Matthew Hayes (karonofborg13) Tournament Report - 2E - North American Continentals Side Event 2012-08-16 - 01:00 PM The Assassin's Guild slips out of the shadows...then slips right back in again before you know what killed you. v.3.0 Introduction All hail the arrival of Vakis, Queen orchestrator of the Assassins' Guild. Hellz yeah. Crafting this deck, and I truly mean crafting it, was one of the most fun things I've had with 2E (besides barrelling my way through achievements! wink) in a loooooonnnggg time. I kid u not. Probably as the goal of the deck wasn't to even see if I could win with it, rather just to rack up kills aplenty, going so far as to see how many hash marks I could take in a single tourney. When Charlie mentioned with the turnout that we had, that we'd more than likely run four rounds, I was in seventh heaven, knowing that a fourth game would allow me to hit fairly impressive double digits. Alas, due to timing amongst other concerns, that aforementioned fourth round didn't happen. Oh well. Round 1 Phil Schrader FL (-60) Phil? Hello, Phil! Earth to Phil! I'm sure you've recovered from your infamous Beirmeister occasion by now? Help me out, dude. While I didn't partake of your recordbreaking imbibement ceremony, I can't recall what you played (as I'm writing this with the event approximately three and a half weeks in the proverbial 'rearview mirror') and it's a shame. What I do recall, is we had a fun game, even going so far as to co-strategizing about my deck and you having remarked that you had one in the works somewhat similar, which was cool. Anyhow, the kill count in my first round, 11. Round 2 Mike Harrington ML (-25) Ah, the reigning World Champion. A top caliber player. And one I get to play on an occasional basis as I often make the trek to his 'neighborhood' four hours away from mine. Always a good game, truth. iirc, Mike ran a Starfleet build that was new to his repertoire, iinm. My kill count here, (also) 11. After two games, kill tally: 22. Round 3 Neal Lawson FW (+70) Met Neal in this round, and would go on to encounter him at least one more time over the course of Gen Con in a face-to-face game. A fine gentleman and one I certainly look forward to getting to compete with in many a future game. I love meeting new people and getting to play different styles/decks/strategies, so this was a blast. Going in with that, knowing I usually don't play a deck of this type, and as an Ambassador for the game itself, felt it was my obligation to make an apology upfront alluding to the brutality quotient of my build without giving away the finer points until actual gameplay, of course. So, I did so, and Neal was a great sport about it. (our later game I indicated was more on par with the usual mission solvers I tend to employ, so that helped.) I also don't remember what Neal was playing, but, the game went well for me. I actually did garner a full win here, having completed my Commandeer Prototype (for the QBC) and Quest for the Sword of Kahless, along with various rtc points from things like QAC, CtA, Kira Taban, YFwDY, SaT, GUYS, etc.) But, here's where my goal-oriented deck shined brightest, kill count: 13. [a good number, don't you think?]. Three game kill count: 35. Closing Thoughts The deck was a blast to play. It will be again. Not sure what tweaks I may (or may not) make to it, but, regardless, it's an enjoyable little side thing to run out of my comfort zone/normal 'in the box' avenue. Oh wait, there is a certain deck I'm looking forward to going up against, in my own meta. Hope I get to unleash it soon on said deck. I'll keep you informed... 'til next time.