We decided to run this as a Legacy Multiplayer event (~i think our NW just wanted to trot out his legacy decks after spending time making a couple of them).
I did not have a legacy deck (i only really have cards from ITE onwards and had some winter cards) I went on to Tzumainn and started putting a deck together that kpmcoy was kind enough to physically put together for me. I had a lot of locations becuase i liek warships too much, so i added promo kings landing (thanks darthjeff) and used building order or benjens' chach to geth that or king balon's command and had some pretty good draw going. While the unopposed tech was inlcuded, I also put annoying tech in there (cancel, mill, foothold on the shore, power disruption) to slow the game down if i needed to. http://tzumainn.com/agot/decks/deck.php?current_deck_id=15798
We had 8 people show up and were pushing the monsteroclopse players into a corner of the playing area (we also were teaching the game to an interested customer ofhe store before the tourney and started a little late). Of the 8 we had the 4 regulars, 1 new regular, 1 new player, 1 old player/regular gamer at the store, and 1 returning player.
House and order of finish:
1 - Martell - The only game that matters
2 - GreyJoy - The only game that matters
3 - Stark - War of the 5 Kings
4 - Martell
5 - Targ - Defenders of the North
6 - Bara - Knights
7 - Lanni - Knights (the current world champ 'classic highlander' deck, being played by one of our new players so he had to learn all the old cardds while playing them)
8 - Targ
There were 2 tables of 4 and the gods of randomness put mostly the more experienced players at the one table and mostly the new/returning players at the other.
Round 1 Table 1 = was DarthJeff, Kpmcoy, our old school Targ player, and me. I had what was a slow start, but using judicous use of the only game that matters i was usually able to win an unoposed challenge against whomever i opposed (via tittles) to get 2-4 power a turn. I was quickly in the lead and and the 3rd plot gout out king balon's host along side a balons retainer (all opponets need 2 additonal power to win the game and the host takes away stealth deadly rewnown, etc.) So my annoying mode was in full swing. After a missed outfox, Winter came in plot 4. I was not upset at losing my host as he managed to take a CBK dragon out as he had the CBK removed when winter hit. What was annoying was the promo Eryie hitting the table which made me (and darthjeff and kpmcoy) need an adittional 10 power so i needed another 15 power at that point (i was at ten). I slowly started to rebuild my board (slopwed down even more by a surprise valar right after winter) and just grabbed a few power here and there i was at 14 power (11 away...sigh) and the battle for second place really started to heat up between Darthjeff and Kpmcoy. Kpmcoy was running the defnders deck and becuase of making sure he had doomed cards to fuel defenders early and having to kill a couple doomed characters he was sitting at four doomed for a couple of turns (sadly negating his massing at twilight in his hand). Darthjeff was able to watch the heavens in the draw phase of round 7 (I had my all-out strike ready and was going to try to whittle the 11 down to like 5-6) and he watched the heavens open up and an ITE Iron Throne rain down. This ws import as Kpmcoy had a doomed location on the table. Pop, Doomed, me 1st DarthJeff second.
MVP = The only game that matters. It really allowed me to make my own holes where and when i needed them and had one of the players afraid to use it to not give me power. Coupled with the tittles I was able to get through some challenges I had no rights making.
Round 1 Table 2 = consisted of our new and returning players with one of the regulars. it was bara knights, stark war of the 5 kings, martell, and lanni knights. I didn't see a lot of this, but it looked like the bara knights player did a good job even while being out knighted by the lanni player (which made him get beat up on a little as the other players were afraid of his draw power). Stark was able to tread water at a solid amont of power and Martell come over the top of the bara player t the end for the win.
