I'll just go ahead and post my Championship report right here: I played Skybuck:
51 Yoda on Kybuck 47 General Skywalker 28 Dash Rendar, RS 27 Lobot 23 Captain Panaka 09 R2 Astromech 08 Mas Amedda 04 Gran Raider 03 Ugnaught Demolitionist
200pts, 9 activations. [Normal reinforcements: Ugnaught/Caamasi/Brute x4] Map: Jedi Temple/Hall of Judgment.
None of my games went to time (as expected when playing Yobuck).
Round 1 vs Gunther: ERC x4, Han Smuggler, Leia, Rieekan, Dodonna, fodder We played on my map, and I set up on the left side. The early rounds basically consisted of Yobuck charging out to kill fodder and put damage on the ERCs (their AOOs were only +7s for 10dmg), and then being swapped away to safety. At the end of one round I charged Yobuck in for the kill on Han (after swapping), but then lost the next initiative, which meant that Yobuck took his last 60dmg from an ERC Cunning Twin. But by that point I was already ahead on activations and my Dash/Anakin were unharmed, and they cleaned up Yobuck’s mess. 58 minutes, 1-0.
Round 2 vs Grey Whitsett (AdmiralGreybar): Luke’s SS, Han Smuggler, Leia, Crix, ERC, Rieekan, Dodonna, fodder. I was scared because Grey had won several tournaments, including his Regional, with this squad; I afterward learned that he was 20-0 with this squad in competitive play before coming to the Championships. We played on his Chancellor’s Starship and I chose the left side. During the first round I positioned my pieces north of the door, so that if Grey wanted to shoot anything he’d have to commit the SS into the gambit zone, where I’d be able to put 60dmg on the SS with Anakin if I won the next init (Anakin took some damage from the SS, but survived). I did win the next init, so Anakin put 60dmg on the SS and returned to Panaka’s side for bodyguarding. Grey responded by moving the SS in for a Twin on Anakin, but Panaka bodyguarded the damage, and now the SS was within Yobuck’s easy kill range; Grey moved Crix up to protect the SS, but I found a square adjacent to the SS that was 7 squares away from Crix, so the SS went down. After that, things moved quickly. The next round, Han died to a Yobuck crit (which might’ve made a significant difference in the game), and Yobuck took a pile of damage, but by this point I had more damage output than the Rebels could handle, so I won. 50 minutes, 2-0.
Round 3 vs Philip Carlisle (Joruus C’baoth): Luke’s LS, Ferus, Hantaun, Leia, Bothan, Juno, Rieekan, Dodonna, mice & ugs (and no door control) We played on my map, with me on the left again. I did not set up well, so that Han had the possibility for a Round 1 cunning shot vs R2 if I didn’t move R2 right away. In hindsight, that ended up costing me a lot, if not actually the entire game. I managed to keep R2 safe that round and still get a Yobuck gallop off, but R2 died the next round. But then the Landspeeder-Tank (as I now refer to it) with LS/Ferus/Juno making it hard to kill slowly but steadily moved in on my pieces and cannon-ed my pieces to death. There really wasn’t anything I could do about Philip’s activations since he kept his fodder spread out all over the map to prevent me from galloping them all at once (thanks to the advice I gave him earlier that week!!!!). So with a crazy activation lead and a nigh-unkillable LS-Tank, it wasn’t pretty for my squad. 45 minutes, 2-1. I now knew I had to win at least 2 of my next 3, and likely all 3, if I was to make the Top 8.
