Hey guys, ready to recap Worlds now that I've finally gotten to unwind at home after such a long and fun event. I had bought Worlds tickets when they first dropped and intended to enter with people I joined Grand Archive with back then. Alas, things happened and I was the only one left playing. Thus, I had resigned myself to not going anymore and since I felt very alone in the community, it was a big factor in why I had quit between November-February.
"Peter is the Chaperone" - 6th best GA team in the world!
I honestly can’t remember the reason why I came back other than, “it seems fun, so why not?” I’m very glad I did. I ended up becoming much better friends with local players Justin and John, and the former also had teammates drop on him, so he ended up recruiting me to join his Worlds 3v3 team. He thought Luke would also be a great fit. The only impression I had with Luke was from CardArt’s Store Championship in which we were both X-1 and I ended up winning a favorable Wind vs. Water Ally matchup. He had asked me for many more matches after until he could find a way to win, so it left a decent impression that he was a good player who wanted to improve. Justin mentioned that Luke was good combo Fire player, which I am horrible at, so it was a good fit.
In retrospect, it was also a good fit because Justin and Luke have more easygoing personalities and I can have strong opinions, so I think it was easy to agree on things with them. We decided early on that Fire Erupting would be the cornerstone of our team and that deck would be our breadwinner. Erupting was a very strong choice because it didn’t need Dungeon Guides, it was very flexible on the Material Deck, and it was powerful into a Best-of-1 format in which you had a 66% chance to dodge Nullifying Lantern. We also decided that Wind Allies would be a great choice for our team because of the personnel (me) on the team. The last slot was also a pocket pick because Justin’s pet deck is Luxem, so Water Luxem was the final pick.
At first, we decided to give Erupting whatever it wanted, but after some advice from Shawn, we opted to devote whatever we could to our Wind Allies deck, which was most consistent and had a chance against pretty much every expected deck. The Erupting deck could function with substitute options like Bauble of Abundance and Jewel of Enlightenment while using Rai. I ended up having Grand Crusader’s Ring, Baubles, Tariff Ring, and whatever Swords I wanted. I was also given access to Lorraine, so that meant I could win the mirrors and that I could have maximum comfort by playing almost the exact Blog List if I wanted to. This also meant that my team essentially trusted me to be their “ace,” so I had to try and win as much as possible and minimize mistakes.
Sadly, I think Justin ended up with our most handicapped deck in Water Luxem. The state of the format seems to either have 2 high-power and 1 weaker deck or have 3 decks at a mid-higher level. I don’t think Water Luxem was a terrible pick because you can still prey on Ally decks, you can ruin Diana decks by destroying their Gun, you can make Erupting fight through Fracturized Lanterns and Excalibur on Dusklight, and some decks just can’t outdamage your healing.
As for the tournament, it really felt like a series of creating non-games for yourself or your opponent. I felt like I played 2 real games of GA and then the rest were either sacking my opponent or my opponent sacking me. Then there were literal rounds of non-games too!
How we had to watch the Worlds Stream Day 1
Round 1: I face against a Wind Crux player. This is a surprising choice to me, but it seems like a number of teams ran it. People tell me this is an awful matchup for the Allies player, but I actually think it’s not as bad as people say. I put on a lot of pressure and Tariff Ring on his Lorraine 2 turn. He messes up the math and is unable to Hurricane Sweep me. Luke loses, but Justin is able to clutch out a last second win in overtime.
1-0
Round 2: we face off against none other than...Christian. It's the Real True Champion Gaming with the Worlds competitors who dropped out from Day 2. There's Lime/Jason who is the SEA National Champ and Christian the NA Champ. Caban is also on their team, but he is still competing in the main event, so Luke gets a free default win. I match up against Lime with his Serene Water Rai and Justin lines up against Fire Zander Aggro. I get a complete dream start and finish the game within 3 turns because of an Attune on a board of 3 followed up by double Squirrel Inspiring next turn to kill through Rai 2 and Serene heal. Justin also completely sacks Christian, so we are feeling pretty good about beating such a strong team even though it felt like we got away with one.
2-0
Round 3: we face off against Thunder from Down Under, which is actually the team featuring Lime's wife. I don't remember what Justin and Luke play against, but I am in a Wind Ally mirror, so my confidence is through the roof. The game progresses and I believe my list has more card draw so eventually my opponent is trying to fight my board of three with only 4 cards in hand. A well-timed Tariff Ring seals the deal and Justin also wins to clinch the round for us.
3-0
At this point, we felt really good about our chances as an X-2 is probably good for Day 2. I then match up against an Erupting Deck which I tech'd my deck to have a better chance against with Raccoons, Displace, and the Azure Trinket. It can still be a coin flip because the Lantern is with Justin. I instantly Raccoon him for a Floating and Fire on my first turn and continue to frustrate him by keeping his Fire count very low. Unfortunately, I am not able to put enough pressure on and get combo'd. Luke loses his game and Justin also narrowly loses to his opponent because of a topdeck'd Umbral Tithe after Justin had Gawain'd his opponent's Memory.
