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First off, apologies to those of you who just want to read about cards, this is going to cover a bit more than that.
My weekend started with me leaving work at lunchtime on Friday, packing and heading to the airport. I arrived at Stansted a little over 2 hours before the flight was due to leave. Then realised that I was meant to be at Heathrow...
This turned out to be an expensive mistake. First, I tried to get to Heathrow. Sadly, the M25 (the motorway around London) on Friday night resembles a parking lot rather more than it resembles a road, and I arrived at Heathrow 20 minutes after the flight had left (usual journey time: about 75 minutes). Asking at the desk, the next flight for under £500 (c. $800) would leave the next morning at 6-something, which would get me to Krakow at about noon (i.e. late). Cursing my own stupidity, I phone Karolina, one of the Polish Kotei organisers, to explain that I won’t be coming and jump on the Tube to go home.
When the train emerges from underground, I have a message on my phone. Karolina and Andrzej (pronounced Andrei) offer to put the tournament start back by an hour - meaning that I would be able to make it. After a phone conversation I realise that there’s no way to repay this kindness except to make every possible effort to get there!
The next morning, I get up at 2.30am at my parents’ house. My father has kindly offered to get me to Heathrow, since public transport shuts down at that time of the day. So I reach the airport at 3.45 or so, and wait for the LOT Polish Airlines desk to open so I can change my tickets. The desk opens about an hour later, and there’s space on the flight. Having arranged the change - at the cost of another £50-something - I check in, and leave a message on Karolina’s phone to tell her that I’m on my way.
The flight leaves at 6.40 and gets into Warsaw at about 10.15 local time. The next flight to Krakow is at 11.30, and should take about 50 minutes. I speak to Karolina again, telling her not to wait for me - I’m happy to miss the first round. I know I only need to go about 4-3 to get through the first day, so missing a round wouldn’t be the end of the world.
The flight is delayed by half an hour. When Karolina meets me at the airport, she tells me that she and Andrzej have decided to wait for me. I’m thoroughly embarrassed by it all, but more than a little touched: it’s nice to be treated as a VIP :-)
A short drive through Krakow later (and it’s a beautiful city, more on that later) we reach the venue. Shortly afterwards, the first round begins.
(Apologies for any misspelt names!)
Round 1: Jan Grabowski (Kyuden Doji/Underhand)
The weird thing about playing in an environment that you’re unfamiliar with is that you have absolutely no idea how good the players are, or what they’ll be playing. Sitting down for this game, I’m very glad that I took Oshio’s advice and added Refuge/Wager.
Jan wins the dice roll, and the game begins. Jan - like almost everybody I met over the weekend - is a really great guy who speaks very good English. He gets a holding and Nagori T2, I get a holding and Taneji. He uses Aramasu’s Ashes to dishonour and Shame Taneji, putting me to 5, and resolves an early Wait and See for 5 honour. I concentrate on getting gold, attacking where I can but trying not to mind as my personalities keep dropping dead. On my first serious attack he pulls a Refugees/Fall on my Bishamon’d, Wedged guy which is a pain. He hits 39 with me having 3 guys on the table, but him being short on cards. I take a province, that happens to contain Naga Storm, and buy a dragon and a couple of guys (early gold having paid off). He resolves Occult Murders, and my dragon bites the dust. He has 3 provinces and 40 honour. I Refuge for a Wager, and attack. Ryouko goes into an empty province, and double Rends. Bishamon/Tsukimi/Seruma is enough to take the second province, with Danjuro bowing for the Shrine after being entangled by Naseru. I then Wager, with Ryouko crushing 1 province and a Be Prepared to Dig Two Graves taking the other.
1-0
We play a friendly game where I go first, and run him over in short order.
Round 2: Sebastian Galazka (Kyuden Doji, Underhand).
Seb has "Doji Seba" on his badge, a name I know. Suddenly it clicks, I’m playing a former European Champion here. Who wins the dice roll against me, and resolves Chrys Fest turn 1. Again, I get 1 holding turn 2, and develop gold while trying to snipe provinces. He crosses 40 with 2 provinces, and I’m able to take them both without using the Wager in my hand. Him not drawing any guys in a turn where he had 3 provinces didn’t help him, but with the Wager in hand I’m not sure it would have made a difference. 2-0
We play a rematch where I go first, and I crush him relatively easily.
Seb goes on to the final, where he concedes to another Crane.
Round 3: Marek Ustymenko (Northern Provinces/Right Hand)
I’m glad not to be facing a third Crane, to be honest. However, not drawing any TDWWM or Overwhelmed in my opening hand is a minor worry, especially when he buys a turn 2 guy and attaches a turn 3 follower. Koto moves in with the Right Hand and Rends before Wedging, but Marek has an In Search to crush Koto and the province. Shinjo Shono + Reinforced Cav take a second province when I defend 1 province with my infantry, he attacks with his 3 units on a second, and I stupidly don’t put the Fire Dragon defending the third. That mistake costs me the game (though I may have lost anyway), as he’s able to out-build me - I get another dragon and attach the Fire to it, as well as drawing into the Isawa House Guard, but Chagatai’s A Champion’s Strike wipes out the House Guard as well as all my spearmen. At the end of the battle he has 70+ force to my 50ish. 2-1
Marek goes on to take 3rd place.
