Author Topic: Sometimes, it just happens. (2nd Place EC Regs report)  (Read 1269 times)

Offline Red

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Sometimes, it just happens. (2nd Place EC Regs report)
« on: July 11, 2017, 09:25:47 AM »
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It's been quite the time since I last wrote a tournament report, so this will be an adventure of sorts. My list is soon to be posted in complete decks, and I'm not super fond of it. Anyway, time to talk about my tournament experience!

The lead-up to the tournament is almost better than my experience. I was super blessed to have received a free copy of the set from TLG because of some hard work I put in demoing the game at a homeschool convention in Cincy, and as a result I had everything I needed for a competitive deck without having to spend a ton of money on cards. So I was able to assemble various T1 decks for testing purposes.

The only problem was, I never found anything that preformed well. In the weeks leading up to the tournament, I was preforming horribly in testing. For example, one day, I went 2-11 in testing games vs my brother and our own lovely KariusVega. (That deck was quickly scrapped.) Finally, five days before the tournament I called Vega. It went about like this:
Jay: JD. what do you think is the best deck right now?
Vega: Run White/Silver!
Jay: Ok, What does it look like?
Vega: Run Priests of Christ/Woman, Michael/TSA, Justin Martyr, Angels of Wrath, etc.
Jay: Alright, Enhancements
JD: Run Sword of the Spirit, Day of Fury, gotta have First Fruits, etc.
Jay: Defense?
Vega: Black with Goliath, Fire Foxes, etc.
*Jay scurries off to build a deck*

I went to build the deck which I mistakenly titled Excellency, and sent it to Vega who proceeded to tell me that it was all he had hoped and dreamed of. (Those of you who know JD will understand this. Love ya buddy) I then become incredibly busy for a cool four days and play very few testing games. JD tests it a bit for me, and says it's doing well. So I sleeve it up and off we go. (I went 5-0-50 in testing vs my brother Jeremy. Kid's good)

I judged Friday night so I didn't play booster or T1 Multi. I do not regret that at all, Multi-Player categories have came very close to souring me on Redemption. Booster concludes at two in the morning and I am not tired. Coffee at Midnight preforms well in keeping one awake. I play a few testing games with Mark Underwood, (So glad he made it all the way from Indonesia) and a few members of Brian's playgroup. During this night, I became reenchanted with this wonderful game we call Redemption. I was feeling good.

Check in the decks, Rev up the brain, It's time for Redemption!

Round 1: Bailey Crossman. 5-1 Win.
In the first round I play a girl named Bailey Crossman. Bailey was a newer player, who's been playing since right before the charity open in Febuary. Bailey is playing a suped up starter deck armed with the Second Coming. My opening hand looks great. I drew one lost soul, and the Michael/TSA band as well as Paul. That one soul was the only one I drew. I proceed to walk in with Michael/TSA for four straight turns, then use Woman with Child to get my Son of God for the fifth. Bailey ended up with a hand full of dominants and if I had drawn souls the game may have gone a bit differently.

Round 2: Brian Jones. 2-5 loss.
All of the "good players" went 5-1 in Round 1 except my brother and Drew Wills. So I got paired up with Brian. I won't spoil Brian's deck, but it's a solid deck. We both drew a good many souls and Brian went first. Brian's draw was significantly better than mine (I whiffed a ton of defense) and he drew both defense and offense. The game would have been 5-3, but he managed a Women's falling away before I hit Guardian. YAY FAST GAMES! (Not)

Ironman 2016 and 2018 Winner.
3rd T1-2P 2018, 3rd T2-2P 2019
I survived the Flood twice.

Offline Red

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Re: Sometimes, it just happens. (2nd Place EC Regs report)
« Reply #1 on: July 11, 2017, 09:41:25 AM »
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Round 3: Drew Wills. 5-4 Win by the Grace of the Almighty.
Drew is a solid player. Drew beat me at TN State 5-4, so I reckon it was time for reciprocation? I drew nothing this game. My draw was horrible. While Drew is racing past me with The Throne of David and Ishmaiah, I'm poking around doing next to nothing. Drew continuously keeps me off my heroes, which aren't coming in thick anyway, and hits a quick four souls. At the three turn sequence that won me the game, I'm at 2. Drew has four, having played SOG/TSC. I need to whiff souls for three turns and get good luck to win. I'm also aware of that fact, so I play accordingly. I have Michael+Day of Fury and Angel of the Lord in hand. I attack with Michael, and get blocked by Coliseum Lion banded to Lion. I ask for insh, play Day of Fury, negate??? No negate, I go to three. I play down three woes as Evil, target ends of the earth. Soul drought turn 1. He takes a turn, and passes back to me. Do I draw a soul? No soul. Whew. I attack with Michael, blocked by a deluders, play Angel. Soul 4. 4-4 game. He takes his turn and passes. I doubt that I can get a soul without drawing second coming here. I have three ways to it in deck. I have Woman with Child in discard. I need fifth seal, Second Coming, or Eternal Covenant to win. I d3, puzzledly look at fifth seal and eternal covenant and then realize I won. I say, Good Game, and activate Eternal Covenant to get WWC to win. This game was weird, as was the tournament.

Game 4: Mack Marshall. 5-1 win.
Luke and Nic Marshall are both known as incredibly good players. Luke top 8'd Nationals last year, and Nic took 2nd in 2010. What many people do not know is that a third Marshall plays Redemption. Mack is 13 and a cool dude. He handles his cards well but his deck was a tad bit outdated. I play my second Throne deck of the tournament. The draw is weird, as it has been all tournament. I hit open hand soul and see falling Away Women's in his hand. I have the Great White throne but no evil in my hand. My mission is to get WWC as quick as possible to hit Guardian. This was not as easy as I thought. Goliath kinda survives when he makes blocks. After misplaying turns 1-2, I get Guardian and start taking souls. I win souls 1-3 in three turns, getting a soul off a Guardian trigger. DOU and SSS aren't as solid anymore. He had a liner tap for soul two, but SOG took care of that. At some point in the game he rescued a soul but other than that I kept him off souls.

Game 5: Katrina Underwood. 5-1 Win.
Instead of playing Daniel Husinga, JD, or Luke Marshal, I get Katrina Underwood. Katrina is 12. I've been playing Redemption about as long as she's been alive. This was a much easier game than the others would have been. She soul droughts a bit after I rescue my initial soul, but I aggressively use Imitate and Lawless to underdeck her cards and generate lost souls. Her defense was not much of a challenge, and she was unable to rescue more than 1 because I underdeck SOG+NJ.

4-1, Second place, soul diff of 9. I barely placed above Daniel due to one soul diff higher having never played. I did not deserve this second place, and will say that I do not like using soul diff as a tiebreaker. I would advocate Redemption move to a Strength of Schedule approach as a third tiebreak. In that case I would have got the third place my performance deserved.

This tournament, despite the weird luck and games, really was a needed confidence boost even if I don't think I deserved a second place. I've become well aquainted with second place, taking 2nd, 5 out of 6 past TN tournaments I've played in. I will say I love the Revelation of John format, and am excited to see how the meta develops for Nationals!
Ironman 2016 and 2018 Winner.
3rd T1-2P 2018, 3rd T2-2P 2019
I survived the Flood twice.

 


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