Squirrel 2.0
Mini-Con Tulsa,
Oklahoma April 5, 2003 60 People
$8
Winner
- I have no idea
Top
Deck Games Tulsa, Oklahoma April
5, 2003 45 People $3
Winner
- 3 booster packs 2nd - 2 booster
packs
Wizard's
Asylum Tulsa, Oklahoma April
6, 2003 50 People $3
Winner
- 5 booster packs 2nd - 3 booster
packs 3rd - 2 booster packs
Vintage
Stock Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
April 7, 2003 15 People $5
Winner
- 5 booster packs 2nd- 3 booster
packs
Hey,
hey , hey, Pojo people! Glad that you could join me for another tournament
report. As in the past, it’s been a busy week… with the promise of an even
busier one ahead (curse you tax season!) So, this report will be relatively
short compared to my normal ones (also, I lost some of the scoresheets from my
duels). But since this report will be covering four (!!!) tournaments, you’ll
still have plenty to read.
I
probably wouldn’t have posted a report at all this week, but I didn’t want all
of the Killer Squirrel (NOT Flying Squirrel) fans out there to miss the debut
of my new Squirrel deck – SQUIRREL 2.0!
What
is Squirrel 2.0? Well, just like Norton and MacAfee are anti-virus programs,
Squirrel 2.0 is an anti-beatdown deck. It finds the bugs in those pesky
beatdowns and removes them. No need to worry about those high powered four star
attackers – Squirrel 2.0 will find and erase those nasty cards before they can
corrupt your duel! Gemini Elf, Goblin Attack Force, Bazoo the Soul Eater, Dark
Elf, Mechanicalchaser… prepare to be permanently deleted!
Before
we get to the deck, it’s time for my usual rant. No more thief bashing (though
thieves still suck). This time I’d like to talk about bad sportsmanship.
What
is sportsmanship? Well, it involves respecting your opponent and, regardless
the outcome of the duel, being gracious in either victory or defeat. A good
sport doesn’t cheat, talk trash, or whine about the outcome of a duel.
Have
I ever cheated? No. What’s the point? A duel is only fun if you know that you
won because of your skill. Have I ever talked trash? Yes. I occasionally talk
trash to my close friends when I duel. And they talk trash back to me. But
every single one of my friends knows that I respect each of them as duelists
and, more importantly, as people (and, yes… that does include you; Sammy, CJ,
and Alex). Have I ever whined about the outcome of the duel? Yes… and I
apologized profusely for every single one.
I
had an experience this weekend with a little bratpunk at Wizard’s Asylum that
made me realize the importance of sportsmanship. Kenny is a good player and has
a strong deck. But he was quite a way from being a good sport. Kenny challenged
me to a duel for fun. I had dueled him once before, so I figured that it would
enjoy it. Anyhow, Kenny quickly had me down to 2000-8000. While I don’t mind
that so much, I started getting a little upset by Kenny’s comments ("I’m
going to make you my b----!" and the like). As I started to make a
comeback, Kenny resorted to cheating (such as thumbing through his deck when he
though that I wasn’t looking). Much like the trash talking, I also let this
pass. When I finally did beat Kenny, he whined and made excuses why I won
("I let you win!").
So
what’s the point of all of this? Well, when Kenny started up with his
anti-sportsmanlike ways, the duel ceased to be fun for me. I don’t mind losing,
but not to cheating bratpunks who don’t know when to keep their mouths shut. I
can only imagine how many kids Kenny (and people like him) have had Yu-Gi-Oh!
ruined for them. I’m an adult, so I parted the duel with Kenny merely advising
him that he needs to cut out all of the trash talking and cheating. But if
Kenny duels a young kid sometime in the future with those antics, he could
cause a lot of hurt and pain.
Kenny,
here’s a little free advice: go watch some Yu-Gi-Oh! reruns. There’s a lot of
good advice in there about dueling with respect and honor that you could
benefit from hearing. And as far as the Yu-Gi-Oh! card game goes, you are a
great player, but a terrible duelist. And if you don’t learn how to hold your
tongue and respect others, you’re going to grow up to be a terrible person. As
far as I’m concerned, I will NEVER duel or trade with you again… at least until
you learn how to make a sincere apology.
Sorry
about all the morbid comments folks. That’s all the brooding I intend to do… ON
TO THE DECK!!!
Squirrel
2.0 (40 cards total)
Monsters (16)
Cyber
Jar
Hayabusa
Knight X2
Jinzo
Magician
of Faith X2
Man-Eater
Bug X2
Mask
of Darkness
Morphing
Jar (Japanese… bought an English one online… and it’s on its way… woohoo!)