Round 4: Tomek Madys (Kyuden Doji/Underhand)
I go first. He resolves a turn 1 Wait and See, and after some thinking (and looking at the cards I discarded from my provinces turn 1, and so on) he decides to burn the province to take the honour lead. He burns his hand defending against my early attacks, including dropping 2 Overconfidences to kill all 3 of my Danjuros in one battle, but he soon has nothing left to stop me as I rampage to victory. 3-1
We play a rematch where he goes first. This game is much closer, but I win again. I’m now 6-0 vs Crane on the day.
Round 5: Robin Pailer (House of Tao/Voice)
This year’s Ruby Champion. Well, this is certainly proving to be tougher than I’d expected! Robin is playing a dirty Dragon deck, with lots of -HRs, including Tsuruchi Nobumoto, Written in Blood and so on to supplement the usual kihos and a selection of followers. Neither of us get good early gold: I get a Commanding turn 1, and only 1 holding turn 2. On turn 4, he attaches a Spearmen to Wayan XP and takes 2 provinces, while I rend/retribute. Robin makes a minor mistake in blocking with Daisetsu, thinking the battle will be a tie. However, Daisetsu saves the province. In my turn I attach the Isawa House Guard and take a province, buying the Air Dragon and a Tsukimi. Wayan takes a province and I Retribute with the Air Dragon to leave him 2-1 up in provinces on my turn. I attach Kuro’s Fire to the Air Dragon and, with the House Guard in play, he concedes before I smash his last two. 4-1
Robin goes on to take 4th place and Most Honourable Player.
Round 6: Tomasz Wesdoski (Kenson Gakka/Daigotsu)
He wins the die roll, and I know I’m up against it. Thankfully I should be through already, though I’m unaware quite how strong my strength of schedule actually is. He takes the first province, but I Retribute to put us even. Before he can take another I have the Air Dragon, Kuro’s Fire and the Favor. He attackes, I defend and shoot. Break the Line. The Dragon escapes and concedes the province. Exactly the same thing happens in the following turn. I hate Break the Line :). I attach the Isawa House Guard, and he Refuges for a Bloodspeaker Students and runs me over. He later tells me that those are the only three Kuro’s meta cards in his deck - but they certainly did the job. I also made a mistake in about turn 3, going for a Silver Mine with A New Wall instead of a Shrine to Benten. The way the next few turns panned out, Shrine to Benten would have made a significant difference (a personality a turn). 4-2
We play a rematch where I go first, and I win relatively comfortably.
Round 7: Damian Cholewa (Kenson Gakka/Right Hand)
I go second. Again. He buys two guys turn 2 (Rokuro and Aoiko for honour, leaving Nimuro in the province). I buy Tsukimi for honour, Yoriko for less, Koto and gold. He attacks on two provinces after giving a follower to Aoiko and Chukandomo to Rokuro. However, he had to bow his stronghold to do that, and when he Wedges Rokuro I play Refugees. Aoiko plays Strength of Purity for the province, and he buys a 2GC holding - he now has enough for Nimuro, so I attach Spearmen and kill the champ in his province. Having gained the economic advantage, and having more guys on the table, I win a key battle when I Tsuruchi Technique Matsu Taniko, which is effectively game. 5-2, and I’m chuffed at beating Lion despite going second.
We play a rematch where I go first, and I win comfortably.
I qualify in 6th place, top of the 5-2s on Strength of Schedule.
There was an Open tourney that evening, but I didn’t have an Open deck with me. After hanging around for an hour or so talking to people, I was given a lift to my hotel by Karolina. She and Andrzej had booked me a beautiful room, and my only regret is that I didn’t spend longer there :) After leaving me instructions for how to walk back to the venue in the morning, she heads off and I am pleased to find that the restaurant is still open (closes at 11pm). After a mushroom soup and veal in mushroom sauce I’d completely forgotten the fact that all I’d eaten in the previous 24 hours had been an airline breakfast. I head upstairs and catch 8 hours’ sleep before showering, breakfasting, and heading out with my map in hand.
Karolina’s directions are very good, and I reach the venue in good time. But on the way, I get to see a lot of Krakow, in particular the main square whose name I keep forgetting. It put me in mind of my favourite city in the world, Venice - specifically the Piazza San Marco. Same sort of scale, with a tower standing alone in one corner and cafes all around the edges. The exact architecture is different, with more curves and fewer angles, but seems the same general age. It was truly breathtaking, and I intend to go back on another occasion to take a proper look around the city!
The format for today is 3 rounds of swiss to whittle 32 players to 16, then 2 rounds of single elim with the semis and finals being best of 3.
Round 8: Marcim Korcyznski (Kenson Gakka/Right Hand)
I go first, and take the first province. He replies in kind, but I Retribute for his only guy and take another province in my turn. With a 3-1 province advantage the game is mine. 1-0
We play a rematch with him going first, in which the Water Dragon attaches Kuro’s Fire and copies the Isawa House Guard’s ability. I’m able to honour out with him unable to deal with this setup - I don’t think he had any Kuro’s meta in the deck.
