Alyssa's Top 4 and Jerry's Top 16 Set 3 Hawaii Planetary Qualifier ๐บ๐ด๐
1/25: Alyssa made Top 4, she went 4-1 in Swiss; I made Top 16, I went 2-3.
Table of Contents
1/25 - Other Realms (and Photo Dump)
Quick Side Note of the Event Itself
Lack of Prizing Details
Judge Not Actively Spectating the Final Round
Not Prizing Out Correctly
Minor - No Deck Checks in Top Cut
Minor - Required Usage of Cascade Deck List Form
1/25 - Other Realms (and Photo Dump)
Format: Bo3, 24 players, Top Cut to 4 players; https://melee.gg/Tournament/View/194459
Super small PQ; going to include my matchups in this post as my performance isnโt noteworthy enough for a separate post.
Alyssa got eliminated in her first Top 4 round. I squeezed into Top 16 by placing #14. We stayed until the entire event was over at 10:40PM.
Extra tidbit with the above photo, taken during Round 1. I was spectating the match beside me (Table 2; middle-left) and I had to call the judge on their behalf twice, back to back.
1st Judge Call: The Palp1 Blue player used Palp1 leader effect to defeat their Inferno Four, but they were resolving Inferno Fourโs When Defeated effect first before resolving Palp1โs effect of drawing a card.
The correct resolution is that the Palp1 leader effect has to completely resolve first (ping one damage and draw a card), before resolving Inferno Fourโs effect.
2nd Judge Call: Soon after, the Sabine ECL player deployed their Sabine leader, and tried to trigger/resolve their Fighters for Freedom to ping 1 damage.
The correct resolution is that the Fighters for Freedom ping shouldnโt occur, because a leader deploy doesnโt count as being โplayed,โ it only โenters play.โ (IYKYK: this reminds me of a funny comment with a Yoda GIF made by a fellow CBGโr when this new ruling of leaders โbeing in playโโโenters playโ was made via the July 3, 2024 Comprehensive Rules update).
I explained what had happened to the judge and the judge rectified both situations by having the Palp1 Blue player undo the Inferno Fourโs When Defeated and draw the correct card first and explaining to the Sabine player of the leader deploy interaction. After these two judge calls, I was lowkey worried I may have caused any ill-will / put a target on my back (maybe this is irrational, but I was a bit worried as I was an outsider here), so I left the room and walked around the store before coming back to the table and was mostly browsing on my phone.
Quick Side Note of the Event Itself
Tbh, this is getting a bit tiring where almost every PQ event weโve been to (5 total: Set2 Pasadena, Set2 Las Vegas, Set3 Pasadena, Set3 Chula Vista, Set3 Hawaii) has had some not-positive feedback from me. The notable exception is Set2 Pasadena PQ where I literally had no complaints at all.
ANYWAYS, getting back to my comments of the Hawaii PQ event itselfโฆ
The Good Stuff:
The single restroom was pretty clean.
Pizza Hut pepperoni pizzas and drinks from their mini fridge were provided.
The table play space surface area was good and the seats were cushioned; I didnโt feel cramped at all when playing.
Similar to Chula Vista PQ, the main room (players had to be split across two indoor rooms in the store) had a digital LED timer clock, which made it convenient to check how much time was left in the round. I donโt think the other room had one though.
The Not-So-Good Stuff:
There was a lack of prizing details (itโs always this, huh?).
We never knew of the prizing, aside from the ones mentioned by FFG (sort of*), until when the actual prizing occurred. I messaged them regarding the PQ event via Facebook Messenger (Dec 1st) and via Instagram (Dec 2nd) - I only got their automated replies and no actual replies. The store does have a Discord, but itโs not publicized, so I wasnโt able to join it.
The actual prizing was pack-per-round-win and a pack for a completion of the FFG survey, which reminded me of Set3 Appleton PQโs prizing structure, except that the Hawaii PQ had cheaper ticket pricing of $30 / $35 (depending on the date of the payment). But itโs a similar issue with Set3 Appleton PQ where, coupled with fewer rounds (5 Swiss rounds to a Top Cut of 4 players), even doing well wouldnโt result in much packs prizing.
*An issue with this is that FFG announced that every PQ store is being sent a booster box case (144 packs) for prizing support.
Napkin Math ๐งฎ:
61 round wins total (you can sum up the # of round wins via Melee) + 24 packs for FFG survey completion (Iโm assuming every player actually did this) + 1 extra pack given to the champion = 86 packs given.
A case is 144 packs - 86 packs given = 58 packs discrepancy.
So, it seems like the store just kept the rest (~2.4 boxes) for their own use even though this case was specifically provided by FFG for prizing support usage.
Judge not actively spectating the final round at all.
Itโs the final round and you can see the judge in the background. The judge was seated at that same spot for basically the entire duration of the final round (you can also see this in the above Kevinโs photo). In my (and some othersโ) mind, shouldnโt a judge be actively spectating, given that this is literally the last round of the event?
They didnโt prize out correctly.
