Well I was debating on whether or not I should do a write up on my tournament this weekend. I don’t have a lot of information from the event, but I always go with the saying that if I don’t document my events then its like they do not exist. Besides that I was a little leery of the squad I played going into the event, so I feel it is a public service to you the players to supply you with accurate information. Oh and thirdly my boss just left work and I have an hour to kill. So enough rambling its time to get to writing.

I wanted a squad that would have the ability to take out any of my opponents main beats in a turn. So the figure who can crank out the most damage that always pops into my head is my favorite SW woman ever Mara Jade Jedi. Another factor that went into my squad building choice was earlier in the week, I was at my other LGS and I was explaining to someone how awesome the MTB was if used right (they where using it wrong). So I wanted to run a NR MTB engine (oh and it’s a 150 point event), but I have had no luck with Han GH in the past. Well I talked myself into using him again, and said “Don’t worry the dice will warm up for you.” So the squad I went with was:

Han GH
Mara Jedi
Lobot (MTB engine every time)
Kel Dor (to kill the MTB)
Dodonna
2x Ugg

Now I figure someone had to have posted this squad online already. It is simple and can crank out a lot of damage if the dice work for you. However I did not see it anywhere in the days before the event, so I cant give any props if someone else claims this as their own. Sorry, I will throw you props once you show yourself.

So for map I went with the Throne Room map, but it doesn’t matter because I only got to play on the Death Star map.

We had 7 people and as luck would have it round one I get the bye. So both times I tried a NR squad in a tournament I get first round bye! (find my Wilson NC tournament report) But it was nice because we had two younger players come out, so I cant really complain about that. Durring round one, two matches finish quickly, but one of them goes about 55 minutes so I have a long time to sit and stare at Magic players.

So round 2 I am paired up against Max, he is one of the people who are 1-0, but I think it was funny that the other two 1-0 players where not matched up against each other. I mean we where using the DCI software, shouldn’t it have set it up? IDK, but anyway here is what Max was playing:

BF BH
Vader’s Apprentice Redeemed
Luke HPU
Human Bodyguard.

I defer side and he sets up on the right with most of his guys in the top hallway (well they where all there actually). So I set up with my heavy hitters to come across the pit (hmmmm force pushers anyone) and attack his guys after they are activated. So nothing happens until the beginning of round 3. I set it up so Han could mobile out and do 60 damage, then mobile back to the catwalk over the pit. He had all his guys bunched up over 4 squares so that the bodyguard could take the damage from whoever I hit. So I mobiled out and didn’t really know who to shoot at. I wanted to knock out one of his characters, but I figured the bodyguard would take most of the damage. So I decided to use Han to pick off the bodyguard. So I take the first cunning shot and roll like a one or a two (something low). So I was mad that I couldn’t kill the bodyguard, and tried again. I rolled a 20 so I was saved with no bodyguard. Now I had a problem. Luke had 80 HP, VAR had 130, and Fett had 120 (but was further away). I could not kill the apprentice on a good day, so I went with the target I knew I could hit. So against Luke I rolled something like 3, 19, and two other rolls that hit. I was scared going into the 4th roll that I might miss and he would be alive after the lightsaber assault. So there go my heavy hitters and he is up. Boba put 40 damage on Mara, then Mara got Force Pushed into the pit! I rolled my save and missed. Luckily I got a high number on the FPRR and she was alive, but with 80 damage on her. So I said ok, maybe I can luck out and kill the apprentice next round and then when she dies I can just run from Fett (and pray). So I get initiative (MTB ftw) Han takes two shots and misses VAR once. But I figure I can still kill him if Mara hits. So Mara moves up and assaults. I rolled one hit! All the other swings miss. So Mara promptly dies, then his two beats team up on Han, who dies a round later. So I ended up with the loss, luckily for me, he went on to win, so I don’t feel as bad. The downside is it seemed the game lasted 2 minutes, and we had another game go to almost time (same player as in round 1).

