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Thursday.
Round 1: James Collins, K. Ikoma/Right Hand
I win the dice roll 7-6. He doesn't play with A Favor Rerturned. He buys 2 turns of gold and gets 2 guys turn 3. Turn 4 he flips 1 guy, attaches a Political Adjunct and another follower or two to Aoiko and attacks with her. I Fall his attempt to use the Adjunct, and Fall his use of Ikoma on my Overwhelmed. That's basically game; I cross 40 with Naga Storm in play and 5 provinces. 1-0
James makes Saturday.
Round 2: Ralph Tropeano, Northern Provinces/Right Hand
A very short game. He flips a first turn pillar of flesh, and buys it. Turn two, he buys Latomu and a holding. Turn 3, he attaches a White Guard to Latomu (7F). I play Uncertainty on him (5F). He attaches an Utaku Meadows token (6F) and attacks an undefended province. He plays a Kamoko's Charge. I Outer Walls. 9F, 9PS. He plays From Every Side to take the province - which has Occult Murders in it. Next turn I have a courtier in play, but he has a Tireless for the second province. And at that point the game is basically lost, though we play it out. 1-1
Ralph goes 5-4 today, but qualifies for Saturday by playing Mantis on Friday.
Round 3: Chris Medico, CotWasp/Daigotsu
Mantis weenie blitz. Not naval though, which gives me the edge I need. When he flips Meguro in a province I discard the favour for Dirty Politics, and he doesn't buy him. Probably a good choice, since that 5 honour would be worth about a turn. I hit 40 with 4 provinces while he has a largish army of small guys, and play Seek the Path on his attempt to Refuge for a Desperate Wager. Game. He wins the rematch fairly comfortably, getting a much stronger start with a little gold then a flood of guys. 2-1
Round 4: Steven Lafollette, Temple of Hoshi/Daigotsu
Steven is a great guy, and him, me and LeAnn (his GF) end up hanging out a lot during the weekend. In the first game he draws no honour meta, but gets 2 Flees and a Turn while I draw no Falls. He crushes me as I hit 40 with 2 provinces; one Fall would have won me the game. We play a rematch where he gets both his honour meta cards, and yet I win. Weird. 2-2
Round 5: Robert Carter, Spawning Grounds/Daigotsu
Turn 1 I flip a Shinsei's Shrine, and am feeling pretty confident. However, I don't draw a 3GP holding until the game is basically over, which puts some strain on my gold scheme. Meanwhile, Robert is playing well, and not trying to rush even though Horde is quite a slow deck. In the end I scrape home, with him unable to kill all my provinces after I've hit 40 - but later he comes over to me and points out that I used Unrequited Love on Fushin, who isn't human. We'd both totally missed that; for my part, I hadn't even been aware that Unrequited could only target human guys! So I won this game, but the victory was somewhat tainted. 3-2
Round 6: Brandon Flores, House of Tao/Fire/Voice
What is Brandon doing at 3-2, is my first thought. Oh well, we sit down to play. and my deck decides that it doesn't like me, as I see 2 2GP holdings and no others all game, and he gets the first Shrine. Also, I bring out Serumas in a vain attempt to dig for holdings, which gives him targets for his Challenges (though he runs Kenshinzen anyway, so it just let him get them off earlier). 3-3
Brandon goes on to qualify. Unsurprisingly ;)
I need to win my last 3 games to get through. Things are looking tight.
Round 7: Neal McLellan, Yogo Towers/Right Hand
His deck is slow military, and he draws no presonalities in a key turn. When the same thing happens to me, MGC solves the problem 2 turns running. Game. 4-3
Round 8: Howard Hooven, House of Tao/Water/RightHand
Howard flips a turn 2 Chuichi. I'd been talking to Steven earlier about water dragon, and the consensus was that a turn 2 Chuichi is basically game. I don't give up, though - on his third turn I play Unrequited and he bows (otherwise I get to Shame him), stopping him from taking 2 provinces (he gets 1). On my 4th turn I flip Occult Murders. Chuichi dies, and I buy myself a couple of turns. When he's able to attack again he tries to use water tricks, but I have 2x Overwhelmed in my hand. Game. 5-3
Round 9: Troy Graham, MGC/Left Hand.
