Ashur´s EC experience 2013 part 2: EC day 1

As you might have read earlier, I manage to qualify for this tournament just the day before, at the LCQ. Time to choose deck, and as usual in this moment, pride goes before intelligence. I want to play something original. Or at least kind of original. So this time I went with my Kiasyd combat-toolbox with Earth Swords, a deck that works okey and I have played quite a lot. I know. A stupid choice.

Based on a deck by Martin Randers.

Crypt [12]

2x Arcadian, The 8 DOM MYT OBT chi for Kiasyd:5

2x Pherydima 8 DOM MYT NEC obt pot bishop Kiasyd:4

2x Omme Enberbenight 7 MYT OBT cel dom priscus Kiasyd:4

3x Isanwayen 6 DOM MYT OBT Kiasyd:4

1x Roderick Phillips 7 DOM MYT cel obt tha Kiasyd:4

2x Dame Hollerton 5 DOM OBT myt Kiasyd:4

Library [82]

Master/Event [14]

3x Villein

2x Direct Intervention

1x Dreams of the Sphinx

1x Fame

1x Great Symposium

1x WMRH Talk Radio

2x Wash

1x Pentex Subversion

1x Fear of Mekhet

1x The Uncoiling

Action/Equipment [13]

3x Abbot

1x Aranthebes, The Immortal

8x Govern the Unaligned

1x Ivory Bow

Action Modifier/Combo [9]

3x Conditioning

6x Fae Contortion

Combat [19]

5x Darkling Trickery

8x Earth Swords

4x Target Vitals

2x Taste of Vitae

Reaction/Combo [27]

4x Deflection

1x Redirection

6x Eyes of the Night

2x Forced Awakening

4x On the Qui Vive

2x Wake with Evening's Freshness

8x Aura Absorption

The arrows in the graphics below shows the general amount of pressure a Methuselah put on his or her prey – yellow is “not much”, orange is “some” and red is “a lot”.

 

Table 1:

Difficulty for me: 3/5. A rather open history. Could have worked.

My performance: 2/5. I had no idea what Jukka and Gabriele played until late in the game – both decks looked like some kind of toolbox – and that made it difficult for me to make the right choice in some important situations early on.

The other players: Gabriele died rather early to Aleksi bleeds – a deck like that cannot be allowed to have more than 2 minions, but neither Jukka nor Gabriele had means to stop him. Marko of course is a very good player, calm and smart even under hard pressure, but I almost ousted him because of my intercept. I didn´t learn until the last couple of turns or so what Jukka played, it was some kind of wall deck with sticks and breed and Palla Grande.

Lesson to learn: Knowledge is power. Reading the table and knowing deck archetypes is very important. Also: The Kiasyd group 4-5 crypt is very popular.

Marko: 1,5

Jukka: 1,5

Aleksi: 1

Me: 0,5

 

Table 2:

Difficulty for me: 2/5. This was totally winable, especially after I smacked my predators first minion into torpor and was able to Govern down. But … shit happens.

My performance: 3/5. I played pretty good here, in my humble opinion. My deck is not fast enough though.

The other players: All played fairly well. Apart from me hurting my predator a lot everybody did pretty much what was expected of them. Daniel is a rather new player, but he won his other two games and got to the finals.

Lesson to learn: Not a new lesson at all, but a reminder: Never listen to the Aus-weenie player. Just f**k him/her up and let him/her manage with one minion is he/she has a non-aggressive predator, or two minions if he/she has a aggressive predator. Also: The Kiasyd group 4-5 crypt is very popular.

Me: 1,5 vp

Pau: 0,5 vp

Csaba: 0,5 vp

Daniel: 0,5 vp

 

Table 3:

Difficulty for me: 2/5. I thought I could smash the Imbued, and I thought I could handle my predators weenies. I also thought my combat could trump the stickmen´s.

My performance: 2/5. Although I survived the 1-cap swarm (a very, very, very stupid deck), and although I burned one or two of my preys Imbueds, it didn´t work out. The stickmen-decks did contest a bit, but Hugh had no pressure from his predator at all, so he won this and played the final, and later won the whole championship.

The other players: Hughs and Markos decks was similar. The Imbued deck was weird, with Lock and other stuff instead of the usual tech I´m used to (no Gehenna, no Talbot´s chainsaw). The weenie deck as incredably strange – just 1-caps and Thin-blooded Seers with Computer Hackings and Leverage, no tech at all. A deck that, in my book, only should be able to take 1 vp – ie, destroy the game for one player and unbalance the table, nothing more.

Lesson to learn: I took a lot of resources to defend myself, I might have cycled a bit too much there, as I didn´t have a deck left when my predator and Marko was gone.

Hugh: 4 vp

Marko: 1 vp

The finals of day 1 was won by Martin Weinmayer.

No day 2 for me. Stay tuned for my FCQ report.