Cactus Game Design Message Boards

Jon,
   I will be there !   If you need any help setting things up I can be there by noon on Friday, just let me know !
  Male   -  most any category   and  any kind of pizza is okay with me.  Also can we do subs for another meal !    Can't wait to see everyone !

  Al Bauer   albauer49@roadrunner.com    ORS1949

 And thank the Church Fathers for letting us stay overnite !!!!!!!!

I apologize, I would have loved to go, but at the moment, I'm barely getting to Regionals, not going to any state tourney... yeah. It's going to be an interesting summer.

I hope it goes well!

~Marti

 

Only a few days away now!

Hey To Those Who Are Interested:
   The New York State Tournament was much smaller (6 people overall) than I expected.  I understand that it is a difficult time to travel and save money, but we did have a lot of fun.  The exciting part for me is that my wife graciously got a baby sitter so she could judge and allow me to play.  My opponent's weren't nearly so excited about that fact as I swept all 6 categories.  We had a small enough crowd to where we could play all the events in back to back fashion.
   Friday Night:
We play both T2 categories and a Closed Deck.
   T2 2-Player was up first.  With 4 of us entered, we played round robin.  Luckily, I built a second deck as a "just in case" for one of my teens to be able to join us.  My games weren't even close.  It was everyone else's first time playing a T2 category.  So my experience won the day.  The 2nd deck that I built and lent out took 2nd place easily.  (Since the tournament, I was able to get a gauge of my deck against Gabe Isbell.)
   Closed Deck was next.  Al (ORS1949) volunteered to judge so my wife could play one category.  I luckily got the deck I wanted (because in my experience it always finishes higher) and got some good pulls out of the packs.  Wisely my opponent (who is new to Redemption) would not trade me Great Image.  I was offering him a lot which only caused him to deal his heels in even more.  His words to me were, "Jonathan, you don't any more help to win...you're already better then all of us."  After I resigned to the fact that he wouldn't trade me, we proceeded to have a tough game.  He went up on me quickly, but after I went a couple of turns of not drawing a lost soul...I was able to close the gap.  When I finally drew the very important lost soul, I quickly buried it.  I took the lead with my next rescue 4-3.  Now, I am waiting on SoG, which in typical fashion for me is buried somewhere near the bottom of my deck.  He rescues another one and ties it at 4-4, but his SoG was played much earlier.  After much maneuvering the valuable SoG is drawn and I win.  My wife's game is similar but in reverse and she loses so we don't face each other.  I beat my next opponent handedly, and my wife won big as well which aloud her to leap frog into second.
    Type 2 Multi was more of the same with my experience winning the day.  Already feeling a bit sheepish and wanting to help my playgroup.  I give 2 Harvest Times a way and the winnings from the Closed Deck.

