Subject: Tourney Report: 07-27-02

Name: Lex
Deck Name: Combined Efforts
Tournament: Silverado Park, Long Beach CA
Date: 07-27-02
Number of Duelists: 57 (WHOA)
My Deck: 

3 Blue Eyes White Dragon
2 Summoned Skull
3 La Jinn
2 Ryu-Kishin Powered (Later 2 7 Colored Fish)
2 Battle Ox
2 Neo the Magic Swordsman
2 Man-Eater Bug
1 Cannon Soldier
2 Wall of Illusion
2 Giant Sldier of Stone

1 Pot of Greed
1 Change of Heart
1 Dark Hole
1 Monster Reborn
1 Swords of Revealing Light
2 Card Destruction
2 Soul Exchange
2 Sword of Dark Destruction
3 Fissure

1 Mirror Force
3 Trap Hole
2 Waboku
3 Reinforcements
1 Robbin' Goblin

The tournament went very well, and I think I did very
well for a duelist of my caliber.

First, the rules are that each duelist is given 1 Star
Chip, and assigned a certain arena to duel on. Each
area is given a certain field: Wasteland, Umi(Ocean),
Yami, or Mountain. That gives anyone dueling there a
field power bonus. You have 30 minutes to duel as many
people at that table possible, best 2 of 3. You bet a
number of star chips, just like the anime. When 30
minutes are up, everyone changes fields. At every
field, there is a person called an 'Eliminator' with a
specially modified deck to get the field power bonus.
He can force you to duel him and to wager all your
star chips.  After a set amount of rotations, anyone
with six star chips goes to the semi-finals, and they
must have faced at least one eliminator. The top four
then move to the finals. The prize was: Champion: 3
Metal Raiders Boosters, Runner Up: 2 Metal Raiders
Boosters, 3rd: 1 Booster. 

Alright, I arrive at the park and see a massive amount
of people there. And not just kids, but teenagers and
some adults. I start to get nervous as I see Heavy
Storms, Man-Eater Bugs, Mirror Forces, and lots of
other great cards. I come up and talk to this kid,
about 9, and he says he isn't dueling, but is a
collector. Then I go and sign up. The sprinklers go
off right where everyone is standing. The Mountain
field is drenched, and I felt sorry for the kids who
got their cards wet. I get my star chip, and my
duelist number is 31. I'm assigned to Umi. Before the
tournament begins, I trade with this kid for 2
7-Colored Fish, which I put in my deck in place of
Ryu-Kishin Powered. WHOO! Ok, on to the tournament.

Star Chip Count: 1

My first match is against a 13 year old kid, red
shirt, thick glasses, named Michael(?). He had a HUGE
fusion deck: at least 15 cards! I asked him what kind
of deck he played. I told him I played a Monster
Removal Blue-Eyes Deck. He told my he played a Weenie
Rush Deck: No level 5 or above. It turned out he
didn't even have a Polymerization. I ridiculed him a
couple times. Anyway, the first duel, I start strong
with a La Jinn. He plays Big Eye, and Crass Clown for
a few turns, then I pull out a Summoned Skull. He
rarely uses Trap Hole, so I had it in the bag, with my
Summoned Skull. I told him to encorporate some high
attack monsters, but he didn't. Oh, and he had rocks
to keep his cards from blowing away. Hehehe. I think
the most powerful card he had was the Bistro Butcher,
with 1800 Attack and an effect that lets me draw 2
cards. Whatever, I won 2 in a row, the second without
tribute monsters, and doubled my star chips.

Star Chip Count: 2

It was already late into the 30 minutes, so I just
watched another duel. It was between this 13 year old
girl and a Sophomore(?) in high school, I think.
Anyway, the girl had a strictly defensive deck, with
Giant Soldier of Stone, and Aqua Madoor. The guy had a
Blue-Eyes/Summoned Skull deck, like mine, only he had
2 of each (from the boosters!). The 30 minutes ended,
and the guy won because the girl wouldn't attack if it
killed her. I went to the mountain field for my duel
with the guy I just mentioned: Roland(?) I started
weak, with my hand containing nothing but magic and
traps. I used Pot of Greed to get my Neo, and played
him attack mode. He got his Summoned Skull out, but I
used Trap Hole. Then he pulled out a Blue-Eyes, but I
used Change of Heart to deal the final blow. About the
same for both rounds. So I win one of his star chips. 

