*** If anyone wants the detailed deck list below (excel format) with symbol, check, block, and difficulty breakdown please do not hesitate to contact me at [email protected]
Well, as you are probably aware this report is a bit past it’s time (i.e. it is Monday, May the 25th and I attended the Regional in Winnipeg on the weekend of the 17th-18th). The reason being, I intended to run the same deck (with slight changes) come Canadian Nationals on the weekend of the May the 22nd-24th. Please find my tourney report for the Canadian Nationals up shortly ^^
So a recap on what I hope will be the logs to come (money and time permitting):
log #4 : Toronto (Canadian nationals) late May
log #5 : Columbus (US nationals) June
log #6 : European nationals or equivalent – a possibility I attend???
log #7 : Gencon (Worlds)
The trip to Winnipeg was what it always is when you drive… Long, boring (sorry Saskatchewan), but enjoyable thanks mostly to the company I brought along.
Speaking of company they were the following:
Myself – ended up running Alex (seriously revised from PotM)
Sebastien – ended up running Chun-li
Mark – running his Felicia deck which I built for him, 100th rendition, we’ve been doing Felicia for almost a year now
Rob – ended up deciding to run my promo Blanka deck last minute after losing some faith in his Zei Mei and not awake enough Friday night to build a new deck or revise the Zei Mei.
Once we arrived in Winnipeg and I shook my fist at some of the local drivers, mostly in jest, we arrived at the hotel where Keycon was to be held. This is where things got hairy, **** downtown 10 story parking lots and my boat of a car!!! We finally found a parking spot and ventured into the hotel. Finding our way to the floors the event was being held at we bumped into the con-chair, Brian (aka Antigoth), and signed ourselves up for a weekend of fun (but mostly UFS). We went to the game ballroom and witnessed some seriously sick 10X6 Legacy games for which none of the 4 from Calgary had decks prepared (we didn’t know when we would arrive after the 13 hour drive and all).
We were lucky enough to get to stay at Brian’s house this weekend even though he was staying at the convention for the weekend. So, after walking around the convention, we headed to Brian’s, did some late night deck building, and passed out shortly thereafter.
The day of the regional arrived and, after waiting for the organizer to arrive and get everything sorted out, the 12 player regional hit the ground running. Here are the details of my deck:
Alex ***
Actions:
4 X Kung-fu Training
3 X Tag Along
= 7
Assets:
3 X Seal of Cessation
3 X Hidden Beastly Powers
2 X Olcadon’s Mentoring
1 X Pigeon Games
= 9
Attacks:
4 X Darkforce Mirage Body
4 X Kuzuryu-Reppa
3 X Monster Lariat
1 X Pommel Smash
1 X Ryu’s Shin Shoryuken
1 X Chikumurri Kurwwa
= 14
Foundations:
4 X Blood Runs True
4 X Antisocial
4 X Chester’s Backing
4 X Bitter Rivals
4 X Saikyo-ryo
4 X Controller of Souls
4 X Fight or Flight
3 X Lord of the Makai
3 X Prominent Noblewoman
3 X Deadly Ground
3 X Researching the Past
3 X Whirlwind
2 X Genius Alchemist
2 X Abellia’s Friendship
2 X Visions of Destiny
2 X Father’s Tragedy
= 51
Total card count = 7+9+14+51 = 81
Comments on the deck: Good size for all the draw I had. Deck’s stars are obviously Kuzuryu-Reppa after Darforce + Genius/Whirlwind to clear to continually drop foundations, attack, drop foundations, attack, etc.
As for not using Turn it On, I will reiterate, that was in my first build a very long time ago. Deadly Ground, Monster Lariat, among other things is so much more efficient draw.
Sideboard: I only ever used 2 cards from the sideboard, 1 being a second pommel smash (vs. Chun-li) and the other being a 4th Tag Along (vs. Dhalsim and Chun-li).
Even though I went undefeated the deck does have some weaknesses and they were somewhat addressed in the next build for Canadian Nationals.
The weaknesses are: No answer to control Hack short of generics (aka Skull and Chester’s) – No answer for committal effects, again short of the generics. No answer for taking damage (i.e. no answer to throws and ‘if this deals damage effects’). There are other weaknesses, but the ones listed are the primary ones.
