Who is Ryan Jones?

Ryan Jones first began playing A Game of Thrones: The Card Game four years ago as a member of the rapidly-growing South California meta. Ryan played well at several major championships in the past, but always felt that he could do better. After a series of great performances in Regional Championships this year, Ryan claimed the Iron Throne at the 2013 FFG World Championship Weekend, leading his Holy-themed Greyjoy deck to victory and becoming the Overall World Champion, as well as the Melee World Champion.

• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Overall World Champion – 2013
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Melee World Champion – 2013
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game World Championship Joust 7th – 2013
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Oceanside Regional Champion – 2013
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Pasadena Regional Championships Top 8 – 2013
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Phoenix Regional Championships 5th – 2013
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game World Melee Championships 8th – 2012
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game North American Joust Championships 17th – 2012

In His Own Words:

I live in San Diego with my amazing, supportive wife Erin and our two Vizsla puppies. I've been a Software QA Tester for Sony for about four years, and I love my job. I work primarily on the PS3, PS4, and PSVita systems on games like Uncharted 3, LittleBigPlanet, and MLB The Show. Gaming takes up much of my free time as well; I play LCGs every Monday at our FLGS Game Empire, host a board game night at my house on Thursdays, and occasionally play heavier games like Battlestar Galactica or Through the Ages on the weekend. A Game of Thrones: The Card Game is truly the best game I've ever played, and I get to play with one of the best groups of people I've ever met. 

On the 2013 World Melee Championship:

At the final table in Melee, I had a very slow start. My slow start combined with Kyle's near win on the first turn, made me a non-threat for several turns. In Joust, slow starts can lose you the game, but I almost prefer them in Melee, as it takes the heat off of you. For the first few turns, I just made a throw-away challenge to get my draw from Longship Iron Victory, then passed.

One of my most important choices happened on the first plot of the game. Chad chose me for Summoning Season, and I grabbed Moqorro over my heavy-hitters. Asha or Victarion would have let me push hard early, but I was able to keep my small board alive with Moqorro, and he eventually won me the game when Bruno burnt the whole board on the last turn. As Moqorro was being discarded by the Thundering Calvary, Moqorro saved Asha from the same fate, preserving the two power on her while enabling her to later grab two more with Renown to win the game.

On House Greyjoy:

I don't usually stick to one faction in Joust, but I rarely steer away from Greyjoy in Melee. I love their ability to survive and fly under the radar until the last minute, using unopposed bonuses or non-kneeling to steal a win.

Preparing for Tournaments:

The San Diego meta meets once a week at our FLGS Game Empire to play most of the LCGs, but once regional season starts the focus is heavily on A Game of Thrones. We also occasionally meet on weekends leading up to big events for all-day testing sessions. During this year's Regional Championships season, I often tested with my buddy James Speck, who made the Top 16 in Joust at Worlds this year. I'll also bug John Bruno for advice as well, since someone told me he was decent at the game. 

Ryan Jones's 2013 Melee World Champion Deck

House: Greyjoy
Agenda: House of Dreams
Restricted Card: Asha Greyjoy

Plots (7): Focused Offense, King’s Landing Coup, Many Powers Long Asleep, The Power of Faith (x2), Take Them by Surprise, Valar Morghulis

Characters (29): Aeron Damphair (x3), Alannys Greyjoy, Asha Greyjoy (x3), Damphair’s Drowned (x3), Drowned Disciple (x3), High Septon, Maester Kerwin, Maester Wendamyr, Moqorro (x2), Priest of the Drowned God (x2), Stowaway (x3), Tarle the Thrice-Drowned, The Reader, Thoros of Myr, Victarion Greyjoy (x3)

Locations (19): Bay of Ice (x3), Bloody Keep (x2), Longship Iron Victory, River Row, Shadowblack Lane, Street of Silk, Street of Sisters, Sunset Sea (x3), The Iron Cliffs (x3), The Iron Mines (x3)

Attachments (4): Kraken Tattoo (x3), Longclaw

Events (10): Confession (x2), Distinct Mastery (x3), Risen from the Sea (x2), To Be a Kraken (x3) 

Who is Ryan Jones?

Ryan Jones first began playing A Game of Thrones: The Card Game four years ago as a member of the rapidly-growing South California meta. Ryan played well at several major championships in the past, but always felt that he could do better. After a series of great performances in Regional Championships this year, Ryan claimed the Iron Throne at the 2013 FFG World Championship Weekend, leading his Holy-themed Greyjoy deck to victory and becoming the Overall World Champion, as well as the Melee World Champion.

• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Overall World Champion – 2013
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Melee World Champion – 2013
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game World Championship Joust 7th – 2013
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Oceanside Regional Champion – 2013
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Pasadena Regional Championships Top 8 – 2013
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Phoenix Regional Championships 5th – 2013
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game World Melee Championships 8th – 2012
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game North American Joust Championships 17th – 2012

In His Own Words:

I live in San Diego with my amazing, supportive wife Erin and our two Vizsla puppies. I've been a Software QA Tester for Sony for about four years, and I love my job. I work primarily on the PS3, PS4, and PSVita systems on games like Uncharted 3, LittleBigPlanet, and MLB The Show. Gaming takes up much of my free time as well; I play LCGs every Monday at our FLGS Game Empire, host a board game night at my house on Thursdays, and occasionally play heavier games like Battlestar Galactica or Through the Ages on the weekend. A Game of Thrones: The Card Game is truly the best game I've ever played, and I get to play with one of the best groups of people I've ever met. 

On the 2013 World Melee Championship:

At the final table in Melee, I had a very slow start. My slow start combined with Kyle's near win on the first turn, made me a non-threat for several turns. In Joust, slow starts can lose you the game, but I almost prefer them in Melee, as it takes the heat off of you. For the first few turns, I just made a throw-away challenge to get my draw from Longship Iron Victory, then passed.

One of my most important choices happened on the first plot of the game. Chad chose me for Summoning Season, and I grabbed Moqorro over my heavy-hitters. Asha or Victarion would have let me push hard early, but I was able to keep my small board alive with Moqorro, and he eventually won me the game when Bruno burnt the whole board on the last turn. As Moqorro was being discarded by the Thundering Calvary, Moqorro saved Asha from the same fate, preserving the two power on her while enabling her to later grab two more with Renown to win the game.

On House Greyjoy:

I don't usually stick to one faction in Joust, but I rarely steer away from Greyjoy in Melee. I love their ability to survive and fly under the radar until the last minute, using unopposed bonuses or non-kneeling to steal a win.

Preparing for Tournaments:

The San Diego meta meets once a week at our FLGS Game Empire to play most of the LCGs, but once regional season starts the focus is heavily on A Game of Thrones. We also occasionally meet on weekends leading up to big events for all-day testing sessions. During this year's Regional Championships season, I often tested with my buddy James Speck, who made the Top 16 in Joust at Worlds this year. I'll also bug John Bruno for advice as well, since someone told me he was decent at the game. 

Ryan Jones's 2013 Melee World Champion Deck

House: Greyjoy
Agenda: House of Dreams
Restricted Card: Asha Greyjoy

Plots (7): Focused Offense, King’s Landing Coup, Many Powers Long Asleep, The Power of Faith (x2), Take Them by Surprise, Valar Morghulis

Characters (29): Aeron Damphair (x3), Alannys Greyjoy, Asha Greyjoy (x3), Damphair’s Drowned (x3), Drowned Disciple (x3), High Septon, Maester Kerwin, Maester Wendamyr, Moqorro (x2), Priest of the Drowned God (x2), Stowaway (x3), Tarle the Thrice-Drowned, The Reader, Thoros of Myr, Victarion Greyjoy (x3)

Locations (19): Bay of Ice (x3), Bloody Keep (x2), Longship Iron Victory, River Row, Shadowblack Lane, Street of Silk, Street of Sisters, Sunset Sea (x3), The Iron Cliffs (x3), The Iron Mines (x3)

Attachments (4): Kraken Tattoo (x3), Longclaw

Events (10): Confession (x2), Distinct Mastery (x3), Risen from the Sea (x2), To Be a Kraken (x3) 

Who is Álvaro Rodriguez? 

Álvaro Rodriguez has been playing A Game of Thrones: The Card Game since the beginning of the LCG format. At the time, he was reading A Storm of Swords in A Song of Ice and Fire, and as soon as a friend mentioned the game, his first question was: “Can I play Lannister?” Since, then Álvaro has been a very active player, playing tournaments every week and traveling to any international tournament he has the possibility to attend. In 2013, he led House Lannister to victory in the Joust at the 2013 A Game of Thrones: The Card Game World Championships.

• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game World Joust Champion – 2013
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game European Championship Top 8 – 2013
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Spanish National Champion– 2013
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Madrid Metropolis Regional Champion – 2013
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game II Tournament Ciudad de Zaragoza Top 8 – 2013
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Pamplona Tournament Champion – 2012
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game European Championship 3rd – 2011
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Spanish National Championships 6th – 2011
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Italian National Championship 2nd – 2011
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Guardia de la Noche Tournament Top 8 – 2011
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game European Championship 3rd – 2010
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Spanish National Champion –2010
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Winter is Coming Tournament 4th – 2009

In His Own Words:

I was born in 1986 in Madrid, Spain, the city where I still live. I have a History degree from the university, and I work as a teacher in a school, but my dream job would be designing games! I very much enjoy travelling, archeology and trying food from all over the world. I am a board game enthusiast, and I’m especially in love with Battlestar Galactica. I am known as “Aioria” in the A Game of Thrones community, where I am a very active player. Some friends and I run the biggest Spanish A Game of Thrones community forum, as well as Casterly Rock, a website about the game. I am also an organizer of one of the biggest AGoT European Tournaments, Battle for the Wall. A Game of Thrones: The Card Game was my very first LCG game, and, truly, the only one that matters.

On the 2013 World Joust Championship:

The final match was a game where I bet everything on an initial good hand. I had a setup of just three cards, but I decided to risk it and keep my hand, since I had the cards that I needed: Pentoshi Manor, The Iron Throne, and A House Divided. My strategy was to systematically control Steven’s naval enhancements to prevent him from accessing his Hold. I played defensively for the first turns until I managed to control the table and impose my own playing pace. I enjoyed the final very much with everyone around us watching. And Steven was an outstanding opponent!

On House Lannister:

I’ve always had an immense love for the lions. In my opinion they’re the best characters of the saga. They might not be the characters with the weight of the story on their shoulders, but for me they are undoubtedly the engine of the story. They are the “spice” of the novels, and the most human characters in the sense that they are full of different faces and edges. It’s a matter of personal taste, but I also love the style of playing that they represent in A Game of Thrones: The Card Game. I have always been a control player: I like to manage the game and the situation with a good strategy until I can give the final blow!

Preparing for Tournaments:

I just play. All I can. But I don’t just do that when I’m going to a big event; A Game of Thrones is a big part of my life as my main hobby, and I play it whenever I can just for fun. I love the game, and I very much enjoy playing. I don’t give a lot of importance to exhaustive preparation, I just try to play a flexible, comfortable deck that can defend itself in any situation. For me, having fun while playing is essential in order to win: when you have fun, you give more in every game. That’s the only way you can give your best.

Álvaro Rodriguez's 2013 Joust World Champion Deck

House: Lannister
Agenda: None
Restricted Card: Castellan of the Rock

Plots (7): A City Besieged, Cersei’s Scheme, City of Lies, City of Sin, City of Soldiers, City of Spiders, Valar Morghulis

Characters (34): Arbor Guardsman (x3), Carrion Bird (x2), Castellan of the Rock (x3), Cersei Lannister, Enemy Informer (x3), House Clegane Brigands (x2), Lannisport Moneylender (x3), Lannisport Weaponsmith (x2), Margaery Tyrell, Qyburn, Ser Arys Oakheart, Ser Boros Blount, Ser Lancel Lannister, Ser Jaime Lannister, Ser Mandon Moore, Ser Meryn Trant, Ser Preston Greenfield, The Hound, Tommen Baratheon (x2), Tyrion Lannister, Tywin Lannister, Varys

Locations (22): Golden Tooth Mines (x3), Kingdom of Shadows (x2), King’s Landing Lannisport Brothel, Pentoshi Manor (x3), River Row, Shadowblack Lane, Street of Steel, Sunset Sea (x2), The Goldroad (x3), The Iron Throne (x2), The Roseroad (x2)

Attachments (2): Enslaved, Widow’s Wail

Events (5): A House Divided (x2), Condemned by the Council (x3)

Who is Álvaro Rodriguez? 

Álvaro Rodriguez has been playing A Game of Thrones: The Card Game since the beginning of the LCG format. At the time, he was reading A Storm of Swords in A Song of Ice and Fire, and as soon as a friend mentioned the game, his first question was: “Can I play Lannister?” Since, then Álvaro has been a very active player, playing tournaments every week and traveling to any international tournament he has the possibility to attend. In 2013, he led House Lannister to victory in the Joust at the 2013 A Game of Thrones: The Card Game World Championships.

• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game World Joust Champion – 2013
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game European Championship Top 8 – 2013
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Spanish National Champion– 2013
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Madrid Metropolis Regional Champion – 2013
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game II Tournament Ciudad de Zaragoza Top 8 – 2013
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Pamplona Tournament Champion – 2012
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game European Championship 3rd – 2011
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Spanish National Championships 6th – 2011
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Italian National Championship 2nd – 2011
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Guardia de la Noche Tournament Top 8 – 2011
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game European Championship 3rd – 2010
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Spanish National Champion –2010
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Winter is Coming Tournament 4th – 2009

In His Own Words:

I was born in 1986 in Madrid, Spain, the city where I still live. I have a History degree from the university, and I work as a teacher in a school, but my dream job would be designing games! I very much enjoy travelling, archeology and trying food from all over the world. I am a board game enthusiast, and I’m especially in love with Battlestar Galactica. I am known as “Aioria” in the A Game of Thrones community, where I am a very active player. Some friends and I run the biggest Spanish A Game of Thrones community forum, as well as Casterly Rock, a website about the game. I am also an organizer of one of the biggest AGoT European Tournaments, Battle for the Wall. A Game of Thrones: The Card Game was my very first LCG game, and, truly, the only one that matters.

On the 2013 World Joust Championship:

The final match was a game where I bet everything on an initial good hand. I had a setup of just three cards, but I decided to risk it and keep my hand, since I had the cards that I needed: Pentoshi Manor, The Iron Throne, and A House Divided. My strategy was to systematically control Steven’s naval enhancements to prevent him from accessing his Hold. I played defensively for the first turns until I managed to control the table and impose my own playing pace. I enjoyed the final very much with everyone around us watching. And Steven was an outstanding opponent!

On House Lannister:

I’ve always had an immense love for the lions. In my opinion they’re the best characters of the saga. They might not be the characters with the weight of the story on their shoulders, but for me they are undoubtedly the engine of the story. They are the “spice” of the novels, and the most human characters in the sense that they are full of different faces and edges. It’s a matter of personal taste, but I also love the style of playing that they represent in A Game of Thrones: The Card Game. I have always been a control player: I like to manage the game and the situation with a good strategy until I can give the final blow!

Preparing for Tournaments:

I just play. All I can. But I don’t just do that when I’m going to a big event; A Game of Thrones is a big part of my life as my main hobby, and I play it whenever I can just for fun. I love the game, and I very much enjoy playing. I don’t give a lot of importance to exhaustive preparation, I just try to play a flexible, comfortable deck that can defend itself in any situation. For me, having fun while playing is essential in order to win: when you have fun, you give more in every game. That’s the only way you can give your best.

Álvaro Rodriguez's 2013 Joust World Champion Deck

House: Lannister
Agenda: None
Restricted Card: Castellan of the Rock

Plots (7): A City Besieged, Cersei’s Scheme, City of Lies, City of Sin, City of Soldiers, City of Spiders, Valar Morghulis

Characters (34): Arbor Guardsman (x3), Carrion Bird (x2), Castellan of the Rock (x3), Cersei Lannister, Enemy Informer (x3), House Clegane Brigands (x2), Lannisport Moneylender (x3), Lannisport Weaponsmith (x2), Margaery Tyrell, Qyburn, Ser Arys Oakheart, Ser Boros Blount, Ser Lancel Lannister, Ser Jaime Lannister, Ser Mandon Moore, Ser Meryn Trant, Ser Preston Greenfield, The Hound, Tommen Baratheon (x2), Tyrion Lannister, Tywin Lannister, Varys

Locations (22): Golden Tooth Mines (x3), Kingdom of Shadows (x2), King’s Landing Lannisport Brothel, Pentoshi Manor (x3), River Row, Shadowblack Lane, Street of Steel, Sunset Sea (x2), The Goldroad (x3), The Iron Throne (x2), The Roseroad (x2)

Attachments (2): Enslaved, Widow’s Wail

Events (5): A House Divided (x2), Condemned by the Council (x3)

Who is Steven Simoni?

Steve Simoni began playing A Game of Thrones: The Card Game on August 24th, 2012, just a few months before his first big tournament at the 2012 World Championships, where he took his Stark deck into the Top 16 in Melee and the Top 8 in Joust. Since then, he’s continued to play and test his decks, claiming first place at the North Carolina Regional Championships before moving on to the North American Championships at Gen Con Indy, where his excellent performance in Melee and Joust netted him the title of Melee Champion, and Overall Champion as well.

• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game North American Overall Champion – 2013
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game North American Melee Champion – 2013
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game North American Championships 2nd Joust – 2013
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game North Carolina Regional 1st – 2013
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Top 8 Worlds Joust – 2012
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Top 16 Worlds Melee – 2012
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Baltimore Top 8 

In His Own Words:

I am 26 years old and a former Naval Officer in the US Navy. I enjoy competition in all forms, from A Game of Thrones: The Card Game to playing pickup sports at the park. I have an older brother, Paul, and an older sister, Stephanie, whom I love deeply. I recently moved to San Francisco to work at a tech company. My favorite books are A Confederacy of Dunces, The Name of the Wind, Atlas Shrugged, and I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell (just kidding, kinda). I love hanging out and talking about the cosmos with friends, or just stargazing.  

I am a part of the DC meta, which means I don't always play this game for fun. I play to win. In fact, anything I play is usually to win, because winning is fun. Even in San Francisco, I will be representing DC's banner.  

On the 2013 North American Championship:

Definitely the highlight for me was playing in the Joust Top 16. It’s great when you make the cut–games become more cutthroat and intense and I really enjoy that. The Top 4 match versus Chris Schoenthal from the South California meta was the most intense match I had all day. We both made some mistakes and missed some triggers, but overall it was a great game. My goal in every tournament is to make the cut–from there anything can happen. My least favorite thing about the championship was playing in all the mirror matches of Quentyn (Valar Dohaeris 30) v. Quentyn. That deck was not meant to play against itself.

On House Stark:

My favorite faction is definitely Stark–I love the Direwolves and Meera Reed (Tourney for the Hand 2) and the winter theme. I just wish they had more card draw opportunities! Also, Stark was the first house I played in my first big tournament at the World Championships in 2012.

Preparing for Tournaments:

To prep for high level events I build what I believe to be the best two or three decks out of every House and then I play them against each other. Many times I just play myself on the kitchen table. I was fortunate enough to be in Washington DC where I can practice against some of the best players in the game–Erick Butzlaff and Corey Faherty. I try to get in as many games with those guys as possible. I select a deck that had a high win percentage against the other decks and then I practice that as many times as I can in preparation for the tournament. 

Steve Simoni's 2013 North American Melee Champion Deck

House: Stark
Agenda: Siege of Winterfell
Restricted Card: Northern Cavalry Flank

Plots (7): Building Season, Counting Favors, Forgotten Plans, Fortified Position, The Power of Blood, Summoning Season, Take Them By Surprise

Characters (34): Bolton Refugee (x3), Carrion Bird (x3), Direwolf Pup (x3), Fanatical Follower (x2), Free Man (x3), Hodor (x2), Hungry Mob (x3), Northern Cavalry Flank (x3), Reek (x2), Ser Jaime Lannister (Lions of the Rock 5) (x3), Shaggydog, Syrio Forel (x3), Vale Refugee (x3).

Locations (12): Flea Bottom (x3), Narrow Sea (x3), Ocean Road, Shadowblack Lane, Street of Silk, Street of Sisters, Street of Steel, Twilight Market.

Attachments (0): None.

Events (15): Battle of the Bay (x3), Battle of the Ruby Ford (x3), Battle for the Shield Islands (x3), The Battle of the Whispering Wood (x3), War of the Five Kings (x3).

Who is Steven Simoni?

Steve Simoni began playing A Game of Thrones: The Card Game on August 24th, 2012, just a few months before his first big tournament at the 2012 World Championships, where he took his Stark deck into the Top 16 in Melee and the Top 8 in Joust. Since then, he’s continued to play and test his decks, claiming first place at the North Carolina Regional Championships before moving on to the North American Championships at Gen Con Indy, where his excellent performance in Melee and Joust netted him the title of Melee Champion, and Overall Champion as well.

• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game North American Overall Champion – 2013
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game North American Melee Champion – 2013
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game North American Championships 2nd Joust – 2013
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game North Carolina Regional 1st – 2013
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Top 8 Worlds Joust – 2012
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Top 16 Worlds Melee – 2012
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Baltimore Top 8 

In His Own Words:

I am 26 years old and a former Naval Officer in the US Navy. I enjoy competition in all forms, from A Game of Thrones: The Card Game to playing pickup sports at the park. I have an older brother, Paul, and an older sister, Stephanie, whom I love deeply. I recently moved to San Francisco to work at a tech company. My favorite books are A Confederacy of Dunces, The Name of the Wind, Atlas Shrugged, and I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell (just kidding, kinda). I love hanging out and talking about the cosmos with friends, or just stargazing.  

I am a part of the DC meta, which means I don't always play this game for fun. I play to win. In fact, anything I play is usually to win, because winning is fun. Even in San Francisco, I will be representing DC's banner.  

On the 2013 North American Championship:

Definitely the highlight for me was playing in the Joust Top 16. It’s great when you make the cut–games become more cutthroat and intense and I really enjoy that. The Top 4 match versus Chris Schoenthal from the South California meta was the most intense match I had all day. We both made some mistakes and missed some triggers, but overall it was a great game. My goal in every tournament is to make the cut–from there anything can happen. My least favorite thing about the championship was playing in all the mirror matches of Quentyn (Valar Dohaeris 30) v. Quentyn. That deck was not meant to play against itself.

On House Stark:

My favorite faction is definitely Stark–I love the Direwolves and Meera Reed (Tourney for the Hand 2) and the winter theme. I just wish they had more card draw opportunities! Also, Stark was the first house I played in my first big tournament at the World Championships in 2012.

Preparing for Tournaments:

To prep for high level events I build what I believe to be the best two or three decks out of every House and then I play them against each other. Many times I just play myself on the kitchen table. I was fortunate enough to be in Washington DC where I can practice against some of the best players in the game–Erick Butzlaff and Corey Faherty. I try to get in as many games with those guys as possible. I select a deck that had a high win percentage against the other decks and then I practice that as many times as I can in preparation for the tournament. 

Steve Simoni's 2013 North American Melee Champion Deck

House: Stark
Agenda: Siege of Winterfell
Restricted Card: Northern Cavalry Flank

Plots (7): Building Season, Counting Favors, Forgotten Plans, Fortified Position, The Power of Blood, Summoning Season, Take Them By Surprise

Characters (34): Bolton Refugee (x3), Carrion Bird (x3), Direwolf Pup (x3), Fanatical Follower (x2), Free Man (x3), Hodor (x2), Hungry Mob (x3), Northern Cavalry Flank (x3), Reek (x2), Ser Jaime Lannister (Lions of the Rock 5) (x3), Shaggydog, Syrio Forel (x3), Vale Refugee (x3).

Locations (12): Flea Bottom (x3), Narrow Sea (x3), Ocean Road, Shadowblack Lane, Street of Silk, Street of Sisters, Street of Steel, Twilight Market.

Attachments (0): None.

Events (15): Battle of the Bay (x3), Battle of the Ruby Ford (x3), Battle for the Shield Islands (x3), The Battle of the Whispering Wood (x3), War of the Five Kings (x3).

Australian National Champion Colin Liang (right), with runner-up.

Who is Colin Liang? 

Colin Liang first began playing A Game of Thrones: The Card Game in October of 2011, when a friend needed a distraction. Despite not playing many card games before, he seized onto A Game of Thrones, and hasn’t let go since. After placing in several Regional Championships, Colin decided to take part in the Australian National Championships. Colin led House Martell to victory in Australia, taking 7th place in the Melee, and 1st place in the Joust, guaranteeing him a place of honor in the Hall of Heroes!

• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Australian National Joust Champion – 2013
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Australian National Championships 7th Melee – 2013
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Miranda Regional Champion – 2013 
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Town Hall Regional Championships 4th – 2013
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Sydney Regional Championships 3rd – 2012 

In His Own Words:

My name is Colin Liang, I’m 23 years old, and I’m not a card game player.

Or, I wasn’t until recently.

Two years ago, I got my start playing A Game of Thrones: The Card Game, when a friend of mine, recovering from a tough break-up and in need of a distraction, sent me a text message—“Dude, did you know there’s a card game for A Game of Thrones?!”

It was unusual of me to agree. You see, I was never really a table-top gamer. Never played D&D, no board games, and the only card game I dabbled in was Yu-Gi-Oh, and that just because it was the ‘hot show’ at school.

But I loved the Game of Thrones novels, and Yu-Gi-Oh did serve to whet an appetite for card games that went unfulfilled. So I tried it.

