U.S. Nationals Report 2009
So, as some of you know, I had decided to run Gladiator Beasts at Nationals. I had ran the deck for only one locals previously, but it had been able to pull me out of a rut I had been for a while, going undefeated at said locals.
Of course, Gladiator Beasts aren’t a deck most people can just pick up without experience and expect to do well. A friend of mine from the Florida area (Jake Mattern) had topped several regionals consecutively, so he gave me several pointers on plays to make with the deck, as well as several fixes to my relatively bad build. The build with the fixes is what pulled me out of the rut I had been in, and then Nationals was one week away.
During my testing over the week, I had began picking up the trait of taking lengthy notes during most duels, to try to discern what the contents of their hand and backrow were.
On Friday, I learned that I actually had not qualified for nationals at the regional where I had been x-3, but hadn’t checked the top 32 results (A system crash didn’t allow players to know their exact standings until days later)
Anyways, my friend had downloaded the invite list on his iphone, so I was able to know I wasn’t qualified when the Last Chance Regionals were first starting. I believe I was in the fourth one. The format was 16-player flights, ten dollar entry fee, single elimination, first place got the invite and Regionals top 8 mat.
Round one, I played against a Sackwing from Ohio. Like most of my testing matches against BW, I started out in a bad position, but worked my way out of it through Gyzarus. Game one didn’t require very many notes.
In game two, he Skill Drain’ed me, but I side decked Dust Tornado, and was able to bypass the Drain for the win. 2-0.
1-0 Overall (LCQ)
Round two, I played against a Cat Synchro from Michigan. Luckily, he had beaten a Lucksworn last match, so I had fewer of that lucksack archetype to have to play. Game one, he had a pretty nice hand until I hit him with Dustshoot. He wasn’t too happy with the end of this game, since he had a Neo-Spacian Dark Panther, with 3100 life points. I used Test Tiger on a random Gladiator Beast, got Darius which revived Gyzarus for 3100 damage exactly. Then again, I did have Smashing Ground in hand.
Game two, I used a sided Autonomous Action Unit and my own Rescue Cat to get an enormous field very quickly. Later that turn, I had the Heraklinos Chariot lock, and I won 2-0.
2-0 Overall (LCQ)
Round three, I played against a Tele-DAD build from New York if I remember correctly, that had taken out two Lucksworn already. 0 remained in the top 4. I got him to a sensitive position, although to keep him there, I needed to draw a Gladiator Beast. It was five turns later, and I still had not drawn my Gladiator yet. He used Pot of Avarice, and I was able to Dustshoot his hand. Mirror Force, Bottomless, and some other stuff were in his hand. We both had very few life points. I topped Murmillo. If he had set Bottomless, I could have summoned Murmillo backed up by Tiger to win. But to be safe, I Heavy Storm’d his Mirror Force and my Chariot. Murmillo and Tiger hit for game. In game two, I used Dimensional Fissure on first turn, making a pair of Tomatoes the only semi-live cards in his hand, which I took out quickly for a 2-0 win.
3-0 Overall (Lcq)
Round four, I played against a Glad-synch in the finals, This player had topped Jumps back in the Rescue Glad format. Since I scare easy, he started with the psychological upper hand. I opened with 0 monsters, he opened with Darius and backrow. Regrettably, I had to go Storm-Smash-Reborn, attacking and tagging for my Laquari. Set 3 backrows to end. Eventually, I got Heraklinos with a War Chariot and Solemn for game. In game two, he started with Samnite and 1 backrow. I activated Space Typhoon, and used Rescue Cat into double Samnite. My Samnite ran into suicide, my other Samnite hit directly, and tagged for Equeste. Equeste revived Samnite, and I had 6-4 advantage. I won this match 2-0. I had so many notes after this match that I needed to throw away the paper, because both sides were just filled from this one match.
4-0 Overall (Lcq)
Everyone on my team who had shown up at Nationals had their invite except Pedro, who unfortunately got 2nd in his LCQ.
The next day, we learned the event was going to be 10 rounds and top 64 instead of 11 rounds and top 32.
Largest tournament on record.
I walk toward match one, my only pen explodes onto the carpet. Definitely not a good omen.
And now, I lose both my extremely calculated plays from pages of notes, and life point count.
Match one of U.S. Nationals, vs Sackwings. I misplay several times into backrows that I believe I could have prepared for with enough notes. When he summons DSF, I believed my Life points were 1500, but it turned out they were 1300, when I could have done something about the Gale sitting on his field during the last turn, even under Threatening Roar. If I had life points calculated right, DSF wouldn’t have been summoned. Eh. Game two I just got drilled, opening with Secutor, double Samnites, and no defensive traps the whole duel, until after his field had been set up.
0-1
My friend let me borrow a pen, so I was ready for the next match with all my notes and such.