Damn. Playing a friend in a must-win game sucks. Before we start, I tell him that I won't let a bandwagoner beat me with my own Clan. He tells me that I should concede to him, since he's a Kobune Port admin. I reply that I'm not conceding to someone with a lower post count than me. He threatens to wipe my post count if I win. Laughing, we start the game. He wins the roll-off, which is bad, but I get a Noh and my Shrine of Duty. Duty gives me the turn I need to overtake him, which was fortunate because I saw precisely zero useful Political actions in hand and never had favour control! I feel bad knocking out a friend from the tourney, but oh so relieved to be through (and not have to face another 8-9 rounds the following day...). 6-3
Decklist:
MGC/Underhand
Dynasty (40)
3 Silver Mine
3 Chuda Agent
1 Gifts
1 Daikoku
1 AFR
1 Duty
1 Corrupt Officials
1 Noh
1 Court Chambers
1 Shrine of the Sun
3 Shinsei's Shrine
1 Shrine of Humility
1 Sacred Grove
Chrys Fest
Naga Storm
Occult Murders
A New Wall
Regions of Rokugan
3 Tsukimi
3 Yobei
3 Seruma
3 Taneji
3 Toshiji
Shiba Ningen XP
Fate (40)
3 Outer Walls
3 To Do
3 Overwhelmed
3 Uncertainty
3 Stay Your Blade
3 Fall on your Knees
3 Tsuruchi Tech
2 Volcanic Field
2 Seek the Path
3 Unrequited Love
3 Storm Heart
1 Honor's Cost
1 Shame
1 Dirty Politics
1 Return for Training
1 Mastermind
1 Show of Good Faith
1 Rhetoric
1 Dismissed
1 Imperial Standard
Deck ran fine, but I felt it was too fragile. Testing told me that it was too vulnerable to meta: someone packing ITOW/Proposal/ObForce/Duty and Refuge/Wager would usually beat it, because though the deck has the answers to every one of those (except ObForce) when someone ran all those cards I just wouldn't be able to pull off enough counters. I figured that I wouldn't be able to win Gencon with the deck unless I managed to only face people who weren't prepared to beat the deck - and that there was no way that was going to happen :-)
So, for Saturday I switched back to my DAM (Dragon-Assisted Military) City of Rememberance kotei deck. I rebuilt it from memory with the cards I had to hand, and updated it to Hidden City, throwing in a few odd cards to make up the numbers and give it something that wouldn't be expected.
Round 1: Casey Bennett, The Meeting Place/Right Hand
My opening 6 cards include the Sword, House Guard and Kuro's Fire. I think I have this game won already. Then on about turn 2-3 he resolves New Year's Celebration, and all those lovely cards go bye-bye. Game on. I get Kaneka and the Air Dragon relatively early, and stick another Kuro's on the dragon. I take two provinces, while he gets one while I blow up defenders and use hit-and-run Ryouko tactics to defend. At one stage he misses a chance to take a province by sending his people him - I'm not sure what he was afraid of, or maybe he forgot that Phoenix only have 6PS? I wasn't going to question him, anyway...
With 3 provinces to 1 and a large army, I build for a turn then flip 1 personality. He has the Barracks and two Heimin Labourers in play, so I decide I ought to attack. He drops Woodlands as his first action, putting paid to any Kuro's tricks. Many actions later (including a Well Prepared on Kaneka, and Rends and Wedges on my side) we end up tied at 25F each with almost completely empty hands. Everyone dies except his Conjurers, and I hit 31 - putting 2 Ryoukos back on top of my deck. The following turn I hit 40, and he concedes. What a game. 1-0
Round 2: David Defranoux, Northern Provinces/Right Hand
Standard plan against Unicorn: Build Voltron. He takes two provinces while I do this, then blows the Refuge for a Bloodspeaker Students. Curses, I should have suspected that - use of Bloodspeaker Students is still current in Europe, and David is a French player. He attacks, and I defend, having a lot of cavalry on my side of the table and two uses of the favour. I win the battle by Wedging Kamnan, Tokei and the Water Dragon (in that order, as the lead passes from side to side), gaining a fair bit of honour but losing most of my guys. However, he had no guys in his provinces that turn, so I take a province with Seruma + Ronin + Bishamon, and buy people. Next turn he doesn't attack, so I repeat the Seruma trick (using the favour to dodge) and bring out the Fire Dragon. A couple of messy turns follow, where the Fire Dragon attacks (I have a Tireless in hand) and uses the Right Hand to move around, shooting Unicorns with its ranged attack but not taking any provinces. Finally, time is called. I think I have the game, but he says that Kaneka might make a difference. Indeed, Kaneka is flipped in his provinces, so I give him the benefit of the doubt and say that the Dragon would have taken the other one (we both agreed I was going to get one province that turn). We bring Kaneka into play and resolve my attack on him - I use Danjuro to stop Kaneka's bow and shoot Kaneka and someone else with the dragon. That's game. 2-0