Nimble
Momonga X3 (KILLER SQUIRRELS!!!)
Penguin
Soldier
Sangan
(Curse you Upper Deck!)
Witch
of the Black Forest
Magic (16)
Change
of Heart
Dark
Hole
Graceful
Charity
Heavy
Storm X2
Mage
Power
Monster
Reborn
Nobleman
of Crossout X2
Pot
of Greed
Premature
Burial
Raigeki
Scapegoat
Snatch
Steal
Swords
of Revealing Light
United
We Stand
Traps (8)
Call
of the Haunted
Ceasefire
Gravity
Bind X2
Imperial
Order
Mirror
Force
Skull
Lair
Torrential
Tribute
Side Deck (15)
4-Starred
Ladybug of Doom
Bait
Doll
Card
Destruction
Confiscation
Delinquent
Duo
Ekibyo
Drakmord
The
Forceful Sentry
Appropriate
X2
Dust
Tornado
Graverobber’s
Retribution
Gravity
Bind
Infinite
Dismissal X2
Skull
Invitation
I
didn’t get my Mage Power until AFTER the Wizard’s Asylum tournament (because
Alex screwed up!!!) Up to that point, I used Ekibyo Drakmord in its place.
Thanks to my boy CJ for trading his Mage Power to me. CJ… YOU DA MAN (but who’s your daddy?)
The
goal of the deck is pretty simple: I try to get Jinzo and Hayabusa Knight on
the field – Jinzo to negate my opponent’s traps, and Hayabusa Knight to equip
with either United We Stand or Mage Power to shell out serious damage (“Axe
of Despair, I scoff at thee!”) I use Gravity Bind, Swords of Revealing
Light and (of course) Killer Squirrels to stall for time. I use Pot of Greed,
Graceful Charity, Cyber Jar, and Morphing Jar to move through my deck more
quickly. The rest of my cards focus mainly on monster removal.
Saturday
11:00 AM – Mini-Con Anime Convention
The
anime convention was touted to be the site of the best tournament of the year,
and it didn’t disappoint. This tournament was match play, single elimination. I
had my brother with me today – he’s a strong duelist, but he’s never been in a
tournament before. So, he wasn’t quite sure what to expect. While we waited for
the tournament to begin, we tried to tweak his deck a bit. He was attempting to
run a Destiny Board beatdown, but we were having problems making it flow
properly (although he did manage to beat Sammy with it… now it’s not just me
whooping up on you, Sammy – the rest of my family’s getting in on the act…
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!)
Finally,
the tournament began.
First
round - BigSpooky vs. Nick (Speed
Beatdown)
Nick
was kind of young (maybe 10… sorry if I get it wrong, Nick), but he had put
together a pretty decent beatdown deck.
Duel
1 – Nick didn’t have too much luck against my Gravity Bind. I used it to hold
him at bay until I could clear the field and thump him with my Jinzo.
Final
Score: 5400-0
Duel
2 – Nick had me on the ropes at 2550-7450. But he used a few too many Graceful
Charities and managed to deck himself out before he could finish me off.
Final
Score: 2550-7450 (Nick decks out)
That’s
the problem with those speed beatdowns… you gotta make sure you don’t draw too
much too fast (but look at my deck… who am I to judge?)
One
unfortunate note: my brother went out in the first round to a Summoned Skull deck.
Oh well… maybe he’d have better luck at the next tournament.
Second
Round - BigSpooky vs. Chris (Umi
Beatdown)
Chris
is a regular at Top Deck. Though I had never faced him before, I had helped him
construct his deck. Time to see if I helped him too much.
Duel
1 – Chris ran headlong into a couple of Killer Squirrels. I used one of them to
get my Jinzo on the field. Thanks to a steady supply of monster removal cards,
I finished Chris off pretty quickly.
Final
Score: 9400-0
Duel
2 – This duel was actually a lot closer than the score indicated. After I
managed to again get my Jinzo on the field to hit Chris for some early damage,
he hit me with Raigeki then took him with his Monster Reborn. However, I
managed to pull a much needed Swords of Revealing Light. My Morphing Jar then
helped me pull my Scapegoat, Hayabusa Knight, and United We Stand. I managed to
get all three cards on the field, and hit Chris’ two 7-Coloerd Fish with my
pumped up Hayabusa Knight.
Final
Score: 7100-0
Well,
Chris.. I like the deck. You just need to get a few more key cards, and you’ll
be a tough competitor at all of the tournaments you go to.
