturally, I start my tournament paired with a really strong player
.
I think I start by Corping. I see all 3 Eli 1.0's in the first few turns. For somebody who uses all of their influence on Siphons and Femmes, this becomes problematic as Snowball just isn't cutting it. This amazing luck let's me power through the victory (that and the knowledge that he's running Siphon!).
I don't remember much about my runner game. Probably just run super hot and steal all of the agendas. Plus, Opus don't care about Closed Accounts!
2-0, hey look I beat a really great player! This totally isn't going to be like yesterday...
Round 2: vs. Michael (GRNDL/Kate)
Same Michael as first round in Athens, same Michael who second placed in Marietta. I know he wants to kill me, and I know he wants his recurring credits.
I don't remember the order, but as Corp he cannot draw his economy and just can't outpace my TWIY* deck. As runner I can't find an Opus and he just outpaces me with the threat of my death.
3-1, another great player down and I'm fine with a split!
Round 3: vs. Jeff (HB:ETF/Chaos Theory)
I think I run first. I'm so much happier that I'm playing Opus Andy against the big Ice with threat of fast advance. I know he scores a Gila Hands early and that card just does work the rest of the game. I know at some point I need to shutdown an ice on his remote and so I Siphon him to try and save myself some credits (I still lose credits Siphoning him, but instead of losing fourteen I'm only losing four). Unfortunately, he's sitting at five points at some point so I have to run anything he puts in his remote and he knows it. Exploitation of this fact ends with me losing.
As Corp I ice R&D and HQ and then Hedge Fund. I have a Restructure in hand, so when he hits R&D I don't rez the Eli to try and gamble on getting a better Econ. Of course, this gamble isn't so sure, and he ends up peeling a Beale and an Astro off the top of R&D. Now five credits is puny and I get Siphoned a lot.
3-3
Round 4: vs. Robyn (Jinteki
E/Gabe)
I run first. I hit R&D with two R&D Interfaces at one point (because, YOLO). I see a Neural EMP at some point. The turn before she draws it I (very smartly) last click run a remote, eat a Fetal and Hokusai grid (don't steal the Fetal) and go down to no cards in hand. Then I remember she's drawing Neural EMP.
(After the tournament, Mark (from the first round of last tournament and winner of Athens) asked me what I learned. I had forgotten about the end to this game, so I just told him I know I learned something, I just didn't remember it. Well, it turns out I learned what I always knew, don't run last click...)
As Corp I get agenda flooded. And Gabe does what Gabe does best.
3-5
Round 5: vs. Dirk (Weyland/Kit)
I corp first (I think). Astro train (Choo-choo!) wins me the game. It's further helped by the fact that poor Kit lost her Torch to a Rototurret
.
I run second. At some point, I think he's only got three ice on the board, they're all Archers, and they're all rezzed. Yeah. No dogs show up for me to derez the Archers and Corporate Troubleshooter murders me.
4-6
Store Championship 5: Wasteland Gaming (Duluth)
I'm running the much fixed version of my HB:ETF deck. It runs Biotics, one SanSan, and some Haas Arcology AI. I used to run it as glacier as possible, but I've slowly lowered the cost of the ice to try and prevent myself from getting dumpstered by early Siphons. I had been experimenting with a Whizzard Nerve Agent/Demo Run deck, but couldn't make it consistent enough. I eventually went with a Kate deck that ran basic breakers, Cryspies, Opus, and splashed Shutdowns to try and prevent big ice from stopping me. HQ and R&D Interfaces to make my runs more efficient. This is the first tournament that Double Time was legal for. Nobody complained about Caprice by the end of the day...
Round 1: vs. Josh(?) (Jinteki
E/Chaos Theory)
I think he corps first. I have to dig for breakers early, which really sucks against Jinteki (no Levy's...) Eventually I find my Ninja and go to town running everywhere. He has Shutdown all of my Clone Chips and Akamatsu Mem Chips (YOU'LL NOT GET THE CORRODER YOU FIEND!) but he's finally run out of Power Shutdown steam and I eventually find the agendas I need with four cards in hand and none in the deck.
I corp and score a Gila Hands early and ride it out from there.
2-0
Round 2: vs. Ahmed (NBN:TWIY*/Andromeda)
To think, I gave this guy my NBN:TWIY* deck before we went to Athens and he makes top four after modifying it slightly (T_T). Oh well. I think he corps first and I can't find a breaker or tutor to save my life and lose badly.
He runs and does his pesky Andromeda things that keep me down and out
2-2
Round 3: vs. Wes (HB:ETF/Gabe)
He's not playing Chaos Theory! He's still running Siphon
. He runs and scores my Efficiency Committees (why am I not running NAPD, I'm so bad at this game!) and does other Gabey things to seal the deal.
This game as Kate I find the breakers but not the economy (it's what I get for building the deck the night before!) He scores seven points before I can get completely set up.
2-4
Round 4: vs. Colby (?/Noise)
I remember losing badly. No money as corp. Don't remember the runner game. Got beat soundily.
