Team Tournament 2-2-2013

Team Tournament 2-2-13 Results

Hey! Team Final Turn AL4 just got back from our very first official hosted Bushiroad Team Tournament. It was held at Next Level Games in Nashville, TN. Also, want to give a quick praise to Next Level Games they do an amazing job with their tournaments and it was a pleasure playing there. For those who don't know Bushiroad has started in several stores across the states a Team Tournament structure where you can compete and win a special Sendou Aichi deck box.

The Rules
I'll be going over a quick rules on how team tournaments are done. Each team is set up with three members each one competing in the best of one series against another team's member; if two of your team mates win their game you win the match. So, if you win your game and your other two members don't you still lose the match. Each member has to have a different clan, nobody can run the same clan. So, not every member can run Gold Paladins even if one person goes Spectral Duke and the other goes Ezel. You are not allowed to cross-clan the only exception is Royal Paladins who are able to put in ten shadow paladin cards. Main reason why is of course Majesty Lord Blaster.

Disclaimer
Just giving everybody a heads up the day before the Tournament I spent the entire day helping my friend's family move into their new home, get four hours of sleep, go to work and then head straight to the tournament. So my memory is a little hazy.

The Team

Michael Ploof with Royal Paladins-King of Knights, Alfred
Casey Campbell with Gold Paladins-Ezel/Garmore
Dustin Henry with Kagero-Dragonic Lawkeeper

Even though the tournament got announced with not much notice we had our Team ready to go. Being big fans of the Anime we already planned for Team Tournaments to come out in America. Ploof being our longest running Royals player who took Alfred into Chicago and Georgia regionals. Dustin normally focused on Spectral Duke Gold Paladins piloting that into Chicago and Georgia regionals as well; his was the main change taking up Lawkeeper, but since Kagero is his favorite clan it wasn't that much of a change for him. I ended up sticking with what I ran at Chicago regional Garmore with the Ezel superior ride built into it. I was running Pellinore/Garmore(which I feel is the better deck) for a long time but ended up trading my Pellinores off before the tournament was announced.

Next Level Games
We left Knoxville early that morning and made it to Nashville to the Next Level Games shop. First thing I want to point out it was great having people there recognize us over our Facebook page, cause of that I knew it was going to be a fun day. Next Level has a lot of great, friendly, and fun players who continued to make the experience enjoyable throughout the day.

Starting the TournamentWe played a few games against locals getting used to the Meta in the area and learning who their best players are etc. The Tournament started out with 10 teams so 30 players all together entering it. The top 4 teams would be the only ones to get the specialty deck box. This was the only reason me and my team came other than the practice before the upcoming regionals, so we already where determined to try and win this after driving three and a half hours.

Round One
Gold Paladins vs Shadow Paladins
1-0

Starting off the bat I'm facing a clan I have a lot of practice with. I play it in my free time but I was a little worried if he was playing a Dark Dictator build. Instead I'm facing off against a Phantom Blaster Dragon deck with Origin Mage, Ildona. I made pretty easy work with this game since I'm able to keep the hand advantage flowing as he kept losing advantage with Blaster Dragon's effect. I think my opponent could do a lot better if he had more people sit down with him and work on his deck. Watching him play later games and talking to him he knows the rulings and mechanics really well. He just does a few questionable plays when he used Arianrhod to pitch a 10k shield. It doesn't help Phantom Blaster Dragon isn't a good match up against many decks until Overlord comes out. Dustin ended up winning his and Ploof lost his giving us a overall winning record.

Round Two
Gold Paladins vs Tsukuyomi
1-1

This Team was a little more fun since I know them. The player of the Tsukuyomi is a friend name Freddy who is in Knoxville for college so he has been showing up to our locals lately. Also, thanking him here for helping introduce us to the Nashville crew. There isn't much to say on this game since Freddy had terrible luck against me missing the Tsukuyomi ride and just couldn't get any advantage on me making it a very easy game. Unfortunately my team had bad luck, Ploof even with a dual Palamedes column and Alfred swinging for over 20k a turn. He didn't hit a single trigger that game and ended up losing along with Dustin.

