Welcome back to DeathJester’s Dojo. This week I’m back to tell you about my experience at the B.R.A.D.S. $700 Tournament that a lot of you have been reading about on the Pojo.com Message Boards. 

The Metagame                                            

The metagame down here is more diverse than I had originally thought. You have your usual decks containing 2-3 copies of Gravekeeper’s Spy, Magical Merchant, Dekoichi, and Cyber Dragon…typical North American Cookie-Cutter Control; but then your wide range of “Rouge” or underplayed deck archetypes. I think Florida is famous for its affinity for Rogue decks. Among these deck archetypes the most notable are:

• Dark World
• Cyber Stein OTK
• Zombies
• Strike Ninja
• Tomato Control
• Phoenix
• Toolbox Warriors
• Soul Control

The Competition

Among the 60 something players we had at the tournament the most recognizable players were members of the following teams: Team Alpha, Team NeXus, and Team Untouchables. Teams Alpha and NeXus made an impressive showing each bringing about 10+ members each. The numbers were definitely on their side because this many members in attendance will almost guarantee that at least 1-2 members will make the Top 8. This strategy has proven effective time and time again by various teams around the country. By no means am I demeaning the skill-level of either team, they are all excellent players and I know the majority of them personally.

The rest of the competition, the locals and me, who aren’t a part of a team, brought interesting strategies to the table. For example: I played Zombie Aggro and my brother played Tomato Control at this tournament. A few of the local players brought Cyber Stein OTK decks which haven’t been seen on the SJC scene in a LONG time. A friend of mine, Kevin Ocenofsky, played a Dark World deck which focused more on a Control element than an aggressive one. Another friend of mine, Anthony Pimentel, played Phoenix at this event.

My previous assumptions on Florida’s metagame were proven wrong by the sheer diversity of playing styles and decks featured at this tournament.

My Performance

I finished with a record of 3-3. Not very impressive, in my opinion, but I still learned quite a bit. My Zombie Aggro deck was designed to have a considerable advantage over the typical North American Control deck and the Burn/Stall match-up, but I wasn’t surprised to find that my deck failed against a deck I wasn’t prepared for. Here’s an outline of my matches and results:

• Round 1 – Cyber Stein OTK (Loss, 2-1)
• Round 2 – Burn/Stall (Win, 2-0)
• Round 3 – Aggro (Win, 2-0)
• Round 4 – Dark World Control (Win, 2-0)
• Round 5 – Toolbox Warrior (Loss, 2-1)
• Round 6 – Cyber Stein OTK (Loss, 2-1)

I found that my deck lost to Cyber Stein OTK twice. I had come to this event fully prepared to deal with any deck because I knew my deck’s weaknesses. I had 2 Solemn Judgment, 1 Magic Cylinder, 1 Ceasefire, 1 Confiscation, and a main-decked Injection Fairy Lily to quickly deal with any kind of threat that deck could present to me.

Both matches against the Cyber Stein decks went to Game 3. It’s true that Cyber Stein decks rely heavily on the draw and these variants were built to compensate for that flaw. Despite these obvious observations, I found myself not drawing my side-decked cards against these decks when I needed them. I may have had bad luck…which is something beyond my control, but I have a more tangible explanation for my losses against this deck archetype.

If you consider the ratio of my deck, 18-16-7, siding in traps that would aid me against Cyber Stein was an error on my part. Considering the high amount of monsters and considering the fact that my opening hands are commonly filled with monsters I should have side-decked 2-3 Kuriboh instead of Solemn and Cylinder. The unpredictable nature of Cyber Stein OTK and the non-aggression of the deck until it draws the right cards to strike lead me to believe that Kuriboh would have been the better choice. Even blocking one attack by a pumped Cyber Twin Dragon is enough to spare me so that I may launch my assault on the following turn.

I find it best to look back at my losses and mistakes in an objective light rather than whine and complain about it until the end of time. A lot of the time you won’t even see the decks you built your main-deck to prepare for. Objective observations like these will aid me in future tournaments.

The Tournament

The tournament itself was a lot of fun and I enjoyed being there. The Head Judge Frank Debrito conducted himself with dignity and did not display a single spark of favoritism for his teammates, Team NeXus, when making any rulings or judgment calls. I was very impressed with his diligence and effective player management skills.

The environment was very pleasant and comfortable despite the overwhelming humidity in the area. It was nice to see the friends I have made around the entire state of Florida get together and have fun. I have high hopes that the Regional event this month will be run as smoothly, if Frank decides to judge it of course.

One thing I was very disappointed in seeing is the conduct of the store owner who held this tournament, Richard Brody. I feel this way because of a particular comment that he made to me as I was exiting the store.

I was speaking to a friend of mine from Team Alpha, Darvert Cole, and he invited me to play at one of their tournaments in Tampa, Florida. I told him that I would definitely be stopping by to see the team and play in their tournaments to which Mr. Brody replied, as he overheard my conversation with Darvert, “If you go to one of those tournaments, you won’t be coming to my store again…I’ll tell you that much.” I found this very rude and out of line on his part.

I am very aware of the intense rivalry that Teams Alpha and NeXus have with one another and I am very aware of the fact that Mr. Brody sponsors Team NeXus, but those facts do not grant him the justification to threaten me in such a manner. I have neither prior engagements with this man nor any prior arguments with him. I don’t know him; I don’t see where he gets the right to treat me in that way. His remark was childish and disrespectful, to say the least.

I would hope that he doesn’t treat his other customers in such a manner. I know Team NeXus doesn’t condone that kind of behavior on their team, I wouldn’t expect it from a sponsor. This surprised me the most. You learn something new everyday right?

Closing Remarks

Overall the experience was a memorable one. I had fun, my deck performed flawlessly, I played excellent, and the competition was as fierce as ever. I definitely recommend that more players come to these money competitions at BRADS Cards & Collectibles, but beware of the ill-tempered store owner. I certainly hope that no one else gets threatened in such a manner for no apparent reason.

Until next time everyone, remember to play hard, think about your moves, and most importantly…have fun!