Saturday....
   We start with Booster (FooFter) Draft...
There are 4 of us so we are able to all draft together.  My draft is chaotic at best.  I thought I had drafted one thing (lots of defense) so I change draft strategies (more offense) midway through only to find out that I didn't draft a lot of Defense!    I didn't like my chances.  The lost souls fell well in my favor....however, a poor decision by one of the drafters (his first time at Booster) allowed the person to my right to stay in the lead with rescuing lost souls.  Ultimately, I finish second to his first (5, 4, 2, 2).  We shuffle everyone up and play the second game.  My new goal was to target the winner of the first game, and block only him and yet somehow still win.  My plan works very well and the lost souls fall the way I need them too again.  I win and the person who won the first game only rescued 1 or 2 lost souls and takes 2nd place in lost soul differential!  In both games, I needed one of my judges at absolutely the right time to win and I drew that same judge in both games!!!  I was so excited!  Overall, a very fun match.
    Now the big event that everyone was looking forward too:  T1 2P!!!
Because everyone had a vested interest, it was played in the rare but possible (since we had 4 participants) Round Robin!  
   My first game was against one of my newer play group members.  I had brought my Prophets deck which he had never seen before.  This game can be described with 2 words:  Hidden Treasures!  I got it quickly & kept drawing prophets and he paid the price.  The EE he started with & on his first draw of 3 (11 cards of 63) were the only ones he got the whole game because I discarded the rest.  He won some earlier battles but it was over from there on out.  
   My second game, I decided to jump to my Teal deck.  It worked out because the theme of this game was wastelands and sites.  Al only had one site access card and despite getting a quick SoG/NJ/Guardian combo in his first 10 cards.  I wastelanded his DragonRaid and he was done for the game.  I made a quick comeback and won.
   My third game was against one of my more experienced teens.  I switched back to my prophet deck since I was 90% guaranteed 1st.  I got H. Treasures again early but needed it for a different reason.  His pale green band was tough so I used my preemptive strike to win the lost souls.  However, his big Red Brigade banding chain was matching blow for blow. I got my combo before he could and after a Falling Away I won 5 to 2.
 *After this category and we go out to give out packs to the winners and I make an unfortunate discovery.  We were SEVERLY short on packs.  Al looks at my shipping manifesto and asked where are the Priests packs (ironically, Al asked the night before why I didn't offer those packs--I had forgotten that I had marked them on the hosting application).  I ran home and tore my bedroom (where I had the supplies stored) apart looking for them.  No packs were to be found.  I was mentally kicking myself for not double checking everything when I first received the package and getting myself into this situation.  I send an email to Rob but not expecting an immediate response because of the NC tourney.  I then gave out the prizes from my own personal collection because the winners were okay with getting other packs instead of Priests.  Rob graciously responded the next day and remedied the situation.  Thanks again Rob!
    T1 Multiplayer
   Sean had to leave and go to work leaving three of us to play this category.  I figured my Prophets deck was the best way to go.  It proved itself with me winning the first game...I think (5,2,2) but during the second game my heroes decided to hide on me.  I needed at least 3 lost souls to guarantee first, but the BigRed Band was dominating all of us.  I got SoG/NJ quickly but in multiplayer..you have to be careful with all the FAs floating around.  When the BigRed Deck got to 3, I held my breath but no combo.  I finally got guardian, and felt safe to play my combo!  I got a lost soul on that same turn giving me 3 that couldn't be FA.  I FA the leader but it didn't matter his BigRed Machine got it back and he had drew his combo that turn.  Game Over.  But with 3 lost souls I clung on to my first place lead.

That pretty much was the tournament in a nutshell from my perspective.  Thanks for reading!

Man, wish we could have been there! The odds would have been much better for me then OH States! Glad to hear you guys still had a fun time.  I will definetly be apart of NY States next year because we have moved back to NY, only to be driving back to KY to host states down there and then coming back and being able to make it to North east regionals!

Just wondering, but what happened to all the NY people?  I thought y'all usually had decent turnouts at state tournaments?  Where were Reggie, Christian, Ben, Roy, and others?

Kirk

Just wondering, but what happened to all the NY people?  I thought y'all usually had decent turnouts at state tournaments?  Where were Reggie, Christian, Ben, Roy, and others?

Kirk

I honestly don't know....I know I'm a 5 1/2 hours from New York City but I was really close to the Pittsburgh and Cleveland (if there are still any) playgroups.  I know it was a bad weekend for some, but I tried to advertise and encourage to get people out.  Maybe everyone is saving up to go to Nats or it's the economy?

There is not much further north of Jonathan unless you are speaking of our Canadian friends up  there

Quote from: Captain Kirk on June 03, 2009, 08:12:32 AM

Just wondering, but what happened to all the NY people?  I thought y'all usually had decent turnouts at state tournaments?  Where were Reggie, Christian, Ben, Roy, and others?

Kirk

I honestly don't know....I know I'm a 5 1/2 hours from New York City but I was really close to the Pittsburgh and Cleveland (if there are still any) playgroups.  I know it was a bad weekend for some, but I tried to advertise and encourage to get people out.  Maybe everyone is saving up to go to Nats or it's the economy?

All apologies from the Long Island group.  Claude actually asked about the possibility of going.  I had work and so did Christian.  I could have taken off on a Saturday but would have needed to drive back home for work the next day.  A one-way trip to or from Long Island actually takes about 7 hours.

We just hope that ALL can make to North East Regionals.  It's pretty much a central venue so the worst would be 4-5 hours drive.

I am extremely happy that Northern NY got its gaming chance though.  Grats to Jon and Godbless!