And loved it. Before I knew it, I was competing in leagues and tournaments, and I haven’t stopped playing since. I haven’t got a favourite House. I enjoy playing all Houses and Agendas (except for the White Book).

Outside of the game, I live in Sydney, Australia, where I work at a digital marketing firm. I’m the former world record holder for a couple of obscure iPhone games that nobody plays (Monster Magic and Jump Pack), and enjoy eating cereal for dinner.

On Preparing for Tournaments:

For me, this basically starts with picking three top tier decks and then testing each of them over a month or so. I’m an iterative deck-builder, so I’ll play and refine, play and refine, play and refine (mostly online or at my local league nights). Sometimes I’ll spend over an hour agonising over a single card choice.

However, it’s rare for me to play a deck simply because it’s the best, or choose not to play one because it has bad match-ups. I like to bring a deck that’s great, that can win in the right circumstances, that’s fun, and that I’m comfortable playing. That’s the sweet spot. Once I find such a deck, even if it is weak against other top builds, I’ll bring it anyway and back myself to win. While I do work a bit on my deck’s obvious weaknesses, I don’t worry too much about it.

Due to the nature of random chance, I may only run into players and decks against which I have a good chance anyway. Luck often plays its part in winning championships. The only variable I can control is the way I play. So I just choose to believe that I’ll be a good enough player to win in those bad match-ups if I get paired up against them.

Then the morning of the tournament, I listen to the Rocky theme music. ‘Cause Rocky is awesome. Yo, Adrian, I did it!

On the A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Australian National Championship:

Where to start? Instead of writing highlights, I’ll just give some acknowledgements:

Mikey gave me one of my toughest games. He almost sent me home early during the Top 8 game when he rushed out to 14 power with his Baratheon Knights. On his side of the board was Melisandre, the shadows version of Knight of Flowers, Stannis, double-renown Robert, and the Viper’s Bannerman (which he stole from me with Seductive Promise). It was scary stuff. But a well-timed Valar Morghulis and three straight turns of Ghaston Grey abuse gave me enough time to build a winning board position.

Once I made it to the final match, I couldn’t have been happier to play against Greg; he’s a great player and friend.

Kieran was a great Tournament Organizer and ran the tournament without a hitch. We all know he would’ve rather played. Thanks for putting up with us, Kieran!

Finally, to all my opponents of the day: Josh, Steve, Nathan M, Ben, Nathan R, Mikey, and Greg. The Australian A Game of Thrones: The Card Game community is amazing. For such a diverse group of highly competitive players, it’s shocking to me how well we all get along. Even if I wasn’t playing A Game of Thrones, I would hang out with any of them. They’re a great bunch of guys.

The best part of the championship, though, would be during that last marshalling phase against Greg, when I knew I was going to be National Champion.

Colin Liang's 2013 A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Champion Deck – Joust

House: Martell
Agenda: None
Restricted Card: The Viper's Bannermen

Plots (7): Calm Before the Storm, Manning the City Walls, Men of Pride, The Power of Blood (x2), Shadows and Spiders, Valar Morghulis

Characters (34): Arianne Martell (x2), The Bastard of Godsgrace, Carrion Bird, Doran Martell, Dornish Paramour (x2), Edric Dayne, Ellaria Sand, Greenblood Merchant (x3), Host of the Boneway, House Messenger (x3), Lost Spearman (x3), Maester of Lemonwood, Myrcella Lannister, Quentyn Martell (x3), The Red Viper (Princes of the Sun) (x3), Ser Archibald Yronwood, Ser Arys Oakheart, Ser Cletus Yronwood, Ser Gerris Drinkwater, The Viper’s Bannermen (x3)

Events (11): Choosing the Spear (x3), Condemned by the Council, The Hand’s Judgement (x2), He Calls It Thinking (x3), Nightmares (x2)

Locations (17): Flea Bottom, Ghaston Grey (x2), Lost Oasis (x2), Palace Fountains, River Row, Shadowblack Lane, Street of Silk, Street of Sisters, Street of Steel, Summer Sea (x3), Water Garden (x3)

Attachments (1): Oberyn’s Guile 

Australian National Champion Colin Liang (right), with runner-up.

Who is Colin Liang? 

Colin Liang first began playing A Game of Thrones: The Card Game in October of 2011, when a friend needed a distraction. Despite not playing many card games before, he seized onto A Game of Thrones, and hasn’t let go since. After placing in several Regional Championships, Colin decided to take part in the Australian National Championships. Colin led House Martell to victory in Australia, taking 7th place in the Melee, and 1st place in the Joust, guaranteeing him a place of honor in the Hall of Heroes!

• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Australian National Joust Champion – 2013
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Australian National Championships 7th Melee – 2013
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Miranda Regional Champion – 2013 
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Town Hall Regional Championships 4th – 2013
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Sydney Regional Championships 3rd – 2012 

In His Own Words:

My name is Colin Liang, I’m 23 years old, and I’m not a card game player.

Or, I wasn’t until recently.

Two years ago, I got my start playing A Game of Thrones: The Card Game, when a friend of mine, recovering from a tough break-up and in need of a distraction, sent me a text message—“Dude, did you know there’s a card game for A Game of Thrones?!”

It was unusual of me to agree. You see, I was never really a table-top gamer. Never played D&D, no board games, and the only card game I dabbled in was Yu-Gi-Oh, and that just because it was the ‘hot show’ at school.

But I loved the Game of Thrones novels, and Yu-Gi-Oh did serve to whet an appetite for card games that went unfulfilled. So I tried it.

And loved it. Before I knew it, I was competing in leagues and tournaments, and I haven’t stopped playing since. I haven’t got a favourite House. I enjoy playing all Houses and Agendas (except for the White Book).

Outside of the game, I live in Sydney, Australia, where I work at a digital marketing firm. I’m the former world record holder for a couple of obscure iPhone games that nobody plays (Monster Magic and Jump Pack), and enjoy eating cereal for dinner.

On Preparing for Tournaments:

For me, this basically starts with picking three top tier decks and then testing each of them over a month or so. I’m an iterative deck-builder, so I’ll play and refine, play and refine, play and refine (mostly online or at my local league nights). Sometimes I’ll spend over an hour agonising over a single card choice.

However, it’s rare for me to play a deck simply because it’s the best, or choose not to play one because it has bad match-ups. I like to bring a deck that’s great, that can win in the right circumstances, that’s fun, and that I’m comfortable playing. That’s the sweet spot. Once I find such a deck, even if it is weak against other top builds, I’ll bring it anyway and back myself to win. While I do work a bit on my deck’s obvious weaknesses, I don’t worry too much about it.

Due to the nature of random chance, I may only run into players and decks against which I have a good chance anyway. Luck often plays its part in winning championships. The only variable I can control is the way I play. So I just choose to believe that I’ll be a good enough player to win in those bad match-ups if I get paired up against them.

Then the morning of the tournament, I listen to the Rocky theme music. ‘Cause Rocky is awesome. Yo, Adrian, I did it!

On the A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Australian National Championship:

Where to start? Instead of writing highlights, I’ll just give some acknowledgements:

Mikey gave me one of my toughest games. He almost sent me home early during the Top 8 game when he rushed out to 14 power with his Baratheon Knights. On his side of the board was Melisandre, the shadows version of Knight of Flowers, Stannis, double-renown Robert, and the Viper’s Bannerman (which he stole from me with Seductive Promise). It was scary stuff. But a well-timed Valar Morghulis and three straight turns of Ghaston Grey abuse gave me enough time to build a winning board position.

Once I made it to the final match, I couldn’t have been happier to play against Greg; he’s a great player and friend.

Kieran was a great Tournament Organizer and ran the tournament without a hitch. We all know he would’ve rather played. Thanks for putting up with us, Kieran!

Finally, to all my opponents of the day: Josh, Steve, Nathan M, Ben, Nathan R, Mikey, and Greg. The Australian A Game of Thrones: The Card Game community is amazing. For such a diverse group of highly competitive players, it’s shocking to me how well we all get along. Even if I wasn’t playing A Game of Thrones, I would hang out with any of them. They’re a great bunch of guys.

The best part of the championship, though, would be during that last marshalling phase against Greg, when I knew I was going to be National Champion.