The strengths are: Draw and build speed (as long as I don’t hit the 1s), ability to kill turn 2 or 3 if given. Damage potential and multiple kill conditions, etc.
On to the matches!!!
Match 1, I get paired up against Brian (Antigoth), my host and con-chair, and I quickly realize I am in for some All My Base Loop nastiness.
Lucky for me I played against this deck (his Dhalsim) at PotM in a friendly running Mark’s Leona deck (built by me) and knew how to win against it. Unlucky for me, winning against it meant throwing a zillion damage on it turn 3-4 through enhance negation galore or fall prey to a certain mill. i.e. my deck had no standard answers to this mill loop. I didn’t have revenants, I didn’t have spinta, I only had 2 Olcadon’s in 81 cards, etc.
So, game 1 goes to Brian, albeit barely (I failed my final check to play Ryu’s Shin Sho on my kill turn by checking a pommel smash). Note that the kill turn is extremely well defined against the base loop deck, simply because the turn before it kills you it must give all of your checks +1 with multi-hobbyist.
I was slightly dejected after the game 1 loss but knew that I could win if I set up similarly and smacked as hard as I could on the turn I knew I needed to. In game 2 I dedicate all of my resources to setting up as fast as I can and holding on to as many attacks as I can. After the 3rd turn Brian has all of his pieces and activates Multi-Hobbyist on for my 4th turn of the game. I had a Darkforce and 2 Kuzuryus (and Deadly Grounds) which allowed me to draw into even more attacks (another Darkforce) and I manage to kill him.
Game 3 he again sets up by turn 3 and activates at the beginning of my turn 4. I didn’t have as much out, and I didn’t have as many attacks saved as I had wanted to, but my combo of the Darkforce allowed me to eek out enough damage to win. This was easily the most tense game for me of the tourney but I managed to pull through and get the match 1 win.
1-0-0
Match 2, I am paired up against Fozzy and his promo Shadowar witch deck prime with 4 of the embraces off of evil.
In game 1 I don’t get the pieces to go off and on turn 3, having slightly out built me he tosses 20 damage at me, I think I ended up taking 10 or so. My next turn I toss Darkforce and deal 20 damage to him but my combo doesn’t draw into enough attacks and instead I set up loads of foundations. He uses my Darkforce and sets up a bit and throws another 20 damage at me, I again take roughly 10. My turn, still under the effect of Darkforce there is really no questions asked and I finish his life off.
In game 2, I take much more control of the board and kill him turn 4 or so without much trouble.
2-0-0
Match 3, I am paired up against Sebastien and his Chun-li.
Needless to say, I am expecting a tough match and Sebastien gave it to me. Finding weird and wacky ways to deal with Chun-lis R: coupled with me being able to out build Chun-li early with good checks and draws led to a victory in game 1 after 5 or 6 turns of build and counter build, a few spikes, blocks, and other dangerous events.
After siding in one more Pommel in game 2, I don’t get out to as good as a start, and I am behind the 8 ball. I take some spintas and like it, and go off with Mirage after a pommel with 5 foundations, needless to say I killed him that turn after getting nice draws into more foundations and more attacks.
3-0-0
Match 4, I am paired up against one of the other decks I built, Mark’s Felicia, also undefeated at 3-0-0.
I start off by offering up a tie with Mark so I can watch other matches and get something to drink. Nope, he wants to finish first and kill me. That’s my friend Mark, always wanting to do his very best!!!
Game 1 goes my way but I make a huge play mistake. I try to kill him with a Darkforce turn, saikyo-ryuing the willful instead of the Power of the Light card, knowing that if I don’t kill him he will use my own Darkforce magic with 30+ cards on his next turn. Yeah, I leave him at like 4 life not drawing into the attack I wanted with deadly ground and he absolutely wallops me with 30 card draw and Felicia’s card pool clearing.
Game 2 I play smart and kill him in routine style with the combo and certain death in my hand (i.e. Darkforce and Kuzuryu-Reppa).
Game 3 I play smart again and kill him again on a Darkforce turn.
4-0-0
I go Swiss Champ and get first choice of a very nice Chaos life counter (my fav symbol).
I get to face my nemesis in the first round of top 8. That being the crazy kid who actually thinks Nakoruru is a good character = yuck!!!
