Salt Lake City Regional Championship by BradM

July 15, 2006

The Black Rose Game Center

Murray, UT

Entrants: 90

Prizes: Your typical Regional Championship prizes

So I heard about the Salt Lake City Regionals this time around literally two days before the event, and decided that I would make it a point to head down there. I live 3 hours away from Salt Lake, so I left at 5:30 in the morning and arrived right on time at 8:30, just as registration was starting. My teammates arrived shortly after and we schemed and wrote decklists and joked, and schemed some more until the tourney officially got underway with the announcements.



Here's the report, you knew you wanted it.

Round 1 me vs. Random Stall

Game 1. He surprised me a little bit in this game. He sets basically his entire hand, and my first move is Heavy Storm to destroy everything he set. He responds with Judgment of Anubis. Wha?? Then activates his Level Limit Area B, then Mask of Restrict, then Wave-Motion Cannon, and my removal was nowhere to be found. I coult not attack other than with a puny little Marauding Captain for 1200 pts per turn. He launched WMC five turns later for game. Ugh. So I side my anti burn stuff.

Game 2. Aggressive does the trick, but this game lasts at least 15 minutes. He has a bunch of flips down and Gravity Bind hinders me a little bit, but Dust Tornado came in handy a couple of times. He had me at 900 lp when I reduced his to 0.

Game 3. Aggressive does the trick. I knew this was going to go to time, so my strategy was to hit him as hard as possible as early as possible. Because at 1 game apiece, whoever ends when time expires at higher lp wins the match. I hold nothing back. Cyber Dragon, Marauding Captain and Sacred Crane swarm the field and hit him hard, fast. With he activates a Wave Motion Cannon, but I have Dust Tornado ready. He activates Gravity Bind when I attack, but again, I have Dust Tornado ready. With about 15 seconds left on the clock, I reduce his lp to 0, shake his hand, and thank him for the good game. 1-0

Round 2 vs. Tino (Chaos Return)

Game 1. I remember this guy from the last regional in SL and he beat me 2-0 and didn't have much trouble doing it. I'd have to have my a-game to beat him this time. Slowly but surely, my advantage rolls in and he can't escape the steady streams of attacks. I defeat him game 1.

Game 2. We both side. I throw in an extra Royal Decree to negate his Return from the Different Dimensions, but It didn't take that for him to beat me. I had him down to 1600 lp when he made the final attack, and I couldn't stop it.

Game 3. Close. Early, I'm watching his graveyard and take keen notice that he only has two lights, which means he can't summon Chaos Sorcerer for early advantage. I also had Royal Decree waiting in case he tried anything. Next turn, I draw and notice that there is now a Jinzo (dark) on top of his graveyard. I ask him how it got there and he said he discarded it. I asked him why, and he showed my his 6-card hand. Next turn, you got it, he removes for Chaos, I respond with Bottomless Trap Hole and he chains Return from the Different Dimension, grabbing Jinzo. It did not deplete me to 0, but my graveyard consited of nothing but light monsters and my hand was two Sorcerers and two Cranes. I couldn't manage to overcome that one, but I thank him for the GG nonetheless 1-1.

Round 3 (Blue-Eyes)

Game 1. When I was shuffling his deck before we started, I saw that a couple of his cards were in different sleeves. This is considered having marked cards, which is against the rules. I thought of calling a Judge on him, but thought better of it. That would be cruel. I'll just play him like a true sport and beat him. I totally ripped him apart. He didn't scratch my lp.

Game 2 No sidedeck needed. He discards a couple of Blue Eyes White Dragons with Graceful Charity, signaling a not so good hand. I cross out his only monster and swarm for game. 2-1. There were still over 30 mins left in the round.

Round 4 (Chaos Return)

Game 1. This guy had a top 8 playmat, which told me he was good. So I knew what to expect. He deos not expect what I have. My Snatch Steal and Creature Swaps give me an impressive amount of advantage, and he couldn't come back. Nice try, though.

Game 2. We both side deck. He kicks a couple of Sorcerers out early and cross out my Dekoichi's before I can get anything rolling. I manage to summon and he tries to respond with Torrential and I activate Royal Decree. But he removes my monsters with yet another Sorcerer and has plenty of clear shots at my lp.

