Turnierbericht des Fünftplatzierten Emiliano

[hardyrange]

Aus der Newsgroup:

From: Emiliano Imeroni (E.Imeroni@phys.uu.nl)
Subject: Re: [Tournament Results] German Championship 2004 Constructed & German Qualifier
Date: 2004-05-04 05:13:29 PST


Hi everyone!

I know that more than a week has passed, and nobody probably cares
about it anymore, but here I am for my first report, of an "important"
event such as the German ECQ Qualifier.

Unfortunately, I didn't have the time and occasion to write during the
past days, and now, more than a week after the event, my memories are
not as precise and vivid as I'd like them to be. Anyway, I'll try to
be as detailed as possible, with the important disclaimer that this is
not, nor it is meant to be, an objective report, but rather aims to
transmit some impressions and experiences from my own personal point
of view. In the future, I will try and add a link to the pictures
taken during the event.

68 participants (among whom 3 women) met to dispute the title of
German Champion in constructed format, and the 17 places available for
qualifying to the European Championship to be held in Heidelberg next
November. The extremely good organizer, and first judge, is the prince
of Bochum Gerhard "Hardy" Range, helped by the second judge Dieter
Arwheiler.

The first thing that comes to the eye is the good prize support. For a
5 euro fee, every participant gets a Black Hand booster and five
different promo cards among many available (such as Eye of Hazimel,
Legion, and many vampires not too easy to find such as Amelia, Victor
Tolliver, de Polonia and others... besides a bunch of Wakes, Forced
Awakenings and Blood Dolls for newbies who could need them!).

At arrival, the most complicated thing for me is the choice of deck,
which will be resolved in a really strange way! I had decided that my
Gangrel deck deserved to play an important event before retirement, so
I had typed the decklist. But the night before, tormented, I had taken
another look to my Malkavian Judgment deck, a group 1/2 Malkavian
Princes deck based on Judgment: Camarilla Segregations, with which I
had got the second place at the tournament in Utrecht the week before.
So in the morning I had left with two decks, and one decklist.

After inscribing, I have time until the first round starts for giving
in the list, but I am more and more undecided. I rapidly write by hand
the second decklist, but while I ask around for advice my ideas get
even more confused: many people (including the ones on the Italian
V:TES forum) suggest Malkavian, but some expert players, who know both
decks, such as Tobias op den Brouw, give the advice of using the
Gangrel.

In the end, I understand that there's no way for me of coming out of
this situation. When it is asked for the decklists, I go to the judge
Hardy Range, hand out two sheets of paper and say: "Choose one". He
looks at them for a fraction of a second, then chooses the Malkavian
deck, probably because he found the handwriting nicer... and I must
say I am really in debt with him! Thanks Hardy!!

---

FIRST ROUND

Johannes (Lasombra)
Mathias (Kyasid toolbox)
Emiliano (Malkavian Judgment)
Kamel (!Toreador weenie)
Dietmar (Ventrue fatties)

Soon before the announcement of the table distribution, I ask some
friends who some "famous" players are. In particular, when they point
to me the French player Kamel Senni, they tell me "If you are at his
table, whatever he says, don't ever listen to him!". And of course, I
immediately find Kamel as my prey! Moreover,another "famous" player,
Johannes Walch, will be at the table as my grandpredator.

Kamel's strategy is to use small Toreador antitribus, creating
Embraces and get votes with Foundation Exhibit and ousting power with
Palla Grande. Not to forget the crucial negotiation power he gets from
the unmissable Succubus Club.

His prey, Dietmar "Didi" Range, Hardy's brother, plays a classic
big-cap Ventrue deck with Obfuscate, but finds himself dangerously
slowed down by a Mind Numb that immediately comes down on Arika from
one of Kamel's vampires. Meanwhile, Johannes influences out some
"classic" Lasombra such as Gratiano, and starts to create progeny too.
When I see Julia Prima emerging from my predator's crypt, I wonder
what deck he is playing: stealth & bleed, or something else? It will
turn out to be a toolbox deck, primarily dedicated to intercept.

