Wow! Darn! Holy Hand Grenades! That was a cool tourney! I was up for 42 hours by the time I got home and wrote most of this. But... it was worth it. My buddy and I get to the store in Gardner, MA at 1 AM, in plenty of time for deck testing and chilling before the bus leaves at 6:30 AM. My deck undergoes massive tuning and severe reconstructive surgery, as well as some last minute "tech" additions. The bus ride is long. Five hours or so. In sweltering heat. With forty other hot sweaty men. Good thing we had the windows down, but it still stunk like northern New Jersey. Yeech. So we get to Neutral Ground about half an hour before the tourney starts, and I say 'Hi' to a bunch of people who I found out are on the Fox list instead of this one (read:those who just don't get the concept of Alliance), including our own Jeff Kyer, who was cool enough to give me a Kyuden Kitsune so I could use it instead of my high quality color photocopy. Just to say it again: "Thanks, Jeff." Eventually, Eric Devlin announces that there are 79 players. Seventy-nine. That's a lot. Especially since over half of us came down together. Round 1 - Tim Smart(Naga) Tim is a great player. He's got a good grasp of the game and kicked more ass with Naga than I ever have, and believe me, I've tried. I though this game was over when I sat down. It wasn't. We both made really stupid mistakes, and the game goes back and forth. We started five minutes before we were supposed to and still managed to nearly get called on time. Fortunately for me, my Essence of Air and Wasting Disease give me the advantage I need to pull it off. 1-0 Round 2 - A Phoenix player from Maine, who I happened to play LBS for a good long while, until the bus arrived. Sorry, but I forget his name. He saw two people the whole game. I saw three people first turn, and a Ryosei and a Tsuke will take a province when another Ryosei reduces the province strength to 1. I feel sorta bad for him, but that's a win for me. 2-0 Round 3 - Shadowlands player using Nio Sensei This was a tough match. He got out personalities out really fast, but I managed to kill his Plains of Otosan-Uchi.Flipping up a Kuni Wastelands the next turn, he manages to stay ahead of me the whole time, even with my Essence of Air working full time to clear many dynasty cards a turn. My mistake was not using Hantei Sensei to attack his Evil Portents, and that finally won him the game. He destroyed the province with the face-up Iris Festival (thank you Essence of Air), and that was game. First loss, but it wasn't too bad. 2-1 Round 4 - Ranged attack Fox. It wasn't an easy game, but after a few Arrow Knows the Way to Diro's Heart, I managed to win. It wasn't much of a game, since he didn't pull anything extraordinary for ranged attacks beyond a Blackened Sky, I didn't bother remembering. Sorry, guy. 3-1 Round 5 - Jared Devlin-Scherer(sp?) (Phoenix Mo5) Jared and I were discussing things before the tourney (which is why I'm using Flee the Darkness instead of Test of Courage), and he was actually lending my two of the ones in the deck. Master of Five shows up first turn. I took two provinces, but he managed to play all five of the elemental actions to win. But he doesn't win instantly. He had tossed his Rise to Uona for 2 of the elements (Way of Earth on her), and forgot to cast it. I manage to take the other two in one turn and the day is saved for the novice yerfers. 4-1 Round 6 - Ninja. Farking Ninja. No personalities in his deck. Rampant Plague killing my people while he dishonors me with 2 Den of Spies and honors with 2 Sanctified Temples. I manage to actually take a province, but it's not enough, and he hits 40 the turn he splats me to -20. 4-2 Round 7 - For the life of me, I can't recall what this round was. I was suffering from heat exhaustion and sleep deprivation (was still on that kick when I wrote the report), and somehow managed to win. Spectacularly, no less, because Black Wind from the Soul took his last province. Jeff, Chris Bird (the RA Fox dude), and I go off looking for something outside. I feel lightheaded and ill and just about the worst I ever felt in my life, including the time my big toe was spilt open by force of impact alone. Jeff tells me something saying to drink water, so I buy some and drink it. I sit under the AC unit for the rest of the tourney, and I do eventually feel better. I make it to the finals. Heat exhaustion still kicking in. The first round of finals is a blur, I'm sorry. I do recall another Black Wind victory. FInals, Round 2 : Unicorn. I'm feeling better, so I remember some details. I get a first turn Hosigeru and Raigen (thanks to an Inherit). Light Infantry on Hosigeru and attack for a province. He brings out a Tetsuko, who is now 5/5. My turn, I get out some more stuff (thanks to Essence), and let him go again. My turn, and I'm ready for the attack. I assign six force each to provinces two and three, and he allows me to take them, defending province #1. Black Wind from the Soul eliminates him. Round of 4: Another Fox. Yay. First card flipped: Hidden Emperor. Whee. Second card flipped: Desperate Measures. Whee. However, I manage to get out a third turn Essence and start funneling stuff into play. Eventually, I build up enough force to take a province. He doesn't attack back, and Return of Fu Leng (post Kaede sensei) takes out another province. Yes, another Black Wind victory. Final Match Marty Luins(sp?), TA attack I'm an idiot. I really am. I attack prematurely (and without everything, no less), and he had just too much force. I lost this game crushingly. So I took second in a 79 player Kotei. To be totally honest, I'm happier I took second. I already have my GenCon ticket and living arrangements made, and Marty couldn't have gone unless he won. This way, we're both going to GenCon this year, and *that* is a bonus for all around. Fear the Monkey Clan Fanboy. What I find most ironic is that Marty didn't originally want to go to the Kotei. But I love irony. Marty also gets the "Best Sport" award, IMO. I didn't watch it, but Eric Devlin (the TO) made it a point to give him public recognition. In the Swiss section of the tourney, he allowed his opponent to back up, even though it cost him the game. To me that shows exceptional personal honor, which is one of the cornerstones of this game (along with camaraderie, fun, and dedication). Fun was had by all, as far as I saw. I give the day a final grade of A. Deck: Kyuden Kitsune : "Black Wind from the Soul" Dynasty: 43 3 Kitsune Shudo 3 Kitsune Diro 3 Kitsune Tsuke 3 Ryosei 3 Shiba Raigen 3 Asako Hosigeru Agasha Gennai Exp Kitsune Diro Exp Ryosei Exp1 3 Farmlands 3 Island Wharf 3 Large Farm 3 Jade Works 3 Small Farm 2 Merchant Caravan Iris Festival The Return of Fu Leng Kolat Duplicate Doom of the Brotherhood Inheritance Alliance Fate: 46 3 Superior Tactics 3 Face of Ninube 3 Test of Honor 3 Rallying Cry 3 One Koku 2 Sneak Attack 3 Purity of Spirit 3 Fury of the Earth 3 Banish All Shadows 3 Flee the Darkness 3 Berserkers 3 Ashigaru 3 Light Infantry 2 Essence of Air Black Wind from the Soul The Wasting Disease Gohei's Daisho Ring of the Void Kuro Sensei Hantei Sensei -Aaron Medwin Kupo, Mantis Clan No-Longer-Failure * New Trait Coming Soon Team Bad Player