Yet Another 2nd Place: Sparks ALC SC & My Mental Battle
Hey guys, I wanted to give a little tournament report for the Sparks Store Championship. I was within one throw from getting the job done at VPC, so I figured I should still go to these Store Champs until my hot streak ends. Justin offered to drive John and me, so the Scourge from the South Bay, the Mememeteers, literally the 98 Chicago Bulls' Big 3 if there were 3 Michael Jordans (Jordan's number was 23 btw :)) were headed to Stockton!
The tough part about these competitive seasons is that each event happens within a week of each other. That's not enough time to come up with a new idea, explore the matchups, and fine tune it. I was pretty confident that I was just going to run my Wind Allies deck back because it's such a solid list and I feel very comfortable on it. It's really important to know what your gameplan is in every situation and stage of the match and I felt like I understood how to do that on this deck. I asked Justin what I should play at locals on Friday and he said to just practice whatever I'm playing Saturday so I don't choke again. I usually make it a point not to play my Allies at locals anymore, but I agreed with the logic.
I shook off a lot of rust and got some good instincts back. It was a lot of fun and I locked people out of games, so I was still playing well and felt good going into the next day.
The day of
We make our drive over to Stockton and loop around the parking lot. Justin and I notice something on the corner of the road: it's a freaking goose just sitting there. "Oh my god, it's GooseHats!" "This day is already cursed, Christian is going to get in our way again, should we just hit up Raising Cane's and go home?"
Christian and Justin (Ixer) are the first people we run into in the store. We say hello and also exchange greetings with Sevon, Brooks and their Final Cut TCG army. There are also a few people from out of state and Sparks regulars Marcello and Jeremy (Skysama). My first impressions are that it's smaller than the other SCs, but the talent is very concentrated, so it was going to be a tough day. I joke that this was going to turn into a South Bay vs Final Cut TCG team battle. The first round proves me right.
Justin, John, and I all get paired against a Final Cut player. I'm against Justin A., Justin against a Merlin player, and John vs Big Boss Sevon himself. If I was a spectator, John vs. Sevon would definitely be the match to watch.
Tournament
Round 1 vs. Justin A. - Fire Domain Tonoris
Justin A. is such a chill guy. I very much enjoyed playing and hanging out with him. He and Sevon basically told me they put my deck in their gauntlet, had some tech for me, and that one of their players was running my list as well. It was very strange for me to hear that because I consider myself a nobody, but to learn that someone else was running my list and that I earned enough respect to where they liked the list and made a spot for it in their gauntlet was very humbling.
Game one he starts playing Domains and then plays a Tonoris. I'm actually fairly familiar with the deck because I was going to build it to play at locals. I run out my minions and put him on a clock. I run into a Flame Sweep on his Level 2, but am able to re-establish a board and am ready for a lethal next turn with my Esteemed Knight up and ready to intercept. He Smoke Bombs my Knight and his last card is Assemble the Ancients and swings lethal into me over my lone Deflecting Edge. I messed this game up because I could have just played 1-2 more Intercepts.
I'm feeling a lot of pressure at this point. If I lose another game this match, my tournament is over. His draws are not so good this game and I was able to rip the Dungeon Guide on a paid Materialization cost. I run him over pretty easily.
Game three thankfully goes more like the second game than the first. He does not play much from his hand, so he missed a turn trying to go to Level 2. He also brought in a Crimson Trinket paying a card, but he hits my 2/5 Norm cards. This was brutal and probably match-ending for him. I had the opportunity to Dream Fairy him, but I did not want to put a card into his Memory to allow the level up. My Raccoons came in clutch and kept making him go negative. I kept a careful count to make sure he could not Flame Sweep me and did a Tariff Ring turn to protect my board and finish him off.
Result 1-0
Any TCG player knows that it is nice to win the first round. Good for the confidence, your tiebreakers will generally be better. With Store Champs also being winner take all, you simply can't lose anyways or your tournament is over. Unfortunately, Justin got paired into a Merlin Round 1 again and couldn't get there. John and Sevon's match was close, but John was able to masterfully control the board against a Diana down on cards with his two Corhazi Trappers even though he didn't see any Fracturizes which are key in that matchup.
Christian had won his match pretty quickly and I peeked over at how Justin S. (Ixer) was doing. He was actually playing against the player using my list and unfortunately lost. I was pretty surprised as Justin S. is a very tough opponent who was been to Nats.
