After a lot of anticipation, Canada West Nationals came to a conclusion. It was an excellently ran event, at a great gaming space. It was a field of lots of great people, and strong players. Huge thanks to the TOs, Cam, Jeremy, and Mike, for running a smooth event.
The Team composition I brought to the event was; Blackheart, vRage, Pride, vFangtooth, Mist, Gutter, Harry 'The Hat', Grace, sSpigot, Benediction. I went into detail about this line up in a previous blog post (there are a few different models that weren't released yet ala Fangers and Spigot). The Hat is a new inclusion that I love to enable Blackheart Jank and Harry has a solid toolbox along with my favourite rule is the game with a 2 inch melee. vFangtooth and sSpigot get there spot because they are way too good not to take. The spread of guilds for the event was a good mix of guilds but heavily favouring fish. The weeks leading into the event union was the most represented guild according to longshanks, but flip flopped to fish being the most represented with union and hunters tied for second most represented. In my practice leading up to the event I never practiced against fish, or played against fish in a few months.
Now lets get into the recaps of the games.
Game 1: I played Jonathan, an Albertan who is newer to the game. I played my go to Blackheart six of Pride, Mist, vFangers, The Hat, Spigot. Jonathan brought Obulus, dirge, silence, vHemlocke, graves, pelage. I received the ball. Turn 1 consisted of passes around the team to generate easy momentum and dodge forwards. Mist capped off the turn with a screamer (the first of many that weekend). I won initiative, and gave Fangtooth +1 TAC with the game plan to start turn 2. The Hat engaged and knocked down a few players, and sat applying bonuses for the rest of my team as he was afraid of triggering rising anger. A couple butcheries, and Blackheart's legendary to set up the scrum, vFangers took out silence and pelage putting me up to 8VPs. I won initiative again, and blackheart got the ball to score a tap in to finish off the game 12-2. (2 goals, 2 takeouts).
Game 2: I played against Keith from Chicago playing the union. He played vRage, coin, minx, spigot, gutter, vFangers. I stuck with my Blackheart lineup from last game. I kicked off with mist. Keith did a great job denying me from doing anything useful turn 1 (happy accident as a result of spigot failing his goal run when gutter missed the heroic pass). Turn 2 we position around in a stalemate but eventually sends vRage in last activation. Turn 3 the scrum was set. Keith started to win the scrum so I backed away a touch having a large clock advantage, this was to bait rage into a bad position where he was to far away from his team to contribute to the scrum. His spigot gave me the ball by gutter failing the heroic pass... Again... With a second triple ones roll... The ball scattered to Blackheart. At this point the score is 2-4 in Keith's favour, but he clocks out. I have the ball and take control of the scrum with Harry, Fangtooth, Pride, and Blackheart. I get a takeout on vRage, then his spigot goes for a third goal run. He tackles the ball from Blackheart, then misses the pass to dodge. The ball scatters 6 inches making the ball irrelevant to the game. I get two more takeouts (gutter and spigot) and score six clock points to win the game 12-4. The missed passes really sucked this game for both sides, He would've been closer to victory by the time he clocked putting more pressure on my play to deny points long enough to win.
Game 3: I played a local, Caleb, playing Obulus, dirge, Brainpan and memory, pelage, graves, vHemlocke. I stuck with the Blackheart Six from game 1 and 2. I received, a few passes and a blackheart to farm momentum led to mist scoring a screamer and dodged away. Caleb missiles pelage at spigot. Top of 2 spigot got takenout, fangtooth took out pelage in return, Obulus scored, and Blackheart butcheries Graves who was crowded out a few times, graves survives by a couple health which required my entire team to finally finish off. Next turn pelage comes back in to the fight, but got taken right back out. Mist kicked the ball right next to his goal post to kill the ball long enough for me to get a takeout to win, and the puppet takes out vFangers. This is a dangerous situation for myself, i should've prevented the take out on vFangers denying any possibility of Caleb to end the game in one activation because I am one activation from winning but if my activation goes wrong I do not have a back up. I lost initiative, worst case scenerio for me but Obulus did legendary last turn to give me a worse chance at initiative. Pelage came back on the pitch and passed the ball to obulus who dodged 4 inches. Blackheart has six influence to take out 5 health pelage. Charges nets 2 damage, next attack 1 damage, next attack 1 damage, bonus timed attack to win... wiffed. I had one last attack to do one damage and i got one success to take out pelage for the game 12-8 (1 goal ,4 takeouts). Had I failed obulus had 7 influence to score for the win. After the game I realized brainpan was crowded out 3 times with a few damage taken which may have been the better target, but I successful overcame my disaster game. Everything that could go wrong for me that game went wrong and Caleb did a great job of capitalizing on it.
