Legend of the Five Rings

2010 Adelaide Kotei

Top of Clan - Dragon Report

This report has been compiled after returning home from interstate, after 4 days of minimal sleep, a 10 hour drive and an 18 hour day. Please figure any grammatical errors.

I had been preparing my Magistrate Honour/Dishonour/Control deck for some 12 months. (I was on the play test team for the last arc). Two weeks prior to the Southern Australian Kotei, my in store playtest success rate was some 80%. Despite more research, further tweaking seemed impossible. The following week, after everyone else did tweak their decks, my Magistrate’s win rate dropped to zero percent. (The problem was that deck’s gold requirement of 7G was not fast enough compared to everyone else’s’ deck). So, a few days before the Kotei, I decided to start again and build an all new deck, designed to be faster. Obviously enough, this was to be untested.
The Friday morning before I leave, my youngest daughter Kathryn, come to me with her hands cupped together and tells me she has something for me. My little angel opens her cupped oyster hands and reveals 35 mm smiley badge that she wants’s me to wear.  How can I refuse, perhaps it will bring me luck.

On the Friday before Kotei, Neil (Unicorn), Jon (Spider) and I drove to Adelaide, some 775 km. (A 10 hour journey). Daniel Chlebowczyk (Crab), (another member of Team Vic {Victoria}), was flying, while Steve and Dan J were unable to attend. After a long journey, discussing our options on how to beat Daniel’s C’s deck (Crab beat stick), who was dominating our playgroup, we resigned ourselves to fate and luck as our only real weapons. (Daniel C won both GenconOz CE major events last year). We arrived early evening. There were six interstater’s staying at the venue, 4 from Team Vic and 2 from NSW. Slug (Shane P) is also down from Queensland but isn’t staying with us. He is using his patented slugtech, which involves building a deck the night before or on the day, based on some weird theme, which usually does very well.  After a late dinner, despite the time, we decided to playtest our decks. My “virgin” deck goes 50/50, with a 100% loss rate against Jon’s Lion deck, (although he decides to play his “better” Spider deck in the Kotei). I can’t really decide what to do. I trim 2 fate cards and 1 dynasty, finishing with 40/42 and hope I can somehow scrape top of clan.

Most of us, including me, have a restless night sleep and begin the day tired, but what the hey! That the norm for conventions! After the intros, we are paired off. We have 28 players, with 2 Dragon’s. That gives me 50/50 for top Dragon.


Game 1. Jesse Barker (SA) Palace of Crimson Shadows (Scorpion)

(I am assigned to table 13, which could well be a hint of things to come.)  Jesse is a nice young lad of 13, with a Scorpion dishonour deck. I know this game will go on for a long time. I get a good start and begin to climb, getting to 20, while he drops to negative18 after an early Isawa Fosuta from him. My thoughts are that I am going to die a slow death. I get to 28, when War of Dark Fire hits the field, and then the plummeting begins. Chi death, box dishonouring and 3 unfortunates makes for a great yoyo scenario.  Time is called. I am currently at 10 with Jesse at negative 11.  We check the status of the field. Both our fate decks are nearly depleted (although I have a healthy hand) and I am generating more honour on the table than he can make me loose, per turn, so he concedes. Jesse is a remarkable player despite his age. I get a win, but if this is the level of difficulty I am going to face against a 13 year old, my top of clan objective seems slim.
                                                                                                                                                              Win 1   Loss 0

Game 2. Christopher Davies (NSW) Utaku Plains (Unicorn Battle Maiden)

We are assigned to table 1, based on our rankings! Getting to table 1 so soon, is disconcerting; the only place to go is down. I get a nice start and things seem to progress steadily from there. Around T5-6 I have 31 honour and Chris has 27. I manage to save provinces against his attacks and cross before him, with 3 provinces in hand. He has 9 peeps and splits them 3 ways to ensure he has the force for kills. I defend one province with all my peeps. He managed to lower my last province to 1 province strength, but doesn’t have enough force to go over my remaining peeps. I seem to have won again.
                                                                                                                                                             Win 2   Loss 0

We break for lunch and rankings are posted. Seven of us are on two wins, but I seem to be ranked at #1 again, Dan C is #2, Jon is #3, all of whom are Team Vic. (There are 4 Crabs, aka all of them, in the top four.

Clan breakdowns are CB=4, CN=2, DG=2, LN=1, PH=4, SC=4, SP=5 and UN=4.

Game 3. Daniel C (Team Vic) Shattered Peaks Castle (Crab Beatstick!)

