Blackheart's Deck of the Dead

Adam Goulden
Oddyssey 2000
Halifax, N.S.
Oct. 30, 2004

Ah, what a glorious All Hallowed Eve weekend to have a tournament featuring my
all new zombie deck. Oddyssey is now running its tournament in the late afternoon,
which I don't personally like that much, as preferred the early morning grogginess
of several months ago...

Anyway, how does one go from Chaos Machinery to Zombie? Combine machines getting
old, chaos being cheap, a lame attempt at a Dark Magician deck failing miserabley,
and a strong desire to counter the hand control-chaos environment I am subject to
every week...

Anyway, time to raise the dead. Let me get my Necronomicon...

Monsters
Tribies
The End of Anubis
Despair from the Dark x2
Ryu Kokki x2
Vampire Lord

Lower Levels
Pyramid Turtle x3
Spirit Reaper x2
Regenerating Mummy
Breaker the Magical Warrior
Tribe Infecting Virus
Blade Knight
Reflect Bounder
Exiled Force
Sinister Serpent
Witch of the Black Forest
Cyber Jar

Spell
Raigeki
Dark Hole
Pot of Greed (the Bong)
Graceful Charity
Harpies Feather Duster
Heavy Storm
Mystical Space Typhoon
Change of Heart
Snatch Steal
Nobleman of Crossout
Monster Reborn
Premature Burial
Creature Swap
Double Spell
Call of the Mummy

Trap
Mirror Force
Call of the Haunted
Imperial Order
Waboku
Dust Tornado
Ring of Destruction

Sidedeck
Patrician of Darkness
Regenerating Mummy x2
Sangan
Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer x2
Fear from the Dark
Call of the Mummy
Nobleman of Crossout
Book of Moon
Enemy Contoller
Collected Power
Magic Drain
Magic Cylinder
Hallowed Life Barrier

And so begins the first match...

Deck of the Dead vs. Derek, Sorceror of Black Magic deck

Round 1
I kept very bad records of my matches today. My apologies. I knew early on
his deck type. He had three Sanwitches in his fusion deck, and he used his
Sangan effect early on to grab his Scientist. Never saw the Hierophant
though... I started with a Pyramid Turtle, which he attacked to bring out
my Ryu Kokki. Later, he brought out a Dark Blade in an attempt to kill my
Breaker, but I had to remind him of Breaker's counter. No attack that turn.
I ended up winning after Snatching his Dark Blade and attacking with my
then summoned End of Anubis.

Me: 8000
Him: 8000-4300-0

Round 2
He managed to hit me this round. Turns out his deck is also trying to
support chaos monsters. He managed to hit me with a Chaos Sorceror after
removing my Spirit Reaper I had blocked with for a few turns (and reaped
his hand with a bit.) I ultimately won by Creature Swapping his last line
of defense, a Penguin Soldier, with my Sinster Serpent, then attacking
with my End of Anubis and Pyramid Turtle.

Me: 8000-5700
Him: 8000-7700-5400-1700-0

In the aftermath, I regained my stature a bit when the regulars actually
noticed that I was back (after a four week hiatus), and we discussed how
we were looking forward to Rise of Destiny and Dark Beginnings. I am very
much looking forward to Makyura the Destructor/ Executioner.

Next...?
Deck of the Dead vs. Gallone, Chaos deck

Round 1
Gallone is not to be underestimated. He can build a really good deck, like
the Buster Blader assault from two months ago, and now that I learned he
had both the chaos monsters, I was expecting more brutality. Oddly enough
this was not to be. I kept him oppressed in the first round the whole time
with my Ryu Kokki and Vampire Lord. Vamp hit him twice, and I declared
trap both times, because I stopped using Jinzo and I hate getting them
sprung in my face...

