As I've stated many times, I play competitively. Today (September 5th), I had the pleasure of going to the first NY Regional this year. I met some of my fans, some previous National players, and Anubis from the boards. The Regional was at King's Games' home store at Brooklyn. This was one of their 2 day deals, so only Top 2 get invites. They had some neat mats for Top 4, but the invites were my prime target. Did I get them??? Did I??? You'll know the answer... now. No. Plain and simple.
         The day started with all the usual things, shower, breakfast, etc. I had to take my friend to the Regional as well, so we left around 9:45 (started at noon). Even though King's Games' tournaments have a bad reputation of starting late, this one was only about an 40 minutes off... Time wasn't an issue... or so I thought. We got lost, took a right as opposed to a left on East 12th street. My dad wouldn't listen... We arrived at a bit before 11. I met the Head Judge- he lent me 2x King Tiger Wanghu's (pronounced "wangfu") and was giving advice to players. Vincent (the friend I brought) was playing my CastM0rph deck (that I built for him), but he lacked some of the fusion. I ended up trading my extra Breaker for a Ryu Senshi and Balter (bad trade, but he needed them). Curse my kindness. I played a practice game against him...

fun duel: VINCENT vs. SILVER

The game was basically this- I got Terrorking out and continually rolled 2 and 5 vs. things like Snatch and Cylinder. It drove him crazy and made him do silly moves. Pure pwnage. He still had to get used to the deck though...
         I was pre-registered, as was Vincent. There was a little mishap where they couldn't find his name, but that's not important. Players that are good to go (deck lists and everything handed in) were asked to head to the lower level. I went down, and people recognized me right away... well, Anubis (Adam *I think that was the name*, one of the judges) had delayed reaction and just stared at me. o_O Took him to while to just ask if I was Silver. The fact that I had fan base there really boosted my morale, but morale doesn't ensure victory. After hearing I was Silver, some kid went up to me and asked me for a duel. I declined, trying to keep my deck a secret until Round 1. I went around and talked for a while, and that was that. The pairings for Round 1 went up... as always, I was squished against the wall by a mob of 40 or so players. I eventually saw my opponent so I sat down.

Round 1
round 1: LINO vs. SILVER
rand0m vs. fiend

Lino was a nice guy. He had his cards stolen which is unfortunate, but didn't stop me from going all out. I didn't know most of this until both games were over, but whatever.

[game one]

This game was definitely interesting... gameplay was slow, mainly because of his numerous face down cards. I expected some to be bluff, but they were all traps. Had I drawn HFD or HS early, it would have been easier. Instead, the Traps acted as a speed bump. Things like Drain Shield, Sakuretsu Armor, etc. just annoyance. Eventually he ran out and started setting Spells, so from there I pretty much dominated.

LP(me): 8000-6250-5650-4750
LP(him): 8000-7000-5400-6500-5400-4400-4200-600-0
Don't get used to the LP counts.

[game two]

This game ended very, very quickly. He let me go first... I used The Forceful Sentry to break into his hand (Hysteric Fairy, Jinzo, Chaos Sorcerer, Rush Recklessly, and some other insignificant card). I sent back Fairy, set a Ring and ended. He set a M/T. I draw, activate MST from my hand and summon Yata. Game. I'm sorry to say I use Yata, but I was aiming for victory.

LP(me): 8000
LP(him):7800-7600-LOCKED

         Back to paragraphs. Vincent lost to a previous National's qualifier, which always seems to happen to him. We both finished with time to spare, so we went upstairs and bought some M & M's. That was pointless, but it's good to fluff out my articles as much as possible. When I came back down, the SAME kid from before round one (now nicknamed "Weevil" for his voice) asked me for a duel. I declined, mainly because of the fact that I didn't want to. My parents brought us some Taco Bell for lunch. Number 8 soft. Pairings went up (eventually) and I was paired up against some dude who I didn't bother remembering or asking the name of. >_<

round 2: COOLGUY vs. SILVER
CC vs. Fiend.

He sported sunglasses and an odd attitude. He was a good player, but ended up doing not so great in the long run.

[game 1]

This was definitely of my favorite games of the day. It went back and forth for a while, but I slipped up and let him get a clean 4500 direct on me with Theban Nightmare (Thebon.) and D.D. Warrior Lady. I had a Dimension Fusion in my hand and I topdecked Dark Necrofear. Unfortunately, I only had 700 life points left. I was screwed in every way possible. It didn't matter what I did. I couldn't DF my monsters and annihilate him, I couldn't suicide into Theban, I could attack DDWL, but then it'd get removed. Had the ban been any other monster in his deck, I would have won. To summon Necrofear, I had to remove Terrorking x2 and Dark Jeriod. I would have Dimension Fusion'ed all 3, lowered Theban's attack, suicided with Necrofear, picked off DDWL, and got a 2000 shot for game. Things don't work out the way you want them sometimes.