I don't remember the precise history of events. I manage to exercise a
minimal pressure on Kamel, with a Parity Shift, by blocking an Embrace
with a Second Tradition and by removing his first Foundation Exhibit.
And I put down my first Judgment. While the table gets more and more
crowded of creatures of the night, it becomes clear that the war for
votes is becoming brutal: there are 22 votes among the vampires on the
table!

The presence of Judgments irritates Kamel and Johannes, and the game
will be heavily conditioned by their continuous dealing, and common
strategy. Levels for me unseen are reached: the raise of an eyebrow by
Johannes, or a movement of Kamel's head are sufficient for a secret
deal to take place, without the possibility of even understanding what
it is! The only clear thing is that I am the iritating deck for them,
to be hindered at any cost.

I must admit that a somewhat careless behavior of mine doesn't help at
all... Trying to flash my cards while looking for the Kindred
Restructure that would change my game, I raise the number of Judgments
in play, and, above all, I make a catastrophic tactical mistake when
Ozmo tries to bleed for 3 and is deflected by Kamel on Dietmar, whose
situation was already quite difficult. Dietmar is ousted during the
next turn: I clumsily contributed to the ousting of the only ally I
had on the table... I should also say that Dietmar added by himself an
epic lack of luck, by replacing in the last turns three consecutive
Zillah's Valleys, out of four in his deck!

At this point, Kamel's dominant position becomes clear, and I don't
understand the reason why Johannes continues with his strategy of
continuous dealing (why, for instance, calling a Consanguineous boon
for the Toreador antitribu, instead of his own vampires - even taking
back 2 of the 5 "gifted" pool via Succubus Club?). My crisis is
aggravated when Gratiano calls a Baltimore Purge, and Ozmo, now prince
with full blood and a Blood Doll, hits torpor.

Finally I get the Kindred Restructure in my hand, but is now
definitely too late: I play it with Gilbert Duane, trying to arrange
the new seating at Kamel's liking in exchange of some VP. But the
Kyasid hadn't declined to block, and the war of stealth vs intercept
ends when my action is blocked at 6 stealth, thanks to a Direct
Intervention played by Kamel on a Lost in Crowds which would have
brought the stealth to 8, and finally to a Telepathic Misdirection
taken from my own ash heap by Mathias thanks to The Erciyes Fragments!

A small parenthesis: the Fragments, seen at work in this tournaments,
are not only a good card, but also they add to games a degree of chaos
that could turn out to be really excessive (not only in my opinion).
I'm not sure we really needed it... I think my strategy, when
possible, will often be the one of "blocking" them by putting under
them a Giant's Blood or similar things, thus making them useless.

With the failure of the Kindred Restructure, I am doomed. Kamel ousts
Johannes, but Mathias manages to get rid of me before the French
reaches him. Kamel tries everything he can for ousting the Kyasid, but
he doesn't manage, since the two-hour bell rings before.

My tournament doesn't start well: zero points, playing badly and
moreover damaging the game of other players, in particular Dietmar's.
And above all, I can't avoid thinking of how my Gangrel intercept +
combat deck would have performed infinitely better in the game just
finished...

FINAL RESULT: Kamel 2,5 (GW) - Mathias 1,5 - Dietmar, Johannes,
Emiliano 0

---

SECOND ROUND

Robert (Gangrel wall)
Fabien (Ravnos Illusion + Amaranth)
Falko (Nosferatu politics)
Emiliano (Malkavian Judgment)
Thorsten (Baali Great Beast)

When I see the composition of my second table, I immediately think of
having a great occasion to exploit: Fabien's deck as my grandpredator.
I had already met him two tournaments before in Utrecht, where he
destroyed a vampire of mine (and my whole game) thanks to the lethal
combo Illusion of the Kindred + aggravated damage (with Immortal
Grapple + Burning Wrath, or with Mayaparisatya) + Amaranth. The
seating order for this round will probably give me a heavily weakened
predator.