Round 3: Alex Heyob, MGC/Underhand
I'm confident going into this game, since this deck has never lost to MGC honour before in 8 or so attempts. Indeed, the deck gives me everything I need, with first turn, a decent enough gold flow, several ObForces and a Tireless. About turn 5 or so I slap down the Sword and Family War Banner on a Ryouko, and play the Challenge in my hand as free pkill. He Kharmics (with, I later found out, the only Kharmic in his deck!). Gah. I made two mistakes there - attaching the cards rather than buying personalities, and attempting a duel that I really didn't need to do. Stupid. I manage to Duty him, which almost recovers the game for me. My last mistake comes when he's at about 34. I know he can gain 3 honour from a recycled Tsukimi and 2 from a Shinsei's Shrine, and that the ObForce in my hand will stop him getting 1 from Unrequited or anything. So when I'm left with a bowed Danjuro and an unbowed Danjuro against his bowed guy, I Stay the unbowed one and let him have 1 honour. Of course, I forget about the Shrine to Hotei he has sitting under his gold pile (a stupid mistake since he's used it every turn!). I wager, but thanks to Naga Storm my 20F army bounces off his last, undefended province. Stupid, stupid, stupid - but well done to Alex for playing flawlessly and overcoming going second, a Shrine of Duty and a bad matchup to take the win. Alex goes on to make top 32, and misses Top Phoenix only by virtue of Swiss points. 2-1
Round 4: James Collins, MGC/Underhand
James again - my first round Lion opponent from Thrusday. I tell him that I'm not going to lose to a bandwagoner (sound familiar? :)) and proceed to win the dice roll for going first, just like Thursday. And like Thursday, he doesn't play A Favor Returned. This game goes much more smoothly than the last one; I don't make any play mistakes, Corrupt Officials his Corrupt Officials to get my Shrine of Duty off, and he Tributes to kill his last province at 28 because he has no way to stop my army. 3-1
Round 4: Conrad Jackson, House of Tao/Fire/Voice
I've now seen this deck before (thanks to Brandon, who's playing Phoenix Dragons out of CoR today). The key turn is his 4th one, where he flips nothing he can buy in his provinces (Regions/events) and attaches a Kenshinzen to Chieko after using a couple of Prayers and Blessings. He then challenges Taneji to a Lesson. Taneji Strikes. Chieko tries a Challenge. I focus the two Rends, Egg, Bane and Retribution in my hand and win despite the Ring of Fire. the duel's a tie, and Chieko dies. That slows him down enough that I'm able to take all hir provinces - though there's one scary moment when he's on 30ish and plays 3 Wear them Down on a duel to force me to discard my Desperate Wager... My Dynasty draw here was superb, after an early Bane fixed my gold, as I drew solid guys for 3 turns straight just when I needed to. 4-1
Looking good. 6-2 qualifies, while around a quarter of the 5-2s will make it. I figure that winning my next game might be enough, while winning 2 would make it safe.
Round 5: Fabien Prost, Shinden Horiuchi/Right Hand
This game is brutal. I get 3 turns of gold - good. He buys 2 guys turn 3. Turn 4 I flip 2 guys - Danjuro and Tsukimi - and buy both. He attaches a Senpet Scimiter to each, and takes two provinces (knocking out my Outer Walls with a Heart of Rokugan). Danjuro Rends and Retributes to take one, while the next turn Tsukimi Bishamons up and Wedges for a second province. But only one guy in my provinces. He eventually crushes me, and there are 10 peeps, 2 holdings and an event left in my Dynasty deck - with 2 dragons and a Ryouko having been discarded turn 1. Ouch. 4-2
Have to win the last 2.