Game 3. I side back to the way it was before game 2. It worked a little better. Again, my advantage was nowhere to be found, but I pulled a little trick on him when he is at 1100 lp left. I topdeck Graceful Charity, discard a couple of spells that I don't need and summon Chaos Sorcerer. I attack unabated for the win. He complements me on my good move and we shake hands. 3-1

Round 5. (Stein/Burn)

Game 1. Let's just say that It will take longer to read this game's report than it took for him to beat me. He lets me go first, and I knew I was in trouble. I set Dekoichi and two f/d traps. He activate Giant Trunade sending them right back to my hand, then summons Cyber Stein, pays 5000 lp to summon Cyber End Dragon and equips it with Megamorph, making it an 8000 ATK trampler. He stomps my Deko, then hits for 700 more, then sets a card. 300 lp left. I knew I would win this game. Snatch Steal and Smashing Ground in hand, so I could have attacked him for 8000 with his own monster. I draw. He chains Secret Barrel, inflicting 300 x 5 lp damage. Luxack. Grrr

Game 2. We both side deck, but my side was prepared for Stein. I begin to club him down to 3900 with Marauding Captain, as he had Gravity Bind out so he could not pay 5000 lp for Cyber Stein. Too bad it was no longer a Stein deck. He activates Ojama Trio, giving me three monsters with 0 ATK that can't be tributed for a tribute summon, then decides that he wants to tribute one of them and my Captain for LAVA GOLEM? Are you serious? I call a judge. The judge promptly rules in his favor and I can't appeal because this was the head judge. Lava Golem is still a tribute summon. That judge was wrong. It costs me 1000 lp, then I tribute it for Cyber Dragon. And then he gets lucky again!! He has another Lava Golem in hand, and after activating Just Desserts and Ceasefire to burn me a little more (no s/t removal again...wha'ts the problem anyway?) Then he summons the other Lava Golem and ends. I have exactly 1000 lp left. At my standby, Golem Inflicts 1000 damage. Luxack. But at least he admitted it. 3-2

Round 6. (Chaos Return)

Game 1. I knew how to play this one. My advantage slowly trickles in and I am able to decrease him to 0 in a matter of time. It didn't even seem that difficult, so I only sided 1 card.

Game 2. No advantage anywhere. We are close on lp until he Heavy Storms me then summons a couple of monsters and destroys me.

Game 3. No advantage anywhere. What is going on with this deck today?? After a couple of puzzling moves, I knew his graveyard was filling up with lights and darks, but card advantage was still pretty even. He summons something, and I torrential, not taking the bait. With two cards in hand, there is no way he can summon another monster this turn. Then, I'll be free to attack him for game with Sacred Crane. Solid strategy, but I was wrong. Call of the Haunted Jinzo, remove two for Sorcerer remove all 3700 of my lp in one swift shot. What is up with this deck today???? 3-3

Round 7 (Thunder Dragon/Bazoo/Return)

Game 1. I get a couple of monsters out, but he smashes one, discards a Thunder Dragon to get two more, removes all 3 of his monsters from play to pump up Bazoo to 2500, then Return from the Different Dimension to bring me to 3300 lp. It wasn't enough, and I capitalized in the next few turns with a pretty fair amount of advantage coming through.

Game 2. My advantage rolls in earlier this time, and there is nothing he can do to stop anything. Ironically, a simple Breaker the Magical Warrior was enough to defeat him, but I wanted Marauding Captain and Sacred Crane to help. This game didn't last long. 4-3

Swiss is over, and I join Joe and my other teammates. They are watching Nic finish his last round. Joe said he lost his round 7 on purpose to give Nic a better chance at getting top 8 since he has the best chance of all of us However, in 3 games, his Dark World deck (with the cards I loaned him) got defeated, foiling Joe's strategy.

+Getting 31st /90 as opposed to last SLC regional, where I got 65th/125.

+Beating (even if in just one game), the guy I lost 2-0 to last time.

+Getting out of town.

-The heat! It was 105 outside, and God only knows inside. The had like this ceiling AC unit that blew cold air straight down, and three young girls were standing under it most of the time.

-Getting 31st/90. Not as good as I’d hoped.

-My deck suddenly not working as well as usual. Why always at the big tournies?

-Team Irony for playing so slopily overall. Maybe it was the heat.

-Getting luxacked (but at least the guy admitted it)

So there you have it. If you wish to send me anything, anything at all, send your comments to bradmathews@clearwire.net, and I will respond as soon as possible. As always, I do not accept unsolicited hate mail.