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I was just talking with Chronic Apathy, and the idea came up about favorite Redemption memories.  As I thought about it, I have had a lot but I wanted to record my top 10.  What are your top memories?

1 - Winning TEAMS at the 2010 TN state tournament with my seven year old daughter, Alecia Underwood, as my teammate.  The key play was when our opponent's played Authority of Christ (non-promo) to wipe out all of our defense in play, and it was actually my daughter who noticed that she had "Unsuccessful" active in her artifact pile and therefore negated AoC, and saved the game.

2 - Finishing 4th at Nats 2011 in T1-2p completely due to some great draws with a speed deck against tough opponents.  This was after my defense-heavy deck flamed out to Roy Cruz's "A New Beginning".

3 - There was the time I won T1-mp at MW Regionals several years back after playing SoG+NJ with 3 LSs already and then realized that there weren't 2 available LSs on the table.  The other players, (Matt Archibald, Jonathan Greeson, someone else) wouldn't let me take it back and the game ended up getting to being tied up with everyone at 4 LSs for a couple times around the table and several great blocks.  Then I finally broke through for #5.

4 - The 2008 Nats in Columbus when I helped with the Brad Coverdale - Gretal Long proposal.  I remember talking with Brad about it ahead of time, and taking a bunch of pictures.  It was a really sweet time, and I was honored to be a part of it.

5 - T1-2p at 2007 Nats in KC, which was my first.  I remember making it up to the top table and around the #6 spot.  Along the way I was able to beat Ben Arp, before losing to Kevin Shride and Jonathan Alstad causing me to drop down at the end.  It was my first time playing the "big names" of Redemption and meeting so many of you who I now consider friends.  It was also when I first saw the amazing generosity of the big winner that year, Gabe Isbell.

6 - Going undefeated at the 1st annual Redemption for Micah tournament, by teaming up with my student Brian Jones for both the TEAMS event and the 2-on-2 basketball tournament, and also taking 1st in the T1-mp event.  But even better was the generosity of the entire Redemption community that amazingly was able to raise $800 to help support the Archibald family's future medical expenses for their young son.

7 - Getting to meet Tim Harmon (YMT) and his playgroup in Florida over spring break 2010, and playing in a local down there.  I was using a solid Red offense (including Buckler) back before it got the great cards it has now.  Surprisingly I was able to win the tourney by defeating the defensive specialist, Josh Kopp in the final round.  He was depending on red sites, because "no one used Red".

8 - Winning 1st place in ROOT in Jan 2011 after playing Jonathan Greeson, Daniel Husinga, and Alex Olijar successively.

9 - Playing T2-2p at MW Regionals a few years ago simply because it was opposite Sealed or something, and surprisingly placing in the event.  My final round was against Kirk Dennison, who is WAY better than I am in that event.  But he had the worst possible draw, which prevented him from pulling off his combo deck, and I was able to escape with the victory.

10 - Playing at the bottom table in the final round of T1-mp at 2008 Nats in Colombus against my nemesis that year, Jonathan Pequinot.  We had traded wins all year long with very different approaches to the event.  He played speed, and I was trying to organize MASK that year.  Yet despite success all year long, we both ended up at the bottom table for the last round of that Nats.  I was able to sneak out a win as he had to use his last defensive stop preventing the person to my right (a Kampke kid) from getting to 5 LSs right before my final turn.

(in no particular order)
1. Watching MJB, CountFount, and Sauce play at the T2-Only 2011
2. Pulling off COMBO COMBO COMBO COMBO ETHIOPIA!!!! against Rob's daughters in TEAMS at Nats 2010. Revenge for him making a rule against my combo.
3. The fourth year of Warriors booster, when I blocked Justin with Zeresh and Haman's Plot, and on the next turn, Nathan blocks him with Zeresh and Haman's Plot
4. Watching my friend rip a plot in booster draft, not realizing it was a battle challenge
5. Suiciding to convert my opponent's defense in booster with I am Patience, and then RDT plays Paul's Girdle, Chains, and Cage every time, undoing my conversion of The False Prophet.
6. Taking second in TEAMS at 2011 Nats.
7. Various Perkins Runs
8. First meeting of the SQF at the T2-Only 2011
9. Winning T1-2P at Iowa State in...2007? Played Tim, who muttered about how he wanted somebody to beat Gabe (who was unknown), and then proceeded to beat Gabe the next game. It was my first big tournament win.
10. Beating Marin Miller FTW at MN State 2011, forcing him to put a butterfly tattoo on his forehead for the remainder of the day.