3-1
Round 4: this is where the weirdness starts to happen. We are chosen for a deck check and Justin and Luke both ask if it's alright that they have other cards/decks in their double deckboxes. We're a bit nervous as the judges say they are not sure if that is allowed. I have lots of experience with other card games, so I know that you really shouldn't have any other cards except for the ones you are playing with in your box. The check takes a very long time and eventually I need to run to the bathroom. On the way back, my opponent Braden/Criioss catches me and informs me we have won the match. I am super confused as I thought my team would most likely be DQ'd. He tells me that his teammate only reported 56 cards on Omnidex and that his other teammate was missing a Song of Frost from his deck. They were both issued game losses and thus the match went to us. It's really unfortunate when things like this happen and I felt bad that it happened to such a nice group of guys. We do take wins against strong opponents when we can though.
4-1
Round 5: we get matched up against the Canadian team, Vegas Tap Water. Sadly, it is not much of a match. I am matched up against Fire Aggro Zander and start Lurking. He plays Hasty, attack and ditches a Floating. I materialize Bauble, play Gildas and swing face, Lurking kills Hasty. I hold Zephyr in hand. He deliberates on his turn and then proceeds to 15-0 me with Prerecollection Planted Exploses, Mark the Target. Then he Rending Flames and Finishes with Roccoco. The literal nuts. Sadly, I didn't make the read for the Turn 2 kill, but my playstyle isn't usually to account for the nuts. It's probably incorrect, but I feel like I can live with that decision. Justin is against Wind Crux and I tell him to clear the Ghosts of Pendragons and he should eventually have inevitability over his opponent. Sadly, his opponent drops Banner Knight x2 and Phalanx Captain x2 on a board of 3 and instantly kills Justin. Luke wins, but it's already over.
4-2
We were pretty sure we would make it in as the strongest X-2. Our only losses were against teams that went undefeated. We also beat Christian's team and Team Ordinary Bears who both went X-1. Thunder from Down Under also went X-2. We finish as the 12th seed and qualify for Day 2! The only pain point was that at X-2, we basically cannot lose a single round going forward or we would be eliminated from Top 4 contention.
Best part of Vegas!
Day 2: More weirdness starts for our first Day 2 round. We sit for a bit and our opponents are absent. I figure it's some sort of mind game or they are doing some last minute strategizing, but the judge comes over and tells us our opponents are disqualified and not in the event anymore, thus we get the win. We get some jeers from our fellow competitors in good fun as they cannot believe we got another free win. We do take those though and we only need 3 more wins to make the top cut.
5-2
We get matched into a SoCal team in round 8. I recognize their members from their invasion of our NorCal Regionals. I knew my opponent was Wind Allies, but more tech'd for the mirror so it would be unfavored for me, but I hoped my mastery of the mirror would get me the win. I end up totally bricking with a hand full of Attune the Wind, but I almost pull it back because my opponent overextends with a board of 4 that I Hurricane Sweep with Lorraine 2. The early damage I took proves to be too much and I lose. Luckily, Luke highrolls his opponent and Justin puts his Water Diana opponent in an unwinnable situation so we take the victory.
6-2
Rematches were possible in this tournament. We get matched into the team we took the free win from: Team Ordinary Bears. If I had to call out who were our fated rivals this event, these guys would be it. I felt like besides Christian and Lime, the Bears' A and B players, Criioss and Glass seemed particularly strong. I go up against Wind Rai and get another blazing start similar to my game with Lime. It's over by turn 3 with the same Lurking, Lurking, Gildas attuned and Double Squirrel Inspiring x2 board. Justin plays a close game, but we get outplayed by a good opponent and better list in a Luxem battle. His opponent's list is the Fire variant, so it's a bit stronger. On seat C, Luke pulls the trigger with coaching from Justin. They throw away their insurance in a Stalwart Shieldmate, forget that Tonoris 3's Armament blocks 2 damage, and miss a line to Embersong their own Library Witch in order to get an extra card which would have been lethal with the 2nd Fireball in hand. I saw the line, but can't communicate it as technically you aren't allowed to play team-telephone through your B player.
6-3
It's a tough loss and pretty devastating to me; I walk away to the other end of the hall to not show my teammates how devastated I am. I come back and try to cheer them up and encourage them to finish strong as top 8 prizing was much better, there was pride on the line, and while miniscule, there was a very low chance we still qualify.
In the final round, we get matched up against TM32 which is another SoCal team. I match up against Chiharu who I intentional-drew with in the NorCal Regional final round in order to secure our top 8 spots. We're excited to finally play each other, and in the Wind Ally mirror nonetheless. Sadly, I brick again with a hand full of Trained Hawks. I go for a Hurricane Sweep, but get blown out by a Favorable Winds. Luke is able to win his game and we watch Justin go all-in and force his opponent to win on a final turn. Justin ends up clutching the win! Sadly, a team that we needed to win in order for us to top had lost.
