Thanks to All Things Fun! for hosting (this store, by the way, really does carry in stock all things fun, from comics, to games, to movie action figures, to miniatures, to uglydolls). Thanks to the new New Jersey meta for organizing – it was great meeting you guys. Thanks for the NY and DE crews for coming. It was good seeing Rich and Jim again, and Kevin, as well. I hope to see you down in DC on June 9. Lastly, thanks to Brian for not getting sick and driving my and Pavel up to NJ, and for being patient as I misread googlemaps and got us lost twice (but hopefully I made up for it by dodging the turnpike tolls on the way back…)
This is going to be a very rough report, simply because I have a horrible memory. Fortunately, my imagination can make up for that deficiency. I will do the best I can, and fill in the holes. My opponent’s can correct me if I’m wrong. (Thanks again to Brian who helped me piece together some of the games on the ride home).
The field was a little small at this regionals – there were 13. After making top 8 at NY with my Stark Winter deck, losing to a Martell Maester beast piloted by my meta-mate Pavel, I wanted to try something new, so for the last few weeks I tried a few different ideas, mostly for intriguing combos (how very un-DC of me, I know). The day I went to NY, I had a Targ KotHH melee deck that was very similar to the stuff I saw coming out of So-Cal. The idea is simple, and yet complex: get out Myraxes, get cards in shadows to fuel Dragon Pit, burn down attacks to stall the game until you get that apocolyptic combo of Thundering “Calvary” and Ambush from the Plains (or just the Thunder), wipe everyone’s board and swoop in for the remaining power using renown characters and dom. I saw that others were seeing success with it as a joust deck, although I still think it’s better in melee, so I tried to retool it in the last couple weeks before NJ. I brought it, thinking that at least I would have fun trying to pull off the combo or see if it worked well at all, then either retool it for DC or scrap it. But knowing the field was small, I thought now was as good a time to try to win it, and last minute I decided to use the Stark Winter deck I had used at NJ.
That just goes to show that in a fight, Jaime always kills Shagga.
Round 1 – vs. Stark Wildling (all 3) – Kevin (kpmccoy21)
We both had decent flops, he got Mance another chump and some reducers, I had Mad Huntsman and street of silk and some other stuff, but I was able to get the jump on him first turn by getting a military challenge through and No Quartering his Mance. He got Rob next turn, but I was able to steal him with Reek. It’s pretty nice getting a Robb Stark and knowing that even if he dies, it’s not your Robb. He drew into a Horde turn 3 or 4 and a ton of reducers, and at this point it was already winter and we were top decking, so he had to discard and just couldn’t get characters out. It took me to turn 6 to get the power just because he didn’t have power to steal.
This game was the beginning of a magical day for me where my opponents frequently got land-screwed, where Kings of Winter discarded very choice cards, and where Reek was a bastard.
1-0
Round 2 – vs. Stark Kings of Winter – Brian A. (hoyalawya)
My meta mate, Brian is a great guy, and a good player. And I knew exactly what was in his deck. I don’t remember much of this game, but I know that Brian drew up into 3 of his 4 limited locations after the flop, and had a bunch of events that he couldn’t really play. Neither of us was in a hurry to make it winter, Brian because he would inevitably have more cards with all those locations and events, I because I was holding back characters in hand expecting a Valar. I got Jeyne Westerling on the flop, so I had a duped Robb by turn two with a Greywind attached that weathered the Valar. Brian just couldn’t get back in the game drawing no characters, and I won by turn 5 ( I think).
2-0
Round 3 – vs. Lannister Power Behind the Throne – JR
I’ve got to congratulate JR for representing Lanni. He was very proud of his deck and at that point in the day he was 2-0. His losses were to back-to-back Stark Winter decks (Brian and myself). I made a number of mistakes in this game which almost cost me the win. Turn 2 I forgot to search for To Be a Wolf (still got the stand). He noticed but didn’t say anything, which may have cost him because he had to discard for my agenda since it was winter. I discarded a Jaime and a Cersei from the agenda before he was able to get out a GTM and try to out draw the winter discard. I kept killing his board for the most part. Turn 4 I could have won, but I forgot to trigger his agenda for power. He was at 8 power, flopped Game of Thrones, drew into Cersei, Enforcer, and a refugee, and got up to 14 power. That was tense, and I had to count his power three times to make sure he wouldn’t win for unopposed, before I could Retaliate for the win. If he had drawn one Castellan, it may have been a different game.