So, they prized out to the Top 16 while the Top 4 immediately started their Top Cut rounds. I was #14, so after I got my Top 16 promo card and my packs, I didnโt think much of the prizing process. After Alyssa lost her first Top Cut round, they initially just gave her the Top 4 promo card. We had to ask them for the rest of her promo cards (Top 8 and Top 16) and the judge/employee had to go and ask for the rest of them.
I later saw this message made in the general Hawaii SWU Discord:
This shows how new the SWU scene is in Hawaii if the #5-8 players didnโt catch on that they were missing a promo card, and how the store seems to be only giving the highest ranking promo card to the players.
Minor - There were no deck checks done in the Top Cut.
As far as I know, there were two total (random) deck checks done (once each in Round 1 and Round 2), and thatโs it.
I know itโs not required, but itโs very common practice for such deck checks to be done for Top Cut (especially given this is just a Top Cut of 4 players).
Minor - Required Usage of Cascade Deck List Form.
When we first arrived at the venue, with our deck lists printed out via SWUDBโs `Deck Form`, we were told that we have to have our deck lists on the Cascadeโs Deck Form. No reason was given aside that it is the Judge/Cascade form ยฏ\_(ใ)_/ยฏ.
Alyssaโs Deck - Sabine ECL
Just Sabine doing standard Sabine things.
Matchups
Vs Palp1 Yellow 2-0
An uphill battle for them as Palp1. I usually have the most trouble against Palp1 Yellow, even back in Set 1 when I was playing Sabine Yellow. But I think my opponent just didnโt draw their answers.
Vs Bossk Green 2-0
Opponent had a little spice where they were able to play The Client which they pulled out with Bounty Hunterโs Quarry. Second game they made a miscalculation and thought they could kill my Darksaberโd Sabine leader with a Bossk leader ping + 4 damage from Bossk leader attack, but Sabine actually had one more health than they realized. Opponent originally had another ready unit on board, in which case they would have been able to kill Sabine and claim the double bounty, but I ambushed one of my units to kill that readied unit to prevent that.
Vs Palp1 Blue 2-0
Just another Palp1 vs Sabine matchup, tough matchup for opponent.
Vs Bossk Blue 0-2
I drew pretty terribly first game and wasnโt able to go wide to counter Power of the Dark Side. They played an Avenger and I scooped, but the game was already lost previous turns ago. Second game I drew better and got opponent to ~28 damage, but they were able to heal and turn it around.
Vs Sabine ECL 2-0
I was pretty dismayed to see the mirror match in round 5, because I needed to win this match to get a Top 4 spot. This was the first time Iโve played against a Sabine player that ran Generalโs Blade which they popped on their little Sabine Wren unit turn 2. That Generalโs Blade actually scared me quite a bit since I didnโt draw Disabling Fang Fighter to counter it. I was able to do a Rebel Assault plus a clutch top deck of Fleet Lieutenant to win the game. Second game, I just won because of better draws, as is usual in Sabine mirror matches. We played three more games for fun after, and opponent won all 3, so I just got lucky winning the games that mattered.
Top 4 match
Vs Yoda Green 1-2
This was against our fellow CBGโer that also traveled to Hawaii to play. Weโve practiced against each other quite a lot at our weekly locals and in PQ prep practice sessions. The other side of the bracket was the Bossk Blue deck we both lost to 0-2, and a Palp1 Yellow. If the Bossk Blue won, neither of us were confident in winning against them, but we both felt like we could do ok vs Palp1 Yellow. Whoever won between us, we just hoped that the Palp Yellow would win so one of us would have better chances of winning the whole thing.
Our games were pretty close, first game I got him to 29 damage before he was able to bring it back with his Luke Skywalker unit + Redemption + a lot of restore.
Second game, I won but it was really close, I triple For a Causeโd him, and I had been holding a Wrecker in my hand for several turns hoping to draw a Timely Intervention to secure the game. I top decked a Timely Intervention and was able to ambush Wrecker into a Village Protector to finish off the game. If I hadnโt drawn Timely that turn, he would have been able to start restoring.
Third game, once again got him to >25 damage before he started restoring. I again needed a For a Cause, or Timely Intervention to secure the game but didnโt draw what I needed.
Alyssaโs Overall Thoughts
It seems like control decks were pretty popular here. I was expecting to see more Sabines and Tarkintown decks, but 5/6 of my games were against midrange/control decks. I also observed that a lot of players here were new-ish to the game or didnโt play much, which makes sense considering the stateโs overall population and being separated byโฆ the ocean, even within the state. At least two players I played against learned how to play SWU the previous day/week, but had experience in other TCGs.
I was also somewhat expecting more people to travel from other states to play here, given that the low amount of players gives better chances of winning or at least getting promo cards. Other than the four of us who normally play at CBG and flew in from L.A., I think there were <3 other players who traveled from out of state. Thatโs still a pretty large percentage of out of state players, but I expected more.