Colin Liang's 2013 A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Champion Deck – Joust

House: Martell
Agenda: None
Restricted Card: The Viper's Bannermen

Plots (7): Calm Before the Storm, Manning the City Walls, Men of Pride, The Power of Blood (x2), Shadows and Spiders, Valar Morghulis

Characters (34): Arianne Martell (x2), The Bastard of Godsgrace, Carrion Bird, Doran Martell, Dornish Paramour (x2), Edric Dayne, Ellaria Sand, Greenblood Merchant (x3), Host of the Boneway, House Messenger (x3), Lost Spearman (x3), Maester of Lemonwood, Myrcella Lannister, Quentyn Martell (x3), The Red Viper (Princes of the Sun) (x3), Ser Archibald Yronwood, Ser Arys Oakheart, Ser Cletus Yronwood, Ser Gerris Drinkwater, The Viper’s Bannermen (x3)

Events (11): Choosing the Spear (x3), Condemned by the Council, The Hand’s Judgement (x2), He Calls It Thinking (x3), Nightmares (x2)

Locations (17): Flea Bottom, Ghaston Grey (x2), Lost Oasis (x2), Palace Fountains, River Row, Shadowblack Lane, Street of Silk, Street of Sisters, Street of Steel, Summer Sea (x3), Water Garden (x3)

Attachments (1): Oberyn’s Guile 

Who is Biao Yu?

Biao Yu is the 2013 A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Chinese National Champion. He first started playing in August 2012 and has quickly earned a place among the elite of the Chinese A Game of Thrones: The Card Game community, where he is also known by his nickname, “K.”

• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Chinese National Champion – 2013
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Chinese National Championship, Top 16 – 2012

In His Own Words:

I was born in Jiangsu province, but now live in Shanghai. I'm an IT engineer, and I like video games. I first learned about A Game of Thrones from the HBO television program. I was attracted by the story. Then I searched the internet and learned there is an A Game of Thrones Living Card Game®. I found that it was a big LCG game, and I made a decision to try it. After several times playing, I fell in love with the game, and I have since come to know a lot of good friends because of A Game of Thrones: The Card Game. Now, I often play A Game of Thrones and Android: Netrunner with my friends in my spare time. Thanks for the good game, FFG, it makes my life more beautiful!

  From left to right: Runner-up YiMeng, Biao Yu, and Eric (3rd place)

On the 2013 Chinese National Championship Finals:

My opponent played a House Greyjoy “choke” deck, using their winter-based strategies to reduce my gold income and using To Be a Kraken (Sacred Bonds, 47) to cancel all kinds of triggers. Meanwhile, my strategy centered around adding Infamy to Beric Dondarrion (Illyrio’s Gift, 17) in a Martell Hollow Hill deck. Beric is good at surviving, and when he’s paired with infamy, my opponent can not get power from me. Knights of the Hollow Hill (Mountains of the Moon, 59) can supply an additional two gold and two influence which are both very important in this game.

In the first round, my opponent put both the White Raven (The Winds of Winter, 24) and Ice Fisherman (The Winds of Winter, 29) into play, so I could only play Beric. Second round, two Newly Made Lords (Tourney for the Hand, 16) discarded my two Summer Seas (Core Set, 134) which cut back on my influence, but I put Widow's Wail (Lions of the Rock, 1) on Beric to give him Infamy. Then my opponent started to rush for power. By the fifth round, he got all the way up to thirteen power, but at the same time, I finally built up four influence to play Westeros Bleeds (Core Set, 176). He played To Be a Kraken to cancel it, but I had fortunately drawn a Paper Shield (Queen of Dragons, 46). From then on, Beric showed his strength, and with The Prince That Was Promised (Illyrio’s Gift, 20), I won the game.

Biao Yu (right) in action during the finals against YiMeng (left)

Biao Yu's Championship Deck:

House: Martell
Agenda: Knights of the Hollow Hill

Plots (7)

Alliance, A Time For Ravens, The Power of Blood, The Prince That Was Promised, A Song of Summer, Summoning Season, Valar Morghulis

Events (24)

Blessed by the Maiden, Burning on the Sand (x3), Favorable Ground, The Hand’s Judgement, He Calls It Thinking (x3), Judged by the Father, Much and More (x3), Nightmares (x2), Paper Shield (x2), The Prince’s Plans (x2), Red Vengeance (x3), Westeros Bleeds (x2)

Locations (8)

Dornish Fiefdoms (x3), The Red Keep, Summer Sea (x3), Tyrosh

Characters (16)

Beric Dondarrion (x3), Flea Bottom Scavenger (x3), House Messenger (x3), Maester of Lemonwood, Red Warlock (x2), Stannis Baratheon (Valar Morghulis, 7), The Red Viper (Princes of the Sun, 1)(x3)

Attachments (12)
Black Raven (x2), Bodyguard, Devious Intentions (x3), Taste for Blood (x3), Widow’s Wail x3

Who is Biao Yu?

Biao Yu is the 2013 A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Chinese National Champion. He first started playing in August 2012 and has quickly earned a place among the elite of the Chinese A Game of Thrones: The Card Game community, where he is also known by his nickname, “K.”

• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Chinese National Champion – 2013
• A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Chinese National Championship, Top 16 – 2012

In His Own Words:

I was born in Jiangsu province, but now live in Shanghai. I'm an IT engineer, and I like video games. I first learned about A Game of Thrones from the HBO television program. I was attracted by the story. Then I searched the internet and learned there is an A Game of Thrones Living Card Game®. I found that it was a big LCG game, and I made a decision to try it. After several times playing, I fell in love with the game, and I have since come to know a lot of good friends because of A Game of Thrones: The Card Game. Now, I often play A Game of Thrones and Android: Netrunner with my friends in my spare time. Thanks for the good game, FFG, it makes my life more beautiful!

  From left to right: Runner-up YiMeng, Biao Yu, and Eric (3rd place)

On the 2013 Chinese National Championship Finals:

My opponent played a House Greyjoy “choke” deck, using their winter-based strategies to reduce my gold income and using To Be a Kraken (Sacred Bonds, 47) to cancel all kinds of triggers. Meanwhile, my strategy centered around adding Infamy to Beric Dondarrion (Illyrio’s Gift, 17) in a Martell Hollow Hill deck. Beric is good at surviving, and when he’s paired with infamy, my opponent can not get power from me. Knights of the Hollow Hill (Mountains of the Moon, 59) can supply an additional two gold and two influence which are both very important in this game.

In the first round, my opponent put both the White Raven (The Winds of Winter, 24) and Ice Fisherman (The Winds of Winter, 29) into play, so I could only play Beric. Second round, two Newly Made Lords (Tourney for the Hand, 16) discarded my two Summer Seas (Core Set, 134) which cut back on my influence, but I put Widow's Wail (Lions of the Rock, 1) on Beric to give him Infamy. Then my opponent started to rush for power. By the fifth round, he got all the way up to thirteen power, but at the same time, I finally built up four influence to play Westeros Bleeds (Core Set, 176). He played To Be a Kraken to cancel it, but I had fortunately drawn a Paper Shield (Queen of Dragons, 46). From then on, Beric showed his strength, and with The Prince That Was Promised (Illyrio’s Gift, 20), I won the game.

Biao Yu (right) in action during the finals against YiMeng (left)

Biao Yu's Championship Deck:

House: Martell
Agenda: Knights of the Hollow Hill

Plots (7)

Alliance, A Time For Ravens, The Power of Blood, The Prince That Was Promised, A Song of Summer, Summoning Season, Valar Morghulis

Events (24)

Blessed by the Maiden, Burning on the Sand (x3), Favorable Ground, The Hand’s Judgement, He Calls It Thinking (x3), Judged by the Father, Much and More (x3), Nightmares (x2), Paper Shield (x2), The Prince’s Plans (x2), Red Vengeance (x3), Westeros Bleeds (x2)

Locations (8)

Dornish Fiefdoms (x3), The Red Keep, Summer Sea (x3), Tyrosh

Characters (16)

Beric Dondarrion (x3), Flea Bottom Scavenger (x3), House Messenger (x3), Maester of Lemonwood, Red Warlock (x2), Stannis Baratheon (Valar Morghulis, 7), The Red Viper (Princes of the Sun, 1)(x3)

Attachments (12)
Black Raven (x2), Bodyguard, Devious Intentions (x3), Taste for Blood (x3), Widow’s Wail x3

2013 Android: Netrunner World Champion Jens Erickson

Who Is Jens Erickson?

Jens Erickson became interested in Android: Netrunner after watching its inaugural World Championship during the 2012 FFG World Championship Weekend. Shortly afterward, he and his roommates picked up a copy of the Core Set, and their fledgling playgroup was born.

It didn’t take long for Jens and his roommates to start mastering the game’s cyberstruggles, and Jens started earning top results at regional events. He placed in the Top 8 at the 2013 Regional Championship in Roseville, MN, then later earned two Top 4 finishes during the Plugged-in Tour.

All this experience and practice paid off during the 2013 FFG World Championship Weekend, when Jens emerged from a field full of talented Runners and Corporate executives to claim the Android: Netrunner World Championship.

