Short tournament report:
Since I had no one to share a hotel room with me at Oulu I had decided to go there by night train and only attend the main event and then again use the night train for quick escape. Didn't want to pay 70 euros for the hotel night. The journey to Oulu went pretty much as I had expected. I didn't have a cabin (because it would have cost more) so I "slept" in a sitting position and sometimes horizontally on two benches. I woke up once a hour at every station where the train stopped during the night. It's really hard to pick between this and sleeping at the cold floor of Turkusali where the nationals have been in recent years (also the venue of Worlds 2005). I arrived in Oulu very sleepy and with headache at 6:30 am. Still 3 and half hours 'til the start of the tourney. Until nine a clock I spent at the railway station reading Shardik by Richard Adams (good book!) after that I went to bar Sarkka which I had been told to open at nine. Had some black coffee there and started my way to the tournament location. On the way I found
this from a local record store with a price tag of 5 euros! Wigy was already at Fantasiapelit and we found out that there was no toilet at the venue, because they had a pipe renovation going on. We would have to use toilets of the nearby restaurants.
Everyone found the venue on time and the tournament started almost on schedule. My first opponent was Risto (zaapr on GCCG) and he played Sauron mordor shuffle. He pretty much gave me the victory when he accidentally played Dwar the ring wraith (that had slipped from his against minion deck to his against hero deck). The result was a clear 6-0 for me.
After the first game we had lunch break and went to bar Sarkka for some soap and beer. Yum!
My second game was against Olli Ikonen (Ulli at GCCG?) who played a Fallen Alatar deck with dwarves and dunadan raving in Eriador. It was a good game where both had chances to win. Eventually I ran out of time and missed both the tree and the king. 4-2 to Olli.
My last game was against Karmi who had a unique Fallen Radagast deck moving in the Mordor area. Starting company had some orcs and Peath. My hazards hit him very well and before his last turn the situation was 30-16 (+ double for the southrons) for me. Unfortunately he did a very good last turn and game ended in my 4-2 victory with only 3 point margin. After our game we went to see the crucial game between Trossell and Olli. Trossell needed 5-1 or more to win the tournament and Olli only needed a win. After exciting (and long) last turn the game ended 4-2 for Trossell and I steered to my first finnish championship.
After the games we had some beer and then it was the hell of sleeping in the train again.
Thanks to Trossell for organizing the tournament and to everyone else for the great company. See you next year (or maybe even sooner!)
Here's the winning deck. The resources against minion and Fallen wizards are the same I have used in the two Nations cup (2007 and 2009), but I upgraded the hazard. Against heroes I had totally new deck, but obviously I didn't have a chance to play it in this tournament.
# Hazard (30)
1 Adûnaphel
2 An Unexpected Outpost
1 Daelomin at Home
2 Ent in Search of the Entwives
3 Foolish Words (LE)
1 Gandalf the White Rider
2 Heedless Revelry
1 Itangast Ahunt
1 Lady of the Golden Wood
1 Power Built by Waiting
3 Rain-drake
1 Redoubled Force
1 Revealed to all Watchers
3 River (TW)
3 Sellswords Between Charters
1 Witch-king of Angmar
1 Ûvatha the Horseman
1 Drór
1 Golodhros
# Hero Character (4)
3 Alatar [H]
1 Ori
# Hero Resource (30)
3 A Chance Meeting
2 A Friend or Three
2 An Unexpected Party
3 Belegaer
2 Dark Quarrels
1 Durin's Axe
1 Forewarned Is Forearmed
1 Glamdring
3 Great Ship
1 Longbottom Leaf
1 Marvels Told
3 Noble Steed
2 Noble Hound
1 Sapling of the White Tree
2 Smoke Rings
1 Southrons [H]
1 Wizard Uncloaked
####
Pool
####
# Hero Character (10)
1 Balin (TW)
1 Bifur
1 Bofur
1 Bombur
1 Dori
1 Fíli
1 Gimli
1 Glóin
1 Thráin II
1 Óin
# Hero Resource (2)
1 Healing Herbs
1 Cram
#########
Sideboard
#########
# Hazard (18 )
1 Alone and Unadvised
1 Arthadan Rangers
1 Lost at sea
1 Durin's Bane
1 Heedless Revelry
2 Ice-drake
1 Lord of the Carrock
2 Lost in Free-domains (LE)
1 Muster Disperses (LE)
1 Pûkel-men
1 Silent Watcher
1 Smaug Ahunt
1 The Roving Eye
2 The Way is Shut
1 Unhappy Blows
# Hero Character (2)
1 Aragorn II
1 Thorin II
# Hero Resource (10)
1 A Friend or Three
2 Marvels Told
1 Noble Hound
1 Promptings of Wisdom
1 Return of the King
1 Smoke Rings
1 The White Tree
1 Tower Guard of Minas Tirith
1 Withdrawn to Mordor
################
Sideboard vs. fw
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# Hazard (10)
3 Blind to the West
1 Corsairs of Umbar
3 Echoes of the Song
1 Nameless Thing
2 Nature's Revenge (WH)
How to play:
Starting company: Thrain, Balin, Oin, Bifur, Bombur
First turn: go to Grey havens, grab a wiz and/or some chars.
Second turn: Use Belegaer to get yourself to Harondor.
Loot all three Harondor sites and go to Minas Tirith for King and tree. Remember to play Aragorn on last turn with A chance meeting so you don't blow your unexpected party too early.
If I don't draw Belegaer for turn two, then I have prefered to go to Isle of Ulond for a major item.
If there's any possibility to play him, cycle Silent watcher to deck because he's so freaking cool! I mean, think of it. He just watches silently - with multiple prowess 8 strikes. Ultimate coolness. 8)
-Tomi Kareinen
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