Jerryโs Deck - Cad Tarkintown
I decided to bring a pretty standard list. I wasnโt sure what to expect of Hawaiiโs playerbase size and their meta, so I was expecting the standard meta of a lot of Sabines, midrange decks, and not a lot of hard control decks. Their meta was pretty diverse - at least a couple Sabines, two Bossks (Blue and Green), two Palp1s (Blue and Yellow), one Han1 Yellow, two Jango TT, etc.
Matchups
Vs Sabine ECL 2-0
Game1: they played For a Cause I Believe In on both Res3 and Res4 turn. On their flip turn, I played Now There Are Two Of Them into Bossk to kill their Sabine leader flip. I did a slight misplay in terms of playing my Jabba before deploying my leader, but I wasn't punished for it.
Game2: I played Now There Are Two Of Them into Zuckuss, which they eventually killed via ECL K-2SO.
Both games, I felt like I had total board control.
Vs Jango TT 0-2
Game1: I just got super overwhelmed by their aggro. They had some spice in the form of Sneak Attacking out a Set3 Count Dooku, while also exploiting their own Elite P-38 Starfighter.
Game2: I played Now There Are Two Of Them into Zuckuss. I think I later misplayed where instead of hitting base with it, I played a 4-LOM to kill their Crafty Smuggler. They Triple Dark Raid โ Elite P-38 Starfighter, tapping down my Zuckuss. It became a base race, I had lethal on board, but they had a Surprise Strike.
Once I lost this round, I was out of the running for Top 4, so thatโs a bit sad. Now Iโm striving for Top 8 / Top 16.
Vs Sabine ECL 2-0
Turn1: They played Battlefield Marine, I played Mercenary Gunship โ Cad Bane ping, they claimed, I Tarkintownโd it.
Turn2: They played Fleet Liuetenant. I attacked with Mercenary Gunship โ Ma Klounkeeโd, then replayed Mercenary Gunship.
Turn3: They flipped their Sabine leader, I 4-LOM + Cad Bane ping kill it.
Game2: They pinged. I passed. They claimed, though I think they may have missed their Turn1 play after their mulligan based on their vocal sounds. They played Sundari. I played Punishing One, pinged, then I Tarkintownโd it to setup for an easier killing later.
I forget if they attacked with their Sundari Peacekeeper first or played something first, but I later ended up with 2x Crafty Smugglers on the Res4 turn.
They played a Red Three.
On the Res5 turn, I killed it with Punishing One. They ECLโd Poe Dameron, attacking into a shielded Crafty Smuggler and killed Punishing One with its on-attack effect. I Now There Are Two Of Them Bossk, triggering Cad Bane ping first, they decided to put the damage on their healthy Sabine leader (I wasnโt expecting that), so I just killed their Sabine leader with Bossk.
Both games, I felt like I had total board control.
Vs Palp1 Yellow 0-2
Game1: I Now There Are Two Of Them into Zuckuss, but they No Good To Me Dead it and later double ramped and threatened to steal it. So, I Ma Klounkeeโd it back. I got them to like 25HP but couldn't end it. They Change of Heart my Ruthless Raider and had enough resources spared to Palp leader sacrifice it.
Game2: I missed my Turn1 play rip. I got them to like 27HP, but couldn't end it. I had 15dmg and they threatened lethal with their Devastator.
Vs Jango TT 0-2
Game1: I had initiative, I passed. They took initiative. Don't remember the rest.
Game2. They basically played two Ruthless Raiders back-to-back, one of which was Sneak Attackโd out. I dealt with the non-Sneak-Attackโd Ruthless Raider via Ma Klounkee and Tarkintown. But after that action phase, I had 23dmg on my base and they had initiative and showed the third Ruthless Raider after drawing our two cards.
In one of the games, they tried to TIE Advanced buff their Jango leader. I pointed out how Jango isnโt an Imperial and they went โOhhh.โ
Conclusion
Obviously, Iโm super proud that Alyssa performed well as she did. I was lowkey disappointed in my matchups as I played against two Jango TTs that pretty much counters my deck and a Palp1 deck where Iโm not too favorable against. The Sabine matchups felt very easy though.
Iโm a little disappointed in that I hella underperformed this PQ season. I felt most of my losses this PQ season were due to matchups and not due to a piloting issue. But thatโs variability, if I donโt want any RNG, Iโd go back to be playing Go ยฏ\_(ใ)_/ยฏ.
Iโm pretty SWUโd out for this set, hereโs to looking forward to Set 4 Jump to Lightspeed!
Very cool to read that you guys made it out to Hawai'i! Some of us San Diego locals were chatting about it but by the time we looked into it, it was only a week out and flights were looking rough.
I think it's a good thing that someone is calling out the not-so-great things about some of these stores, in particular prizing. I personally didn't attend the Chula Vista PQ because I have heard some negative things about the store, but chose not to openly state anything to avoid looking like I was trying to keep people away (or even shaming them) from playing in one of the two SoCal PQs. I think organized play will keep improving, and stores will hopefully improve their communication.
Thanks for the write-up!