2-6
After this tournament a handful of guys who wanted to go to SC
conned convinced me to go to SC with them. (Ahmed, Wes, and Cory). I decide to go and drive us the hour and a half to the tournament. The time in the car feels quick as we just debate deck ideas and the like.
Store Championship 6: Planet Comics (Anderson, SC)
I'm (and Ahmed and Wes) are playing NBN:TWIY* with Biotic and Andromeda. Wes's Andromeda has an... interesting splash. Ahmed's finally convinced to include Same Old Thing's... and mine is Siphon-less (LOL I'M BAD), with Compromised Employees.
Round 1: vs. Wes (NBN:TWIY*/Andromeda)
I think I corp first. I find money and some decent ice. He Siphons me and Data Leaks. I want money so take it this turn instead of dealing with the Data Leak. He mills four more cards. I now kill the Data Leak after a Hedge Fund. His mills got four points, but NAPD is one (Beale the other), so he actually has to run archives twice to get all four points. Eventually I get a SanSan rezzed and Astro's and Beales get me there.
I run next. Hit a Data Raven early on HQ. Decide to go tag me (even though I'm not playing Siphon LOL). Don't think he ever even had any agendas in HQ. Tunnel visioned too hard
. To be fair, though. If I had Siphon, I probably would've dug more to find the Siphon, and his Sweeps would've been better than a "pay 1 gain 3" card.
1-1
Round 2: vs. David (Weyland/Chaos Theory)
I'd actually met David once before, as he's a friend of a friend. I know he's only recently started playing.
He corps first. I think I have to mulligan and get a hand with no Plascretes. Eh, whatever, I'll try and out-money a Weyland while digging for one. I'm not really sure what happens, I just get a Kati out early and she alone powers me there. Also, Compromised Employees actually prove their worth, giving me that psuedo-link to help me out-money the corp. I find a Plascrete eventually, run R&D on third click (with aim to drop Plascrete on the fourth), but find the winning agenda instead.
He runs. I think Wraparound does an amazing amount of work as he can't quite find his fracter. SanSan and Astro's get me there (again). The final agenda I hide behind a Pop-up when he has no credits and I advance it once. He runs it with three credits, I show him the NAPD contract and score it next turn.
3-1
Round 3: vs. Ahmed (NBN:TWIY*/Andromeda)
I run first. Can my Comprimised Employees please be Siphons? They're just far too slow against this deck.
In the corp game he mulligans, (which I later find out is into triple Plascrete, two Faeries, two Suckers, and like two Dirty Laundries?, regardless, it's terrible) and I have the nuts, basically. All my agendas and Biotics and economy come in the right order. A single Enigma keeps him out of R&D and I just ride my billion credits to a victory.
4-2
Round 4: vs. ? (sorry, I forgot your name
) (Jinteki:RP/Chaos Theory)
I start by running. Think I get a Faerie early. Second turn he installs a remote, installs an ice protecting it, and takes a credit. I know he's friends with David and hasn't been playing long either, so I think maybe he's forgotten about Inside Job. I hit Archives, and Inside Job the remote. It's an Edge of World...
. OK, time to try and win this with a brain damage (thank goodness it's only one!). I think I grab a Fetal and a Nisei out of R&D (the Nisei when I naturally have only one credit, because I am the luckiest MOFO alive!) Eventually he gets a Heimdall 1 on R&D that's too expensive for me to break. I hit HQ to Shutdown the Heimdall (and at least force him to rez it again) and nab a Nisei from HQ (turns out the rest of his hand was two ice, Snare!, and Shock... again, I'm a lucky man!). He has four points at this point, and install advance-advances a remote. I know I have to get the winning agenda here, especially because I'm reasonably certain it's a three pointer, and I have six cards left in my deck. I take Kati money, drop a second R&D Interface, break his Heimdall, go through his Pop-up, and top deck a three pointer. WHEW
He then runs, and scores two Astro's in the first five turns.
. One turn he goes down to zero installing a Professional Contacts and clicks it once. I Biotic out a Breaking News and kill the Professional Contacts. Eventually I get a SanSan up and running with the room I created with the Breaking News play and score out Two Beales. Eventually he gets the SanSan off the table but I find an Astro and another Biotic to find the win.
6-2
It turns out the store had to close at 7 (Bible Belt on a Sunday, and all...) so it was just four rounds of swiss. I gave Ahmed his only loss and nabbed second place. Good to know that I legitematelly earned a mat. I also got the kick-ass alt art Kate deck box
.
Also, I'm pretty glad that we didn't have elimination as I think I would'nt have made top two without Siphon in my deck.
The four of us who came up from Atlanta (although Wes is technically from Tuscaloosa... but I consider him an Atlantan after he came to all of the store championships!) finished first, second, third, and fifth. The guy who made fifth (Cory) probably could've nabbed fourth if one of his games wasn't a true draw that he would've eventually nabbed. All in all, a good showing for us
EPT