Final Table = Was DarthJeff, stark, martell, and me. I had a disgusting 6 card flop and balon out after turn 1 marshalling. I had about 5-6 power at the end of turn one. ITE robb was on the board. I knelt him with the only (it was looking like a quick game as i had longship silence in my hand). In turn two I did not drop the silence and this turned into the right move as an ITE red viper made his way onto the board. I thought ITE Robb in a war of the 5 kings deck was the bigger threat (he had 5 power at the end of his challenge phase, all gained this turn) but i was apparently wrong and my balon was assainted. I had played a gormound goodbrother that turn and it was a prescient move as turn 3 plot from the stark player was the one that makes you kill a charcater if you don't have a knights watch. I gleefully killed gormond. That turn i benjed for my king balon's command played kings landing for free (couldn't draw on that one though) played 2 0 cost locations and drew into a 1 cost location (YAY GJ hitting the draw cap!!!) this allowed me to rebuild my board a bit. I had to survive a 2 claim military from ITE robb (who stil lwas allowed to live, in fact he was not assainted untill the end of the game). DarthJeff was able to put to the torch a Roose bolton with 4 power on him, bringing the stark player back from the bring of winning (i was still pevied that robb ad not been killed, but becuase of my 1st turn kneel he only had 2 power on him so roose was the right move at the time. and the other martell assaisn could still go, but still no assaination.....couldn;t figure that out). I managed to boucne around for a turn or two (thanks to my draw) and got up to 11 power. On turn 5 I summoned WInter Theon (my favorite) and got a flag ship out. I thought I could use the only game to give theon rewnon win 2 challenges with him and rewnown to get 3 power and hopefully 7-10 str in dom would win me the game. plans changed quickly. The stark player went for the win and even with the possibility of my help (i would have had second) he would have been one power short, so he stalled out at 12 (my help wasn't enough so he did not get it). the Darthjeff had been slowly tasting blood and went after the win. Gave one of his characters renown (~the bastard that was my plan!!!) and had a non-kneeling harm uller. he unoposed intrigued me and pulled....Longhsip silence...holy crap that got him even closer, except I decided I was not listening and canceled it (sacrificing my ability to give theon rewnonw and my ability to win this round, this would be important). Hethen tried to lock my theon in the tower, but that got stop by edict of the prince from the other martell player which returned his charcater who had taste for blood on him and knocked the darthjeff down to just out of reach. Jeff built back up a bit my getting an unopposed power challenge through the martell player and ended the turn 2 away. In the martell players turn he knocked two power off of the stark player, bringing back to 10. i forget how as i was not paying much attention as i was making plans for next round and thinking i was safe for this round as there was no way for me to win, jeff was at 13 and i thought he was the bigger threat. apparantly i was wrong and the martell player kneels out his baord (never mind that he only needed 2 characters) in a 2 claim military challenge against me and my 2 charcaters....wtf!!!!!!. I was in second at that point and he was in 4th and would remain in 4th even after clearing my board and taking two power away from me (it was on andrik who had been saved to claim power and given rewnown one turn). The loss of the two power (not to mention my board!!!) dropped me into third at 9 and really pissed me off as i did not see the efiicency of the move for the martell player. I tried to talk the crown regent (stark) into redirecting it, but since it put him in second at 10 and Darthjeff had 13 he rightly didn't do it. After that round it was Darthjeff 13, stark 10, me 9, martell 7. Thankfully i had 2 charcaters with power icons in my hand, one with renown and a location for my draw engine. I flip the Clash of Kings and the martell player Flips take themby surprise (which wasn't that surprising as he had to be going for power grab early to move up). I know he is coming for me, but he only has one power icon on the table. I draw into another power icon and a 0 cost location (which would have been warrior of the old way) so i was feeling a little less nauses about my board. Post draw Darthjeff (who was at 13, but going last that round) looks at me and says, If i trigger you Only game that matters will you trigger mine. At first I was going to say no, but then relaized that him using mine first twice would put me at 11 power (back into second) and giving him the win. I agreed and that was the game. I would have felt bad if i was turned into macadam for someone else's ambition and it was 10:30 with a 45 minute drive ahead of us.
MVP: argument can be made for DarthJeff's only game, but I have to go with promo kings landing as it really allowed me to draw a lot of cards late in the game, and would have helped me re-establish my board after getting wiped.
It was a fun night, I was glad for the turnout and that we got some of the monsterocolpse players looking at thrones again (a couple are ex thrones players). The pins are nicer then I expceted (I was bummed by the 'crystal' house cards for the regionals winners) they are a nice size for a pin (bigger than a quarter) and the lannister lion is raised, not etched into the pin. One thing that has me amused is that the pin makers phone # is on the back of the pin and i wonder if this will lead to problems or when the first House Arryn or Tyrell pin will show up outside of tourney play
