Forging the Chain - San Diego Regional Report

Welcome back the Forging the Chain. Last week I offered my advice for those attending their first regional event. This week I will offer my reflections upon my first regional which I attended in San Diego on April 14th. I will re-examine the advice I offered in light of my own experiences. We shall see if I followed my own advice, and if it was successful. So, if you are looking for a straight forward tournament report, you may find this one a bit annoying. However, if you are looking for a tournament report laced with helpful tidbits, you've come to the right place.

So, let's begin with pre-tournament preparation. As I suggested, I built a number of decks over a month long period before the tournament. However, about two weeks before the event I was down to 2 possible decks and tested them extensively. While they underwent improvements, one more dramatic than the other, they remained essentially the same, and I was able to get an excellent feel for both decks. The only problem was that I like both decks so much I did not decide which deck to use until about 10 minutes before the tournament. Regardless of my indecision, I followed my own advice and did not make a radical switch at the last moment. I must admit I was tempted to switch to some variation of the Stark kill deck as I think it has 4 of the top 10 cards in the meta right now in Meera Reed, Luwin, Brienne, and Jumping Caitlyn. But, I resisted the temptation to switch, and I stuck with a deck that I knew well and would be competitive. In the end I was thrilled I did not make the change, as 13 people in the tournament ran some variation of Stark kill and no one enjoyed the mirror match. In fact, one of our local players ran the deck and had to play five other Stark decks. Talk about a long day!

One area in which I did violate my pre-tournament preparation advice was choosing an "easy" deck. I settled on a Greyjoy Maester deck with endless possibilities, decision points, and essential triggers. As the day wore on this mental fatigue did become an issue. However, since I had played the deck so thoroughly, many of the triggers had become second nature, and they were not an issue until my final game. For instance, I did not forget to remove a single chain the entire tournament. That alone is a coup for me.

Another area in which I disregarded my advice was my expectations. At the risk of sounding arrogant, after my extensive testing, I expected to do well. My goal was to make the top eight. My thought was if I make the top 8 then everything beyond that will be gravy. However, if I do not make the top 8 I will come away disappointed. You'll have to keep reading to find out if I wept on the 2 hour drive home from the event or did cartwheels.

When I arrived at the event, I saw a slew of people I had never met before. I knew about 10 guys, but it was a 32 person event with players from Northern California, Vegas, and all around southern California. I had a great time talking to everyone at the event. I may have even started a conversation with everyone there. I certainly tried, and I met a lot of great people. If you know a bunch of people at the event, as I did, it can be quite tempting to just hang around your friends, but it's always much more fun to meet the people you don't know. Well, enough of the pre-tournament talk, onto the main event.

The Main Event

Game 1: George - Martell KotHH 3-3?

My first game was a lesson in reading all of the cards carefully and paying close attention to the game. I marshaled first on turn one and dropped down a slew of characters, I believe 6. George dropped down 1 less character than I and the Red Viper. However, the real issue was Lost Oasis which gives a character stealth and then kneels whatever character targeted by the stealth. The problem for me is that I did not realize that the text covered the entire phase, and therefore, I wasn't too worried about the card. However, once I realized that he would be kneeling 3 cards a turn, I knew I might be in trouble. In addition, he ran a bunch of weapons and the Alchemist's Shop which gives characters with weapons +2 strength and deadly. Yikes. Ok, so I was in some trouble here. Thankfully, I opened my maester toolbox and went to work. I challenged first, won 2 challenges, grabbed the Black Iron link, grabbed the Tin Link, removed the Red Viper's intrigue icon, and used the Tin Linked to discard his weapon. I was able to turn the tide by getting my saves out and then playing Valar. He lost all his guys, and I had 3 left. However, he was either lucky, or good, and played Search and Detain that turn and pulled The Red Viper back to his hand. Then he made what looked like a colossal mistake. I marshaled first and had a few characters on the board and assumed he would drop the Red Viper, who would resume his old ways. However, he deployed a character first and then realized he did not have enough gold to put back out the Viper. I was able to quickly wrap the game up as I overwhelmed him with characters and 2 claim plots. After the game, I was able to ease his mind by showing him the Milk of the Poppy I was going to drop on the Viper with the Pale Steel Link had he been able to deploy him. So, one game in and 1-0. It was a bit shaky but I got it done.

