Hey all, here is my brief explanation of the deck I played, and how it played out to take me to the final table against World Champion John Bruno at the Western Regional Championships at Kublacon.
The night before the big event, I was actually playing pick-up games with John, gauging the effectiveness of a Martell Summer deck I built (original, right?). I was having zero success against his planned Regional deck, and it was those few games that decided me against playing Martell. So first, let me say thank you John...I don't think I would have made it to that table without that harsh lesson.
Instead I went with a deck I was comfortable with. Stark Direwolves. Now, I knew that in its current form, it probably would not do that well. I spent a good while cutting about a quarter of the deck away, leaving only the core of the Direwolf mechanics (search, Shaggy burn, Grey Wind kills, Pups and Packs, Nymeria for saving key characters (and additional burn)). To the core of the deck, I went about adding cards that I felt would contain answers to the big threats coming to Kubla--Martell and Lannister. I went with Winter, adding White ravens and Carrions Birds to battle Martell's nasty summer mechanics. I won't bore everyone with every card choice, but I will say that the two MVP cards that I added were unconventional choices which turned out to be good surprises, and in one case, gave me victory in the Quarter Final Matchup. They were Demon Dance and Cannot be Bribed, Cannot be Bought. Demon Dance gets around all kinds of immunities and every kind of save. In this deck, the perfect card for dealing with heavily protected characters like Viper. CbC, CbB was included as a slap in the face of kneel mechanics...want to kneel me? Ok, I think I'll cancel that, claim some power and draw a card instead. The best part is it works against events, plots, locations, characters, attachments, everything! Really, kneel is a big part of Martell now...its not just Lannister.
To help me draw these pieces, I went with Pyromancer's as my restricted card, with multiple copies of Jeyne, Robb, and Mance. I also had a good deal of search, and with the new immune to events army that meets all search requirements, it was a breeze getting what I needed when I needed it.
So on to the games.
Round 1 Vs Kevin Yin (Bara)
My first round was actually the first time I played my deck. Kevin has won Kublacon before, and I knew this would be a tough game. We were very close throughout most of the game. Late in time I was able to make a jump in power and end with the modified win. I was happy to get any points against a player of Kevin's caliber, though my confidence in my deck was fairly shaken. 1--0 (modified)
Round 2 Vs Ben Tully (Greyjoy Kings of Winter)
I was pretty worried about a deck that wanted it Winter as much as I did, but this game everything went my way. I got a lot of Direwolves out early, including all the key unique attachments. I killed quite a few of his characters, and played Power of Blood to protect my King Robb to preserve my board position, my direwolves, andmy draw. From there it ended pretty quickly. 2--0
Round 3 Vs Greg Atkinson (Dobbler) (Targaryen Kings of Summer)
Of course, Dobbler's reputation as a championship level player precedes him. His Targ deck was aggressive and funky. I thought we were fairly even for a bit, but it turned out I was just being toyed with. He hit me with a Valar when I wasn't expecting it, then preceded to use that Hill that puts an opponents dead pile into play for you--two rounds in a row. After that unexpected turn, he burned me left and right and marched to an easy win. I got worked, but took the opportunity to try and learn as much as I could from the matchup. I knew I would have to win out to make the top 8 with the modified win I earned in the first round, and bent my focus on playing mistake free games. 2--1
Round 4 Vs Margo (Stark)
Margo was playing a Direwolf deck as well, and for a bit it was an all out wolf fight. At one point I played At Night They Howl and stood about 9 wolves I think. This is where cards like Pyromancer's and Demon's Dance allowed me to kill her big characters and use the wolves to mop up. 3--1
Round 5 Vs Rich (Targaryen--I think he was playing Summer Agenda as well)
I really had a good sense for my deck by this time, and I was able to get everything I needed early. The wolves went to work and some renown characters helped me grab the extra I needed for a quick win. Rich is a new player, and for his first big tournament he did a great job. He plays at our store and I look forward to many more games with him. 4--1
After going 4--1 I knew I would be in the top 8, just not seeded very high. I ended up ranked 6th, going against he 3 seed.