[game 2]

This time around I felt the urge to dip into my side-deck, switching Dimension Fusion for Return from the Different Dimension and some other stuff for D.D. Designator x2 and Confiscation. They did nothing sadly. He Scientisted me for a while, effectively pulling off Perm Balter and a Ryu Senshi whenever he attacked. At any point Dark Jeriod would have stopped Balter (as would Necrofear) but it didn't happen. I somehow broke through it and we went into Topdeck Mode. I drew 2 Archfiend Soldiers in a row, effectively attacking him for 5700 total in 2 turns. He summons Tribe, destroys both and attacks. I check my life points... exactly 1600 left. Game.

         At this point I wasn't as happy, but I learned that if the people that beat you end up with good records, it increases your chances of being in Top 8. Vincent won his 2nd round in a landslide victory, so he said. Soon after, the same kid asked me for a duel. I started to get really, really annoyed so I just didn't answer. Despite the quick summary of my 2nd Round match, it lasted a while- there were only 10 minutes left. The 3rd Round pairings were posted and...

round 3: ... vs. SILVER
Chaos w/ Drop Off's vs. Fiend

This guy was so silent, sort of like I am when I play. He was a quite a bit older, but he seemed like a good player.

[game 1]

Being the lucky roller I am, I went first. I didn't do anything (just kept the 6 cards in my hand) and passed. He set 3 M/T and ended. He didn't even bother to attack me, which I thought was very odd. I had a Kuriboh in my opening hand just so you know... I draw, Drop Off. I play a Spell, Order. I pass again. He doesn't pay, summons Witch and attacks, I Kuriboh. I draw, he Drop Offs. I still have 5 cards, so the loss isn't that bad. *fast forward* I summon Archfiend Soldier and attack, him retrieving Sangan. He summons Sangan, Charity's to discards a DARK and a LIGHT. CED hits the field and I take 2100 direct. He ends... I summon Tribe, discard Terrorking, Burial Terrorking and hit him for game.

[game two]

I sided in some Anti-Chaos, which ended game before it started. But there's one card that is my Dark Balter- Terrorking Archfiend. In this game I literally dominated with it. You'll see... He goes first setting one monster and 2 M/R. I draw, he Drop Off's. I summon Archfiend Soldier. I use Confiscation to destroy a Jinzo, and then activate my newly sided D.D. Designator to removed CED from play. There goes my problems. His other card was Card Destruction. I set Dark Coffin and some other unimportant card and end. I have a Dark Jeriod left. He Card Destructions and activates MST on my Coffin. He destroys his facedown Sangan and gets DDWL. He sets it and passes. I topdeck Terrorking and attack, him taking 1900 direct. I drew a Sinister from Card Destruction, which does nothing... He tries to Snatch Steal my Terrorking, but I roll a 5. He passes. I do 3900 direct. He topdeck's Pot, gets Dark Hole and uses it. He sets 1 S/T. I draw Burial, look at my Graveyard, then play it. He claims I didn't give him time to use his face-down Drop Off, which was B/S. I literally was thinking about my move after I drew, but he still argued. My Burial was already on the field, so he "Let it go." He takes another 2000. He sets a monster and ends. I draw Snatch, he DO's it. I attack and it's Shinning Angel. He goes, activates Raigeki. I Graceful, then Reborn King and attack for Game.

I'm 2-1, which is an above average score. Vincent lost to another former National's qualifier- he runs Scientist FTKO. The funny thing is that every Regional from last year he faced him. How unfortunate. Weevil asked me for a game, I told him after the tournament after all of the pestering. He really wanted to play me, I wondered why? Adam and I talked some more... nothing interesting. The guy I lost to was also 2-1, so our records will stay good. The guy from round 1 is 0-2, so that brings me down a lot. Time for round four...

ROB vs. SILVER
CC vs. Fiend

He's ranked #43 in the world I believe... I got sweeped both rounds, I had nothing.

         It was an embarrassing loss, I admit. But in the end, you don't lose because of bad luck, you lose because there's someone better than you. I hate to admit it, but that's the truth for all competitions whether you choose to believe it or not. Vincent won this round, bringing his score to 2-2, the same as mine. For once, Weevil didn't ask me for a duel, which I am happy about. I still have a chance for Top 8, as one 4-2 gets into it. Round 5 is posted...

VINCENT vs. SILVER
Castmorph vs. Fiend

Vincent has been my apprentice since he started, and I always build him decks for Regionals. Since I built the deck he's using, it gives me an edge. He knows my deck too so he has an edge as well. My edge is sharper though.