Me: 8000
Him: 8000-7400-6400-4400-1200-0

Round 2
This round went forever. We both got our hits in, but had field control
pretty much the whole time with him in top deck mode. I had Vamp out
early, and I had Doube Spell in my hand. I was waiting for him to use
a spell so I could copy it. It didn't occur to me until later that I
could declare spell with Vamp, then double it. Live and learn. I got
Ryu Kokki out when he had set his Witch of the Black Forest. I MST'd
his face down, which he chained. It was Waboku. I still attacked his
Witch with Ryu Kokki, and she still died by his effect, not damage
calculation. His comeback attempt failed when he Monster Reborned
a monster, which I readily killed. I played Call of the Mummy and
special summoned Ryu Kokki, Double Spelled (finally) Monster reborn
and reborned my End of Anubis in the graveyard, then normal summoned
my Witch of the Forest. We stayed deadlocked like this for a while,
because I hadn't hit his Mirror Force yet. I kept switching to defense
in anticipation. I finally ended it by Change of Hearting his defender
and attacking for the long awaited kill.

Me: 8000-7700-7000-5700-4700-4400-4100
Him: 8000-7000-6400-5900-5400-7900-4300-700-0

Deck of the Dead vs. Chris, I-Think-its-a-Chaos deck

I was nervous in going against Chris. He was the one who Yata-locked me
after I blew up the field with my Emperor Dragon in a previous tourney.
I had done over 3000 damage with the dragon's effect, and he proceeds
to top deck the bird (see my August report for my choice of words).
Anyway, this match was completely the opposite. I kept him down with
my Blade Knight paired with a Spirit Reaper for most of the match.
Spirit reaper discarded his hand. It was funny. Blade would kill one
of his searchers, he would get a monster, then Reaper would discard
it. I hit his Breaker and Cyber Jar that way. Blade and Reapers kept
this match simple.

Me: 8000 Him: 8000-6400-4100-3200-2900-600-0

Round 2
This match was quite fast too. It involved one of the more brutal
single attack rounds (see the drop in his lifepoints below). I
started with a Pyramid Turtle, which he fissured. I swear he pulls
those fissures out of his... I took some damage from his Breaker
and a 1900 hitting my second Pyramid. Here's where my big hit came
in though. Later on, I had an empty field. I played Call of the
Mummy and special summoned Regenerating Mummy, reborned a fallen
Despair, and Prematured End of Anubis. He had a facedown m/t
bluff from a few turns back, but I attacked and landed a 7100
damage hit. He defended with a facedown monster the next turn,
but I top decked Creature Swap and gave him my Regenerating
Mummy and took his facedown Kycoo. Despair attacked the mummy
for the kill.

Me: 8000-6400-5600 Him: 8000-900-0

Ha ha! Three wins. I had to be in the finals now. I was starting
to feel like a zombie at this point. I could have used some
coffee, but the top eight awaited. I was against Brad. I was not
particularly fearful of him. I had slaughtered him before, and,
despite his impressive collection of cards, he didn't seem to
do very well at the Oddyssey tournies.

Deck of the Dead vs. Brad, Chaos and Horus hybrid deck

Round 1
Only one round now. The finals are usually where I falter,
regardless of deck, and today was no exception. He kept me down
for a long time by playing Swords on his opening turn, then
Giant Trunading on their second turn, and starting it over again.
His only damage was from a Confiscation or something. He got me
down to 2300 where my last lines broke. A cyber jar went off,
then he dark holed and got two monsters on the field. I
desperately tried to hold on by Call of the Haunteding my Reflect
Bounder to hold him off, but he was able to counter with a
facedown Offerings to the Doomed. The graveyard now lies
still...

Me: 8000-6100-2300-0
Him: 8000-7000

Well, I lost. Not having ever won a tourney here, though, I was
phased little. Not unlike my unfeeling, brain-eating minions. I
took this time to reflect how my deck really needs some Books
of Life. Now on to the props and slops.

Props

1. For zombies being an effective archtype
2. For me not losing to chaos once today
3. For me not getting Yata locked today
4. To Oddyssey for having the DC Direct Teen Titan figures in
stock.

Slops

1. For zombies not bringing me a tourney win
2. For my deck not being at its peak due to lacking cards
3. For Oddyssey charging $65.00 each for the Teen Titan figures
(are you nuts?!)

Comments? Fixes? Rants? Email me, Adam Goulden, at aviancross@hotmail.com. I'm also on MSN
Messenger, and on ICQ as Vampire 69.