3-0
Round 4 – vs. Martell Maester’s Path – Tom (from NJ)
I hate Martell Maesters. It just seems too much like cheating to me. That’s why I’ve tried to avoid playing them for now. I also don’t seem to be any good at timing the Outwit right, so that’s another reason.
So I knew I’d face them eventually, and I knew it usually comes down to having the right cards or getting lucky to time the Valar right. Well, I was a little surprised by Tom’s deck, which was a little unusual for Martell Maesters, but I must say it still worked the way it was supposed to! Turn 1 At the Gates, Turn 2 To the Spears!, turn 3 Outwit FTW. I was surprised by his Val, and I was a little psyched out by his Advisors to the Crown and influence locations. I thought it was a control type deck and was expecting a Red Vengeance, but it didn’t come. That made me hold back a little. I blanked and killed his masters of war, but he drew another Maester of War and another Conclave next turn. I tried to hang in and hope he would need to reset with his Valar, but there wasn’t much I could do against 10 strength tricon renown monstrosities.
3-1
I was now in top four and it looked like I was seeded second with my only loss to undefeated Tom. Brian also made top 4, as well as Rich from NY (mekros-something). I would have to rematch in a mirror match with Brian.
Semis – rematch vs. Brian’s Stark Winter
It was a very similar game for Brian unfortunately. We both had decent flops, but he drew back up into a mittful of limited locations (all four I believe) and I flopped Meera and Mance. I was able to get The Blackfish out turn one and kill off most of his opposition. Turn 3 Brian Flopped to try to get back into the game, but I had Power of Blood (the only plot difference between us – I think he has Minstrel’s Muse). The Blackfish was saved, and I had two copies of Robb in hand from my Jeyne Westerling turn 2. I also got Old Nan out so I could give my Robb the Tully trait so he wouldn’t kneel to attack with my powered up Blackfish. Unfortunately, Brian also got Old Nan, so he just removed it! Oh well, To Be a Wolf works just as well. I had 7 on the house card, 5 on Black fish, and 3 on Robb to win on turn 4.
Finals – rematch vs. Tom’s Martell Maesters
I chatted with Brian briefly before going into the final about plot order. I knew that I had to do something to disrupt him early, or try to Valar turn 2 when he wasn’t expecting it. I was also praying for a little luck to draw into at least two of either Nightmares, Meera, or No Quarter. I drew Nightmares and Meera, and a Mad Huntsman to boot! He flopped a Val with Apprentice Collar, a Shivering Sea, and I think an Oldtown Scholar. I drew back up into a No Quarter and Reek and another reducer and Hungry Mob. Looking very good! I knew he’d flop At the Gates, so I was safe going first for Ravens plot to make it winter and go first. He searched for a Maester of War. I drew Samwell with a Carrion Bird, thank the stars! I marshalled Reek with Narrow Sea, played Samwell, a Carrion Bird, Hungry Mob, and a Refugee. I also made it winter, and I kept a gold for Meera. He marshaled a few maesters and a Conclave. In the previous game and in this, he used Val to try to draw into another Conclave or other stuff. He drew into a maester event that is any phase, so he had to kneel a maester for an additional challenge that he couldn’t declare, so that worked out for my benefit. In challenges, I brought Meera out to blank his Maester of War and Conclave, and I went full on intrigue with Reek, Mad Huntsman, and Meera, stealthing his Scholar and Conclave for an unopposed intrigue, and trading a knelt Reek for a standing Conclave to use for defense. I also got a military challenge with Mad Huntsman unopposed and No Quartered Val. He decides to kill his Scholar and keep Reek hoping to take control of his Conclave next turn. Turn 2 I flipped Winds of Winter and he did Loyalty. He chooses to go first and marshalls another Conclave and a refugee and something else, I think I marshall one more Hungry Mob. He swings for an intrigue with everything which he would win, but I blank Reek with Nightmares and let it go unopposed. He discards a useless To Be a Wolf. I swing back for all three challenges getting some renown with his Conclave. It’s pretty much all down hill from here. I maintain board position and start to hold my hand back expecting a Valar, but after a couple more turns, it doesn’t come, so I knew he didn’t have it, and I flooded the board and one by turn 5. He still had 5 of 6 chains left on his agenda.
I had a great time, and great opponents. Kevin especially had such great aplomb. Tom was a great sport too and he should be very proud for playing less than a year and going undefeated to the final game.
We look forward to hosting everyone down in DC on June 9 for the next East Coast Regionals!
-Danigral