Round Three
Gold Paladins vs Pale Moon

2-1

This was the easiest game of the night by far. We all ended up winning this match-up and luckily I had a Pale Moon player. Thanks to Ryan of our team being a constant Pale Moon player I'm use to playing against this deck. I'm not really sure what my opponent was going for since he was running a very random constant soul charging deck with Luquier and Nightmare Doll, Amy. Their team was very friendly and we all just had fun going into the tournament.

Round Four
Gold Paladin vs Nova Grapplers
3-1

We had to win this one to get top cut winning this would put four teams exactly at 3-1 but if we went 2-2 it would come down to tie breakers to even make it into top 4. This team was the only undefeated left so we had a lot of pressure on us. Starting out I was facing the ONLY deck I have not play tested against. I've went up against Kaiser, Dragon, Invincible every other Nova deck but Stern Blaukuger. This made me nervous since I knew he had a very powerful on-hit effect like most of Nova Grappler. I ended up always over guarding way too much lowering down my hand and field advantage over him. Leading up to my first lose in the tournament but my team would pick up the slack in this one and ended up winning their games.

Semi-Finals
Gold Paladins vs Royal Paladins
4-1

This was the most feared team going into the tournament. I'm going to call him Dr.Beard for now since he had a beard and Dr.Who hoodie on, can't remember his name off the top of my head at the moment. Dr.Beard greeted us when we first showed up to the store and after playing a game against him knew his Team was going to be the best competition all night. Dr.Beard was running Tsukuyomi which I barely beat before the tournament, second team member was a worker at the shop running Garmore/Pellinore, and their actual third member couldn't make it that day so they brought in a substitute. The substitute was up against me; not to discredit the kid but he has some more to go in getting better at the game plus they helped fix up his deck right before the tournament. Dustin and Dr.Beard had an amazing game that I got to watch, Shop worker took out Ploof plenty easy, and I won my game. I wish I remember what deck he was playing other than Galahad starter but at that point I was half asleep.

Finals
Gold Paladin vs Gold Paladin
Garmore/Ezel vs Spectral Duke Dragon
4-2

This should be my easiest match of the night. Playing against Duke well over 50+ times since thats Dustin's main deck and who I play test against more than any person on this planet. At this point I was so out of it, it wasn't even funny. I didn't notice a single miss play till after the tournament when Ploof explained all I forgot to do and didn't do..let's just say it was a lot. In the semi-finals and finals they switched it to best 2-3 for each member instead of the normal games we had been doing. So the games went on a lot longer not to mention even if your team won the first games you had to win one more. Reason I'm pointing this out is Me and Ploof won our first games but I ended up losing the next two; Dustin ended up going 0-2 at the very end. Taking nothing from our team in the finals it was a great team and I was very impressed at how great they did.

2nd Place
AMAZING TIME! This experience got us all pumped up on the drive back(good thing since I'm the driver and half asleep) with a lot of thoughts on the upcoming tournaments. We got invited back for tournaments and the pre-release Next Level games will be hosting. Having the good competition for a change made us really excited and getting second place of our first ever Team tournament was very satisfying.

Final Thoughts
1. Get sleep before the Tournament.

2. Stand your units before drawing a card(I'm looking at you Dustin).
3. Even if Ploof is our strongest player we will have to carry his ass until the finals.

4. When your units are bound by Dragonic Lawkeeper at the end turn they come back they do activate their effects like Akane etc.
5.Everybody puts their weakest member in spot 2(Yes that includes me I am the weakest =D)
6. Having both your team members call you a dick at the same time when you declare Final Turn is hilarious.
7. Every time I superior ride Ezel I lose.

8. Nashville peeps are cool as hell!

9. We brought it and we did!!!

10. Practice against every kind of deck cause when you run into the one you haven't played against..well I suck against the unknown.
11. Team tournaments are more relaxing than games by yourself. Normally I'm more nervous in new tournament environments but my team kept me calmed and relaxed.

12. I'm finally going to bed!

GOOD NIGHT!!