Game 2 - Kaitlyn - Stark Knights 1-5

Kaitlyn was playing either Bret Zeiler's Moonboy Classic Stark deck or something very close to it. She was able to flop Bear Island, a knight. I flopped 2 Boatswain and a maester. I played Fear of Winter. After the turn was over and Bear Island had done it's magic I had a maester with some chains and she had Meera Reed. With my saves it was clear Bear Island was not going to be the power card it can often be, and I was able to overwhelm her with my continuous 2 claim plots and maester shenanigans. After the first turn it became clear that my deck had the advantage and that she was going to have an uphill battle. Moreover, the maesters seemed to thwart her at every turn. At this point she started expressing her annoyance with maesters, and this frustration seemed to divert her focus away from the game. While she triggered Bear Island on the first turn, she forgot to trigger it for the remaining four plots of the game. I had saves on the board and had a marked advantage so it was unlikely that it would have made a big difference, but Bear Island was one of the key, and expensive, pieces in her deck. Forgetting to use a resource of that magnitude is a big problem. Overcoming one's frustration in a bad situation is critical and something I struggle with mightily. As I stated in my article on not resigning, winning is fun and easy. However, retaining one's focus while losing is much more important and much more difficult. So, with two games in the books I was sitting at 2-0. Not too shabby so far.

Game 3 - Brooks Grejoy alliance Lannister - 4-2 Swiss - 4th Overall

I did not realize it, but from here on out every game I played was against someone who made the top 4. Hmm, foreshadow much? This game was also won with my 2 claim plots and lot of characters. I flopped a bunch of guys and played At the Gates to get Maester Murenmure. In my testing I had found that Murenmure was much more important than Wendamyr in order to help deal with Lannister's extensive kneeling. He had a small setup but played First Snow of Winter to send everyone back to my hand. The second turn I played a ton of guys with a 2 claim plot and got board control. Turn 3 I played Fear of Winter and grabbed total control of the game. The game ended shortly thereafter. I don't really have anything insightful to say about this game as I don't recall many of the details of this game. I didn't get to see many of his tricks as I was able to get a firm hold on the game quickly. However, this was an important match for me as my friends informed me that he is an excellent player who would very likely top 8. This helped my confidence going into the final three games. I went into the break 3-0 and feeling like I had a decent shot at making the top 8.

After game 3 we had a short break. While I was tempted to chat with some of the people I had just met I knew that this was my one chance to grab some real food. As I stated in my last article, take advantage of these opportunities. I headed over to Chipotle with my play testing/podcasting partner Chris and we grabbed some much needed lunch. We talked about our games a bit and relaxed a bit. While we were optimistic about our chances to make the top 8 we knew that the road was about to get a lot tougher.

Game 4 - Jason Grey Joy Winter - 5-1 Swiss - 2nd Overall

This was a game in which my pre-tournament preparation shined. I knew my deck could handle winter and I had a game plan mapped out for it. Chris and I had accurately predicted a lot of Greyjoy Winter and Stark kill decks. So, when Jason got out the Sparr, winter, a Marauder, and a Burned and Pillaged I did not panic. Yes, I had two turns with 0 gold, and one turn in which he played Burning Bridges, which took away my resources and left me with 0 gold, I won the game handily. Even though Jason had everything going his way my previous testing gave me the knowledge that I could just break out the Maester toolbox and turn the game around. I did not grab the tin and copper links until I could win two challenges and knock off the raven so that the Marauder could not knock off the chains. So, in one turn I won two challenges, knocked off the raven, and put milk of the poppy on the Sparr with the Pale Steel link. (Who needs resources when you have maesters!) Then, I got rid of Burned and Pillaged on the next turn and mopped up with my two claim plots. After the game Jason said his big mistake was playing Valar too early (turn 2). I agree with his assessment, as after that I was able to flood the board and not worry about a reset. Had I not had a game plan for this matchup I would have panicked when I was reduced to no resources for multiple turns. So, when prepping for your tournament make sure you have a plan for how to handle common decks. Do you have a game plan for handling Winter, Stark Kill, Martell bounce, Maesters, and Bara Rush? If your answer is no, you have more work to do. After this one I was 4-0 and feeling good. At this point, I was basically a mortal lock for the elite 8 and happy with my results.

Game 5 - Danny Stark Siege - 5-1 Swiss - 5th Overall

This was the game where my fatigue started to show a bit. On the day I was playing well, but I played poorly at the start letting him get out to a 7-0 lead. The problem was not the power he was able to win from military challenges, but the power challenge I won on the first turn allowing him to steal the power back from me. Later in the game when I had wrested away board control he was able to remove Maester Wendamyr with Valar as I chose to save an active Asha Greyjoy with 3 power on her. While the decision was great for my board control it meant I had 0 maesters on the board and 3 chains on my agenda. My thought process was: well I have a ton of maesters in this deck, certainly I will draw one soon. Unfortunately, I did not. My board control remained excellent as my 2 claim plots and an unkneeling Asha allowed me to wipe out his hand and board every turn. However, no maesters were forthcoming. We reached plot 6, I had 24 power, and my valar was coming up next. Thankfully I drew a maester and had a cancel in hand for the one card in his just in case it was a No Quarter. I won 3 challenges, claimed my 27th power, and grabbed my last chain. I went to 5-0 and set my new record for most power in a game. I was clinched in the top 8 and getting tired fast.