And this happens, thanks to the fact that Fabien starts very strongly.
Falko influences out Cock Robin, who blocks an action by Krenyenko,
and suddenly disappears in a cloud of smoke. And the same fate hits
the poor Nikolaus Vermeulen two turns later. Falko then declares he
will not influence any more vampires until Fabien is ousted: in
practice, I found myself without a predator for the whole game!

But what's going on in the rest of the table? The biggest threat seems
to come from Thorsten: a crypt with 12 Huitzilopochtli, and more or
less the same number of Call of the Great Beast in the library. The
combo is slightly complicated but effective: the cute Baali, with a
Fortitude skill card, equips with the Soul Gem of Etrius. A Minion Tap
and Call of the Great Beast follow. Result: a nasty beast at full
power (by the way, with superior Obeah for playing Renewed Vigor),
plus another new and full Huitzilopochtli! Add some stealth and Elder
Impersonation to the cocktail, and you will realize that his Gangrel
prey, despite having employed his good bunch of Raven Spies, isn't in
the happiest possible situation.

Nonetheless, Robert manages to exercise some pressure on Fabien (who
burns Mirembe Kabbada in return), with small but frequent bleeds, and
some stealth. In the meanwhile, I increase the size of my controlled
region (also thanks to a Parity Shift) influencing out all of my five
Malkavians. I get a complete vote lock thanks to my predator's
debacle, and play an Anarch Revolt and a Judgment, which start
threatening everyone's pool.

At this point, the most critical situation seems to be Fabien's. He
doesn't manage to oust Falko because he keeps untapped vampires for
blocking Robert. But in a single turn my "coup de theatre" comes. I
see my prey on 7 pool, and realize that it is time to play the
Judgments I have been accumulating in my hand in order not to oust
Fabien. I start with an Anarch Revolt, then play three Judgments in a
row. Fabien despairs, thinking I'm ousting him cross-table. But this
is not the end, since first a bleed for 2 by Ozmo puts my prey in
ousting condition during his next untap, and finally my last prince
calls a Kindred Restructure!

New seating order: Emiliano -> Thorsten -> Fabien -> Falko -> Robert

Thorsten falls, Falko tries to rescue Fabien with a Life Boon, but he
doesn't have enough pool, and also falls to the Anarch Revolts. For me
three points, 18 pool and the Game Win in the blink of an eye. The
Gangrel still remains, but I have so much pool more than him that I
start feeling the taste of five points...

But I undervalued the effectiveness of a tooled-up wall deck, with
Ecoterrorists and several Blood Dolls, and moreover able to perform a
few game-changing actions. When (another) Mirembe plays a Form of
Corruption, it becomes clear that ousting him by bleeding will become
hard. When finally he recruits a Renegade Garou... Well, you all
understand how it ended...

FINAL RESULT: Emiliano 3 (GW) - Robert 2 - Fabien, Falko, Thorsten 0

---

THIRD ROUND

Alexander (Nosferatu bloat)
Ralf (Tremere/!Tremere wall)
Michael (Setite)
Emiliano (Malkavian Judgment)

And here we are at the last table, that I must win if I want to keep
alive the hope of continuing. And this task will surprisingly be
fulfilled in less than 45 minutes...

However, the first vampires influenced by my contenders leave me in
despair: Alexander brings out a Nosferatu (Dimple, if I remember
correctly), Ralf a Tremere (Eugenio Estevez) and Michael a Ventrue
(Alan Sovereign). All "Camarilla(TM)"! I'm preparing for an inglorious
ending. But what I couldn't hope for happens, since the next two
vampires influenced by Ralf and Michael are Selena and Count Ormonde!

There isn't too much to tell: my prey doesn't manage to have a prince
for a very long time, because of the votes I already have on the
table. When finally he influences out Selma, he is left with too
little pool. The Setite manages to reduce my pool via bleeds and
Enticements, but never enough for threatening my balance, also ensured
by a Parity Shift.