Third
Round - BigSpooky vs. David
(Balanced Beatdown)
I
knew that trying to beat David would be no easy task. David is Lance’s prodigy
player. He plays very smart, is very good at constructing top notch decks, and
doesn’t freak out when his opponent has him on the ropes. Besides, he had
beaten the guy who had beaten my brother. This would definitely be interesting…
Duel
1 – This duel was mine!!! I used a couple of Hayabusa Knights and Jinzo to get
David down to 700 life points, while I sat at 7300 (only damage from my own
Imperial Order). But David slowly marshaled his forces, and waited for the
opportune time to strike. In the meantime, I tried in vain to revive a monster
that would finish David off. But my efforts were in vain as David summoned his
own Jinzo to put the kibosh on me.
Final
Score : 0-700
Duel
2 – This duel was very similar to the first one, except that the roles were
reversed. David had me at 600 life points, but was unable to finish me off
(thank you Gravity Bind). My United We Stand-powered Jinzo put some serious
hurt on David.
Final
Score: 600-0
Duel
3 – I knew that I would pay for letting that first duel slip through my grasp,
and I wasn’t wrong. David hit me early for 5250 damage. I tried to allay
further damage with my Gravity Bind. But David’s Heavy Storm put an end to my
tournament.
Final
Score: 0-6700
David
played well, and he deserved to win. I wished him luck in the rest of the
tourney (he was going to need it… he had to face Lance next round!)
I
found out the next day that my friend Jeff Richardson won the tournament
(congrats, Jeff!) I unfortunately didn’t have time to stay and see the end… the
next tourney started in less than an hour!
Saturday
2:00 PM - Top Deck Games
Because
of the Mini-Con tourney, this tourney didn’t have all of the strong duelists
that it usually does. But there were still some very good ones to say the least
(John, Dat, Stephanie, Adam, and Laurence to name a few). I hoped to do well,
but I also hoped that my brother would do well so he would have a more positive
experience.
First
round - BigSpooky vs. Adam (Relinquished)
I
had faced Adam once before and barely eeked out a victory. I had a hunch that
this duel would be no picnic.
Duel
1 - Adam had the early advantage in this duel by summoning two Relinquished to
suck up my Squirrels (fortunately face down). I managed to turn the tide with
my Cyber Jar, which yielded me a Raigeki, Jinzo, and the duel.
Final
Score: 3600-0
A
note about the duel: After I set my
Cyber Jar on the field, Adam attempted to discard the Squirrels his 2
Relinquished had previously taken and seize my two new monsters on the field. I
told him that he couldn’t do that, and the judge ruled in my favor. Does anyone
know the OFFICIAL ruling on this? Edo’s Yu-Gi-Oh! page agrees with me (http://www.stormpages.com/edhrzic/Expmon.htm#relinquished), but that’s not the official ruling. I’m going to
feel awful if I’m wrong…
Duel
2 – This duel went much like the first (except for the Relinquished fiasco)
with Adam and I volleying for the advantage. I finally manage to get it (thanks
to Morphing Jar) and finish the match.
Final
Score: 2650-0
Adam,
I sincerely apologize if I was wrong about the Relinquished ruling. If it makes
you feel better, the same judge who ruled against you came back to screw me
over later on.
On
a happier note, my brother WON his first round match. Needless to say, he was
in pretty high spirits going into round two.
Second
Round - BigSpooky vs. Jerry (Healing/Ground
Collapse)
Jerry
ran some really unusual card combination (I’d say that he ran a newbie deck,
except that he actually ran those cards really well). I was initially thrown
off my game by some of Jerry’s tactics. But since his deck was built more
towards healing himself than attacking his opponents, he didn’t hit me too hard
in either duel.
Duel
1 – Jerry’s Solemn Wishes had initially pumped his life points to 9000 before
Jinzo took center stage. With the help of my Hayabusa Knight, I was able to
finish Jerry off in short order.
Final
Score: 7000-0
Duel
2 – Jerry got wise to my tactics, so I had to settle for chipping away at his
life points rather than hitting them in one fell swoop. But I still managed to
do enough damage to win the duel.
Final
Score: 6000-0
Jerry
was a good sport about losing the duel. He offered to trade with me for my
spare Jinzo, but (unfortunately) he didn’t have anything that I needed. Oh
well…
My
brother ended up going down in this round. He lost in three to a kid named
Damon… who also happened to be my next opponent.
Third
Round - BigSpooky vs. Damon (Hand
Depletion Beatdown)
"My
name is Inigo Spooky. You killed my brother. Prepare to die!"
My
brother wasn’t able to adjust to Damon’s strategy of using hand depletion cards
(like The Forceful Sentry and Delinquent Duo) to reduce his opponent’s options.
But I had faced this same deck playing against Jesse… and Damon didn’t play it
nearly as well.