Round 2 vs. Brooks - Fire Merlin
Brooks is a really great guy. I lost to him at Regionals last year in a Merlin mirror and he encouraged me to keep going and to keep innovating with my decks. I like discussing things with him as well because we generally seem to agree on what determined the game. Usually when I talk to people they tend to disagree with what I thought was the pivotal moment.
Brooks is a very skilled Fire Merlin player, so I knew that even if I was favored, it was going to be tough. I have a very good start, but he is able to resolve a Purge in Flames; however, my board is already buffed so I only lose one Ally. It's a little too late for him at this point and I'm able to finish the game. I rip a Dungeon Guide from Memory and feel pretty good about that. He told me he drew 3 of them and no Crux gas like Ghosts unfortunately.
Game two is a lot closer. I have a start of Lurking Assailant, which I would usually love, but he has the best answer in Focused Flames right away. He has a much better removal suite this time around and my board is very manageable. He is able to get Incarnate Majesty out, but I have a Dream Fairy that I held since turn 1 to deal with it. He lands a good Purge in Flames and the boards are empty, but I have a full grip. I bring in Tariff Ring while he only has 5 in hand and basically make his turn only to attack with an Even Merlin. I am luckily able to close the game out because he had Fireball'd me while I had Safeguard Amulet and I was one more from dead. He revealed after the game he just needed one more turn to either finish it or bring out another Incarnate Majesty.
Result 2-0
You count your blessings when you're able to defeat anyone who has been to Nats and is on the Top 100 board. John is paired against the player playing my deck and sadly loses the Ally chess match. The Wind deck is very hard for Water Allies because of the evasive Allies.
Round 3 vs. Steven - Wind Allies
Game one, I win the dice roll and go first. I have a great start in Lurking Assailant which the opponent cannot interact with since it's both Stealth and a 2/3. My opponent goes for two 3-cost 2/3s and tries to attack into Lurking not realizing it has Stealth. The position and game was probably lost at this point. He ran his hand out, so he had no protection for his board. I play one Ally at a time and clear one of his. On his turn, he tries to follow suit, but I have the Deflecting Edge and the Favorable Wind and blow him out. He lets it go on for maybe a turn or two longer and concedes realizing that he cannot catch up.
Game two, he opts to go second. I look at my opening hand: Swift Recruit, Dream Fairy, Attune x3, Deflecting Edge. It's pretty much terrible. I play out the Swift. My opponent opens Lurking and Shimmercloak which is an amazing start. I already resign myself to losing this game, but decide I would drag it for a bit to map out how he would handle his Materialization phases. My draws don't fix my hand at all. He plays out Allies and clears my sacrifices pretty easily. I check the clock and it's 37 minutes left in the round, so I concede just in case I need time for a grindy matchup.
Game three, I opt to go second. I hoped he wouldn't be able to handle the pressure if I got my board out faster. I also thought he would have trouble with his Materialization phase because he seemed to be following an order or mimicking me, or wouldn't be able to be flexible with the tougher decision points. The game proceeds normally and I'm able to make good trades, and my opponent seems stuck after a certain point. He seems very unhappy, and then says, "Well, if you have it, you have it." He runs out Shimmercloak and 3 Squirrels, lands an Attune, and proceeds to try and race me (he had a Life lead). I indeed have it: the Hurricane Sweep I held since turn one. I use Bulwark Sword and sweep him for 3, clearing his board. He tries a desperate -2 level up to try and resolve his own Sweep, but I rip it from his memory. He concedes.
It was a big moral victory for me. It was like in an anime when the villain sends a mirror version of you to try and defeat you. I was glad I was able to conquer this because it meant that the time and reps I put into the deck weren't for nothing. The experiences from the tough battles I had weren't for nothing. My knowledge came through, I put on a masterclass of a match, and overcame it and got it back for my friends.
If I had to say what the differences are between us, it is definitely knowing how to play from a losing position and the Materialization phase. If you don't play from a losing position correctly in the mirror, it snowballs and you lose on the spot. The reason I like Wind Allies is because you get to have immediate results from your Material deck each turn. It is paramount you choose something that will give you an advantage every turn. You can also tell who is a seasoned player by their use of Tariff Ring. I think this is one of the most skill-expressive cards in the game both in how you use it and in how you respond to it. Too many players use it simply to minimize the damage they take, but end up losing next turn anyway because they can't impact the board. In my deck, I use it to ensure my opponent cannot clear my board or play anything. At its strongest, Tariff Ring can cause your opponent to skip their turn if they are too low on cards or options.