Round 4 vs Greg Sutton: Mara, HanGH, Ganner, Anakin, fodder This game was intense! Much respect to Greg. We played on my map, with me on the left again. I was SO very tempted to make a Round 1 gallop which would’ve hit many pieces, but it would’ve been very risky for init the next round, but I resisted the temptation. (After the game, Greg said he was really hoping I’d make that gallop, too.) Yobuck galloped Greg’s whole squad in the 2nd round, taking a few hits on AOOs but considering them well-worth the benefit. In the 3nd round Mara moved up too close, and so I swapped in Dash to Momentum-strike her, but I rolled poorly and only put 70 on her rather than 120, so Yobuck had to come in from 16 squares away for the last two hits (failed block). Dash was at 30hp at this point, so an Unleash by Anakin finished him off. We almost forgot to make Ganner roll the save, but then Greg remembered (sportsmanship award to him!) and took 30dmg after a fprr. At this point, I’ve put damage on all Greg’s pieces, and I’ve got Yobuck and Anakin left. I killed Han with Anakin, and then Anakin and Ganner fell relatively quickly after that (after another Unleash). In the last round, with only Dodonna and Gha left, Greg said to me, “Don’t move Anakin yet.” : ) So I spun a brute. Then Greg moved both Dodonna and Gha to within 10 squares of Anakin, so that I could kill them off for the full win. He said, “I wanted you to get the full win, since you deserved it.” Classy guy, eh? 54 minutes, 3-1.
Round 5 vs Austin Link: Mirror match!!! His map was Ravaged Base, and he won the map roll, I deferred side, then set up on the outside (right) after he set up. Our fodder were pretty much identical. This game was massive carnage, right from the start, and very exciting. Near the end of the first round, Austin’s Yobuck galloped in to kill my Lobot and MAS AMEDDA (who I had moved but not kept adjacent to Panaka—d’oh!). Actually, Austin counted out the 26 squares, and then proceeded to move and attack…and then he realized that he had forgotten to declare Master Speed with Yoda. I knew that he would kill my Mas with the gallop, but I also saw that he had counted for the full 26 squares, to reach Mas on the 26th. This was a difficult decision, because losing Mas in this mirror matchup was almost instant death. But I didn’t want to win by being a jerk, so I said, “Go ahead with the full 26 anyway,” and he did. My Gran hit on an AOO (after Yoda rolled a 1), which turned out to be significant. Yobuck ended in the middle of my squad, with Anakin already activated, but Panaka/Dash/Yobuck left. Now I had to count my squares carefully, since Mas was gone, and I needed Dash to get some heavy Momentum damage on Yobuck. I moved, shot (hit), and swapped with Panaka, swapping Dash into a spot from which he could base Austin’s Yobuck and still be within 6 of my Anakin. Dash hit ¾, so Yobuck was at 40hp (10 from Gran, 20 from Panaka, 90 from Dash). Austin swapped his Yobuck out for Dash, who killed my Dash (d’oh again!...forgot to place Panaka in the right spot for bodyguarding Dash!). My Yobuck then proceeded to gallop 26 squares through most of his fodder, ending at Austin’s Yobuck. I said, “Now would be a great time for a crit!”…and then rolled a 20. Austin then failed the block, and that likely won me the game. Austin won the next init, but let me go first, so Anakin ran up to put 60dmg on Dash and ended adjacent to Panaka (I learned my lesson), who bodyguarded some return shots from Dash. By the end of the round, I had lots of fodder but no Mas or Dash, and Austin still had his Mas but had lost lots of fodder, along with Yobuck and Dash. The next round or 2 were cleanup, with my Yobuck eating through the rest of his fodder and my Anakin/Yobuck putting the finishing touches on his Anakin. This game was quick, exciting, memorable, and very enjoyable. 42 minutes, 4-1.
Round 6 vs Jason Kiernan: GGDAC, Sidious, Lancer x2, IG-86, Gha, fodder. He won the map roll, so we played on his Muun Grand Plaza. After some frenetic humming and ha-ing, I set up on the left side (with the doors); he set up on the right, with both of his lancers able to reach my front doors at exactly 24 squares. I won init so I made him go first, and he spun a mouse. I then moved Dash to open the door, then towed Yobuck out with R2, and locked the door behind me. Yobuck was now exactly 16 squares away from Jason’s Lancers. Jason counted out his squares, and would’ve been able to kill R2, open the door, and then pawn for the 12-square strafe followed by a twin attack, against Panaka and Mas…and that in turn would’ve prevented Yobuck from being able to do the required 50dmg to the other Lancer. So he began his move; he strafed past Yobuck/R2, needing 3s to kill R2…but he rolled a 2. R2 lived, and the door stayed locked. Now Jason had to come up with a different plan, so he strafed back over R2 (hitting this time) and Yobuck, and landed his lancer near the startup area. It was now the moment of truth for me: I galloped 16 squares with Yobuck, and ended beside both Lancers and Sidious, and a Mouse. I managed to hit all my attacks, so the un-activated lancer died, the activated/pawned Lancer was sitting at 10hp, and Sidious was down to 100. Then I swapped Anakin in for Yobuck. By this point I out-activate him, so Jason knew he wouldn’t get the opportunist shots on Anakin, so he did the wise thing and based him (to prevent momentum moving), hitting once, but Anakin deflected it. It was now Anakin’s turn, and the Lancer had to die. +12 vs 21…not great odds, and the dice have failed me before…so I take a look at Anakin’s card, and voila: Force Push! I pushed the Lancer to death, and then it was a matter of Anakin and Yobuck charging in for 60dmg each vs the Droid, then GGDAC, then Sidious. 28 minutes, 5-1, and a place in the Top 8! It turns out I was in 2nd place, which isn’t bad at all.