• Android: Netrunner World Champion – 2013
• Android: Netrunner Regional Championsip (Roseville, MN), Top 8 – 2013
• Android: Netrunner Plugged-in Tour (Roseville, MN), 2nd Place – 2013
• Android: Netrunner Plugged-in Tour (Middleton, WI), Top 4 – 2013

In His Own Words:

I was born in Minnesota, and I’ve worked in IT for the past five years after getting my degree. I have a love of film and games, and enjoy both in the company of good friends. I'm a tournament organizer for our local Magic: The Gathering Friday Night Magic events, having played for over a decade. I've always loved playing card games, from running cribbage tournaments at family reunions when I was was a child to competing now at Android: Netrunner. I've played many different games with varying success: Magic: The Gathering at three Pro Tours, A Game of Thrones: The Card Game, and most recently Android: Netrunner!

How Do You Prepare for High-Level Events?

My preparation for Worlds started about two months earlier in my living room with my friends, Brad, Dakota, Walker, and Luke. We'd deck-build new ideas, and experiment to see which would rise to the top. We'd play a couple of hours a night most weeknights, trying different decks to learn all the tricks they had at their disposal. We wanted to learn our decks, plus learn our enemies.

Specifically for Worlds, the most important part of preparation we did was playing different decks during Plugged-in Tour events. I played Andromeda (Humanity’s Shadow, 83) at a Plugged-in Tour event in Wisconsin and went undefeated as Runner. My deck was far from perfect, however, and had I not played in that event, I would not have learned how Forged Activation Orders (Core Set, 20) was weaker than I expected, or how Compromised Employee (Trace Amount, 25) was more narrow than in our testing. At those events, I also learned Special Order (Core Set, 22) was the most important card to have available and exactly how important it was to draw Sure Gamble (Core Set, 50) in the opening hand.

Jens Erickson considers his next play during the 2013 Android: Netrunner World Championship finals.

On the 2013 World Championship Finals:

The World Championship finals was one of the most enjoyable matches I've played, and it was against an amazing player. It was a completely different type of game, and I felt I was playing against the player rather than his deck. 

Jens Erickson’s Championship Decks:

Jens Erickson’s choice of decks for the Android: Netrunner highlighted his preferred factions: Criminal and Haas-Bioroid:

Criminal speaks to me. I see a perfect Runner game as one where you end with seven points and zero installed cards. You have so many threats that the Corp can't ever make the assumption, “This server is safe this turn,” even on turns where you have no breakers and no money. You have a lot of early pressure, as well as an unbeatable endgame.

Haas-Bioroid is an extension of how I like to play the game, very slowly and methodically, calculating risks and taking actions accordingly. Haas-Bioroid’s efficient ice, steady income, and ability to score agendas in remote servers without major risk are why I play it. Other factions have some of these factors, but not to the same degree that I’ve become accustomed. The Bioroid ice is great, and my favorite is Eli 1.0 (Future Proof, 110). Ice will never keep the runner out forever, but at least ice like Eli 1.0 will always be costly to bypass. 

2013 Android: Netrunner World Champion Jens Erickson

Who Is Jens Erickson?

Jens Erickson became interested in Android: Netrunner after watching its inaugural World Championship during the 2012 FFG World Championship Weekend. Shortly afterward, he and his roommates picked up a copy of the Core Set, and their fledgling playgroup was born.

It didn’t take long for Jens and his roommates to start mastering the game’s cyberstruggles, and Jens started earning top results at regional events. He placed in the Top 8 at the 2013 Regional Championship in Roseville, MN, then later earned two Top 4 finishes during the Plugged-in Tour.

All this experience and practice paid off during the 2013 FFG World Championship Weekend, when Jens emerged from a field full of talented Runners and Corporate executives to claim the Android: Netrunner World Championship.

• Android: Netrunner World Champion – 2013
• Android: Netrunner Regional Championsip (Roseville, MN), Top 8 – 2013
• Android: Netrunner Plugged-in Tour (Roseville, MN), 2nd Place – 2013
• Android: Netrunner Plugged-in Tour (Middleton, WI), Top 4 – 2013

In His Own Words:

I was born in Minnesota, and I’ve worked in IT for the past five years after getting my degree. I have a love of film and games, and enjoy both in the company of good friends. I'm a tournament organizer for our local Magic: The Gathering Friday Night Magic events, having played for over a decade. I've always loved playing card games, from running cribbage tournaments at family reunions when I was was a child to competing now at Android: Netrunner. I've played many different games with varying success: Magic: The Gathering at three Pro Tours, A Game of Thrones: The Card Game, and most recently Android: Netrunner!

How Do You Prepare for High-Level Events?

My preparation for Worlds started about two months earlier in my living room with my friends, Brad, Dakota, Walker, and Luke. We'd deck-build new ideas, and experiment to see which would rise to the top. We'd play a couple of hours a night most weeknights, trying different decks to learn all the tricks they had at their disposal. We wanted to learn our decks, plus learn our enemies.

Specifically for Worlds, the most important part of preparation we did was playing different decks during Plugged-in Tour events. I played Andromeda (Humanity’s Shadow, 83) at a Plugged-in Tour event in Wisconsin and went undefeated as Runner. My deck was far from perfect, however, and had I not played in that event, I would not have learned how Forged Activation Orders (Core Set, 20) was weaker than I expected, or how Compromised Employee (Trace Amount, 25) was more narrow than in our testing. At those events, I also learned Special Order (Core Set, 22) was the most important card to have available and exactly how important it was to draw Sure Gamble (Core Set, 50) in the opening hand.

Jens Erickson considers his next play during the 2013 Android: Netrunner World Championship finals.

On the 2013 World Championship Finals:

The World Championship finals was one of the most enjoyable matches I've played, and it was against an amazing player. It was a completely different type of game, and I felt I was playing against the player rather than his deck. 

Jens Erickson’s Championship Decks:

Jens Erickson’s choice of decks for the Android: Netrunner highlighted his preferred factions: Criminal and Haas-Bioroid:

Criminal speaks to me. I see a perfect Runner game as one where you end with seven points and zero installed cards. You have so many threats that the Corp can't ever make the assumption, “This server is safe this turn,” even on turns where you have no breakers and no money. You have a lot of early pressure, as well as an unbeatable endgame.

Haas-Bioroid is an extension of how I like to play the game, very slowly and methodically, calculating risks and taking actions accordingly. Haas-Bioroid’s efficient ice, steady income, and ability to score agendas in remote servers without major risk are why I play it. Other factions have some of these factors, but not to the same degree that I’ve become accustomed. The Bioroid ice is great, and my favorite is Eli 1.0 (Future Proof, 110). Ice will never keep the runner out forever, but at least ice like Eli 1.0 will always be costly to bypass. 

Jeremy Zwirn with his two 2012 World Championship trophies!

Who Is Jeremy Zwirn?

Jeremy Zwirn is a three-time LCG® World Champion. He is the 2013 World Champion for Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game and the 2012 World Champion for both Android: Netrunner The Card Game and Warhammer: Invasion The Card Game.

Jeremy Zwirn picked up Warhammer: Invasion The Card Game only six weeks prior to the 2012 FFG World Championship Weekend, but as he says, the game clicked with him. Early on, he recognized the power of card combinations driven by the High Elf support, Gathering the Winds (Rising Dawn, 10), and threw together a deck based around using these combinations to fuel massive amounts of indirect damage. Several weeks later, his Gathering the Winds deck had seen refinement after refinement, and Jeremy was on his path toward a World Championship final against Oliver Franke of Germany.

That path was not without incident, however, as his burgeoning interest in Living Card Games® led Jeremy to Android: Netrunner, which he picked up just two weeks prior to the World Championship Tournament. Despite his late introduction to the game, Jeremy went on to claim the first ever Android: Netrunner The Card Game World Championship by winning an epic final against Benjamin Marsh. When the first two games resulted in a true tie, Jeremy and Ben battled for control of the net in a third, tie-breaking confrontation that decided a marathon match lasting over four hours!

In 2013, Jeremy built upon his legacy by winning the World Championship for yet another LCG, Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game. He picked up the game shortly after the release of the Yog-Sothoth deluxe expansion, The Key and the Gate, and quickly mastered its intricacies, piecing together elements of three different factions (Yog-Sothoth, Shub-Niggurath, and Miskatonic University) into a refined Yithian mill deck with which he was able to overcome the renowned "Research and Destroy" deck that had earlier claimed the year's European Championship.

• Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game World Champion – 2013
• Android: Netrunner The Card Game World Champion – 2012
• Warhammer: Invasion The Card Game World Champion – 2012

In His Own Words:

I’m 31 and from St. Paul, MN. I've played Magic: The Gathering for over eighteen years, and I feel the skills I learned during those years served me well during the FFG World Championship Weekend.