1.) Playing vs MJB, Tracer Burnout, and one other person I can't remember at the T2 Only 2010 (Final round of t2 multi).
2.) Losing vs John Earley, my only loss, at 2010 NC Regionals, because I used Burial to block myself.
3.) Playing vs CountFount and MJB at the T2 only 2011
4.) Playing vs CountFount and Pat Wester at the T2 only 2011
5.) Beating Tim Maly in my first T2 game ever (T2 only, 2009)
6.) Beating Gabe 3 times in a row with his own deck. Back when I was pretty bad. The deck he was using before those games was like 27-1, too.
7.) Perkins
8.) Going 14-1 vs Westy in the last two years
9.) Nats 2011 as a whole, I guess.
10.) Watching Westy throw away 1st place in Teams at nats 2011.
Honorable Mention: Beating Gabe 5-0 at a local so a 9 year old girl placed instead of him.
Honorable Mention: Super Booster at nats 2011.
Honorable Mention: Taking second in the SOL (would have been first if I didn't lose to Gabe in my final game of the season, 5-0 in like 3 turns).

Of the top 5, 80% are from the T2 only. Hmm. Also, I'm disappointed Westy didn't list COMBO COMBO COMBO COMBO COMBO AFRICA

**This space reserved for the Year, Month, Day, Hour, Minute, and second that I finally beat Jonathan Greeson in a game of Type 1 Redemption**

Opening a booster pack at Creation Fest in the mid 90s and having David Easterling tell me that Frog Demons is a very good card.

Getting email from Rob Anderson that he liked my Card Organizer and Deck Builder and wanted to put it on the site and give me some Redemption credit. I was about 10 or 11. I fantasized about some day getting that great Goliath card.

Getting that great Goliath card.

Teaching some of the people at my Boy Scout camp how to play one summer. At least one person even got his own cards after that.

Playing against my dad with 200+ card monstrosities, because we had so many cool cards we wanted to use them all! Who would ever use New Jerusalem, how could you ever get that at the same time as Son of God?

Competing in "worst deck" competitions, where we would build terrible decks (with some restrictions) and then give them to our opponents to play.

A Booster Draft at some old NE Regionals. Someone attacks with Pharaoh's Daughter, and gets name-on-name playing Helping Pharaoh's Daughter. In the same tournament, someone uses Ahimelech to repel Jephthah.

In Pittsburgh, the great Priests booster pack opening party. All of Mike Berkenpas' orders came in and we spent the evening opening and trading, barely playing, just having a good time.

Also in Pittsburgh, being on Mike B's playtesting team and getting to see what Priests, G&H Decks, and tins would be like early. It was crazy to me, that I would be in the loop at all. And I even got to suggest some cards - I'm pretty sure I suggested the original incarnation of Complainers and Zelophehad's Sin, at least. I hope I had nothing to do with Uzzah.

At the final, high-stakes game of Nationals 2008, having the following battle: Attack Sarah, Daniel H blocks Leviathan, I play Buying Grain, I win the battle.

Also at Nationals 2008, beating Josh Kopp's defense-heavy deck, in a great rematch from my dreadful performance at SE Regionals. Yeah Journey to Egypt!

After winning T1 2-player at Nationals 2008, seeing Tim Maly's disbelief at Sarah and Shoes of Peace being in a winning deck.

After the Nationals event, hearing top players discuss Gold Shield, a card of my design, and how it could do crazy things.

Late last year, teaching my wonderful girlfriend how to play and seeing her win events at each of the two tournaments she's been to - a sealed Teams event and Booster Draft!

1. Meeting Wild Bill Voigt when he and Nathan (then a 10-year old little pipsqueak who managed to humble my brothers and I) came to Fortress Alstad for the first time. No one has been more instrumental in my development as a player than Bill.

2. Nats 2011, where I managed to net two seconds and a first in the three categories I played, along with getting to hang out with people from all over the country and help show them why MN>every other state. 

3. First Nationals tournament (New Orleans, 2004) on a road trip with my dad and brothers, and managing to place 3rd in  T1-2P and 2nd in T2 multi.

4. March 17, 2007: The first day (to my knowledge) that a deck completely devoid of Heroes won an official Redemption tournament. The rest of the Heroless of the North's ride in the 2007 Season, up until its pinnacle of getting second at NC Regionals, follows along with that.