Match two, I play against Lucksworn from New York. Game one, despite his phenomenal mills, I get the Heraklinos Chariot loop off. Game two, Dimensional Fissure shuts him down for an easy win. 2-0. Didn’t really need the notes, few backrows to deal with.
1-1
Match three, I play against a Sackwing player who had topped Jumps in DAD Return format. Since I get intimidated easily, I was worried. Regardless, I score a relatively easy win in game one. In game two, I just get completely dominated. In game three, we each opened moderately well. My tons of notes really did come in handy when predicting his hand. After some time, I did win this game.
2-1
Match four, I play a Gladiator Beast mirror match. By the end of this, I throw away the page of notes, because it’s got no room left. Game one was moderately easy, although it did take some time. Game two was a lot more difficult, as I had trouble drawing monsters. In the mean time, his Retiari was making future plays impossible for me involving Equeste. Luckily, I was able to finally draw a monster, and eventually gained control of the match. King Tiger Wanghu caused a misplay on his part. I won game two.
3-1
Match five, I play against my first Cat Synch of the day. This guy was an amazing player, and a cool guy in general. Topped two jumps, too. The match was a lot of fun, in general. However, since Cat Synch is my easiest match up, I was able to lock him in fairly easily for a 2-0 win.
4-1
I was fairly satisfied with 4-1 at nationals, despite how horrible of a lucksack format where skill is this minimal we are in.
Match six, the lucksworn guy didn’t really talk much. I got game one pretty easily, despite his mills. Game two, none of my outs really came to my hand, and I lost pretty badly. In the third match, I had achieved a pretty amazing field, until he topped a Crush Card Virus, to make me lose a total of 5 cards by the time the duel was over. I really do think I had deserved the win though =/ Bah, it’s hard to expect the player who should win to do so consistently in this garbage lucksack format though. Anyways, I had misplayed a few times from here. I had considered scooping post-CCV, since it would be unbelievably hard to recover. He had four cards in deck, PSZ in grave, Oppression and Aurkus face up. I have DFissure up, Bribe and Waboku set, he knows what they because he lucksacked a Crush Card on me. He plays Reincarnation, discards, and for some reason I didn’t Bribe it. I looked through his grave and found nothing, and if I had Bribe him to 3 cards, he would have to Plague as to not mill out, and I would just Oppress the synchro summon, so I would win. But in my misplay, he picked up Celestia, which you can’t do with Aurkus on the field. I miss that too. With misplays that severe, I probably did deserve to lose at that point, but his lucksack topdeck Crush Card Virus shouldn’t have happened if this format rewarded skill at all either. Aurkus left the field, so he would stop milling, and Celestia hit me repeatedly. Obviously I didn’t draw any outs. I don’t get to lucksack, only my opponents can reserve that right apparently. =/ This format.
4-2
Match seven, vs Sackwings. Cool guy, got me with oppression in game two. He 2-0’ed me, I didn’t really draw a single shred of hope. His double DSF when I had 2700 lp, though, was kinda eh.
4-3
Match eight, vs Sackwings. Forget details, I drew a Waboku against Sackwings for the first time today. Win 2-0. Threw the notes out, so I can’t recall much.
5-3
Match nine, vs Lucksworn. Despite his lucksack mills, Mirror Force puts him on the run, and I prisma + Glad Beast into Gyzarus. He sacks me by Charge’ing off a Plaguespreader into a level 4, and a Goyo Guardian hits me. Luckily, a GB attacks his Gyzarus now that his hand was clear. He probably shouldn’t have taken Gyzarus, but who needs skill when you run Lightsworn? Gyzarus tears apart his field again, and I get the win. Game two, he tries to shark me while shuffling. I don’t mind though, he runs Lucksworn so using skill to win isn’t something I should expect anyways. Game two, I dominate with Dimensional Fissure.
6-3
The way the judges make it sound, they’re doing 9 rounds cut to top 128, but it was late so I may have heard that wrong. Everyone around me was scrambling to see top 128 as well, though, so I’m not sure. Twenty x-3’s make top 128, but I’m in the higher 100’s and don’t top. When I get net connection a few days later, I realize the judges decided on just running round ten the next day instead, which I didn’t show up for. Eh, 6-3 isn’t bad. It would have been 7-3 since the round 10 match up before the re-pair was against Cat Synch.
Notes:
1) Did a lot better than last year.
2) Dark Strike Fighter needs a ban.
3) I should side more for Blackwings.
4) Judgment Dragon needs a ban.
5) I should not side Oppression
6) Crush Card Virus needs a ban.
7) This format is terrible.
I apologize for offending any Lightsworn players who read this, but please start running a deck that takes some minimal fraction of thought and skill. Winning by lucksack should not, in any shape or form, make you feel good as a player. I know thinking is hard, but in the past yugioh players have done it, you should too.
July 13th 2009, 4:56 pm