Result 3-0
Grand Finals, Round 4 vs. Christian - Wind Diana Allies
You honestly couldn't expect anyone else, right? I was keeping tabs on him round to round, but fully expected him to be here. I feel like he had an easier tournament this time around, facing two Rais. I joked with Christian if I could Talk-no-Jutsu, TalkGA, or JiangGA my way out of this. Being the great guy he is, he said if I really wanted it, I could have it given my past performances and because he already won one. It was VERY tough to turn it down, but I told him we could play it out. I knew that he wanted a playset of the sweet Lurkings, so I could not take that away from him. Also, who can really pass up a chance to take on the literal National Champion in the Grand Finals. This is the stuff you dream of if you have a single competitive bone in your body. Christian told me, "It's good to play in events like these because you don't know how both you and your opponent will react when things are on the line." I agree completely.
We had played this matchup before at CardArt SC. Back then, we had played to even in game one, but he was able to maintain a board by the endgame. I had 3 Gildas and 3 Dream Fairy in game two, he had 2 Dream Fairy and guess what he hit? So he ended my possible win there as well in the semi-finals. I noticed he changed his deck a bit since then. There were more of the general 2/3s, Shimmercloak, and Attune the Winds in his deck. I feel like it made his deck better against the field, but more even with mine.
Game one, he goes first. I don't remember the specifics of the match, but he basically doesn't leave any openings or hanging Allies to pick off. We trade, we play defensives, we try to protect our stealths and eventually the game goes to parity. He is able to maintain his board in similar vein to CardArt because Veiled Dash is an insane card. I lose.
Game two, I joke around with him if he actually knows if we should go first or second. He says he honestly doesn't know. We both chuckle that there are still things for us to figure out even with all the thought we put into the game. Game two feels like a weird game to play. I think he just didn't have a very good draw. It feels like I just run him over. Easy trades and just got to 22 damage. On to game three.
Game three, I ask him if he would like first or second. He says first, because it seemed to work out for me. I agreed with him that going first was probably best in this situation. My latest mindset is that if you're in a mirror like this and you feel like you are about even in skill with your opponent, it is better to go first. Hopefully you have a good opening Ally. I believe Christian played something along the lines of a Shimmercloak, which is decent. I have what anyone would ever want: two Lurking Assailants. He Dream Fairy's one of my Lurkings. I almost had a dream custom hand and had my own Dream Fairy in hand to answer...
Now, this is a critical point in the game. It might seem very simple and unimpressive, but there is a lot of thought involved. The book move is to just Dream Fairy their Dream Fairy. If you are able to do this, you usually win the game. If you are in a Wind Ally mirror, most people will tell you Hurricane Sweep is the decider if you look at my list. However, if you are even in skill with your opponent, Dream Fairy is the most important card in my opinion. So if I am able to resolve the book move, I feel like I am definitely winning. I thought about when Christian did it to me at CardArt and it was an instant win. He does have 3 in hand. If it's Zephyr, I have time to play around it. It has to be exactly Displace, which I know he runs because he outplayed people with it at VPC. You could say my history worked against me and that I fixated on what happened at CardArt, but I tend to be a gutsy player who likes to go for it. I decide to go for the book move. I play Dream Fairy targeting his Dream Fairy. He activates Displace in response targeting his Dream Fairy, it returns and targets my Dream Fairy. The old Uno-Reverse, No You, I am rubber you are glue, etc... Justin audibly goes "Oh, sh!t." Anyone at a certain level knows that was a huge outplay and game-ending. Honestly, if GA had a SportsCenter Top 10 Highlights, I think this is number 1 in history at the moment.
I do honestly have great Allies in hand still and am able to grind the game out to a certain point. I do have a huge life lead with him around 17 damage. All my draw cards from the Material deck are gone and I really need a Hurricane Sweep to win. I blindly level into Lorraine 2 hoping for the topdeck. I get an Attune. I swing 5 with a Bulwark Sword into his face to try and go for the win. He has Evasive Maneuvers. Everything in my deck is now a burn spell. I have a sneaky kill in my hand Aesan Protectors and Attunes. All I need is any playable Ally. Over two more turns, I do not get that or Hurricane Sweep. My ending hand: Aesan Protector x2 (not playable), Dream Fairy x2 (not playable), Attune x3 (no Allies to use it on). Sadly, my deck didn't save me this time around. I was going to be drawing dead for over 5 turns anyway (I checked) so the result was pretty definitive in my mind. Even if I drew them out, it wasn't certain I would win as I believe Christian was playing safe.
