Steven Horton
Anderson, IN (9-25-99)

Game 1: My LS vs Brian Berryhill's balanced beatdown DS
Brian saw that I started with HB, so he opted for an Ice Plains/Security Precautions start instead of his usual Ice Plains + Defensive Perimeter with Combat Readiness. He had trouble getting force early on, except for one each from my systems. I got pretty well spread out in space and managed to take over both the Downtown Plaza and, later, the Ice Plains. He never got the Defensive Perimeter out. I ended up using both my smoke screens during the game. One time I tracked a five, battled a walker + 2 pilots with Han, Leia and Obi-Wan, played Smoke Screen for the first destiny, and drew the tracked five for 11 attrition to clear the site. It was a pretty close game because towards the end, he swarmed all my systems with TIE Scouts as a desperation measure. He managed to get some big drains in before I was able to hammer one scout for it, five cards, and the game. I never had to flip HB. Win by 9.
2 (+9)

Game 2: My DS vs. Steve Mellinger's HB with weird ships
I got set up pretty quickly, and, as would happen in all 3 games with this deck, my opponent had to read both the objective and Ominous Rumors. I Lat Damaged and beat down some ship (can't remember)... He flipped by mid game and I probed and got the system on the third try, making him lose only five. I also Gravity Shadowed a Red Squadron X-Wing, drawing a two and waxing it. By the end of the game I was draining nine a turn. Win by 27.
4 (+36)

Game 3: My LS vs. Justin Stauffer's bizarre mains deck
I have never seen an opponent get such an amazing draw. He started with Fondor (Fondor???) and Security Precautions. On his first turn, he puts out Tatooine: JP and the Audience Chamber from reserve and draws up. On my first turn, I put out EPP Luke at his Chamber, figuring that it's interior so he can't hurt me with walkers. I draw up. His next turn he draws. On my turn I drain for 2 and make my big mistake of the tournament. I put out Orrrrrrimaaaaaarko to back up Luke at the Audience Chamber. His next turn, DLOTS with saber, Dr. Evezan, You Are Beaten, hit Orri, I lose Ori and like six force. It just went downhill from there. After Luke runs away on my following turn, I get pounded by walkers at Tatooine: JP. I can't draw ships for the life of me, and can only draw characters that are useless against DLOTS and Dr. E, since I can't draw my clash of sabers. He gets several phat drains set up and I can't do much of anything, so I'm forced to flip HB.
Then, for the next seven turns or so, I drain for three or four in space, he probes, misses. His drains get cancelled, he probes, misses, and moves ships. I battle but can't get rid of the ships because I have to battle him at probed systems. I start to make a small comeback when he finally probes my HB (Hoth) and makes me lose like eight force. The phat drains come back and finish me off. Lose by 11.
4 (+25)

Game 4: My DS vs. Daniel Spade's deck
I didn't write enough about this game, so I'm not sure what he started with or what his deck was like. All I wrote was that I got a drain of four set up at Kashyyyk on the 2nd turn, and that I beat down the Spiral with a Lateral Damage for a whole bunch of cards. Win by 15.

6 (+40)
Game 5: My DS vs. Chad McCory's HB Beat-Down
I was really nervous before this game because I was playing the Corellia regional winner. At this point I was in 2nd and he was in 1st, but even if I beat him, I'd have to play him again in game 6 and win that game to win the tournament, as he was the only undefeated and had double my differential. I got off to a terrific start, getting a drain at Kashyyyk early once again, catching him off guard since he didn't know I was draining for 4 instead of 2. I got Tarkin on a ship at DS Kessel making my ships there extremely cheap. I probably drained him for sixteen force before he mounted any sort of comeback. I probed his HB first try on his deploy phase, and although he lost like eight from security precautions, it ended up hurting me in the long run because I couldn't survive against his ships unless I was battling at probed systems. He had S-Foils and Organized Attack and slowly but surely set up drains with X-Wings, Red Squad X-Wings, and Gold Squad Y-Wings, and whittled my ships away. After me being up by 20+ cards, he started to mount a comeback, and there wasn't anything I could do about it. At one point he drew up a huge hand full of doubles, and I couldn't find my Monnok anywhere. Even Lat Damage didn't do enough against him. Eventually he outlasted me and I lost by 14, my biggest loss of the day.
6 (+26)

This knocked me pretty far down the charts since there were so many 3-2 players at this point and I had a pretty bad differential. In fact, because of some weird lopsided wins and the fact that Stauffer had to drop out and leave before game 6, I had to play someone who hadn't won a game all day.

Game 6 vs. Andrew something's Biker Scout deck
I got the most amazing draw I've ever seen in my life. Luke, Leia, Han, Chewie, the Spiral, a system, a Clash of Sabers, and another red card. He started with the Ice Plains and no starting effect. On my first turn I got out a system and drew up. Obi-Wan. That was pretty much it right there, as I hammered him repeatedly, taking over his Ice Plains with Wyron Serper leading the way. This one wasn't even close, folks. Win by 31.
8 (+57)

4-2 (+57) was good enough for fourth place, and I got a Falcon out of the prize support. I gave most of it except for the Falcon and a few other cards to that Andrew guy. All in all, a great tournament. Chad McCory ended up winning the tournament. Chris took fifth. Brian didn't do too well, ending up at 2-4. Thanks to the guys that ran the tournament, and everyone I played. Nobody was a jerk, and everyone got treated with respect. This was the best I've done at a tourney in months.