The next morning I played my quarter-final match vs Wes Morgan: Kyle JBM, Mara, Ganner, Dash, Jag, Dodonna, fodder (the same squad that my good buddy Eric/Ruhk had played). He won the map roll (HUGE), and so we played on Chancellor’s Starship. I set up on the left, but couldn’t get any safe gallops off because Wes positioned his pieces very well. In the 3rd round, Yobuck galloped past Ganner, Dash (crit!), Dodonna, and the R7, then swapped to safety. Wes then declared levitation and tried to move Mara in past a locked door; I asked a judge if he still had to do the levitation since he declared it, and the judge said, “At this level, yes he does.” So he levitated his Ugnaught instead. I then ran my R4 Targetting droid up and targeted Ganner with it. R2 towed Dash up to make the attacks. However, here is where I made my first mistake, which ended up costing me the game: rather than just taking 4 shots (needing 5s) vs Ganner, I forgot that Ganner was only at 70hp and moved Dash in for the momentum hits, which ended up costing me my Dash at the hand of his Dash. So now I’ve lost my only solid way of whittling Kyle down, and I’ve lost my best Mara-counter, when all I had to do was roll a 5 four times vs Ganner to kill him. Then at the end of the round, I made my other game-losing mistake: I wanted someone up beside R2 for towing capabilities (that 30hp Dash of Wes’ looked tasty), and so I ran Anakin up to R2. However, I didn’t stop to count the 12 squares that Mara could run, which brought her within 6 of Anakin. If I had won the init I would’ve been fine, since I could’ve towed Anakin away, and Mara would’ve lacked a movement breaker, but after Wes rolled a 5, I rolled a…you guessed it: 1. Mara assaulted, but missed with an attack, then crit, for a total of 100dmg vs Anakin. I’d still be fine if I could make the LS Defense save, but I failed it. Now I had only Yobuck left with 120hp vs a full Mara, full Kyle, and 30hp Dash. I made his last epic galloping charge, but died quickly afterward, and conceded the game. Full credit to Wes: he played his squad superbly, and he made it very difficult for me to get a good gallop off against his fodder. 48 minutes, 5-2, and out of the competition. I later received the 5th place trophy, made by my friends on the Michigan crew.
In the end, I was really happy with how I did. It was my 2nd Top 8 finish in 3 years, and I had to beat some very difficult opponents in order to make it that far. And who knows? If I had been able to squeak by Wes, maybe I could’ve made it past my next opponent and into the Finals again. I thoroughly enjoyed playing my squad because of its damage output capabilities, as well as its massive flexibility and movement breakers. I imagine that it will be less effective once the V-set is released, but it sure was fun for Championship play this year!
Big thanks and respect go out to each of my opponents throughout the tournament.
Big thanks also to Bill and Brad for doing an excellent job running and judging the Championships. It went smoothly and quickly, and it was lots of fun.
More big thanks to the numerous people who ran the computer and did other behind-the-scenes work throughout the weekend.
And biggest thanks to Eric for diving with me and to Phil for letting us stay at his house (less expensive than the Hyatt!).
_________________ "Try not! Do, or do not. Thereisnotry." --Yoda
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