5. Becoming a playtester/elder, and seeing some of my card ideas become actual cards.

6. Perkins.

7.  Road trip to Iowa for 2011 NC Regionals, swept the T2 events, roundabouts, and Perkins

8. First T2 only I played in. Managing to take first in T2-MP, and completing my conversion from a primarily T1 player to a primarily T2 player.

9. Second T2 only I played in. Did terribly in both categories, but that's just how much fun the T2 only is.

10. Everything else that I can't specifically think of, in my past ~10 years of playing Redemption competitively in tournaments; the people I've met, the places I've been, and the late night Perkins runs.

And Very little of mine will be redemption based.

1: Placing 15th (Give or take) with Heroless at nationals in 2008.

2: My game with Rebecca Bryant, Marti Wormuth, and Her friend who's name I forgot (feel free to tell me it) at teams 2008. You know its fun when the table next to you is laughing at your shenanigans.

3: All the games that were not redemption at Nationals 2008. (If Michael H. sees this EDGE OUT!)

4: Hanging out with Orangebus at NY nationals making a copy of "Walking on Mary's Face"

5: During nationals in NY (I think that was 2007?) playing against schaef's odd soldier of God and Seeker of the lost deck.

6: Honestly I could keep going but I will stop. I enjoy all the tournaments I go to because I am friends with most players there. Thank you all for being a great community.

No real order, some are obviously more memorable than others.

1. Meeting the Alstads. I would have probably quit the game if it wasn't for them, they are very dear friends to me.
2. All of the type 2 onlys
3. Count Fount and Emjaybee in general
4. Round'abouts
6. Late night perkins runs
7. My first Regional tournament
8. All Nationals, though 2007, 2010, and 2011 were the most memorable
9. Megabus to Ohio Nationals
7. Meeting Tyler Stevens and Chris Fachman and talking strategy with them at nats 2011 
8. Playing with John Nesfeder in TEAMS for a couple of years
9. Drawing Son of God off of Proud Pharisee last year at nats
10. Hanging out with the m, nameless, and the rest of the mn playgroup.
11.Learning first hand that artifact pile's in the land of redemption are not okay.

AIR RAID

Running through the church at (2007? 8?) SE Regionals with @Colin yelling Zelda music at the top of our lungs.

Sleeping in a tent out behind Schaef's Church with @Josh, @Colin and @Bryn.

Realizing Schaef wasn't the bane of the light while playing Cutthroat Caverns.

The time Schaef tried to ban @Colin and failed, then accidentally the whole state of TN.

Chasing @Kirk around the church at top-speed with my shoe. Do you know where the petting zoo is?

Taking 3rd at my first Nationals using a deck I had thrown together the night before, which would later become Stonewall.

Playing my first T2 tournament, having never played T2 before that day, with a deck @Kirk borrowed me, and winning 1st place if the last game had ended in regulation.

Bad scrabble.

1) Going to Life Church for the first time to play in a Redemption tour.
2) Building my first deck (red/white & ?) 1-2 record
3) Beating Marcus,Neeka & Terry in Booster
4) Losing to those guys from Arkansas,but loving every minute of it.
5) Hoping CJ was wide awake so I could win (he wasn't).
6) At one time having every single card in the sets,promos
7) Trading some cards for the 70/70 Jesus Christ card
8- reserved
9) reserved
10) reserved

11.Learning first hand that artifact pile's in the land of redemption are not okay.

Hands down being involved in the Sealed Deck game at Nats in Pittsburgh when Rob Anderson got caught cheating.

I want to hear the stories behind these.

Quote from: TheHobbit13 on February 06, 2012, 09:47:14 PM

11.Learning first hand that artifact pile's in the land of redemption are not okay.

Quote from: DDiceRC on February 08, 2012, 02:41:13 PM

Hands down being involved in the Sealed Deck game at Nats in Pittsburgh when Rob Anderson got caught cheating.

I want to hear the stories behind these.

To be fair, it wasn't IN his Land of Redemption apart from other artifacts in his artifact pile, he just happened to have his Artifact pile in a non-standard location, where most of us (at least in MN) would have our LoR be.

As to the Rob cheating story, I wasn't there, but I believe one of the deckcheckers slipped a NJ Promo in his Sealed deck.

Wonderful.  I love it.  RNJ has inspired more than a few of our antics.