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Post by tjpandv on Apr 23, 2006 18:29:33 GMT -5
Its just gone midnight and Tom and I have just got in from Paris, so I'll make this quick.
Elite won the Euro Event today after beating his fellow countryman, Brinxter, in the final.
Quick summary - no Twins, a great event, reports to follow.
I managed 5th after day 1 and got into the last 16 but was KO'd by Brinxter in the fist round - I rolled 3 critical misses for my first 3 attacks so it wasn't my day!!
Tom placed 27th and got an Annihilation factory set for his troubles!!
Gotta go, work in the morning. I'll put up as much as I can as soon as I can.
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Post by Zxqueb on Apr 23, 2006 20:28:24 GMT -5
That's great! Congrats Elite! And good job making it to the top 16, tjpandv!! I can't wait to hear your battle reports! How varied were the army designs? How many players were there?
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Post by tjpandv on Apr 24, 2006 2:58:14 GMT -5
On Sunday, Elite played Alpha Mangonel with a CNC PH1 (remember the 2 mech minimum rule was still in force). These were backed up by a Bishop with 2 x HS TTLs and a Combat Tech (I would say that 1 mistake from Brinxter and these TTLs really helped Elite to win - the TTLs were awesome). Some ATVs as well.
Brinxter took a CJF Loki and Kaze with 1 good pilot and 1 with IT. I think he had room for 3 ATVs.
Third place took a Chikako army (Elite played this guy in the semi).
Fourth place was a Shiro + Pilot, Black Blade + Pilot and ATVs (brinxter took him out with dust storm).
One build in the last 8 had the LE Zeus and Phelan Ward - Phelan was a rare beast all weekend. Brinxter faced this guy and by the time he rolled a 6 it was so late in the game that the Zeus was well on its way to being a pool of molten metal.
Total number of players was around 34-38 from France (lots) , Germany (some - not as many as last year but then again the event was held in Essen), Holland (3 - all finished in the top 5!), UK (2), Spain (1), Slovenia (2) and Italy (2).
No Twins but a couple of guys tried out Soiltude on the Sunday but neither made it past the last 16.
Even the Booster draft was a 600 point, 2 mech build. It made for good games and for someone who doesn't come from the Meta-game angle, I found it a good leveller.
Apart from Elite's awesome TTLs, I saw very little arty in play.
I'll keep adding stuff and try and give you some battle reports.
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Post by baw on Apr 24, 2006 7:25:34 GMT -5
Grats to Elite and all.. I was pulling for Elite, Brinxter and you Tjpandv! I am glad all did well! Maybe this year elite will be able to get some luck on his side at worlds The HS TTL's are really nice they are accurate and multipog.. Two things I can use!
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Post by tjpandv on Apr 24, 2006 8:21:07 GMT -5
After 20 hours of travel with a nightstop in Calais, Tom and I made the 30 minute walk from the Hotel to the convention centre.
Not a huge venue by any stretch but a very busy one and the WK area was a substantial part of the set up. I quickly recognised a number of familiar faces from last year and all of a sudden the all the hassles of the journey went away and it felt great just to be there with such a good bunch of people. They made Tom (my 12 year old son) very welcome and Elite gave him a quick "lesson" in how not to play his army.
Once the big Kill n'Keep was over, we managed to get into the shorter, single booster version. Tom pulled a RHD Scourge with SU pulse and I got a Twin (great, the first day of the FAQ, and I at last get my hands on one of the buggers!). Tom, Baldrick (from Slovenia) and I were doing really well on our side of the table until a bunch of German Lokis wandered over and made pretty short work of the 3 of us.
At the end of day one, Tom and I zoomed back to the hotel so I could keep on planning my army for the next day. The fact that I managed to get a Medium Double Rate during the K+K meant that my Nebula Wendigo was odds on favourite to get a run out.
So, the booster draft. A bit of a rarity for me. Only 1 under my belt before Paris but there's something about opening up a booster that brings out the kid in me. We had pods of 4. Player 1 for us was a guy from Spain (a very nice bloke who wasn't too god at English and we couldn't help too much with our Spanish - one of the drawbacks of the Euro Event), Spicewood, myself and Brinxter. I pulled Miss Direction and Nebula Wendigo and took a RHD Violator and a CJF PH1 from the pool. Brinxter got the RHD Ultra Rare Kodiak and the Spanish guy got a RHD medium LE. All in all, our table did very well but I was amazed at how jittery my fingers bacame on the calculator buttons! With 5 mins to go, I'd gotten to 600 points and made the 2 mech minimum. My army was:
Nebula Wendigo+Kisho NC+Homing Beacon RHD Violator + Robinson Pilot HS Kelswa 2 x HS Miniguns 2 x HS Simian BA HS Bellona HK Sylph Ambush
Round 1 was against a very nice French lady (Clea) so I had my work cut out concentrating. I played very cautiously as she had an Enyo drop which could outrange me. I managed to get the mission and use the infantry to shield my Kelswa from an energy shot. A tight game but I won it 4-0.
