Hello all!!!!
I have a lil down time here at work so I figured I would write a few words on a tournament I attended last weekend. First the back story:
I have been regularly checking the DCI page for the last few months since I started competitivly playing SWM. Over the past month there had been three events at this one store that did not show up on the DCI Tournament Locator until after the event had passed. The store is in a town 60 miles from my house, so it isnt exactally easy to just "drop by" and check the place out. So I emailed the TD at the address listed and asked to be notifed when the next event would be held. Two more events where posted without me hearing back from the TD. I was starting to get frustrated with the TD and started thinking maybe there was some shadyness going on. Well on Friday night I went fishing after work, I got back at around 10 pm and had an email in my inbox from the TD that appoligized for not getting back to me, and he told me there would be an event the next day (Saturday). Now I was happy to hear this, but I had zero time to build a squad.
Now 200 isnt really my favorite point level, I play a lot of 150 point games. And so with this in mind I think I have a good feel of what works (at least for me) at 150. So I went and checked the squad forums to see what was good at 200. I knew IMP SS was a "gate keeper" at this level, but my SS Lady hadnt shown up in the mail yet, and I own 0 SC's so that wouldnt work. Not knowing what I would see at the store and fearing IMP SS, I wanted a squad that felt good, but would have the tools to counter that squad. I had been playing the new Kyle at my LGS on Wed night and I knew that he was a tank, so when I saw the "Triple Threat" squad posted by fingersandteeth, I knew that was what I wanted to play. Double disruptive, NTMTO and door control made that squad look insanely good. The one problem (fatal possibly?) was that I had never played the MTB engine before. I have been playing since FU came out, so I understand the powers of the MTB, but it just was never really my style so I never used him. So I broke the number one rule of playing in tournaments, and I played something that was not really that familiar to me. I am kind of limited on the maps I own, and it was 200 so the maps I can play where even more limited, so I took the Rancor Pen with me.
So I get up Saturday, make sure my little car has all the proper fluids it needs to go an hour away from home and I head to the store in the afternoon. My 1993 Honda with 185K + miles makes the hour trek without any issues, so no matter what happened after that I would be happy. The store was located in a mall, and when I get there about 3 kids are sitting there playing a pick-up game practicing. I meet P who I find out was the winner of the last 3 events, and the other people who are there playing.
So the TD is kind of distracted because I think he is the store owner as well, so we end up getting started a little bit before 630 with 7 people. Now most of you who have played in tournaments a long time know that if you travel to an event one of two things will happen to you. 1. If you drove with someone you playtest with, you will be paired up against that person first round. 2. You will get a bye. Now I drove out by myself, so that leaves only number 2. So the pairings for round one where given and I beat the bye round 1. It was a tough fight, but I won.
Now two things to note at this point. The first was that I was the only person who did not have the hardboard map (yeah I dont even own one). The second is of course after I get the first round bye, the kid who had never ever played before and lost his first game dropped making it an even six people at that point!!!!
So anyway I get paired up against B that is 1-0, I never win a map roll, so I might as well not even bring a map. Also both games I got the side with the room, not the pit side. I was playing against a rebel squad with Loda, VAR, a BBSV, and like two Myistral shadow guards. There may have been a little more, but that is what I remember. He keeps Loda and VAR in the back and moves his stealth guys forward in cover, by the third round I had killed all his filler, and just had to fight VAR and Loda. I made the mistake though and killed my MTB a turn too early, and he was able to kill off Han with Loda. However Han was the only one to die. My main thought from this match is that I wasnt really comfortable with the MTB and I sent him into gernade range after I had killed off my reinforcement uggys. I was afraid I would make my gernade saves and he would stay alive long enough I would get to my good characters. But I still got the win.
For my final game I had to play P who was undefeated. He was playing a squad that played Gen. Windu, R2, Cade, Gen Obi, and Shaka Tii (?) basically Cade and Windu would sit out front and Cade would shoot everything a bunch of times and cause damage, while the other jedi stood behind them and healed. He won map/side and set up in the corner with all the cover away from the pit. First turn he moves R2/Cade and Mace out into the over where I can get LOS from the room. Han had started adjacent to the door at the bottom of the room, so I mobiled him out and tried to pick off R2 first activation. Yeah my rolls sucked all this game, so Han hit once and could not kill R2. However on this turn I was able to base Mace with Mara, and move Kyle into position so that he could hopefully deal the killing blow to Mace after init. Mace fell got smacked around by mara, but survived thanks to bad dice rolls!!! I wasnt able to kill him until my third activation of round, but after he had smacked back Mara for some damage. I was able to kill off Mace and R2 though that round. In the next round, Mara died, and thanks to some bad rolls Cade was still alive with 20 HP still left on him. I ended up making a mistake and killing my MTB too soon (after cade had died). And his remaining jedi where able to kill off my injured Kyle. Han couldnt hit anyone, but in the end it was Obi with 30 or 40 HP against Han. Obi was able to kill Han and run around mopping up my guys. I played like a newb, and I got the loss for it.
I was supprised when the rankings where given out and I had come in second. I guess the DCI software gives you props for getting the bye. We opened a box of BH and a box of AE for prizes. I am not going to say which mini was the rare in BH, since I did not get it, but if I had it would have paid for the trip.
. I did get the stormie on repulsorsled, I did not have one and had it been anything else I prob would have gone with the AA out of the BH box.
Anyway it was a learning experince and overall good times. I was kind of supprised at how few activations where in most of the squads. One kid played Krayt, Cadeus, and Cade and he came in third finishing 2-1!!! Another squad played Revan and 3 sith assult droids, but he did not do as well.
Anyway thanks for reading this. GTG back to work!!!