It was a beautiful and fascinating match. Probably my favorite match of all time in terms of playing or watching. It was on camera, so maybe Sparks will release the footage one day so I can review it. Justin asked why I didn't attack for 4 with my Lurking Assailants on my first turn. Christian answered for me, "He would have lost on the spot if he did that." It's nice when you play with someone who understands as much as you do. It also goes to show that even if you become an experienced player, there's still a lot deeper you can go to further understanding this game.
So, I basically get 2nd again. Christian gets his 2nd SC win this season which is awesome. John says he believes it is really good for the game if the same people are able to win all the time. I definitely agree with that. It means skill expression is alive and well in the game, just like with my Round 3 match. It is definitely awesome to watch Christian continue his amazing run this year.
I was very happy with this tournament overall. It felt like I had to truly use skill and knowledge to win each match. At VPC it felt like I just highrolled and ran over slower decks. So, I am proud of the way I played. I was much stronger at Sparks than I was at VPC. The finals, like the one at VPC, was a beauty to watch, so at least I didn't totally choke and at least I put on a show. Hopefully someday I can be on the winning side.
Result 3-1, technically 2nd, placed 3rd based on strength of schedule Omnidex.
The Mental Battle and My Next Steps
I felt very pensive after the match. I sat there wondering if I would ever be able to get a win. I've been playing different TCGs for over 20 years now and I've never been the one to get first and hold a trophy. I felt like I played to the best of my ability and didn't regret my decisions. Even the Displace outplay I didn't fault myself over because I have won games where I went for it and lost games where I didn't (like at VPC). I took a few deep breaths and tried not to look too bummed. We went to dinner with everyone that was still around. Then, I headed back with John and Justin.
I came home, hung out with my wife, pet and walked my dogs. I sat at my desk for a while just staring. I kept thinking that my time might never come. Maybe I should just quit. I put away all the GA stuff on my desk into my backpack and I put my backpack away in my closet. I just didn't want to see anything GA-related.
I went to sleep, woke up early, and instantly thought about the loss again. This happened last week too and again, I felt awful. I was able to fall back asleep and when I woke up again, I felt better about it. Mental Reset.
I still had to really go through what I wanted out of GA for myself. Was I in it to win? If I never won again, would I not want to play? Obviously, everyone's dream is to be at Worlds, in the finals, and you make a brilliant play to win. You lift the trophy, get the cash, get the prize card. Will I be okay if that's never me? What do I think of when I think of GA?
GA for me is this: It's Wednesday night, I'm at Magitek Games. John, Justin, Jason, and Eva come in. We play locals, we're laughing, we pull garbage from our prize packs. Maybe we grab Nepalese food after. Now, things have changed so much since I've come back. We have so many new players and somehow I've been getting positive results. GA was a lot simpler when I was still a beginner without dreams of grandeur.
So how did I get over these two 2nd places? Honestly, I'm not sure if I ever will. I do have a tip though: Try to go out and eat with everyone after. Eventually, you'll just be friends with everyone instead of seeing them as your opponents. We had Raising Cane's with Christian and everyone else and it was a great time. He offered the Lurking to me again, but we had a discussion that it would mean more to earn it. I am rooting for him to complete his set as well! Justin and John, being the great guys they are, tried to keep my spirits high on the car ride home with all their jokes.
The depression hit when I got home after all my friends were gone and the adrenaline wore off. I spent time with my wife and dogs, listened to music, and played some Chess to get my mind off things. The good night's sleep really helped as well. Writing this blog has also been very helpful.
I've been trying really hard this season to get some results. I play locals 4 times a week, I've been at every SC, I think about the game everyday, I consume GA content, I write GA content... It's easy to say "Don't take it too seriously, it's a card game and you should just have fun." While the having fun part is true, I do not want to discredit myself or anyone else who is doing their best to improve. It is just very hard to separate the fun with the losing when I've come so close. I have certainly put in a lot more effort and thought than the average casual player, but I really can't say that I have worked the hardest or thought about the game the most out of anyone, so I'm shouldn't feel entitled to win.
I've joked around that I wish I lived in anywhere but NorCal or that nobody in my area played so that I could win SCs and regionals, but this is the best place in the world to play. You get to instantly know if you are for real because you have 2 Worlds Competitors, 4/10 top players in the world, and several others in the top 100 or just as good to play with. We are truly blessed that we can just talk to these people in Discord, at events, and even go to dinner with them.
So what's next? Maybe I take a bit of a break. For the first time since returning, I'm not itching to run out to locals and play GA. I do hope that I can get back to that point (and beyond) eventually, both mentally and in skill level. I've definitely still been trying to refine my play with each passing week.
In the words of the great judge, Andrew, "We play on."
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