So round 3 we have 3 people undefeated thanks to the funky round 2 pairings. Two of the 2-0 people are paired, and I get the other 2-0 player (the slow play guy). Here is what he was playing:

Kota
Yoda of Dagobah
A bunch of non unique fringers (including a Kel Dor)

Yeah I don’t really know what all he was playing, but the Kel Dor is the only thing that comes into this story. I lose map, and defer side so I can see how he will set up. He takes the left and sets up in the top room. I set up in the top hallway on the right. I ponder locking the door with lobot turn one, but I didn’t really want to do that, I kind of wanted to just finish after the last showing. So near the end of round two we both have characters out of LOS hiding on either side of the pit at the top of the map. I haven’t activated my big hitters and he has yet to activate Kota. He had moved the kel dor forward the last activation and put him adjacent to Kota and two other guys. I look and I see if I move Han 5 I can get LOS on the Kel Dor, but be left out in the middle of the map. I do it. First attack on the Kel Dor hits. Then in Han fashion the second misses. So Kota takes no damage and the Kel Dor is alive. Now at this point he thought he had me, because he counted and Han was within 14 of Kota, so he rushes down to base Han, but the bad news was Mara wasn’t activated yet and she was now within 6 of Kota. So Mara moves, assaults and actually hits 3 times or so (one of which was a 19), then the next round I do another cunning assault to polish off Kota. He didn’t realize what a hurting she could do and concedes. All that was left was me mopping up scrubs at that point.

So I ended up getting 2nd place. And I probably broke even with my DCI points, so I guess it wasn’t all bad. Ok so after today, no more playing Mara/Han in DCI events. The dice just never seem to want me to put out all that damage!

Thanks for reading, its about time to go home.

Umm...what map were you playing? From the reports it almost sounds like it was the Mustafar map, which isn't DCI legal anymore. I can't think of which other map has pits and catwalks.

But yeah, you'll run into that issue with Han GH. I had similar problems recently with it.

Oh, and that exact squad has pretty much been around since LOTF came out, and probably before that....basically as soon as we knew Han, Dodonna, and the KDBH's stats. It's definitely a good squad, but does take a bit of finesse to run it correctly.

He was playing the Death Star map. The "catwalk" was the single-square wide path between the two pits at the top of the map.

The DCI map I brought was from the 2007 starter. I think its called the throne room with the Korriban map on the flip side. I thought that was legal.

All I ended up playing on was the death star map that everyone got as prize support last month. Everyone is playing that map now.

....especially after some of the players found you can push people into pits!!!

OK, gotcha. I reread the main post and now see at the very top where you said you were playing on Death Star. Must've missed it the first time. My bad.



Well then stay away from the pits! Duh!

Honestly though, it IS one of the better maps in the game. You can advance to the opposite side of the map pretty easily while staying away from that catwalk too. You're lucky in the one game that you didn't lose Mara. I always fail my pit saves. Heck, I usually fail ALL my saves. Was running Cade with Krayt on Sunday, and failed like 9 out of 10 Splash saves on Krayt. Luckily, I made all the Crab Armor Saves. So I can do Save 6. Must be something about that 11, lol.

I am thinking that next time I may play vong.

Now that this kid has found the FU force pushers, thats all he has been playing for the last week. I have seen him play 3 different days with that squad.

I just love Mara too much, and wanted to do something with her. But those attack rolls just dont help out too much!!!

Let's see if I can remember the rest of the squads being played at that tourny.

We had an Empirial Squad from one of the young players I've never seen before, it used two of the Gotals, a stormie, elite stormie and I think a few other scrubs.

There was a second Kota squad, but I can't remember what the build of that was, just that one of the early matches was Kota vs. Kota.

I believe someone was running Han Scoundrel, Leia, Ghost obi, the healing rebel droid, and dannik (Maybe something else)

I was playing a Landspeeder cannon squad using Han RH, Leia, the landspeeder and... was it 3 ERCs?