This was a major mistake as I now find myself in No1 position at table 1 (there's a first time for everything!). I was up against a very nice German bloke who spoke pretty good English. I remember he had a RHD Scourge and a Jackalope with a tank as well. He kept his army together and went defensive. I decided to go for the Scourge and hit it for 6 (I hate waiting around!). This was a gamble as I knew it would prime the piece. I was also fortunate that his Jackalope misssed its AMS rolls. The game went downhill for me as the primed Scourge went about its work and more and more of my pieces disappeared. However, he was pushing his mechs and his Scourge shut down. I managed to salvage it and it was outside his DZ when the game ended. It was a win for me but it felt odd as I only had 2 pieces left (Nebula and a Sylph, I think). The 230+ point swing from the Scourge meant that I won 2-1.
Round 3 was against Ian Pelgim from Holland - a really nice guy. He had a Stalking Spider and a Nova Cat. I hid behind blocking until his SS came out a bit too far. My Kelswa formation threatened his Nova Cat but he ran it away to get near my Nebula - it shut down. Now the SS was ignored and the Nova Cat went down. At this point, I have to say that it was one of those games that ALL my dice hit and ALL of Ian's seemed to miss. With so much luck riding with me, I only managed to win the game when my salvaged Nebula broke away from his SS and got into my DZ. Just as the last game seemed a strange win, this one felt anything but a close escape.
So, that was 3 wins from 3 and a pretty good chance of making the last 16.
Tom had won his first but lost his next 2. I looked over at him with 10 mins to go on one game and he was ahead but then his Loki missed a shutdown mech, shutdown itself and he then lost it.
A quick break and it was constructed. With 3 wins, I felt no real pressure and decided to go with a HK/CNC/WH combo which was:
Nebula Wendigo Kisho NC (Anticipate) Double Rate Jack Nightstalker Julz CNC Bishop 2 x WH CBA Elite CNC TBA 3 CNC ATVs 2 HK ATVs HK Sylph BA
Caverns, Extreme Predjudice, that one where you use 2 attacks to kil a unit.
Round 1 was against Sylvian from France. He had Shiro and Black Blade with some ATVs. I played Caverns which gave him a few problems. With Jack, I could shoot through blocking, but he couldn't indirect me. My mistake was to ignore the chance of a charge from the Shiro that hit my Bishop. In came Kuro Ha to salvage it. I'd not left enough room for all 3 inf to get out and I lost 2 CBA. The game was very slow - the BMs had asked me about my opponent's speed which was slow, but hey, its only a game... Bottom line is that the Shiro escaped my grasp with minutes left and was on its last click. A bit more time on my side and the game would have been up - lesson learnt.
Round 2 and it was another Frenchman with Jack Nightstalker and Alpha plus a Kelswa drop. He had the same construct as myself but with longer range - ouch. I won player 1 and infiltrated my ATVs to shoot the rear arc of his R10 (he'd spun it around, waiting to load the Kelswa). This led to him infiltrating the Kelswa to one corner. In 2 turns, I salvage his R10 but his WH miniguns rip apart my ATVs. My mistake here was to go for the Kelswa rather that Alpha - I'm sure I could have done her some damage, but I'm also sure that 1 turn of damage from me would prime her. All in all, a bad game where I lost my entire army with 5 minutes to spare!! I did get VC3 and my mission, but a 2-3 loss, nevertheless.
Final constructed game was against Brinxter who had twin Lokis (Kaze + CJF) and some ATVs. I'm not quite sure why and how I won this and at this point, I was feeling really tired. I think we were both sure we'd got our 3 wins. I finshed the day 4 and 2 with 13 VCs.
Tom picked up a win in his 5th game but lost his last one so only got 2 wins. He told me that in 2 games he got pupled but in the other 2, he only just lost. The fact that his 2 wins came against guys who made the last 16 means he played pretty well.
We got to bed so late that night (after an ice cream for Tom and a beer or 2 for me - or at least I think that's the right way around!), I decided to keep the same army but add in Merc FP. This was for a loss of the Sylph and an ATV. I felt I needed an edge to compensate for the 11 AV on the Nebula.
Round 1 of the last 16 and my opponent is Brinxter with his twin Lokis!! He plays Barrens which I cancel with Sensor Echoes. My fist turn and the Nebula walks forward and unleashed double rate at an ATV - crit miss!! At this point, Brinxter realises he's 40 points ahead becasue of my Merc FP and goes defensive. This is OK and I take a few turns to get myself into position. With the ability to double rate for 6 and a pulse formation, I'm happy I can make one of his Lokis look bad. Having based Kaze the previous turn with an ATV, I run out Jack to get -1 from the CJF target and Kisho uses his anticipate to try and get a double rate shot - crit miss!! I drop the inf formation and fire - crit miss. So that's 3 rolls I've made this game for 3 attacks and they're all crit misses. I won't describe the rest of the game suffice to say that I did get a capture attempt on his Loki needing an 11 and rolled a 9!!!