Game 4: The top four of the tournament was myself, two other people that I traveled to the event with and a Chicagoan. The odds were very good that I'd play a practice mate, which happened. I dropped vRage into Jeremy's Smoke. This is a great match up for me plus I have experience with the style he plays it. I brought Grace, Benediction, vFangers, and Gutter as my squaddies. Grace is a silver bullet for smoke alchemists, she essentially makes smoke play with one condition and provides either healing or a speed buff to close the gap quicker. He brought, naja, calculus, mercury, mist, vitriol. He was trying a different lineup to catch me off guard. Mist has a great kick off which only benny can get, and not pass it to anyone. Benny puts up +2 armour while holding the ball and killed the ball. He throws out AoEs, Grace quick foots gutter and gets rid of the fire AoE. Gutter pushes mist into charge range of Rage. vRage takes mist down to 3 health to end turn 1. I go First turn 2 and have Rage red fury gutter to take out mist and heroics on gutter, He then walks to cover. More AoEs thrown, Grace removing the fire one again. Benny runs further away from any striker. Fangtooth engages 3 alchemist players for gutter to hit. I put some damage onto mercury. Turn 3, Fangtooth takes out mercury then goes to engage vitriol, calculus and smoke. Mist suicides for a low odds goal run, fails, then gets taken out by rage again. I needed to redeploy grace to score next turn so I charge her into a bad spot and she gets taken out. I won initiative, and had gutter take out vitriol. Calculus tried to blind grace and failed. Benediction passed to grace who dodged 4 inches, then went and scored a goal. 12-2 (1 goal 4 takeouts). Without vKat, vfangers and gutter were able to get way to comfortable in the middle of the pitch and put too much distance between his strikers and the ball. Im onto the finals, where the person I practice against most, Rhett, lost the Hunters mirror so I am the last hope to defend Canada from America.
Game 5: The final Game against Zach Grey of Chicago. He brought hunters, Theron, snow, minerva, vMinx, zarola, oHearne. I had to play vRage because I feel Theron shuts down blackhearts entire strategy with a 2 cost character play. I had gutter, mist, benny, vFangers as all of my squadies. I recieve the ball, and he kicks with theron. I miss a pass over to mist at the end of my passing chain so I don't score the turn 1 goal I planned for. Zach brilliantly started the scrum using vMinx to marked for death and have theron charge into vFangers. He won initiative and did some damage with theron, and pinned rage. I was able to fish theron back to vRage to get the takeout, but I lost Fangtooth in the process. Minerva got into the fight and my second tower started to take heavy damage. I fish hearne into a spot for a taken out vRage to charge in for vengeance. Mist scored a screamer at the end of the turn and used run the length to get into cover engaging zarola. Score is 6-6. I won initiative and bring rage on the field to charge benny, theron comes back using get back in there for extra movement. Gutter was enaging minerva, vMinx, and a knocked down crowded out hearne. I completely forget she has scything blow and have rage legendary and charge into hearne for the takeout. I red fury gutter to put some damage on minerva.
Had I remembered why gutter is so good with Rage I could've scything blow'd hearne 4 times to take him and vMinx out, leaving minerva on 3 health and Pride on 1 health putting the score at 10-6(7 as pride is a free takeout at that point) with a legendaried gutter and vFangertooth with clips to finish off minerva. More importantly it would keep vRage in a safe position to heal up and come in the scrum next turn safely. Foolishly throughout the entire game Gutter would wrap and do 2 momentous and 1 momentous instead.
The scrum escalates but I eventually lose the scrum when theron charges in with marked for death and get back in there taking out vRage on his legendary turn before gutter went. He was an influence short from a six point activation to win.
Had I remembered why gutter is so good with Rage I could've scything blow'd hearne 4 times to take him and vMinx out, leaving minerva on 3 health and Pride on 1 health putting the score at 10-6(7 as pride is a free takeout at that point) with a legendaried gutter and vFangertooth with clips to finish off minerva. More importantly it would keep vRage in a safe position to heal up and come in the scrum next turn safely. Foolishly throughout the entire game Gutter would wrap and do 2 momentous and 1 momentous instead.
The scrum escalates but I eventually lose the scrum when theron charges in with marked for death and get back in there taking out vRage on his legendary turn before gutter went. He was an influence short from a six point activation to win.