Duel
1 – Damon didn’t get a chance to use any hand depletion cards on me thanks to a
quick act of eradication by my Jinzo. Funny… Damon played so many cards so
quickly in this duel that he didn’t have an answer for my Jinzo when it started
thumping him.
Final
Score: 6000-0
Duel
2 – This opening move was absolutely classic! Damon played Delinquent Duo to
deplete my hand, then played Pot of Greed to increase his hand. So I set a
monster. Damon attacked it. Morphing Jar! I tried hard not to laugh, but I
wasn’t very successful (sorry, Damon!) Needless to say, that move pretty much
sucked all of the wind out of Damon’s sails.
Final
Score: 7200-0
My
brother… I have avenged you!
Of
course, he had already done a pretty decent job of avenging himself by beating
John in the third round. Way to go, bro!
After
the third round, they announced the pairings for the semifinals. One of the
unfortunate things about the Top Deck tournaments is that only four people are
put into the semifinals. If there are more than four people to go undefeated,
then they go by overall duel record. If there are still more than four people
left, then they go by the strength of the opponents. So, even if a duelist wins
all three matches without losing a duel, he/she can still be left out of the semifinals
if his/her opponents had less than stellar win loss records.
Since
all of my opponents had lost only one match (to me… obviously), I was in. But
two of the better duelists in the store – Dat and Stephanie – were left out
(that is NOT cool!) As it was, I got paired up against a goober named Brandon.
Semifinals - BigSpooky vs. Brandon (Balanced Beatdown)
I
know it’s not nice to call my opponent names, but Brandon did plenty to earn my
wrath in this match. Time for Brandon to feel the might of my Killer Squirrels!
Duel
1 – Brandon held me down most of the game. But he made a tragic mistake near
the end of the match. After his Cyber Jar gave me my Morprhing Jar (as well as
a ton of cards), Brando got clever by setting all of his magic cards, then
attacking my Morphing Jar. I lost nine cards, but gained Monster Reborn,
Nobleman of Crossout, and Skull Lair (HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!) With a slew of cards
in my graveyard, I eliminated all of his monsters with my Skull Lair. Then I
played Monster Reborn to bring back my Jinzo and slap him silly. He tried to
put up a defense, but my Nobleman of Crossout took care of that.
Final
Score: 4300-0
A
note about the duel: This duel was
where the Relinquished ruling came back to haunt me. My opening move, I played
a Man-Eater Bug face down. Brandon played a Trap, and a monster in facedown
defensive position. When I go to activate my bug, Brandon flips Ceasefire. I
argued that, while I still take damage from his Ceasefire, my bug gets its
effect since it was my flip summon and not the effect of Ceasefire that flipped
my bug. The judge disagreed with me on this one (which sucks, because I KNOW
that I’m right on this ruling!) Oh well…
Duel
2 – If the ridiculous Ceasefire ruling from the previous ruling had upset me
before, this duel set me to the boiling point! I drew a hand full of great
traps, but Brandon managed to summon his Jinzo, making them all useless. I
tried to put up a defense, but Brandon had both Nobleman of Crossout and
Raigeki to assist him. I would’ve been fine getting slaughtered in this duel,
if it hadn’t been for Brandon’s excessive gloating THE ENTIRE DUEL!!!
Final
Score: 0-7000
Funny
note: The 1000 damage to Brandon
came from me chaining my Ceasefire to his Man-Eater Bug EXACTLY THE SAME WAY that
he had done to me in the first duel. Funny stuff!
Duel
3 – I had determined that I was going to take this joker down… and, as if some
divine intervention had occurred, the cards appeared in my hand that allowed me
to do it. He did hit me hard early on for 3450 damage from a powered up Maha
Vailo. But his monster ran headlong into my Mirror Force on the next turn. From
there, it was all Jinzo and Hayabusa Knight doing the talking. They took him
down from his 8000 point pedestal to 0 in a matter of seconds.
Final
Score: 4550-0
My
brother informed me that, after the duel, Brandon was in the parking lot
bragging about how he beat me so badly in the second duel. Good work, bonehead!
Too bad you aren’t the one in the finals. Besides, you left so early that you
weren’t there WHEN THEY TRIED TO GIVE YOU YOUR CONSOLATION PRIZE!!!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
:P à Thppt!
Finals – BigSpooky vs. Ben (Balanced Beatdown)
This
match was kind of a letdown. It’s nothing personal against Ben, but it wasn’t much
of a match. He’s a great duelist, but I don’t think that he was prepared to
face a non-beatdown deck. Besides, I drew incredible hands in both duels.