7-3
RESULT: 6TH PLACE
We ended up 6th place in a tournament full of Worlds competitors, famous Discord names, etc. Not bad for a last-minute team that practiced zero times together and pretty much just built our lists solo. I honestly expected us to go 0-3 drop and just enjoy Vegas, but this was an amazing result. We each got an Exorcise Curses qualifier card worth 5 points in any National event, a Dawn of Ashes 1st Edition Box, an Alchemical Revolution 1st Edition Box, $250, and a Top 16 Ascent Worlds Exorcise Curses playmat (they will have to mail this to us as they accidentally brought the Ascent Taipei mats). The best part was definitely having a successful result with Justin, one of my best friends in the community.
As for my team, obviously I am very happy with the result. I wasn't very happy with our preparation or in how we built our lists though. I think if I had to do it again, I would work on the lists a lot more. I was pretty unhappy with the changes I made to my Wind Allies deck; I should have just ran as close to my Blog List as possible. Cutting Favorable Winds was a huge mistake and the Raccoons and Azure Trinket didn't end up having much effect. I wasn't unhappy with our team's skill level because I knew Justin and Luke could both play well. I was concerned if Luke could learn Erupting well enough as he had a tough work schedule. Justin also had a rough SC season so I was worried if his mental was strong enough. While they did end up making some mistakes during the tournament, I think they played well overall and they carried me through Day 2. I'm very proud that Luke pulled it together by the end of the tournament. I'm also very proud of Justin's final game in which he went all-in. I think Justin is a very careful player and that he needs to know when to take risks in order to win, so it was great to see him make the correct call. Our team name was "Peter is the Chaperone" which turned out to live up to its name as I made sure Justin and Luke submitted correct lists, woke up on time, met up properly, and kept their spirits up. Our opponents always got a kick from the name and always demanded to know which one of us was Peter. I think it was good for me to be on the team because I am much older than my teammates and I think it was helpful to be the calming presence when Justin or Luke were tilted about misplays.
Unfortunately, only the top 4 were awarded with Sabrinas. As some of you know, my goal with GA is to become good enough to win a prize Spirit. We were just one win away, but came up short. Luckily for me, I worked out a deal to buy Sabrina from Team Ordinary Bear's Criioss. I was enamored with Sabrina when she was first revealed, so I am thrilled to have the opportunity to own a copy and to play with it! It was a wonderful experience to meet, play, and talk with Criioss and gripe about our roles as chaperones within our respective teams.
My treasures! Symbols of an unforgettable time.
So how was the event overall? Honestly, it was amazing. Have you ever watched Yu-Gi-Oh! or CardFight Vanguard and wished you lived in a world where everything focused on a card game? It felt like that. For a moment in time and in that space of the universe, it truly felt like all conversations and thoughts revolved around GA. Huge props to everyone involved with the event. I truly felt like each stage of planning they said "Yes, this is probably good enough, but could we do better? Can we make it more fun, more hype?" And they proceeded to indeed make it more hype and fun. Even for a competitive player like myself who is usually only interested in playing, I found myself running around to collect stamps (Stamp Rally!), meet and talk with developers, appreciate canvas art, shop at the store, look at the spoiler wall, and watch the stream when possible. It was an unforgettable weekend of my life. It was also really awesome just having meals and drinks with the NorCal homies, especially with Justin, John, Eustace, and Austin every night.
Food was delicious, but heavy meals all weekend!
As some people know, I had a lot of reservations about attending the event and especially playing in it. After winning Regionals, I felt like I had lost motivation. I was content about winning a major event, so was there any point in continuing? Would I just be letting my teammates down if I didn't play with any fire? Luckily, I had the same feeling when I walked in as I did back at Regionals, where I felt like one of the most dangerous players in the room. But, it still didn't solve that creeping feeling in the back of my mind.
So, I decided to ask Christian--the man who has won everything but still continues to show up and smile each time. He basically told me, "You know, I never expected to get this far, honestly. I started playing the game, had fun and ended up winning Store Champs. Then I showed up to Ontario and Nats because they seemed fun. I ended up topping and winning those as well. You're already here, right? Show up, have fun, have a good time regardless. Play your best and see what happens." It's such a simple answer that anyone could say or figure out themselves, but it seems like people like Christian and Shawn have things figured out and always know what to say to me to reassure and to motivate me.
Christian's team ended up in the top 4 of the team tournament and winning a Sabrina. Shawn had a crazy run in the main event and ended up 2nd overall. Lee ended up getting 2nd in Path of Silver while Kana and Luke took home some wins in the Cosplay Contest. With my team's 6th place finish, NorCal ended up doing very well this Worlds. My takeaways from Worlds: NorCal truly has the most awesome people, Christian and Shawn are a cut above even the rest of the best players in the world, and Grand Archive is awesome.
At long last, I have ascended.
The points gained from this event actually propelled me into the Top 100 and earned me Ascendent status. It honestly felt deserved after struggling so much this season, so I'm glad I have the rank to back up what I think my skill level is. I feel like the fledgling I began as at the start of the season is long gone and that I have much more confidence in myself when I sit down for tournaments now.
What's next? As Christian told me, "We do it all over again." I'm looking forward to cooking with the new set and plan to go to Ascent Chicago to (hopefully) win the new Fire Spirit!
Thanks all for reading and supporting the blog and me in this competitive journey!
It might be me next year!
Comments
Post a Comment