Game 6 - John Bruno Martell KotHH - 5-1 Swiss - Champion

So, I went into game 6 knowing that I was in the top 8, tired, and playing a friend. I play John every week, and I played this game as if we were playing at our local shop. We talked a lot throughout the game and had a good time. The problem is: I don't play as well when playing this way. I was not entirely focused on the game, which as a newer player I need to be. Upon seeing John's agenda, I thought I was going to have a huge advantage. This was another hole in my pre-tournament preparation as I had never played against someone with a decent KotHH deck. So, I thought I was going to have a huge advantage when I flopped a bunch of characters and then chose Fear of Winter. John highlighted my lack of knowledge by playing First Snow of Winter, which bounced all my characters back to my hand, and negated my advantage. While I did not play too poorly in this game, one move illustrates my lack of focus quite well. After the first plots were revealed, I did not have a 3 cost character in my hand; so, I wasn't sure what to play. Bruno and are were talking about our plot choices, and I threw down a Sunset Sea out of habit. Bruno looked at me funny and said something like, hmm, odd choice there. I couldn't believe my blunder. Wow, I had chosen a Sunset Sea as my one card to marshal. I had never made that mistake before, and I hope to never make it again. Let this be a lesson to myself, and others, if you find yourself distracted or unfocused, it's critical that you refocus quickly. If you are playing a friend, perhaps it is more productive to pretend that you have no friends during the game. Bruno proceeded to use some trickery to build a monster hand of around 16 cards over the next 3 plots, which included endless counters. The turning point to the game is when he played a card I had never seen before, Favorable Ground, which eliminated all my saves. I knew he would play Valar next turn, but there was nothing I could do. He did indeed play Valar; my board was wiped and he cleaned up shortly thereafter. On the plus side, I got to see nearly his entire deck, and I was beginning to formulate a plan of attack should we meet again in the top 8.

With the swiss rounds over I was sitting at 5-1 and feeling good about my position going into the top 8. I had beaten 3 of the others in the top 8 so I felt fairly confident I could do well as long as I could avoid Bruno. The seedings were announced:

1. Danny
2. Bruno
3. Tiny Grimes
4. Jason
5.Christian
6. Alex
7. John Kraus
8. Brooks

To be honest, I was disappointed with my seed. Having beaten 3 of the top 8 I assumed Bruno and I would be 1 and 2. Doing some quick math I realized I would not be able to avoid Bruno until the finals but would have to face him again in the round of 4.

There was some time before the top 8 began, but it was occupied by prize distribution and chatting. As a side note, the prizes were really amazing. I mention this because this period was the down time before the top 8 matches began. So, there was really no time to head out for food. This meant not eating for another 3 hours, or more, if I was able to win all of my games. Since I was already hungry, this was a bit of an issue. However, I followed my own advice and brought a bunch of bagels to the event, which I scarfed down before my first game. After a brief break, the top 8 resumed, and I was off to face Alex.



Round of 8 - Alex - GJ Winter
I had already beaten Jason's Greyjoy Winter deck earlier in the day; so, I planned on following a similar game plan. My memory of this game is a bit sketchy; so, my apologies if any of the details are incorrect. I was able to flop Wendamyr, Murenmure, and some military icons. I then played Fear of Winter turn 1 to solidify my board control. A critical moment of the game came during the first turn. Alex went first, made it winter, and had out the Ice Fisherman. His plan was to steal a gold. I counted my 2 gold, looked at Alex, took a few beats and then marshaled my LIV. Later in the turn Alex realized that he had forgotten to steal a gold with the fisherman, which could have been key as it would have prevented me from playing my LIV. Although it was winter and he flopped a Marauder, he was unable to win a first turn challenge and his winter raven didn't last long. I won three challenges, drew 3 cards, and knocked off the raven. My board position forced him into playing Valar early, on plot 2, which was made possible thanks to his Iron cliffs. That turn I was able to save Wendy and drop Euron. My plan was to then put my saves out and play valar myself, but I was unable to find my them. Instead, I found Asha soon after, and my two claim plots were just too much for Alex. The combination of the 2 strength bonus from LIV and the Iron Link allowed me enough versatility to win challenges and prevent Alex from pushing his through. The game is a bit of a blur. but I was in control most of the game. Wendamyr was loaded up with chains and controlled the game by constantly opening up his maester toolbox.