Duel
1 – I got a Gravity Bind out on my first turn. So, Ben’s monsters couldn’t
attack. But once I cleared the field, my Hayabusa Knight did. After two turns
of my Knight hitting for 2000 damage, Ben managed to slow me down with a
Fissure. But it wouldn’t be enough as I got Jinzo on the field two turns later
and wiped out Ben’s remaining life points.
Final
Score: 8000-0
Duel
2 – Ben managed to do 1200 damage to me, but that was about it. After Snatch
Stealing his Summoned Skull and pounding on him with it and Jinzo, it was over
in a couple of turns.
Final
Score: 6800-0
Good
match, Ben. I know that you would’ve liked the duel to be closer, but I guess
the heart of the cards was with me on this one.
So
I finally won another Top Deck tournament. Maybe some of the best duelists in
the city (like Jeff, Jesse, and Lance) weren’t there, but it’s a win nonetheless.
I’m grateful for any victory that I can get.
I
gave my brother the Labyrinth of Nightmare packs that I won – on the condition
that I get any Magic Cylinders (which wouldn’t have been in these hobby packs,
anyway) or Torrential Tributes that he pulled. Well, he didn’t pull any of
those, but he did manage to pull a Bazoo the Soul Eater (lucky little %#@#!)
Sunday
12:00 PM - Wizard's Asylum
My
brother accompanied me again to this tournament. Hopefully, he’s starting to
find out how much fun these things can be. Anyway, we managed to revise his
deck a bit more. He had taken out the Destiny Board pieces before the Top Deck
tournament. Now, with the addition of another Summoned Skull, another Goblin
Attack Force, and his new Bazoo, he would be a force to be reckoned with.
First
Round - BigSpooky vs. John (Balanced
Beatdown)
I
had a crazy fear that I would have to face my brother in the first round.
Instead, I ended up dueling John (for the umpteenth time) in the first round of
the Wizard’s Asylum tourney. John is a great duelist, but he can’t seem to beat
me at Wizard’s Asylum. Today would be no exception.
Duel
1 – John took the early lead by blasting me directly with his Goblin Attack
Force. But he later ran headlong into a Squirrel. After being forced to kill
two more of them, our life points stood at 8700-8000. After pulling Scapegoat,
I cleared the field with Dark Hole. Then I chain summoned Scapegoat on John’s turn. On my turn, I summoned Hayabusa Knight and equipped it with
United We Stand. The last move of the duel was my Hayabusa Knight attacking
twice for 10000 damage.
Final
Score: 8000-0
Duel
2 – This duel was reminiscent of the very first time that I dueled John (when
he stomped me in two turns). Except that in this duel, I was the one who did the
stomping.
John’s
first move: Sets a monster.
Spooky’s
first move: Change of Heart on
John’s monster (Man-Eater Bug). Flip it to kill itself. Summon Killer Squirrel
to attack directly for 1000 points.
John’s
second move: Sets a monster and a
Trap.
Spooky’s
second move: Heavy Storm to remove
John’s trap. Nobleman of Crossout on John’s facedown monster (Wall of
Illusion). Monster Reborn on John’s Man-Eater Bug. Summon Hayabusa Knight and
equip it with United We Stand.
And
that’s the duel!
Final
Score: 8000-0
John
and I dueled after the match just for fun. Of course, he beat me. When there’s
nothing on the line, he usually does. Strange how that works.
My
brother dueled Laurence (one of the top ten in Oklahoma) in the first round and
won in two straight. To be fair, Laurence was using an experimental burn deck.
But it’s a MAJOR victory nonetheless. Congrats, bro!
Second
Round - BigSpooky vs. Laurence
(Burn/Relinquished)
I’m
not sure how I can win my match and then face someone that lost in the first
round. It wasn’t any big deal, but it was odd. I wasn’t too worried though.
I’ve played Laurence enough times to know his strategy. And since he was using
an untested burn deck against me, I figured that my chances were pretty good.
Duel
1 – I hit Laurence early on for 3000 damage thanks to my Killer Squirrel and
Hayabusa Knight. Later I hit him for another 3000 with my Ceasefire when there
were six (!!!) effect monsters on the field. My Jinzo managed to claim
Laurence’s remaining 2000 life points.
Final
Score: 6500-0
Duel
2 – Laurence hit me with Tremendous Fire and Sparks early in the duel to bring
me to 6800. But a counter attack from my Jinzo set Laurence down 2400. Next
turn, I summoned a Killer Squirrel and equipped it with United We Stand for
another 5000 damage. Sitting at 100 life points, Laurence set a Magician of
Faith… which obviously wasn’t enough to save the duel.