I've also been an avid board gamer for the past five years and attend a weekly game night at the FFG Event Center as well as a monthly weekend-long board game event. Some of my favorite board games are Ora et Labora, Agricola, Dominion, Power Grid, and Egizia. Some of my other hobbies are biking, baseball, music, reading, and designing games.

On Preparing for High-Level Events:

Playtesting is key. You have to know your deck inside and out and what it’s capable of doing. A bowl of Wheaties never hurts either!

On the Android: Netrunner World Championship Finals:

The Android: Netrunner final was the most intense and grueling match I've ever played. The first game of the four hour finals was truly epic. I believe I ran on Ben’s HQ and R&D fifteen consecutive times without finding an agenda. By the time I found six points worth of agendas, I was out of gas; I only had enough credits to break through one of his servers. After he installed a card and advanced it twice, I made my move. I guessed it was a Priority Requisition, but I ended up getting bit by a fatal Junebug!

We both made severe mistakes during game two, and I was very fortunate to win it.

We then played a sudden death final game to determine a champion. I scored a quick five agenda points and focused on breaking through his R&D. As the game progressed, he began to stabilize, but I managed to find the last agenda sitting on top of his deck for the victory!

Benjamin Marsh (left) considers his next play against Jeremy Zwirn (right) during the Android: Netrunner finals.

On the Warhammer: Invasion World Championship Finals:

My opponent, Oliver, and I both were playing powerful High Elf indirect damage combo decks that could win by turn three. I was confident my deck was superior in the matchup because it was faster, and I had defeated him 2-0 earlier in the tournament.

The first game went well as I won on turn three. In the second game, I had a bad draw after a mulligan, and Oliver handed me my first loss of the night. I redeemed myself during the third game and scored another third turn win.

Jeremy Zwirn (left) and Oliver Franke (right) compete in the 2012 Warhammer: Invasion finals.

Jeremy Zwirn with his two 2012 World Championship trophies!

Who Is Jeremy Zwirn?

Jeremy Zwirn is a three-time LCG® World Champion. He is the 2013 World Champion for Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game and the 2012 World Champion for both Android: Netrunner The Card Game and Warhammer: Invasion The Card Game.

Jeremy Zwirn picked up Warhammer: Invasion The Card Game only six weeks prior to the 2012 FFG World Championship Weekend, but as he says, the game clicked with him. Early on, he recognized the power of card combinations driven by the High Elf support, Gathering the Winds (Rising Dawn, 10), and threw together a deck based around using these combinations to fuel massive amounts of indirect damage. Several weeks later, his Gathering the Winds deck had seen refinement after refinement, and Jeremy was on his path toward a World Championship final against Oliver Franke of Germany.

That path was not without incident, however, as his burgeoning interest in Living Card Games® led Jeremy to Android: Netrunner, which he picked up just two weeks prior to the World Championship Tournament. Despite his late introduction to the game, Jeremy went on to claim the first ever Android: Netrunner The Card Game World Championship by winning an epic final against Benjamin Marsh. When the first two games resulted in a true tie, Jeremy and Ben battled for control of the net in a third, tie-breaking confrontation that decided a marathon match lasting over four hours!

In 2013, Jeremy built upon his legacy by winning the World Championship for yet another LCG, Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game. He picked up the game shortly after the release of the Yog-Sothoth deluxe expansion, The Key and the Gate, and quickly mastered its intricacies, piecing together elements of three different factions (Yog-Sothoth, Shub-Niggurath, and Miskatonic University) into a refined Yithian mill deck with which he was able to overcome the renowned "Research and Destroy" deck that had earlier claimed the year's European Championship.

• Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game World Champion – 2013
• Android: Netrunner The Card Game World Champion – 2012
• Warhammer: Invasion The Card Game World Champion – 2012

In His Own Words:

I’m 31 and from St. Paul, MN. I've played Magic: The Gathering for over eighteen years, and I feel the skills I learned during those years served me well during the FFG World Championship Weekend.

I've also been an avid board gamer for the past five years and attend a weekly game night at the FFG Event Center as well as a monthly weekend-long board game event. Some of my favorite board games are Ora et Labora, Agricola, Dominion, Power Grid, and Egizia. Some of my other hobbies are biking, baseball, music, reading, and designing games.

On Preparing for High-Level Events:

Playtesting is key. You have to know your deck inside and out and what it’s capable of doing. A bowl of Wheaties never hurts either!

On the Android: Netrunner World Championship Finals:

The Android: Netrunner final was the most intense and grueling match I've ever played. The first game of the four hour finals was truly epic. I believe I ran on Ben’s HQ and R&D fifteen consecutive times without finding an agenda. By the time I found six points worth of agendas, I was out of gas; I only had enough credits to break through one of his servers. After he installed a card and advanced it twice, I made my move. I guessed it was a Priority Requisition, but I ended up getting bit by a fatal Junebug!

We both made severe mistakes during game two, and I was very fortunate to win it.

We then played a sudden death final game to determine a champion. I scored a quick five agenda points and focused on breaking through his R&D. As the game progressed, he began to stabilize, but I managed to find the last agenda sitting on top of his deck for the victory!

Benjamin Marsh (left) considers his next play against Jeremy Zwirn (right) during the Android: Netrunner finals.

On the Warhammer: Invasion World Championship Finals:

My opponent, Oliver, and I both were playing powerful High Elf indirect damage combo decks that could win by turn three. I was confident my deck was superior in the matchup because it was faster, and I had defeated him 2-0 earlier in the tournament.

The first game went well as I won on turn three. In the second game, I had a bad draw after a mulligan, and Oliver handed me my first loss of the night. I redeemed myself during the third game and scored another third turn win.

Jeremy Zwirn (left) and Oliver Franke (right) compete in the 2012 Warhammer: Invasion finals.

Who Is Tom Capor?

The only four-time World Champion of any of our Organized Play games, Tom Capor has made an indelible mark upon the tournament scene for Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game. Most recently, he earned new honors by winning the 2013 North American Championship at Gen Con Indy, and he's the reigning World Champion after claiming victory at the first-ever FFG World Championship Weekend in a fantastic Finals that pitted Tom against another of the game's all-time top players, three-time European Champion, Graham Hill.

Tom has been playing Call of Cthulhu since 2005, before the game moved to its current Living Card Game™ format, and his achievements in the game speak for themselves:

• Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game North American Champion – 2013
• Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game World Champion – 2012
• Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game North American Champion – 2012
• Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game Regional Champion – 2012
• Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game Gen Con Warm-Up Winner – 2012, 2011
• Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game World Champion – 2011, 2010, 2009
• Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game Highlander Tournament Champion – 2010
• Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game Conspiracy Tournament Champion – 2010
• Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game World Championship Finalist – 2008
• Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game World Championship Top 8 – 2005

In His Own Words:

I currently live in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, PA and enjoy a career in IT, as well as many gaming based hobbies. I typically enjoy high strategy games or those with a lot of customization. There’s just something about the task of figuring out the best combinations and strategies for any given game that intrigues me. This, also, fuels my delight in competitive play.

I enjoy good casual fun as much as the next gamer. However, if a game is exciting enough, I can’t help but look for ways to not only defeat my opponents but to try to defeat the game itself. This is why I have such an affinity for Call of Cthulhu and card games in general. The amazing flavor, art, game play, mechanics, and ever-expanding card pool provide the perfect breeding ground for my… passions? Addictions? Ah, it doesn’t matter what people call them; I call them a good time.

On the 2013 North American Championship Finals:

In the 2013 Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game North American Championship Finals, Tom Capor played against newcomer Brandon Hulings, who had managed to win his way to the top table with a control deck built around three factions: Shub-Niggurath, Yog-Sothoth, and Miskatonic University.

Tom shared his insights into the match:

"To claim a fifth consecutive win at Gen Con, and my second consecutive North American Championship, I had to defeat Brandon Hulings. I felt pretty confident going into the finals, as Brandon was wielding a control deck. Traditionally, control decks play slowly, and I looked forward to having a few extra turns to set up my Interstellar Migrations (The Key and the Gate, 37).

However, Brandon, despite being new to the game, is a top-notch player who was playing a strong deck. He certainly didn’t plan to make things easy for me, and he made a great play with a late-game Rite of the Silver Gate (The Key and the Gate, 25) to remove the Frozen Time (The Key and the Gate, 22) that I had been using to blank the text of the Snow Graves (At the Mountains of Madness, 15). Suddenly, my discard pile was locked, and my Interstellar Migrations became trapped!