Top 4 John Bruno- Martell Koth
When I realized I had to play Bruno again, I was not surprised but definitely worried. Although I had a plan of attack, I realized he had answers for everything I was trying to do. Following my own advice, during the break between regulation and top 8 I formulated a plan. I knew he had First Snow; so, I had to be much more particular about my setup. Also, I could not just flood the board with locations knowing he was playing Favorable Ground. Most importantly, I knew he was running loads of draw, cancels, and red vengeance. However, while I was careful in my planning, the results of this game were very similar to our previous meeting. Most importantly, I did not correct my biggest mistake: I continued to have fun chatting with my friend. I should have realized I am not skilled enough yet to play a mistake free game in that atmosphere. So, I continued to make sloppy mistakes. I again played Fear of Winter on the first turn and I again played a Sunset Sea as my only card! Neither John nor I could believe I had made the same mistake again. I had to work hard not to let my frustration cloud my play the rest of the game. However, like the first time around I did not actually have a particularly useful card to play, which helped ease my frustration. The more important mistake was forgetting to activate my LIV. Basically, I passed on drawing four cards. Against a top level player like Bruno, you simply cannot make sloppy errors and expect to win. This is especially the case when many of the cards I could have drawn were either cancels, or Baelor, to stop his events. The game was a lot closer than the first one, but I doubt John was ever worried. I was much more careful about splashing the board for the incoming Valar with no saves. However, he did not need to play Valar, as my 2 claim plots, which had carried me to the round of 4, backfired. He was able to use Red Vengeance on nearly every 2 claim military challenge for a 6 character swing. I was able to get to 12 power but the game was always in his favor. Plus, when the game ended I still had 6 chains left on my agenda. In essence, I was not prepared for this matchup and it showed. I just didn't have answers to what John was trying to do.

Bruno went on to beat Jason in the finals to become the first champion of regional season. Congrats to Bruno for a good deck and some excellent play. One of these days the pupil shall take down the master (at least that's what I tell myself so I can sleep at night).

Reflections

Well, with the tournament behind me it's time for some overall reflections of the event. Most importantly, I had a great time. I met a lot of new people from all over California and had some interesting conversations. My favorite moment was meeting Jimmy Bagels who was inadvertently insulting me. We had a good laugh and a lively conversation. I met a number of other players who were dedicated to the game in the CCG era and have only recently returned. They regaled me with stories of past events and broken cards.

I'm quite pleased with my results. Going into the tourney I was worried my goal of making the top 8 was too lofty. However, I was able to make it, and I was thrilled to make the top 4. I couldn't ask for more in the results department. Plus, by making the top 8 I got some cool prizes. I finally acquired a playmat and some interesting house cards. Also, I scored a resin Baratheon house card during the raffle. Nice work with the prizes guys; they were phenomenal.

One of the more interesting aspects of the tournament for me was the persistent negative reaction to maesters. For me, as a new player, maesters are still a shiny new toolbox full of endless possibilities. For most of my opponents, they were seen as the scourge of the AGOT LCG world that are making the game less fun. Thus, it quickly became apparent that I was the jerk that brought maesters.

My final thought as I write this report is I cannot wait to play in another big event! I am pretty well booked up for the rest of the tournament season but I'm hoping to make one more regional near the end. Perhaps I will visit my parents in Chicago and play the regional up there in June. Until next time keep improving, and I hope you enjoy your regional event as much as I enjoyed mine!

MVP card(s) - Pale Steel Link

I nearly cut the Pale Steel Link as I was filling out my deck list, and I'm quite happy I did not. The card allowed for endless pro play opportunities. I was able to drop Milk of the Poppy on cards during the middle of the turn and play Boatswains for surprise challenge blocks. My favorite move of the day was when I attached milk of the poppy to a Carrion Bird before stealth was declared which allowed Asha to block the challenge and claim a free power for renown.

Honorable Mention - Fear of Winter and the other 2 Claim Plots

Kryptonite Card(s) - First Snow of Winter

I faced First Snow of Winter three times and twice it crushed me. My deck was definitely built around establishing a strong early board presence, and nothing negates early board advantage like this card.

Honorable Mention - Red Vengeance - Bruno absolutely wrecked me with this card. My 2 claim plots carried me to victory in most game, but this card was certainly the counter to my plots. In fact, I started wondering if I should even attempt military challenges. Combine Red Vengeance with an enormous hand full of cancels, and you have an unstoppable monster.