Final
Score: 6800-0
So
both my brother and I beat one of the best players in the city on the same day.
No small feat… regardless of the fact that he was running an experimental deck.
Laurence is a great player. I fear that once he works out all of the bugs in
his burn deck, he’ll be difficult to beat.
My
brother’s luck ran out in the second round as he ran into Jesse. Much like
Damon had done to him the day before (with a near duplicate of Jesse’s deck),
Jesse overwhelmed my brother with his aggressive playing style. So I figured it
would be me and Jesse duking it out for a spot in the octofinals. And I was
right!
Third
Round - BigSpooky vs. Jesse (Hand
Destruction Beatdown)
While
many people recognize Jesse as the best duelist in the state (he ended
tournament season two at number one in Oklahoma), I seem to have his number –
I’m 6-1 against him in tournaments. But he and I have never had a match that
went less than three duels. And I know full well that my 6-1 record against
Jesse could very easily have been 1-6… or 0-7.
Regardless
of records, I knew that this match would be a tough one!
Duel
1 – I had a very extreme case of déjà vu in this duel. While Jesse depleted my
hand using The Forceful Sentry and Delinquent Duo, I managed to stave off his
attacks and set him down. The score was 7700-2550 at about the middle of the
duel. And then, just as in my duel the previous day with David, I froze. Jesse
steadily wore away my life points while I tried in vain to pull a card that
would help me. The last move of the duel saw Jesse destroying my Magician of
Faith and Killer Squirrel with his Skull Lair, then sending in his Bazoo and
Jinzo to wipe me out.
Final
Score: 0-1550
Duel
2 – Per his dueling style, Jesse hit me hard and fast to bring me down to 450
life points in no time flat. But my Gravity Bind put a halt on his stampede.
Then my Hayabusa Knight and Jinzo returned the favor by hitting him hard twice
in a row. Much like I had done for him in the first duel, Jesse let me escape
with the win.
Final
Score: 450-0
Duel
3 – I figured that I would pay for letting Jesse escape in the first duel, and
I was correct. Jesse hit me hard twice with his pumped up Bazoo, while I
countered with a Gravity Bind, some Squirrel attacks and a well timed
Ceasefire. As the score stood at 3000-4500, we both tried desperately to draw a
card that would tilt the balance. Unfortunately, Jesse drew it first. He Heavy
Stormed my Gravity Bind and attacked directly with Mechanicalchaser and Gemini
Elf for the win.
Final
Score: 0-4500
Well,
now I’m 6-2 against one of the top duelists (if not the top duelist) in the
state. I wish that I had won, but it just wasn’t in the cards (pun intended).
On
a slightly higher note, my brother again beat John. I guess it’s just something
about my family that stumps that poor man!
My
brother and I both had records of 2-1, so I figured that we both had a shot at
qualifying for the octofinals. But Wizard’s Asylum AGAIN screwed me over by
keeping us both out of the elimination rounds. Tell me something: why is it
that anytime I beat Jesse in the qualifying rounds, he somehow makes it into
the elimination rounds with a 2-1 record, but if I have a 2-1, I somehow get
passed over? Did I do something to tick you guys off?!?!?
Life
is so unfair.
Monday
6:00 PM – Vintage Stock
The
Vintage Stock tournament is normally on Saturday morning. But since they were
having a big sale this weekend, they rescheduled the tournament to Monday
evening. One problem with this, however, is that there were far fewer people at
the tournament than normal. Of course, the usual suspects were still all there
(Lance, Laurence, Justin, Chris, Alex, and Devin).
Since
this was an official Upper Deck tournament, I had to replace my Japanese
Morphing Jar with a Big Eye. On a more positive note, Gary (the guy who ran the
tournaments) agreed to make the tournament a match play tournament (since there
were so few people). Bonus: we got Magic Ruler packs for the tournament (since
TP3 packs aren’t out yet). And, for the first time ever, I managed to pull a
Secret Rare – SERPENT NIGHT DRAGON!!! Woohoo!!!
First
round - BigSpooky vs. Alex (1000
Eyes Restrict)
Oh,
providence is kind! I owed Alex big time for flaking out on a trade with me on
Saturday. So I had some motivation to stomp him in this duel. Alex, you’re
still my buddy (and I’m still your daddy), but you’re about to get Squirrel
slapped.
One
extra tidbit: Alex (along with CJ,
Justin, Chris, Josh, and a few others) is a member of a rival card group of the
Alliance that call themselves the Rare Hunters. Both groups have been actively
recruiting me to join their group… though I haven’t said yes to either group
yet. Anyhow, I told Justin (the ringleader of the Rare Hunters) that he or one
of the group’s members would have to beat me in a match before I’d think about
joining them. This would be their first attempt.