Star Chip Count: 3

Up to 3 star chips, and haven't lost once. And no
eliminator in sight. Ok, the next match was against
this man, about 29, but I'm a bad estimator. He played
a summoned skull deck. I don't really remember this
one, but I think I went on an all out assault for
direct damage, including my Man-Eater Bug. hehe. Ok,
but I won another star chip in that duel.

Star Chip Count: 4

Now all I needed was to bet two to get to the next
round. Next up was this guy about 18, who brought his
crew to watch our duel. He claimed that Reinforcements
can only be activated when my opponent attacks me.
Lame, but I let it slide. I won the first one, but he
played a strong Summoned Skull deck. (Do you see a
pattern?) He won the next one, using a Summoned Skull
against my 7 Colored Fish. Our last match he used
Raigeki on me, something I thought I wouldn't see, but
I used a couple Trap Holes and Wabokus until I could
get a Blue Eyes. Yes, I won. 

Star Chip Count: 6!

With 6 star chips in my pocket, I walked around, and
asked the hosts how many star chips i needed to get to
the next round. They said six, so I showed them my
six. He then asked if I had faced an eliminator, and I
said no. He then challenged me, because he was the
Mountain Eliminator. We sat down, and began to duel.
This was the only duel where I felt I had no control.
He pulled out a First Edition Blue Eyes, from Legend
of Blue Eyes (not the starter), and I started to
panic. If he had cards like these at his disposal, I
was toast. I tried to use Swords of Revealing Light,
and Trap Hole, but he had Magic Jammer and 7 Tools of
the Bandit. Then he just obliterated me with raw
dragon power. He even used Curse of Dragon, a card I
thought I wouldn't be seeing. I felt horrible. The
next match, I felt exactly the same. He wiped me out
again. I kept forgetting about the field power bonus,
because I played Reinforcements with my Summoned Skull
against his Blue-Eyes (3200, not 3000). Thus, I was
eliminated, because I had to risk all my chips. 

Star Chip Count: 0 ;(

Eliminated by JL, the only person to beat me in a
match. *Sigh*. I talked to him after the duel, and he
offered to show me the deck. No wonder I lost. He had
2 Tri-Horn, 3 Blue Eyes, numerous Level 4 dragons, 2
Curse of Dragon, Lord of D., Magic Jammer, 7 Tools of
the Bandit. Man, I just had to duel the best cards,
didn't I? Can you imagine if I faced the Umi
eliminator? What cards would he have? Aqua Madoor?
Great White? BAH! Anyway, he told me that if they
didn't have enough people for the next round, I would
be in. Oh well, I had to leave anyway. It was already
5pm. I did get one last duel in, against a kid named
Chris, with a 1st Edition Gate Guardian. I won, and we
almost put one card up for grabs. Why didn't I accept.
anyway, he used Sanga of Thunder, which I Change of
Heart-ed. That and fissure won the game. I played a
Summoned Skull, and he lost because I Changed his
Sanga

So that's my report. A person who worked for Upperdeck
won the tournament. (ARG!) I didn't get to see his
deck. He got a Gate Guardian in the packs. PURE LUCK!
the third place got a Magic Jammer in his pack. And
thus ends my 1st tournament. Losing isn't that bad,
especially since I had to lose to a duelist with the
best cards in the current game.

There was a car crash in front of the park in the
middle of the tournament. I hope they were ok, but I
saw people arguing in front of the cars shortly after.


P.S.: Last Will is the most Misunderstood card at the
tourney. So many people put it in their hands. Oh, and
all you duelists, get at least one Swords of Revealing
Light. It is a very good card.

Props: Great format for the tournament.
Making it as far as I did, for my 1st Tournament
7-Colored Fish and Swords of Revealing Light
The Duel Monsters Craze

Slops: Reinforcements, Last Will, Man-Eater Bug and
Hane-Hane rule complications.
Cheap prize
JL and his 7 Tools
Getting gum on my shoe, and almost getting Bird pee on
my cards. (Luckily I wiped it with my finger before I
put my cards down. YUCK!)

The day after the tournament, I revamped my deck: Took
out Cannon Soldier and 2 Soul Exchange, Threw in a
Raigeki ($11) and 2 Hane-Hane
Duelist Kingdom, I'll be there in a few tournaments.
Until then, beware JL.

-Lex (Beaver Warrior)
EMAIL: hayovrheerz@yahoo

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