I'd have loved to have gone on but to go out on those rolls at least means that it wasn't some stupid mistake. Brinxter is a really nice bloke and it was good to see him get to the final.
So, 3 long days and £300 later what do I end up with?
Some great moments (seeing Tom pick up a special prize for being the only junior at the event was fantastic), some great memories (the MW community in Europe is a brilliant mix of language and culture) and, of course, my bottles of Belgian Beer.
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Post by dragondawg on Apr 24, 2006 8:48:46 GMT -5
Fantastic write-up tj! Thank you very much for it.
You really have a great writing/reporting style. Do you write often for work or pleasure? I'm just curious because I am a language teacher.
The great moments and memories are what these tournements are all about. I have just as many from my first Nationals as from last year.
MW players are great aren't we? I would loved to have made worlds last year if only to meet the gentlemen who came from other countries.
Congrats to you and Tom again. Take Care.
-Mike
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Post by baw on Apr 24, 2006 9:35:22 GMT -5
Indeed. The write up is great. Brinxter is a really nice guy. I hung out with him some at Worlds last year. I thought I was the only person who rolled three crit misses in a row at Big competitions After doing it at worlds last year I couldn't believe it was possible for anyone else to roll like that! Tom should feel pretty good. Winning a couple of games at an event like that is awesome! Thanks for the information!
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Post by Zxqueb on Apr 24, 2006 10:42:18 GMT -5
Indeed, this is a great report!
Thanks!
Z
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Post by Zxqueb on Apr 25, 2006 9:36:41 GMT -5
On Sunday, Elite played Alpha Mangonel with a CNC PH1 (remember the 2 mech minimum rule was still in force). These were backed up by a Bishop with 2 x HS TTLs and a Combat Tech (I would say that 1 mistake from Brinxter and these TTLs really helped Elite to win - the TTLs were awesome). Some ATVs as well. Brinxter took a CJF Loki and Kaze with 1 good pilot and 1 with IT. I think he had room for 3 ATVs. Third place took a Chikako army (Elite played this guy in the semi). Fourth place was a Shiro + Pilot, Black Blade + Pilot and ATVs (brinxter took him out with dust storm). One build in the last 8 had the LE Zeus and Phelan Ward - Phelan was a rare beast all weekend. Brinxter faced this guy and by the time he rolled a 6 it was so late in the game that the Zeus was well on its way to being a pool of molten metal. Looking back over these armies, I am a little surprised. Alpha is a decent piece with outstanding range, but not superior otherwise. The same is true for the Phawk. Dust storm really, really hurts these. If Elite won with those, he must be a very strong player. If they take a hit, they're basically done. As for the other builds... Kaze seems to me to be a particularly bad choice for the points. Bad range and defense for a big mech. Stable damage, but I tend to think more highly of Chikako, Yami and Black Blade as high level choices. A very interesting top two, IMO. Elite, I'm curious. Why did you chose those two pieces for the final build? Z
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Post by tjpandv on Apr 25, 2006 11:44:47 GMT -5
I know Elite will reply in due course, but having seen the Dutch game throughout the weekend, they go for big attacks at good range. They seem to put defence down as 3rd. I think the Kaze was probably tested as its a good anti-twin mech (bear in mind, we only had 1 week to get over the April FAQs and get back to basics.).
Whatever the concept, it made for an amazing final. I don't think I saw 1 piece move backwards or sideways for the whole game - talk about attack after attack!
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Post by baw on Apr 25, 2006 11:53:36 GMT -5
That does sound like Elite and Brinxter! I am sure it was a wonderful game! I am happy that Elite won but sorry that Brinxter lost! Do we know what Planetary conditions/mission cards they played during the final round? @zxqueb. Elite is a very good player I am sure he had a plan for his pieces!
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Post by tjpandv on Apr 25, 2006 13:26:58 GMT -5
Sorry, no info on missions etc. I know Brinxter played Barrens on me and used up Dust Storm against the Shiro. I have some photos of the event (usual ugly mugs and some of the final in progress). I'd be happy to send them to the site if anyone wanted to view them (although Brinxter does come with a health warning!).
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Post by Zxqueb on Apr 25, 2006 15:22:39 GMT -5
I have some photos of the event (usual ugly mugs and some of the final in progress). I'd be happy to send them to the site if anyone wanted to view them (although Brinxter does come with a health warning!). I would be happy to post these. Z
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Post by elite130 on Apr 25, 2006 15:53:43 GMT -5
Hi guys i am working on a big report ill finish it tommorow it has all my preparation and logic behind some choices.
on the PC's I was a bit lucky I also had a dust storm in case I met the Shiro but hadnt used it before so I played it against Brinxter who had left over a perfect day.........
Good luck for me.
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Post by baw on Apr 25, 2006 21:29:37 GMT -5
We will wait to see your battle report! I am sure it is going to be interesting!
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