Duel
1 – The duel went quickly south for Alex as I managed to swarm him in a
Squirrel frenzy. He tried to counter with one of his Restricts, but a Raigeki
and Monster Reborn saw him staring down his own monster.
Final
Score: 8000-0
Duel
2 – Alex kept this duel much closer for a while. He hit me a couple of times
with his Giant Soldier of Stone before I took control of his Restrict (and
Giant Soldier of Stone) with Snatch Steal. Alex then summoned his other Restrict
and sucked up his own Restrict (there’s something that you don’t see everyday).
I finally took the upper hand with Dark Hole and Hayabusa Knight.
Final
Score: 4100-0
Sorry,
Alex. You snubbed the wrong guy!
OK,
Rare Hunters… that’s ONE!
Second
Round - BigSpooky vs. Chris (Heavy
Beatdown)
Chris
would be the second "Rare Hunter" that I would face tonight. He has a
pretty decent deck, but he tends to rely too much on his monsters’ power. And
since my deck is specifically designed to counter heavy beatdowns, it was going
to be a chore for Chris to make me say mercy.
Duel
1 – The outcome of this duel was never much in doubt. Chris got caught behind
my Gravity Bind, and wasn’t able to escape. He hit me in some small increments,
but I used his own Summoned Skull and my Hayabusa Knight to slam him for nearly
4000 points a turn.
Final
Score: 7300-0
Duel
2 – Chris had me sweating in this one. He hit me for over 5000 on the second turn,
and kept me down there for most of the match. Fortunately, I was able to keep
my composure and set up my hand. After I drew my Dark Hole, I used a
combination of Ceasfire, Dark Hole, and some revived Hayabusa Knights to hit
Chris for 5000 damage and clinch the match.
Final
Score: 750-0
That’s
TWO, O Rare Hunters (CJ, my boy… to quote the words of the immortal Goldberg: "You’re
Next!" Heh heh heh!!! Who’s
your daddy?)
Semifinals - BigSpooky vs. Lance (Balanced Beatdown)
In
a complete reversal from facing the Rare Hunters, I ended up facing the leader
of the Alliance. I haven’t made the same deal to the Alliance that I made to
the Rare Hunters (mainly because all of the Alliance members kick my butt on a
regular basis). Instead, I’d have to beat all of the members in the Alliance to
be accepted as a member. I haven’t made the effort to do so yet – mainly
because they’re all really dang good! But they have petitioned me to join,
which is a real honor considering the caliber of the duelists in the Alliance
(nothing personal, Rare Hunters).
Duel
1 – My good old Ceasefire hit Lance for 3000 damage early in the game (as well
as stopping Lance from using his Morphing Jar). Lance did 2000 more damage to
himself with his $@%$! Delinquent Duo and Confiscation cards. As the score
stood at 3700-3000, fate lent me a hand by providing my Dark Hole… allowing me
to clear the field for my revived Jinzo and a summoned Squirrel (wouldn’t that
be a cool card? Summoned Squirrel!)
Final
Score: 3700-3000
Duel
2 – This duel came down to who had the better strategy. Despite my inability to
draw a Gravity Bind to thwart Lance’s monsters, I held him at bay with my
Torrential Tribute, Mirror Force, and Scapegoat. When I finally did draw a
Gravity Bind, Lance countered with his Jinzo (AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!) In
addition, he played his Swords of Revealing Light to thwart me from attacking.
As I waited for Lance’s Swords to expire, Lance did a number on my life points.
As the score stood at 1000-5900, I was staring down Lance’s Jinzo, Witch of the
Black Forest, and Goblin Attack Force with no monsters of my own. But, in a
rare moment of personal brilliance, I used Snatch Steal on Lance’s Witch. Then
I played Raigeki to eliminate his other monsters. I activated my Call of the Haunted
to bring back one Hayabusa Knight. Then I tributed his Witch for my Jinzo.
Finally, I used my Premature Burial to revive my second Hayabusa Knight. The
combined attack of 6400 was just enough to win me the match.
Final
Score: 200-0
As
always, I congratulated Lance on a great duel. I lose about as often as I win
against Lance. Fortunately, I was on the winning side tonight.
Finals - BigSpooky vs. Laurence (Burn/Relinquished)
Laurence
was running pretty much the same deck that he had run the day before with a few
improvements. I was probably a bit too aggressive when I dueled Laurence. But
that wasn’t because I was taking him lightly (I would NEVER take any Alliance
member lightly). Actually, it was because Vintage Stock didn’t have any public
facilities… AND I REALLY HAD TO GO TO THE BATHROOM!!!
