[Alyssa] Top 16 Set 3 Pasadena Planetary Qualifier 🔥
1/12: Alyssa made Top 16, she went 5-2, I went 4-3.
Table of Contents
1/12 - Odyssey Games
Format: Bo3, 92 players; https://melee.gg/Tournament/View/194061
Going to include my matchups in this post as my performance isn’t noteworthy enough for a separate post.
Quick Side Note of the Event Itself
I basically had the same comment/experience as their previous Set2 PQ:
Very well run, kudos to the store (Odyssey Games), Justin (Event Organizer/Head judge) and the other judges that were there. Pizza and refreshments were provided. I didn’t notice long lines for any of the three clean bathrooms. Maybe the SoCal community is that good, but I witnessed/heard no major issues.
Though when we were informed on Thursday, 1/09, of how Odyssey Games is proceeding to run the event as scheduled, we were a bit hesitant of going given the fire situation. They did extend the refund window up to the start of the event. We kept checking on the fire and air quality situation in the days leading up to the event. Luckily, that day’s air quality was pretty good, but we both still wore N95 masks for the entire event just in case.
Alyssa’s Deck - Sabine ECL
Just Sabine doing standard Sabine things.
Matchups
Vs Palpatine1 Yellow 2-0
Vs Vader ECL 1-2
This was a very close matchup. Opponent played heavy ramp. Game 3 opponent ramped and started to stabilize with more than 20 damage on base. I had used ECL to play Poe already, and I had Wrecker in hand. There were a couple turns where I just needed to draw into For a Cause or Timely Intervention to get the last few damage through, but I didn’t draw them. When the opponent played Reinforcement Walker I just floated all my resources and took initiative to deny their next turn first action heal, and hoped to top deck a Timely Intervention because that was my only way out.
Vs Cad Tarkintown 2-0
Vs Palpatine1 Green 2-0
Vs Sabine ECL 1-2
This was against the previous Pasadena PQ winner. Being a Sabine mirror match, it basically came down to luck of the draw. I don’t put much weight on Sabine mirror matches, because in my opinion, if both players are of comparable skill level, it really just comes down to who draws better.
Lost game 3 because opponent had an A-Wing buffed by Wing Leader and I had no air units to contest by using ECL turn 1, and no buffs (Wing Leader, Fleet Lieutenant, Darksaber) for ground to race.
Vs Quinlan Tarkintown 2-0
One game opponent played Millennium Falcon turn 2 and kept it out for the whole game. I didn’t play any air to contest, so they kept getting the 3 damage in, but that put him 1 resource down the rest of the game which allowed me to pull ahead and outrace on ground. He also paid the Falcon tax on resource 5, leaving him at 4 resources that turn, so I knew I didn’t have to play around Plo Koon.
Vs Sabine ECL 2-1
Another Sabine match that just came down to the draw. I got super lucky 2 games where I had Timely Intervention in hand by turn 2. A common Sabine mirror match play is to use ECL turn 1 to kill the opponent’s 1 play so they have nothing to buff with Wing Leader or Fleet Lieutenant on turn 2. I had initiative, so turn 2 I was able to use Timely Intervention plus a 2 drop to kill their only unit on board. I was then still able to attack with my turn 1 play, and I still had ECL up to use later. This result is mostly down to being lucky with having initiative plus an early Timely Intervention.
Jerry’s Deck - Bossk Green
Just Bossk Green doing standard Bossk Green good stuff. Just try to ramp and start playing the big stuff. I was expecting a lot of Sabines, midrange decks, and not a lot of hard control decks.
I felt that Admiral Piett underperformed and I would rather have a third Phase-III Dark Trooper.
Matchups
Vs Palp Blue 2-0
This was a relatively new/casual player. Their deck didn't seem optimal, as it had Scout Bike and Snowtrooper Lieutenant.
Vs Sabine ECL 2-0
I basically had answers to everything.
Vs Sabine ECL 1-2
I think I may have misplayed in one of my lost games where I defeated a unit instead of ramping, not sure. In the last game, I was on the verge of stabilizing with Reinforcement Walker and Palpatine, but they played two For A Cause I Believe In in one turn for lethal.
Vs Obi-Wan Yellow 1-2
This is the same Obi-Wan player I've played against at the Kingslayer Fountain Valley Store Showdown.
I so wanted to avoid this matchup, even though I built this deck with their deck in mind after playing against them several times prior. We started Game3 with about 12minutes left in the round. We went into time, but they had lethal.
Vs Obi-Wan ECL 2-1
I lost the first game. They used General Rieekan twice with ECL.
Next two games, I basically got board control.
Vs Krennic ECL 2-1
They used ECL with Deathrooper in two games to kill my leader on deploy.
I lost first game where I didn't have the answers to their Krennic leader and Lieutenant Childsen. Next game, they couldn't deal with my board.
Third game, they didn't draw many units at all. I later played three Krayt Dragons back to back, and dealing damage to their base when they Rival's Fall'd the first two, but they couldn’t deal with the third one as their base didn’t have enough life to sustain Krayt Dragon’s effect.
Vs Sabine ECL 0-2
Drew pretty meh. First game, they Darksaber'd and Wing Leader'd their Sabine leader. I had no answer to it. Second game, was a bit closer, but they had too much threat and my one Reinforcement Walker couldn't stabilize me.
Conclusion
Obviously, super proud that Alyssa performed well as she did. I was lowkey disappointed in my matchups as I played against three Sabine ECL and no Cad Tarkintown or no Jango Tarkintown that I was hoping for.