Two Anarch Revolts and two Judgments put everyone in crisis, despite
Michael's surprising move of calling, among the general disbelief, no
less than an Invitation Accepted, and the referendum passes! Oh my...
Have you ever seen this card played, anytime? All Setites become
Camarilla... Bye bye Judgments! This event has probably been the most
unexpected and funny of the day...

Anyway, there isn't much history left: some bleeds and the Anarch
Revolts oust Alexander, and with few more Judgments Ralf follows the
same fate too. Michael has one turn for trying and oust me, but fails,
and falls to the Revolts. After apologizing to Ralf for whining during
the last turn (when it didn't make sense anymore) because of a
Rotschreck played on Greger Anderssen, and after receiving Alexander's
bitter comment "Nice play, not a nice deck", I can use the remaining
one hour and fifteen minutes for taking photos and enjoying my two GW.

Margin note: having now played two tournaments with the Judgment deck,
it seems clear to me that it performs best at 4-player tables...

Final result: Emiliano 4 (GW) - Alexander, Ralf, Michael 0

---

INTERLUDE...

Here we are, at the end of preliminary rounds. With 2 GW and 7 VP I'm
sure of being among the first 18 (17 + the already qualified Jo
Herroelen) who qualify for the European Championship in November.
Knowing almost nothing about other people's results, I'm not sure if
mine are enough to get to the finals, but the hope is strong.

And the hope strengthens while I ask around and it seems nobody got
more points. When finally I discover that a dangerous player such as
Kamel, who I know had already 2 GW and 4,5 VP after two rounds, hadn't
made any points in the third round (thanks to the only perfect match
of the day by my Utrecht fellow player Jeroen, who swept the table
with 5 VP), hope becomes almost certainty.

In fact, only two players did better than me (2 GW and 8 VP), while
one achieved the same score as me, so that, at the end of the day, I
enter the finals as fourth.

I also discover with great pleasure that all the Dutch people of the
Utrecht playgroup, and Tobias as well, qualified among the first 18.
Only exception: our beloved prince, Emile Bosman, who however had
achieved the title of German Champion in limited format the day before
(but of course he can't escape our teasing...). A negative note is
that the only girl (out of three) with good results, the Dutch girl
Annemarieke, who played a Gangrel deck with Dominate, turns out to be
the first non-qualified, with the same score (1 GW and 5 VP) as many
people who got the place for Heidelberg. Too bad: a female presence
among the "winners" would have been positive!

Anyway, after everyone who qualified picks up his T-shirt (a really
nice one, with Hazimel - and his eye - on the back) the finals
begin... But of course not before each finalist has looked for
information about the decks he's going to face. In particular, I'm
warned against Martin's fearsome Auspex weenie (a prejudice that will
bring everyone to mistakes in the final match) and against Jo's deck
("Imagine the most nasty stealth & bleed deck you've ever met", Tobias
says).

---

FINAL ROUND

Here is the seating order of the final round, together with each
finalist's standings at the end of the preliminary rounds:

Ruben (Inner Circles & Justicars), fifth class. with 2 GW e 6 VP
Jo (Malkavian/!Malkavian S&B), third class. with 2 GW e 7 VP
Martin (Intercept weenie), first class. with 2 GW e 8 VP
Emiliano (Malkavian Judgment), fourth class. with 2 GW e 7 VP
Erol (Malkavian/!Malkavian S&B), second class. with 2 GW e 8 VP

Among five finalists, two are group 2/3 Malkavian stealth & bleed
(with both Camarilla and antitribu), and one is a deck with Arika,
Leandro and company... Really original...

The finals in a word? Continuous talking, dealing, proposals,
counter-proposals: many words and little play. Out of three hours
(almost up to the time limit), I'm not kidding if I say that almost
two and a half were spent in tiring conversations!

Anyway, the match starts in an icy atmosphere: five overly serious
players at the table, a silent and concentrated circle of public
around, and a high level of tension. Erol influences Midget, Martin
Isabel de Leon, I take out Zoe, all this without exchanging a word.