[game one]

This game was a really good one. He starts off with Graceful Charity, discarding DMoC and something else. He Reborn's Chaos and uses Charity again. He sets 2 M/T and ends. I pretty much struggle until I pull off a Tribe assault. From there he gets lucky and brings out Scientist and gets Perm Balter and stops me for a while. I am able to stop him with Mirror Force, after destroying his Scientist (no Senshi :-p). Necrofear eventually makes the finishing blow after we start topdecking.

[game 2]

This isn't something I'm proud of, but he pretty much gave me the win. Being the good friend that he is, he let it slide when I used Kuriboh a bit late. :-\ It cost him the match, and he knew it would. The attack wasn't fatal, but it was large enough. I ended up Snatching a DMoC from him, then he Snatched it back. I MST'ed it on my turn and I won. Meh, I hate when things like this happen. He is a much better player than I previously expected...

Pairings...

TED vs. SILVER
CC vs. Fiend

Ted's a nice guy, but I needed to crush him. When we sat down for the last round, we were in standing order. We were the 3-2's with the best records, due to who we beat. The Current Top 8 were seated right next to us. In truth, if I won I would have made it to top 8. Why? The people that beat me are BOTH in top 8. Ted's losses are elsewhere. For that reason, he ended up with 9th, missing the cut-off. Screwy world, no? I got sweeped, which seems to happen a lot vs. good control. I lost fair and square, though Necrofear gave him a lot of trouble.

         How can we forget about Weevil? I owed him a duel. For him to be in my article he had to hold some significance right? Aside from the fact that he's a pain in the morals, he's also the kid who missed Top 8 at Nationals. The kid Charles Hopkins cheated out of his win for the fusion deck thing. I was surprised to learn that. I believe his name is Matt... He didn't run his FTKO Scientist here, but he will at the next one since this deck isn't working for him.

MATT/WEEVIL vs. SILVER
CC vs. Fiend

[game 1]

I win, to his dismay. Dark Necrofear swarms his field, eliminating Dark Balter and clearing the way for my Archfiend Soldier and Terrorking. I beat him down.

[game 2]

He returns the favor, me being unable to do anything with dead cards in my hand.

[game 3]

We started, but I had to leave. Curses. We decided to settle this the next time we meet.

I say good-bye to Adam the Judge, Ted, Weevil, and some other people... I walk upstairs and one of the organizers tells me to lie about my name so I can get a Top 16's prize that left. He read's my stuff, but being the ethical person I am I decline. So he just tells the guy that I should get the stuff for being a good player and a good writer. I had to run though... I get back into the car... I forgot to give the head judge back his King Tiger Wanghu's!! I run back, give it back, and try to claim "my" prize from the same organizer. My mom rushes in and pulls me out. :-( There goes 4 free packs. *sigh*

Here's my decklist so ExMinionOfDarkness can copy it.

1|Lod|Yata-Garasu
2|Dcr|Terrorking Archfiend
1|Sdd|Sinister Serpent
2|Lon|Dark Necrofear
2|Mrd|Kuriboh
3|Dcr|Archfiend Soldier
2|Dcr|D.D. Warrior Lady
1|Pgd|Dark Jeroid
1|Mfc|Tribe-Infecting Virus
1|Mfc|Breaker The Magical Warrior
1|Mrd|Witch of the Black Forest
1|Mrd|Sangan

3|Mrd|Empress Judge
1|Mrd|Rabid Horseman

1|Sdd|Harpie's Feather Duster
1|Mrd|Heavy Storm
2|Mrl|Mystical Space Typhoon
1|Mrl|Snatch Steal
1|Lob|Pot of Greed
1|Sdp|Graceful Charity
1|Mrl|Painful Choice
1|Lob|Raigeki
1|Lob|Dark Hole
1|Sdp|Soul Release
1|Ioc|Dimension Fusion
1|Psv|Premature Burial
1|Lob|Monster Reborn
1|Mrd|Change of Heart
1|Mrl|Delinquent Duo
1|Mrl|The Forceful Sentry

1|Pgd|Ring of Destruction
1|Sdj|Waboku
1|Psv|Imperial Order
1|Psv|Call Of The Haunted
1|Pgd|Dark Coffin
1|Mrd|Mirror Force

2|Pgd|King Tiger Wanghu
1|SDP|Mystical Space Typhoon
1|Mrd|Soul Release
1|Pgd|Book of Moon
1|Pgd|Dark Designator
1|Mrl|Confiscation
2|Ioc|D.D. Designator
1|Sdy|Card Destruction
2|Mfc|Big Bang Shot
2|Mfc|Poison of the Old Man
1 Return From the Different Dimension

Oh yeah, Props and Slops.

Props:
-My parents for bringing us.
-The Judges for being cool.

Slops:
-Me for missing Top 8.
-Adam for asking me not to put him in the slops. :-p
-Bad pairings.
-Expensive parking meters.

Questions? Comments? E-mail at Suicune@optonline.net