It’s States and Provincials season! This means a bunch of events and I’m fortunate enough to get to go to 2 of them. The first one is Quebec and I was trying very hard to find a way to make travel there and back work so I could participate. I reached out to Jocelyn and asked if she wanted to do a spontaneous girls weekend road trip and she said yes! We met Saturday morning and made our way to Montreal with no issues. We got checked into the hotel and had ourselves a practice game. Saturday evening went a little strange on us, but it was an adventure. On our way to dinner we drove through the oddest side streets where most of the driveways and some of the walkways to the front doors were covered in these tents. I wish I had snapped a picture. Our first dinner area was a fail with zero parking and long lines everywhere so we searched elsewhere and found a delightful place in a hotel where we got cocktails, pizza and splurged on dessert. Of course we had to stop for bagels to bring back home before heading back to the hotel to wind down.
We had 13 players show up and it was decided to do 3 rounds of Swiss with a cut to top 8.
I went with the standard Darkseid team that’s been getting played this season with Zero and Remaker rings on him, Kazar with venom symbiote, Black Shirt Porter and Green Proteus. My maps were Major Brocks Bunker, Monster Island and Savage Land (I had Batcave initially and needed to change it due to the house rule). My terrain was the Mound and 2x Ice Patches. I went for the water to put in front of my back line so opposing Darkseids couldn’t just come and put barrier in front of them.
Round 1 was against Louis-Marc playing Colossus with Carter Shield, Jean Grey with Power Gem, Butterfly, Dormammu retal, 2x Saturnyne, one with Spin and Remaker, Jennifer Kale and Black Shirt Porter. He Butterflied into Murn. He decided to choose map (I can’t remember which it was). He positioned really well that I couldn’t get multiple targets off on his easy to hit figures, but I was able to get 2 pieces of terrain next to a Saturnyne, which took them both off the map right away. He came in for a retal and got Proteus with how he positioned. I took out Dormammu with my free zero marker and a sidestep then shot Jean to make her blow up with only his team in her range. He mind controlled Darkseid and I believed missed in the end. I took Jean and Murn out with barrier. He made his way over to my back line and took out Kazar and I had him down to only Colossus left when time got called, winning 315-64. 1-0.
Round 2 was with Kevin who played Arachknight with Power Gem, Colossus with Bucky’s Arm, Ghost Rider with Motorcycle on charge/senses, Venom Magneto, Madam Web with Web Shooters, Tarot and Black Shirt Porter. He put us on Wakanda 2×2. I moved Absorbing Man markers and passed. He decided to go all in on getting my Absorbing Man out and dumped a ton of attacks into him to take him out to get points. He almost did it on that first turn but I got a successful shape change on the last attack. I TK’d out Darkseid to surround Colossus in barrier and used Kazar to walk around him to take him right out. Arachknight finished off Absorbing Man his next turn. I did the same thing as I did to Colossus to Arachknight my next turn. He brought over Ghost Rider to my back line to try and get some of those points back there and takes out Proteus. I started picking off the support pieces with an attack, with Kazar now double tokened and had Zabu attack Ghost Rider who was right there. Don’t I get a crit hit with him and then roll 6 on blades. Wild! He heals up with regen. I pick off more support. He goes to attack with Ghost Rider and crit misses. I finish off Ghost Rider and win 400-135. 2-0.
Round 3 is against Dan in Darkseid vs Darkseid match, but he’s playing a different flavour of the team using Hope Summers with Spin and Spectral rings, Star Sapphire with pink ring and Brainiac with Liar ring. I win initiative and choose to go first. He puts us on Blitzkrieg Manhattan. I keep first turn immunity. He puts strategic barrier up so my options are limited on who I can shoot, but I take out Sapphire and Brainiac. He gets some damage off on my Darkseid. I’m able to take out Hope next and it was over fairly quickly from there when he rolled a 6 on his Darkseid revive and I win 400-135, him taking out Absorbing Man and Proteus. 3-0.
Top 8 my opponent is Yan. He played a team of Phoenix Wolverine with the black symbiote, Martain Manhunter and Tempo. As soon as I saw his team, I asked if he’d faced a Darkseid yet and he said he hadn’t and I apologized for what I was about to do to him. I won initiative and chose to go 1st. He put us on High Noon Saloon. He moved up about 1/3 of the way up the map. I was able to easily get 5 pieces of barrier around Phoenix Wolverine and put him on last click. He activated Martain Manhunter and charged in on my back row with the help of Tempo’s extra speed. I finished off Phoenix Wolverine with free zero and shot at Tempo to take her out. He missed his attack with MM and I was able to take out MM the next turn, winning 400-0. I’m grateful that he was a great sport and was just excited to have even made top 8 and he said he loved seeing the Darkseid in action first hand.
Top 4 is a rematch against Dan for another Darkseid vs Darkseid match. This time Dan puts us on Bloodstone Maze. He does a bunch of barrier so I am unable to get him. I start using a move action to break a whole bunch of terrain so he can’t barrier in so hard. He repositions to almost the middle of the map and I have a way to take out Sapphire, Brainiac and deal 2 to each Hope and Darkseid, so I take it, putting me at 40-0. He knows next turn I just need 1 square of barrier to finish off his Hope so he goes for Hail Mary of all shots. He’s got an 11 attack against my 21 defense (for shooting through hindering) and needing a 10. He rolls a 10. I prob with Darkseid. He rolls another 10. I community roll with Scott. He rolls another 10. Then he activates Spectral and rolls the 4-6 he needs to take away my Zero ring and we’re now 40-5. Then he comes over with Darkseid to put his free zero barrier down to take out Proteus, putting us at 40-15. I get my Absorbing Man out, but it’s too little too late and he’s not in a good position to help me. He gets his Absorbing Man out and he becomes mastermind fodder for Hope, making it near impossible for me to take her out. I do what I can to get as much damage in with everyone on my team, but it barely makes a dent. He takes out my Kazar and how it’s 40-65 and time gets called. Thinking of it after, I wish I had sidestepped my Black Shirt Porter in front of Kazar. If I do that and he takes out Porter instead, we’re then tied at 40-40 and it would have been a roll off. This was the wildest game ever. Dan said going into it that he knew he was likely losing again, like in Swiss, and if his Hail Mary hadn’t worked, that would have been accurate.
What a run! That ends my day, and I finish in 3rd. Dan went on to take the event, for his 2nd States/Provincials win this season. Congrats friend! I was excited to be able to draft the King Jefferson to complete my chases for the set and filled a hole in the collection with the SR Green Lantern and then drafted a SR that Jocelyn needed and traded her for a Tim Hunter legacy card. Here’s the hcunits link to the event, if you want to see everything that got played. Thanks Jocelyn for snapping pictures!
Ontario Provincials this weekend, so expect another tournament report soon!
Until next time, xoxo