It is time to change atmosphere, and I start to say a stupid thing
after another (I can't report because the memories have faded) until
the spectators laugh and the other finalists seem less tense as well.
In the meanwhile, Zoe tries to become the Malkavian Justicar, but the
referendum doesn't pass since Ruben and Erol discard political cards:
oh my, it'll be hard!

Jo starts telling his nightmares about Martin's weenie deck, who in
the meanwhile influences out also Blythe Candeleria and Michael
Luther: it'll block everything, he says, and nobody will be able to do
anything about it. So he tries to convince the table into an
anti-Auspex alliance, without reaching a final agreement.

When it's my turn, I have a Parity Shift and a Kindred Restructure in
hand. It's my occasion to rearrange the table in the best way. First I
play the Shift, because I prefer this to be blocked rather than the
Restructure. It passes, and I choose my predator Martin so that, if I
don't manage to change the seating, he will have to stay defensive
against his predator. But the seat redistribution passes too: still
persuaded of the efficiency of the Intercept weenie, I believe it
would by the ideal grandpredator. The two S&B are ok as my prey and
grandprey (mainly because they are the only non-Camarilla vulnerable
to my Judgments), so the Inner Circle deck should become my predator.
The referendum passes with the votes of Ruben himself, who doesn't
dislike to be my predator at all.

New seating order: Emiliano -> Jo -> Erol -> Martin -> Ruben

Was it a good choice? A posteriori, I'd say no, but I'm still
persuaded of the fact that, with the information I had at the moment,
I couldn't play differently. None at the table had understood that
Martin was in fact in a critical situation, since his intercept
strategy was primarily based on Second Traditions, and he hadn't found
any prince in his starting crypt. Moreover, Ruben's recruitment of
Leandro made bringing out a prince of capacity 8 or so really too
expensive. And here I also have to regret the choice of the target of
my Parity Shift, which would have found a better destination in one of
the Malkavians.

Anyway the game goes on, and it becomes clear that the intercept deck
doesn't intercept much, and in fact needs often help, under the form
of Ruben's Maris Streck's blood, in order to survive Erol's bleeds.

In the meanwhile I assist to the most unlucky series of draws since I
first played the Judgment deck. Notice that in my first hand I found a
Malkavian Justicar and two Praxis Seizures out of three... In the
whole match I'll see ONE Judgment (out of seven, in an eighty-cards
deck), which moreover is burned because of a deal between Jo and Erol,
who sacrifices Midget, ONE Telepathic Misdirection (out of seven, and
none after the table switching - and you know how useful they are with
two Inner Circles at your neck, don't you?), NO Second Tradition and
NO Blood Doll. On the other hand, in this table without any degree of
combat, I can't miss to draw the Secure Haven, all of the three Secret
Passages, and some Gemini's Mirrors.

So I can't manage to influence any more vampire besides Zoe (who will
end her game torporized while hunting) and Gilbert Duane, while I
forget for the whole match to pay for the transfers (curse Leandro!)
and take back the two blood put long before on Ozmo.

The match goes on, always under the spell of equilibrium and
enervating talking. It is incredible how in particular Ruben, Erol and
Jo try to get some small advantage from everything they do, even when
the obviousness of the result is self-evident. A typical example is
the long bargaining every time Maris Streck gives intercept to
Martin's weenies: Ruben is able to discuss for centuries trying to get
something more, when it is absolutely obvious that at the end he can't
avoid giving the intercept, since it is in his immediate and direct
interest!

Anyway, there are also funny things in all this chat, above all Erol
who manages to promise everyone everything, and the contrary of
everything. Brilliant. To be remembered for instance when he declares:
"Bleed", and Martin replies: "Hey! You promised not to do that!", and
Erol: "Eh, I promised many things..."

In any case, despite the fact that my situation is getting worse and
worse, since my deck doesn't cooperate at all, I get close to ousting
Jo, who plays a Direct Intervention on my Foreshadowing Destruction. I
survive a little more thanks to a Parity Shift on my predator, passed
because of a Rider Clause I had played when someone removed one of my
Anarch Revolts, but I pay for this action, due to a backward Kindred
Spirits by Jo, and Ruben's bleed. When they remove 6 pool from me,
telling me that in this way I pay for the Shift, and I say "But they
were five!", Ruben makes me notice that I hadn't considered the
interests!

