Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages... And Chubbs. It's time to bring my much vaunted regionals report (which appairantly Shajir beat me to, but hey I said i'd throw one up, and well i'm a man of my word and what have you).
Needless to say the Shwa regionals were a great time. more drama filled than an episode of Melrose Place, and had girls at it (more on that later).
Anyways before I begin a little history. For the longest time leading up to regionals (read 3-4 months) I was piloting Promo Bishamon to a moderate amount of success in our local tournies, even managing to take one of them and plowing through such vaunted (yeah I got to use the word twice!) decks as the now banned Talbain. But after playing Bishamon for awhile, I grew bored of just playing grey cards, and moveed onto other characters. Experimenting with Alex, Fio, and Sogetsu didn't work all that well so I was stuck. A week and a half before regionals and I didn't know who to play!
And then it dawned on me. Chun Li I heard was pretty good. So after talking with my buddies Don and Cos (Morning Demon and Cos respectivly) they agreed to let me use their Feline Spikes. But the question was, who to sandbag into Chun Li with? After looking at the decent Air characters (Talim, Olexa, Vega) I finally saw the one. She was just sitting, collecting dust in one of my block three card boxes. Realm of Midnight Felicia. Yes she had a six hand size (which if you ask anyone in my meta, isn't viable), but she has twenty seven health! She can look at a fully multipled out Spike and laugh at it (which I did a few times throughout the tourney). Plus! She makes her own momentum! So after a quick deck test, I realized the thing was too slow. So, I took out Billiard Players, Healers, two Shooting Caps (the deck is hilarious when you look at it), and half my Chinese Boxings, I threw in more meaningless six checks (read Nine Lives) and builti t into a suicide Spike deck.
Now after placing second at the next local tourney I started to have my doubts. Sure I could beat a control deck pretty easily, but Chun Li was continuing to stomp my face in. I had doubts, seconds thoughts even... And then went back to pondering what to make. So after talking with Shajir the Thursday before regionals, I decided on playing Olexa Evil/Spike.
Now the night before me and my roomate built a trade binder, going through all my block three cards to do so. After that was done, I built Donny his deck and then decided, I wasw far too lazy to build another deck. Soooo I decided to go into the regionals hoping Felicia would somehow pull me into a better record then I had even gotten before (read better than 3-2).
Now the day of the tournament I was able to get my hands on another Ira Spinta from Kin (giving me two) and another Heel Snipe from another buddy of mine Nick (giving me three). So I skipped the sandbagging (as I found out that I didn't own a Chun Li) and just went straight in with Suicide Spike Felicia)
Round 1: Nathanial (The Token Token) playing Air Adon
Nate is one of the guys from the Montreal grop and I had no idea what to expect. I'm not gonna lie, I didn't really think I'd do all that well, but played it ot none the less. Needless to say, the deck performed ungodly, as I turn two'd him both games with Heel Snipe/Ira spinta into Spikes
1-0
Round 2: Don Chambers (Morning Demon) playing Death/Fire Zi Mei
Having built this deck the night before I was scared crapless at the obscene speed in which it could kill me dead. After a ruling call that you couldn't commit Seals with Manifest Destiny, I survived his crazy onslaught, and Spiked him both games. PHEW!
2-0
Round 3: Jeffery (Kahan) playing Air Olexa/Chun Li
If any a game my hidden tech of Brining the Master to his Knees came into play, it was this one. I dropped it, tag Alonged back a Spike, and Spiked some good. Game two he sided into Chunners and a groaned. I knew I'd run into Chun Li, and quickly my hopes were dashing to shreads. However per usual, I played it out and managed to draw Heel Snipe and an Ira Spinta into an already Spiked filled hand. Hell Snipped Chun Li, Spinta'd away his Inhuman Perception and Chester's... Spike and splat.
3-0
At this point I was in disbelief. I'm not trying to be modest, b ut i'm seriously thinking that I was gonna absolutly BOMB my next two rounds. I look over and see Don playing my zi Mei deck was doing alright (1-2 or 1-1-1 if Ir emember right) as well. So, not a b ad day so far. After a 45 minute break we got back to work
Round 4: Kin (AwesomeDhalsim) playing his crazy Tri Symbol turtle.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! I hate this deck. Soooooooooooooooooooooooooo much! Anyways Kin and I played three rather epic games (as our games normally are) on Thursday and he took it 2-1. So I really wasn't looking forward to this. Anyways, game one was brief. Tag Along, Heel Snipe, Felcia, Spike, game 2. Game 2 I played terribly, and should have blocked the Darkness Blade he threw at me with the Spike I had in hand, but I wasn't planning on him having his own Spike which he splatted my face with. Well that was like fourty minutes into the round, and we couldn' get another game in. So first game loss of the day, and it was a doozy.
3-0-1
Round 5: HAAAAAAAAAAATMAAAAAAAAAAN! playing tri Symbol Remy
Hatman was kinda shocked he was shocked he was at the top table, and I was still shocked that I hadn't gotten off my ass from the head of the table in two rounds. Anyways his Remy deck was beating face, but finally stalled in this round. Game one I think went to the third turn, and he got Spiked into oblivion. Game two was fun. I threw a Spinta at him, removing two Shooting Caps, Boxing (or Chester'ed, I can't remember) his other foundation. He blocked the spinta, threw a fully multipled Spike at me, which I took like a champ (27 life is gooood!). Tag Along, Feline Spike, and the emo dude from Street Fighter finally got what he wanted.
Final Swiss record: 4-0-1
Umm... What the hell? I'm king of swiss? The hell?! Anyways after a fifteen minute break, I find out Don made top 8 as well, so both decks I built made top 8! Woo me!
Top 8: Matt Hughes (StarfleetJedi) playing All/Void Sakura
Congrads to Hughest in making it to top 8 with Void as his main symbol! Anyways game one went quick as he got Spiked early and often. Game two was loooooooong. I had most of my useless foundations out on the table, and after the longest time it went Bringing the Master... (calling enhances), Heel Snipe, Felcia, Spike... Top 4
5-0-1
Top 4: Andre (Dreasl I think. Sorry my pen died lol) playing Fire/Evil Akuma
Ok so, my deck performed flawlessly all day. Even with 6 checks under two and and 12 checks under four. Even with a six handsize, even playing off a supposed mid tier symbol forever. Well, it all came back to me and my deck hit a brick wall. Game 1 I check a spike on my second drop on my first turn. I get splatted quick. Game 2 I again bag my first turn, and while I last longer the match was never in doubt. I get my sexy behind handed to me on a silver platter.
5-1-1
The finals roll around and I find Don made it to the finals with my deck! Noice! Anyways it was a couple of great games, but Akuma proved too much.
So I got third, my other deck piloted by a good buddy of mine got second, and an Akuma deck FINALLY won something!
It was a great day and I ended up making out like a bandit in my top 8 promo pack: I got a Chester's, Tira's, and a Strife's... Not too shabby.
Notes:
Spikes a plenty! It was all Spikes and Spinta's, all day long.
Great diverse field, even seeing random ones like two Talbains, a Yi Shan, and a Kyo!
Thank god Order didn't make top 8 at all! In fact, apart from the first round I don't think I saw an Order deck at the top table at all!