Its time to bust out a play I've practiced a tonne. I pull out proxy bases and measure out what seemingly meaningless locations. You can hear a faint whisper of if I gone crazy from the pressure. Mist walks into theron and attacks him. I am rolling 7 dice and get my tackle. I pass the ball to fangtooth with a bonus time. Hit the 5 i needed and did the first dodge to a proxy base. Potbelly pass that ball back to mist with a bonus time. I miss. Luckily the ball scatters to a spot mist snaps the ball and she acrobatics into cover. Turn 4. I lose initiative. Theron takes out vFangers again, then snipes mist. Gutter takes 8 damage then she heals 8 damage. Mist takes a 1 dice goal, misses with three and the ball jams at his goal post. Benny engages snow, then rage red furies benny to make 3 momentum. Snow takes a parting blow which knocks him down. Hearne was half an inch out from grabbing the ball. Turn Ends
Benny is within 6 to give mist shadow like, and mist is within 4 inches of snow in cover, Theron is 4 inches away from a double crowded out gutter. Momentum is tied, its going to turn 5 so we both have one card left. Whoever has the higher card wins. I throw my card face down and step back from the table, Zach sets his card down. We both take a couple deep breathes to ease the tension. I had a +5, he had a +4. I allocate 4 to mist and the rest didn't matter to me to I put it out randomly. Theron got 6, minx 4, minerva 2. Mist shadow likes, attacks snow twice for 2 momentum, sprints to the ball and shoots for the game. 4 dice Tap in was good and sealed the intense finish 12-10 (2 goals, 2 Takeouts). It was an intense, action packed, clean game from start to finish. There was a lot of back and forth moments which could have gone either way and a few mistakes on both sides that could've gave one of us the edge had we done something slightly different. We shook hands multiple times after that finish.
A short anecdote, before the tournament I was doing ridiculous plays with blackheart, vFangers, and sSpigot to get goals. For about 2 weeks before the event everyone in my local meta said not to do any of the jank that I practiced because I was due to fail at some point. I haven't used any of the rules that I used to enable silly goal runs the entire tournament. The one time I try a potbelly pass at Nations it failed me, so I am never going to stop hearing about it. You guys told me so, but if that Potbelly pass worked it would've been the greatest story ever.
After the big event there was a Falconers release event to have some fun in a wild format, and an amazing dinner and drinks at a Steakhouse because you have to have Alberta beef whenever you find yourself in Alberta. I took Obulus on a week long extravaganza like Ovechkin did with the Stanley Cup, and now the Ferryman resides in the display case at Dragons Den Games beside Blaine Dobson's Blackheart trophy from last years nationals. Next up is Worlds where I can try and break the tradition of Canadian National Champs scrubbing out in the first round.
Benny is within 6 to give mist shadow like, and mist is within 4 inches of snow in cover, Theron is 4 inches away from a double crowded out gutter. Momentum is tied, its going to turn 5 so we both have one card left. Whoever has the higher card wins. I throw my card face down and step back from the table, Zach sets his card down. We both take a couple deep breathes to ease the tension. I had a +5, he had a +4. I allocate 4 to mist and the rest didn't matter to me to I put it out randomly. Theron got 6, minx 4, minerva 2. Mist shadow likes, attacks snow twice for 2 momentum, sprints to the ball and shoots for the game. 4 dice Tap in was good and sealed the intense finish 12-10 (2 goals, 2 Takeouts). It was an intense, action packed, clean game from start to finish. There was a lot of back and forth moments which could have gone either way and a few mistakes on both sides that could've gave one of us the edge had we done something slightly different. We shook hands multiple times after that finish.
A short anecdote, before the tournament I was doing ridiculous plays with blackheart, vFangers, and sSpigot to get goals. For about 2 weeks before the event everyone in my local meta said not to do any of the jank that I practiced because I was due to fail at some point. I haven't used any of the rules that I used to enable silly goal runs the entire tournament. The one time I try a potbelly pass at Nations it failed me, so I am never going to stop hearing about it. You guys told me so, but if that Potbelly pass worked it would've been the greatest story ever.
After the big event there was a Falconers release event to have some fun in a wild format, and an amazing dinner and drinks at a Steakhouse because you have to have Alberta beef whenever you find yourself in Alberta. I took Obulus on a week long extravaganza like Ovechkin did with the Stanley Cup, and now the Ferryman resides in the display case at Dragons Den Games beside Blaine Dobson's Blackheart trophy from last years nationals. Next up is Worlds where I can try and break the tradition of Canadian National Champs scrubbing out in the first round.
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