Anyway, also because I don't see any intercept or deflections, Ruben
can at the end oust me, even if the final action lasts at least
fifteen minutes! Arika bleeds, block attempt, stealth, I start to
remove my last 3 pool, Ruben hands out his hand, when centuries of
discussion start, until Martin plays a Direct Intervention on the
stealth. Ok, here comes more stealth. Am I dead? Not before another
neverending discussion, where Jo finally decides not to play the
Direct Intervention he also has in hand. And the handshake can finally
take place...

The discussion between Ruben and Jo goes on, and essentially at this
point they decide to split the table: Ruben first and Jo second,
helped by Ruben in ousting the other two. And since Jo is risking
immediate ousting from the Inner Circle deck, the deal looks
reasonable.

And despite Erol's fireworks, who brings out the unexpected for
surviving (the only Telepathic Counter in his deck, and even a Vox
Domini for nullifying a Banishment called by Ruben!), the iron deal
cannot be broken, and Erol and Martin are out soon.

At this point Jo is in better shape than Ruben, but loyally decides to
keep the deal, and only chooses the way of dying (which finally
happens by paying a Dreams of the Sphinx). And this is the last act of
the German Championship 2004.

RESULT OF THE FINAL ROUND AND TOURNAMENT RANKINGS:
1. Ruben 3
2. Jo 2
3. Martin 0
4. Erol 0
5. Emiliano 0

---

Once more, as sadly underscored by the judge and organizer Hardy, the
German Champion is not German but Belgian, as Belgian is also the
second (can we ban Belgium?). I've been the best Italian (but this
would have been true even if I finished 68th), but above all... the
"best Dutch"!!

Every finalist received a bag with 40 very elegant pool counters (red,
with a black ink Ankh and a green felt base), and a variable number
from 5 to 10 of Black Hand boosters. The first two also received an
official Edge marker.

Of course, I concluded this wonderful day with happiness, while my
friends from Utrecht pointed out: "How's it possible that we 'kick
your ass' every Saturday when we play, but then at tournaments..."

Well, I hope I haven't bored you too much!

Emiliano

[Guest]

Thanx, Hardy.
the con boon emilano talk about were called before the oust of the ventrue player.
johannes have called on my clan to optimize the benefit (I have a succubus club into play, and i can give him pool; he need the vote I gained from the foundation exhibit).
On a con boon on his vamp only, perhaps I would have voted in favor, he was low in pool, and like he said he "have the two most powerful vamps at his back" (arika and queen anne).
Bravo Emiliano !
(oh, another thing : the kyasid player have all his vamps in torpor and was at seven pool, with a palla grande into play, when the time limit were reached...sob...lol).

[Johannes]

Remark : The posting above is from Kamel

[Johannes]

the con boon emilano talk about were called before the oust of the ventrue player.

Correct.

johannes have called on my clan to optimize the benefit (I have a succubus club into play, and i can give him pool; he need the vote I gained from the foundation exhibit).

Of course. Kamel had 5 vampires and me 3. So I called it on him and told him to give the difference via the succubus club. And I definetly wanted him to stay in play because I needed him (and his foundation exhibits) to pass my votes against arika & friends.

(oh, another thing : the kyasid player have all his vamps in torpor and was at seven pool, with a palla grande into play, when the time limit were reached...sob...lol).

And even another thing : Kamel only got me because I had 1 pool too less. With one more pool I would have survived and surely ousted the Kyasid player the next round and presumably Emiliano the round after. So I guess I had been playing for the GW as much as I could.

[Johannes]

The only clear thing is that I am the iritating deck for them, to be hindered at any cost.

A deck that makes me loose 2-3 pool a turn crosstable with the option to burn 2-3 of my vamps to avoid the pool loss has to be hindered at any cost.