Incensed with anger seeing he is running a Rera lockdown deck with Spinta and Spiral Arrow as an attack base I kill him very very very badly and very very very quickly. Albeit he checked poorly and tried to lock my committed board down 2nd turn with Arrow… yeah I blocked it.
5-0-0
With lots of time to spare I go watch the 4/5 game knowing I would play the winner. It is my Blanka run by Rob against the Chun-li run by Sebastien. The Blanka finds a way to win against Chun-li which doesn’t surprise me that much, it has a zillion ways to commit her out.
So, I get to face my own deck (Blanka as Death Chaos) in top 4. Now let’s get one thing straight here, I had been practicing with the Blanka for the last 2 weeks trying to make it as my Canadian Nationals deck, and I wasn’t super pleased that Rob wanted to use it in Winnipeg. I wasn’t that surprised he managed to pull off enough wins to top 4 with it. All this said, I know my Alex can take it if I play things right.
I do play things right, and win 2 straight games without a whole ton of effort.
6-0-0
I find out that the other semi-final has gone to game 3, Mark and Felicia killing Brian’s mill deck once and taking it on turn 3 the game after. In game3 though Brian gets enough enhance negation out and Mark can’t kill the base loop on the turn before it goes off. I am kind of surprised; the Felicia had a lot of answers to base loop, and a better ‘agro’ answer to killing it before it got to loop.
Please note the final is on tape and will be utubed or linked soon I imagine.
Anyways, I get to rematch the tense battle with a loop deck. I find out that Brian wants to win very badly to prove to the UFS world that base loop can win a regional and disprove it’s antagonists. So… first game I set up like I know I have to. I make sure at the end and during my turn that Brian can’t kill me. This is actually impossible for me to say for certain. Why? Because if he draws into the last combo piece he can drop it with Dhalsim. If he checks the lat combo piece he can Billiard it in and form away. In this case the last combo piece was air base, he hadn’t drawn into it, nor had he checked it after 3 turns. He also forgot to go off with multi-hobbyist one of the turns (which he does without the full combo so that if he draws it he can do exactly what I described above). I take a huge risk and do not try to kill him hoping that he doesn’t’ draw air force base or check it (I had tag along so if he drew it I could stop the Dhalsim, and I had Chester’s and confidence in my response negation to stop the Billiard). He doesn’t draw or check air base and I get another free turn, I do kill him the next turn and take game 1.
After losing what was the 3rd straight game against my Alex (2 from round 1 in the tourney) he decides I am too fast to loop and he sides into his other kill condition hoping to kill me turn 1… Hanzo loop kick (all of his checks are 4 except for the kicks). He also sides in bitter rivals. Anyways, I look at hanzo, hold onto multi zone blocks and block 3+ kicks, killing him turn 4 with my Alex.
7-0-0 and I win a regional = yeeha!!!
The next day we play a common grounds tourney which I win as well, using a void/fire Akuma deck.
I walked away with A HELL OF A LOT OF PRIZE SUPPORT including the huge-ass regional poster thingummy and the Psycho Style art print.
Props:
- Brian for housing us and for making me sweat bullets with his mill or kill deck
- All of the Winnipegans who played in the Regional (except for the Nako lover, I refuse to give him props of any sort ^^)
- Fine, I’ll admit I always have a great time playing against and with ‘him’ – next time run the set Nako off WATER dammit!!!
- Me, not for winning the regionals and breaking a swiss curse, but for going 7 and 0 in the pushing matches I had with Mark and Rob later that night!!! two 7 and 0s in one day is super good times.
- Not getting anything stolen off my person in Winnipeg, honestly, this is a first in the last 4 trips
- 3 of the 4 decks I built top 4’ing in a regional, I love to build decks as anyone who knows me knows and I’m glad Mark could see the strength the Felicia had, and that Rob honored me by wanting to run Blanka, thank you.
- The BP waitress who, although only a 6 in my books (apparently a 8-10 for the others) gave us a good time and always brought the dip
Slops:
- ummm, the stupid hotel Parking Lot
- Nako
- Nako
- Nako
- Nako
- Rera
Thank you for reading and definitely check out my Canadian Nationals log, dut’s #4 for 2009