Round 6: Scott Rixson, Tani/Daigotsu
Sitting down for this game, I realise that I've never actually played against a competitive Tani deck before. Salman and BenP, my regular Crab opponents, both play RED exclusively (and since Salman knocked Ben out in the top 8 and went on to win, it seems their choice is justified :-)). Still, I'm pretty sure I know what to expect, and am not unduly worried. He takes the first province, as I defend with Kaneka and he plays sneak/Refugees. Sneak was the first surprise. I bring out more guys, and leave 2G unbowed. He attacks again, with 5 guys in his provinces (one of whom is Kaneka, who I still have). I concede a province, Rend Tsukimi, boost her with Ryouko, tactician Kaneka and Retribute with Kaneka to take one, while Tsukimi Tirelesses in to take a second. He buys 2 guys. I egg Kaneka, attack with one Kaneka and Right Hand for a province. Then I buy the Fire Dragon, and am feeling pretty safe. His turn, he attaches the Family War Banner to Daizu, Ambushes Kaneka, Sneaks, box duels Kaneka and focuses a Kharmic. Bastard! Well, at least I still have one Kaneka. He buys Kuon, and ends his turn. I focus on honouring out, since he has enough guys that sleazy Right Hand tricks won't work and anyway, Daigotsu's stopping me getting the favour. I concentrate on honouring out. He attacks a turn or two later, splitting his army. I stop and think; I have basically two options. Defend against one of his armies, smash it into the ground, and lose my best guys (Kaneka in particular) to Yu - or split my forces, and try to defend both. I think about the battle actions I've seen him play so far, and my experience against Crab, and decide to try and defend two (the risky option, but I think the right one). First action, the Fire Drgaon shoots Kuon, expeting him to Feign his Death. Sadly, Kuon decides that the Mountain does not Move, and him and his supporting cast win that battle after I Stay Danjuro. Down to one province.
In the other battle, he has two uses of Daigotsu available to him, but I have another Stay and a couple of Wedges. In the end, he wins the battle with the last card in his hand - a Refugees - after I Stayed my Taneji (whoc ould have negated the Fugees with the Right Hand) and draw 3 useless cards with him. Gah. 4-3
By the time I sit down for my last round at table 32, I know I'm out. The 5-3s who go through will be the guys at tables 10-20ish, so my resistance is clearly weak.
Round 8: Robin Pailer, House of Tao/Water/Right Hand
Robin is the Ruby Champion, and a great guy. We first met at the Polish Kotei in May this year, where we played the same decks (pre-HC) and I ended up winning. This time, Robin gets his revenge; I Bane his gold early, leaving him buying 1 holding turn 2. I then use Rend and the Right Hand to snipe one province with Ryouko, and Rend/Retribute to take a second after using Outer Walls to stop his attack. However, I have only about 6 printed force on the table, and no force pumps in hand - and my own gold has been pretty weak too. I plump for the Voltron Option, but Robin (as a European player) has his Bloodspeaker Students, and takes me out with a swarm of 3F guys . 4-4
Decklist:
City of Rememberance/Right Hand
3 Silver Mine
3 Hiruma Dojo
Shrine to Daikoku
Shrine to Benten
Shrine to Bishamon
Shrine of Duty
Gifts
A Favor Returned
Shogun's Barracks
Corrupt Officials
Birth of the Sword
Commanding Favor
New Emerald Champion
A New Wall
Refuge of the Three Sisters
3 Tsukimi
3 Danjuro
3 Ryouko
2 Seruma
2 Taneji
Kamnan
Chieh XP
Tokei XP2
Mirabu XP
Kaneka
Fire Dragon
Air Dragon
Water Dragon
Fate (40 +1)
1 Make A Wish
3 Rend the Soul
3 Wedge
3 Retribution
3 Tireless Assault
3 To Do What We Must
3 Bane of the Bastard
3 Iaijutsu Challenge
3 Outmaneuvered by Force
3 Outer Walls
3 Stay Your Blade
1 Egg of P'an Ku
1 Desperate Wager
1 Sword
1 Blade of Thorns
1 Family War Banner
2 Kuro's Fire
1 Isawa House Guard
2 Travelling Ronin
This deck was thrown together in the small hours of Friday morning, and tested in a few games on Friday. It's based on the deck I took to Poland and Hunter of the Wolf (http://www.gozoku.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/nest/decks/poland2004.html) but restricted to some extent by what I had with me, and also limited by me never actually laying it out and looking at the balance of various types of cards in the deck. I knew there were 21 personalities, and that was the important bit :-) Still, the deck was basically solid, and if I'd played abit better and been a bit luckier I could have gone further with it. I definitely didn't regret not playing honour.
Shiba Samoshii
Phoenix Clan Acolyte of Water*Ricepaper Shugenja*Team Jade Cat Inquisitor*Gozoku Courtier*Underhand of the Phoenix Reborn
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