My first note for this game is, “Daniel’s deck is probably the best one here”. My win rate has been poor against him and I expect my chances are very slim. I suspect my earlier games were the easy ones. On the flip side, I anticipate my count back will improve. I get a god start and hit 15 honour by turn 3. Dan’s deck seems slow. To be honest, despite my notes, this game is a bit of a blur. I play on instinct, countering attacks and keeping provinces alive. When Dan finally takes a province, I cross with 3 in hand. He attacks all three, I defend one and survive! I don’t believe I did this. I subsequently find out that after Neil gets this result, he races to Jon and conveys the news to watch Jon’s jaw drop.
                                                                                                                                                              Win 3   Loss 0

Current rankings #1 Crab, #2 me, #3 Crab, #4 Crab (Slugtech works, no one can figure out how), #5 Dan C, #6 Jon, #7 Neil, #8 Dragon.

Game 4.  Joshua Tomamak (SA) Shattered Peak Castle (Crab)

Joshua had just beaten Jon’s Spider deck (Team Vic). I figure I must have been lucky on game 3 and this it the one where I go down. My start is good, while Joshua is forced to double mulligan. Either he progresses slowly or I am just faster! I stifle his attack options and by the time Joshua’s launches attacks, I am able to counter and save my provinces. I hit 40 honour with 4 provinces in hand. He concedes.
                                                                                                                                                              Win 4   Loss 0

Current rankings #1 Crab, #2 me, #3 Crab, #4 Crab, #5 Lion, #6 Neil, #7 Jon, #8 SP

Jon insists I am the one to be able to go all the way, but I ignore his propaganda, still unsure how I have gotten this far.  My badge just smiles.

Game 5. Sam Groom (SA) Kyuden Hida (Crab Scouts)

We both get double gold and progress steadily from there. By turn four I loose a province to a Sneak at 28 honour. On turn six, I need 2 more honour to cross. I still have 3 provinces (I believe). He attacks all and I defend all. I sacrifice a pep and loose a battle to gain honour at one battle and save the other two with honour gain. I cross. We have 6 rounds of Swiss, I think I am in top four regardless of the next round! At this point I am only confident of being top Dragon.
                                                                                                                                                             Win 5   Loss 0

Current rankings #1 Me, 2 Crab, #3 Jon, #4 Slugtech Crab, #5 Crab, #6 Crab, #7 Neil, #8 Lion

Game 6. Jon Meertens (Team Vic) The Finger of Bones (Spider Goblin)

I get a nice run and look to duplicate my previous game with 34 honour and 4 provinces, when Jon flips “Wrath of Kali-Ma” and brings 7 goblins into play in the limited phase. He attacks my provinces with nearly double my peeps. My fate hand didn’t have what I needed, despite this, I only go down by 2 force.
                                                                                                                                                             Win 5   Loss 1

Final 4. #1 Me (Dragon), #2 Crab (Sam Groom), #3 Jon (Spider), #4 Dan C (Crab)
Team Vic, (including I) are all stunned by my performance. It’s almost like Slugtech.

FINALS

These are best 2 of 3. I have already faced all these opponents.

Semi-Final. Daniel C (Team Vic) Shattered Peaks Castle (Crab Beatstick!)

Dan asked that I didn’t write notes during the game to ensure smooth game flow, so my records are based on memory. (That’s why I take notes).
1.1   My deck ran like clockwork, while Dan’s luck seems to fail. He only saw mid range peps and nothing of note in his fate side. I cross and win with 3 provinces.
1.2   Dan’s luck improves and he gets rolling early on. He uses “Beloved of the clan” x 2 to slow my honour gain (which cost me 9 honour), slowing me down enough to give him a chance. I cross with 2 provinces, and he is forced to attack two. Despite an error on my part I save one province by nerfing his force pumps.

I win again. At this point I actually believe I have a chance of winning the Kotei. My previous best performances have been 2 third’s.

Grand Final. Jon Meertens (Team Vic) The Finger of Bones (Spider Goblin)

1.1   My deck ran perfectly. I hit 40 with 4 provinces before he can launch any sort of effective assault. He manages to make me loose 6 honour, but unfortunately for him I likewise gain 6 during the attack phase and remain on 40.
1.2   I have a slower start in this game, but manage to hold a similar advantage. I am on 33 honour and 3 provinces and 9 peeps, when he hits me with heavy honour loss (after I am dumb enough to give him the opportunity), and another “Wrath of Kali-Ma” wave of goblins. He take’s me out just before I hit 40.
1.3   It’s late and I am getting tired. The previous mistake cost me the game. Jon is a top tier player (the first Ralting Kotei winner) and I can’t afford any mistakes …. again. I play more slowly and carefully. I get Holy Shrine and hit 39 honour on my turn, with two provinces and only gold in the exposed province. I utilise card draw and pull “Friendly Traveller Sake”. I attached it and then gift it to Diagotsu Susumu to cross, with no way for Jon to take my last two provinces in one turn.

Wow, I don’t believe it, after 14 years …..
The most significant item of note for my deck was that it was the first Dragon deck I have ever built without any Rings, to my shame!

Points given to Dragon
Story chosen for Tamori Shaiko

Late Addition: We recently discovered that all 3 members of Team Vic that finished in the top 4, were born on the same DAY, and Sam who came 3rd, was born one day earlier !