Duel
1 – Laurence was laying the smack down on me pretty good with his burn magics
and his Princess of Tsurugi (which hit me for 2000 points… OUCH!) But I turned
the tables on him with my Hayabusa Knight equipped with Mage Power. He tried to
defend his life points, but he wasn’t able to pull anything to save himself.
Final
Score: 3600-0
Duel
2 – Laurence again got the upper hand early on. But he wasn’t able to get at my
life points as effectively as in the first duel. Near the end of the duel,
Laurence played Tremendous Fire to bring our lifepoints to 5300-4400. Sadly, he
only hurt himself in that act, as I brought Jinzo and Hayabusa Knight onto the
field to hit him for exactly 4400 damage.
Final
Score: 5300-0
Two
Rare Hunters… Two Alliance members… all gone down to the Squirrels. But I must
say that it was Lance and Laurence have been (and continue to be) my two
toughest opponents at Vintage Stock. Anytime that I can pull off a victory
against either of them, I count myself fortunate.
As
far as Chris and Alex go, they are both great duelists… but they got
Squirrel-slapped! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Rare Hunters… JUST BRING IT!
So
I FINALLY win an official tournament (it’s about dang time!) While I didn’t
pull any great cards in the LON packs that I won, I did pull two holos –
Revival Jam and Dark Spirit of the Silent. Along with the Serpent Night Dragon
that I pulled earlier and the tournament victory, I’d say it was a pretty
successful weekend for Squirrel 2.0.
Just
wait until I get my Morphing Jar!!!
Props:
Squirrel
2.0 – I could hardly ask for a better debut run. All you beatdowns out there –
BEWARE! THE SQUIRRELS ARE COMING FOR YOU!!!
My
brother – for joining me in all of those tournaments and doing your best.
Hanging out with you at the tournaments was tons of fun. I fear that you will
become an awesome duelist and regularly thrash me in future tournaments. But
there’s no one I’d rather lose to.
C.J.
– for getting that Mage Power to me.
Gary
– for making the Vintage Stock tournament match play (if for only one night)
David
& Jesse – for passing the ultimate test, and beating my Squirrels
Nick,
Chris, Adam, Jerry, Damon, John, Laurence, Alex, Chris, Lance, & Laurence…
again (whew!) – for fun, hard-fought duels and for being good sports
All
of my other opponents that I played for fun (with a few notable exceptions) – I
love to duel... and I can't do it without opponents
Vintage
Stock, Top Deck, & Wizard's Asylum (who also ran the Mini-Con tournament) –
for hosting the tournaments
Slops:
Alex
– for leaving me high and dry on our trade (when you make a deal, you have to
see it all the way through, kiddo… especially when someone makes the deal specifically
as a favor to you).
Top
Deck – for eliminating duelists with no losses from contention for first place.
You could always throw in one more elimination round… would that be so hard?
Wizard’s
Asylum – for keeping my brother and I out of the elimination rounds (I have a
hard time believing that all sixteen of those kids went undefeated)
Me
– for whining about the Top Deck and Wizard’s Asylum tournaments
Me
– for what I’m about to say
Brandon
& Kenny – you were both losers before I dueled you… my whooping your sorry
butts just emphasized the point!
Me
– for trashing Brandon & Kenny (I’m a bad man…)
Bad
Sports – See Brandon & Kenny
Whiny,
little bratpunks – See Brandon & Kenny
;)
Me
– I was really mean, so I deserve a fourth slop
Thieves
– couldn’t finish my report without bashing you guys a bit. Let’s put it this
way, you sorry sons of roadkill: if I had to make a choice between saying
something nice about you worthless worms or having both of my arms chopped off,
then I would be spending a lot of time learning how to duel with my feet!
Comments,
suggestions, death threats? Send them to BigSpooky1@hotmail.com
As
always, it will be an extremely busy week for me. So if you e-mail me in the next
few weeks, I may not get back to you for a while. It's not that I don't want to
talk with you or duel. I'm in the process of studying for a VERY DIFFICULT
certification exam, and these next few weeks will be devoted primarily to
studying.
The
way things are looking now, this may be my last tournament report for about a
month or so. I hope to do at least one more next week, but it’s getting very
close to exam time - exactly one month from Monday. Yes I know that seems like
way off to you, but we’re talking about a SIXTEEN HOUR EXAM!!! It’s long, and
difficult, and I’m going to need all of the study time that I can get (without
going completely mental, that is). So if you don’t see my tournament report
next week, just know that I am thinking of Yu-Gi-Oh! fondly… while I wrestle
with a mountain of homework the likes of which none of you (hopefully) will
ever see.