Round 9: Rafal Skorupski (Shadowed Tower/Underhand)
My start is not amazingly fast, and I use a Rend the Soul to tie a Storm Heart avoiding being dishonoured out early. But he sees an early Kaukatsu, and though I take 2 provinces he’s able to dishonour me out in one turn (Storm Heart/Shame on the Fire Dragon followed by a Kolat Assassin, Imperial Messenger, Jester + Kaukatsu and Unrequited Love/Rhetoric with Shindoku to put me on -20 exactly. 29 points of honour loss - and with the Desperate Wager in hand, I’d have knocked him out the following turn. 1-1
Rafal ends up as top Scorpion.
Round 10: Wojtek Szala (Kyuden Doji/Underhand)
I need to win this game to go through, and am pleased to win the dice roll. Wojtek puts up a good fight - of the four KD/Underhand decks I’ve faced, this one comes closest to stopping me in a game where I’ve gone first - but I take him out when he’s at 40 honour without needing the Wager in my hand. 2-1
Again, I qualify in 6th place (equal). On to the knockout.
Top 16: Tomasz Kowalewski (Kyuden Doji/Left Hand)
Another Crane, and Tomasz wins the roll to go first. In my 4th turn I bring out a couple of Ryoukos, deciding that as a non-Underhand player the extra personality will prove more useful than the 3 honour. He plays a Storm Heart. The fact that I stupidly fail to Rend on the Storm Heart, allowing him to Shame me and Nagori to leave me at 1, is rendered irrelevant by the fact that he has a second Storm Heart in his hand. Not really much I could do about that: at 1 honour, nobody left in my deck would join me except Koto. My hand has 3 Wedges in it, but that’s less than useful when I only have 3 or 4 guys in play.
I take a province and concede once he knocks me to -4: there’s no way back from there. I’m mildly frustrated, because I think my deck would win this matchup 2 games in 3. But we’ll never know :P
Tomasz goes on to win the tourney (naming Doji Satsume), so at least I lose to the winner. Two Phoenix players make it to the top 8: a CoR/Left Hand deck that goes second to Tomasz and loses (that’s a matchup that Tomasz is going to win every time, I believe) and the second, and MGC/Left Hand deck, goes second against another Crane and also loses.
Top 4 (for those not paying attention earlier!)
Tomasz Kowalewski (CN)
Sebastian Galazka (CN)
Marek Ustymneko (UN)
Robin Pailer (DR)
Attendance: 75ish players in the main tournament. IIRC about 17-18 Lion and Crane, 12 Phoenix, about 8 Scorpion, Mantis and Unicorn, and a handful of the rest.
Note to Americans: I tried my best to stop Crane winning. But I guess if you get shot at enough times you’re bound to get hit once :)
Decklist:
City of Rememberance/Right Hand
Dynasty (40)
3 Toshiji
3 Tsukimi
3 Seruma
3 Danjuro
3 Ryouko
3 Yoriko
2 Otomo Taneji
Koto
Fire Dragon
Air Dragon
Water Dragon
Refuge
A New Wall
Commanding Favor
3 Silver Mine
3 Hiruma Dojo
2 Bishamon
Benten
Daikoku
Gifts
Ebisu
Barracks
Fate (40)
3 Bane of the Bastard
3 TDWWM
3 Overwhelmed
3 Retribution
3 Be Prepared to Dig Two Graves
3 Strength of Purity
2 Strategic Crossroads
3 Rend the Soul
3 Wedge
3 Refugees
2 Tsuruchi Technique
1 Desperate Wager
2 Kuro’s Fire
Isawa House Guard
Bloodspeaker Students
Legion of 2,000
3 Spearmen
- Given the number of Crane in attendance, Outmaneuvered by Force would have been a good anti-dishonour choice. Not sure whether I can find room for it though: every card in the deck proved key to winning at least one game!
After the tournament I stayed behind to help clear up (it was either that or head back to my hotel room for a few hours’ sleep before getting to the airport for my 6am flight). And once we’d finished ripping up the papery cardy floor covering, picking all the tape off the wood beneath and clearing up the rest of the stuff, Andrzej, Karolina and I went in search of food. I got another chance to see the Grand Plaza, and we found a Greek restaurant nearby open 24 hours.
About 5 hours later, after much talking and some eating and drinking, I figured that I ought to get back to the hotel in time to check out and get to the airport. They gave me a lift to the front gates, and an hour and a bit later I was on the plane home. I was barely aware of the plane taking off from Krakow, and when I opened my eyes to see myself on the ground my first thought was that something had gone wrong. I’ve never slept through a landing before
Props to:
Andrzej and Karolina for, well, everything. Hope to see you guys again soon. And once more, great job on the banners :)
Meik (Yoritomo Kyoden) for lots of extra playtest games!
Everyone for being so friendly, and speaking English so well...
Slops to:
Me, for missing my damn flight!
Shiba Samoshii
Phoenix Clan Acolyte of Water*Ricepaper Shugenja*Team Jade Cat Inquisitor*Gozoku Courtier*Underhand of the Phoenix Reborn
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