Lucky for me, I was getting the opportunity to play my first Lannister deck...a matchup I knew I could do well against.
Quarter Final Vs Ram (Lannister)
Ram flopped a bunch of 2 STR characters and proceeded to play more the first round. I got out Shaggydog and a slew of other wolves, and had the pieces to stop just about every challenge he threw at me for a couple rounds. This allowed me to establish a position with some big characters. I got all the way to 11 power but Ram was right behind me, and I had a huge hand that he was about to hit with Rule by Decree the next plot phase. He thought he needed to stop me from winning a power challenge, so he played You killed the Wrong Dwarf, and I hit 12 power. I played Cannot be Bribed Cannot Be Bought, stood back up, claimed my 13 power and drew a card. Now Ram was really worried about me winning a power challenge and winning, so he played his other You Killed the Wrong Dwarf to kneel me out and give me my 14th power. Unfortunately for him, my last CBB, CBB draw drew me another copy, and I played it to stand back up again and win with the resulting power. It was a crazy end to a game that was by no means out of Ram's reach...just a miraculous set of circumstances handed me the win. I was pretty happy with my choice to include the oddly useful event.
Semi-Final Vs Greg (Dobbler)
Well here I was, facing the one opponent that I had lost to throughout the day. This was also the time I had to say goodbye to my wife (she had come to help run the Regional and the Maester's Challenge). Greg is not only a great competitive player, he is also a stand-up gentleman. He pulled me aside and told me to take my time, spend a bit of time saying goodbye to the wifey, and to come find him when I was ready. It was an honorable gesture from a steely competitor. A combination rare in any event. I took about 20 minutes, and it allowed me to clear my head and form a bit of a strategy.
I had a good flop and by first marshaling I had some key characters/attachments out. Greg had to mulligan, and then re-drew into a poor flop. I pressed the temporary advantage and made it Winter, discarding his Black Raven and stopping summer mechanics. I then went on an intrigue challenge and pulled his other Black Raven. Greg did not have many resources out at that point, and I just pressed him as hard as I could. His 1 card during draw slowed him so much, he couldn't get enough out. At one point he was able to discard my White Raven and end Winter. He then got out a Pyatt Pree and was eying my King Robb. I wasn't worried though. I had another White Raven in my hand, along with a Demon Dance. Three gold later I had played Greywind to kill his bird, Demon Dance on Pyat, and a White Raven to kill him and bring back Winter. It was soon after that I was able to hit 15 power with unopposed challenges. Everything went right for me in this game, but I wasn't comfortable until Greg shook my hand.
Final Match -- John Bruno (Lannister)
I knew my deck could do well against Lannister, but I had a very slow start and did not get my direwolves. I was holding a lot of expensive characters with renown, and no real way to get them out. Add to that John had trait manipulation, and I knew he was running 2-3x Dissensions from our practice games. Still, I was able to eventually get some stuff out, but his Valar left me too weak. I probably made a tactical error of forcing Winter before I had many resources of my own ( I was scared of Lion's Gate and his Birds/Dissensions). Even so, John got what seemed to be everything he needed, and I have never played against someone that drives a deck so confidently and mistake-free as John Bruno. I am also lucky enough to call him a friend. John is great for the game, and I was happy to lose to someone of his caliber and character. Next time buddy, I won't go so easy on you
I was very fortunate in my matchups to never face Martell, though two of the top 8s were running Martell Summer. I am pretty confident though, that my deck would have held its own with either one.
This was my highest placing at a Regional, and though I would love a second chance against an even stronger field at Gencon, I will not be traveling. I look forward to following it closely though, and I will be rooting for Mathlete to represent California...just don't call it a comeback.
For those that came to Kubla from the far reaches of the Midwest, it was great to see and meet you. I hope that Kubla continues to grow and become the highest attended Regional of the season.
Until later,
Syd