As Brandon kept applying pressure, I scrambled to find an answer. Finally, I used Shocking Transformation (Core Set, 140) to find Keeper of the Great Library (The Key and the Gate, 16), which, in turn, when I triggered the effect of a Studying the Void (The Key and the Gate, 35) in my discard pile, allowed me to find Burrowing Beneath (Core Set, 137). Thus, I unlocked my discard pile and was able to win the final game of the tournament!"

Tom’s 2013 North American Championship Deck:

Nicknamed, “Y-Train,” Tom’s deck is a Yithian mill archetype that expertly blends a range of tools that allowed Tom to take advantage of any crack in his opponent's defenses and a storm of Interstellar Migrations to discard his opponent's deck.

Characters (20):

1x Ancient Guardian
3x Faceless Abductor
1x Grasping Cthonian
3x Keeper of the Great Library
3x Lost Oracle
1x Marcus Jamburg
3x Master of the Myths
2x Professor Nathaniel Peaslee
3x Yithian Scout

Support (15):

1x Book of Iod
2x Dark Passenger
1x Displaced
3x Frozen Time
2x Ice Shaft
3x Lost City of Pnakotus
3x The Festival

Events (11):

2x Burrowing Beneath
3x Interstellar Migration
3x Pushed into the Beyond
2x Shocking Transformation
3x Studying the Void
2x Thunder in the East

Champion Cards:

As a World Champion, Tom Capor has worked with the Call of Cthulhu development team to design three cards, The Mage Known as Magnus (That Which Consumes, 111), Hall of Champions (Written and Bound, 20), and The Mage's Machinations (Terror in Venice, 30).

Who Is Tom Capor?

The only four-time World Champion of any of our Organized Play games, Tom Capor has made an indelible mark upon the tournament scene for Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game. Most recently, he earned new honors by winning the 2013 North American Championship at Gen Con Indy, and he's the reigning World Champion after claiming victory at the first-ever FFG World Championship Weekend in a fantastic Finals that pitted Tom against another of the game's all-time top players, three-time European Champion, Graham Hill.

Tom has been playing Call of Cthulhu since 2005, before the game moved to its current Living Card Game™ format, and his achievements in the game speak for themselves:

• Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game North American Champion – 2013
• Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game World Champion – 2012
• Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game North American Champion – 2012
• Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game Regional Champion – 2012
• Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game Gen Con Warm-Up Winner – 2012, 2011
• Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game World Champion – 2011, 2010, 2009
• Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game Highlander Tournament Champion – 2010
• Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game Conspiracy Tournament Champion – 2010
• Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game World Championship Finalist – 2008
• Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game World Championship Top 8 – 2005

In His Own Words:

I currently live in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, PA and enjoy a career in IT, as well as many gaming based hobbies. I typically enjoy high strategy games or those with a lot of customization. There’s just something about the task of figuring out the best combinations and strategies for any given game that intrigues me. This, also, fuels my delight in competitive play.

I enjoy good casual fun as much as the next gamer. However, if a game is exciting enough, I can’t help but look for ways to not only defeat my opponents but to try to defeat the game itself. This is why I have such an affinity for Call of Cthulhu and card games in general. The amazing flavor, art, game play, mechanics, and ever-expanding card pool provide the perfect breeding ground for my… passions? Addictions? Ah, it doesn’t matter what people call them; I call them a good time.

On the 2013 North American Championship Finals:

In the 2013 Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game North American Championship Finals, Tom Capor played against newcomer Brandon Hulings, who had managed to win his way to the top table with a control deck built around three factions: Shub-Niggurath, Yog-Sothoth, and Miskatonic University.

Tom shared his insights into the match:

"To claim a fifth consecutive win at Gen Con, and my second consecutive North American Championship, I had to defeat Brandon Hulings. I felt pretty confident going into the finals, as Brandon was wielding a control deck. Traditionally, control decks play slowly, and I looked forward to having a few extra turns to set up my Interstellar Migrations (The Key and the Gate, 37).

However, Brandon, despite being new to the game, is a top-notch player who was playing a strong deck. He certainly didn’t plan to make things easy for me, and he made a great play with a late-game Rite of the Silver Gate (The Key and the Gate, 25) to remove the Frozen Time (The Key and the Gate, 22) that I had been using to blank the text of the Snow Graves (At the Mountains of Madness, 15). Suddenly, my discard pile was locked, and my Interstellar Migrations became trapped!

As Brandon kept applying pressure, I scrambled to find an answer. Finally, I used Shocking Transformation (Core Set, 140) to find Keeper of the Great Library (The Key and the Gate, 16), which, in turn, when I triggered the effect of a Studying the Void (The Key and the Gate, 35) in my discard pile, allowed me to find Burrowing Beneath (Core Set, 137). Thus, I unlocked my discard pile and was able to win the final game of the tournament!"

Tom’s 2013 North American Championship Deck:

Nicknamed, “Y-Train,” Tom’s deck is a Yithian mill archetype that expertly blends a range of tools that allowed Tom to take advantage of any crack in his opponent's defenses and a storm of Interstellar Migrations to discard his opponent's deck.

Characters (20):

1x Ancient Guardian
3x Faceless Abductor
1x Grasping Cthonian
3x Keeper of the Great Library
3x Lost Oracle
1x Marcus Jamburg
3x Master of the Myths
2x Professor Nathaniel Peaslee
3x Yithian Scout

Support (15):

1x Book of Iod
2x Dark Passenger
1x Displaced
3x Frozen Time
2x Ice Shaft
3x Lost City of Pnakotus
3x The Festival

Events (11):

2x Burrowing Beneath
3x Interstellar Migration
3x Pushed into the Beyond
2x Shocking Transformation
3x Studying the Void
2x Thunder in the East

Champion Cards:

As a World Champion, Tom Capor has worked with the Call of Cthulhu development team to design three cards, The Mage Known as Magnus (That Which Consumes, 111), Hall of Champions (Written and Bound, 20), and The Mage's Machinations (Terror in Venice, 30).

Who Is Matt Kohls?

In His Own Words:

Let’s get the boring stuff out of the way first. I am a certified public accountant and auditor for a large accounting firm and I live and work near Cincinnati, Ohio. In my free time, I like to play games of all kinds (board games, video games, card games, etc) with my girlfriend and friends, but my primary gaming passion is competitive card games. I’ve been playing various card games for over ten years and love competing at tournaments. I have had a good deal of success in tournaments, including winning the first World Championship for the UFS collectible card game and various team championships along the way. Nowadays, I really enjoy the LCG model and gameplay of the Star Wars card game.
 
When I’m not gaming, I enjoy sci-fi movies, horror films, and fiction, and enjoy discussing such topics on a weekly podcast called Antidote for the Commonplace. I am a very passionate fan of the Star Wars original trilogy; so much so that I even have a room in my house dedicated solely to displaying my memorabilia. I’m also a fan of the universe created by H.P. Lovecraft and I occasionally collect comic books. Overall, my life is pretty awesome, other than in the sports world, as I am a dedicated fan of the Cleveland Browns and Cleveland Indians.  

On the 2013 North American Championship: 

For the Star Wars: The Card Game North American Championship, I decided to run what our play group calls the “Targeted Sith” deck for the dark side and a Vehicle-heavy deck for the light side. The dark side deck has strong board control with cards like Darth Vader, Force Choke, Force Lightning, Defense Protocol, and TIE Attack Squadron. 

My light side deck was built with the goal of hitting my opponent with as many black blast damage icons as possible. I used Renegade Squadron Escort to protect my other ships and allow them to strike even if I lost the edge battle. Home One, Blockade Runner, and Red Two provided a lot of damage output, while Renegade Squadron and Echo Caverns provided me with some other tricks. By running Vehicles I hoped to counter Sith Character control decks. Going into the tournament, I knew both of my decks would play well.

During the five Swiss rounds my decks performed great, with each side going 4-1 in individual games. My light side deck was winning even faster than anticipated, with victories at dial numbers four, five, seven, and four. A mono-Imperial Navy deck gave me the most problems but I was able to beat the Sith decks which I had expected to be the majority of the dark side decks at the tournament. The only real surprise for my dark side deck was the mono-Rebel deck, but I was able to beat it in the end. I finished with 33 total points which was good enough for third place after the Swiss rounds, ensuring me a place in the Top 16!

The Elimination Rounds:

During the Top 16 match I faced my first mono-Scum and Villainy deck of the day. My opponent played Jabba the Hutt on his first turn, which scared me a bit, but I was able to drop enough units to work around him. After damaging each of my opponent’s objectives over a few turns, I was able to have Red Two with an Astromech Droid Upgrade finish off all three of his objectives in one turn with the dial at five. In the second game, my dark side deck was able to hold off Han Solo long enough to get the Death Star dial past five and ensure my victory.

After advancing to the Top 8, I took the first game with my dark side against a Jedi/Smuggler deck. I was able to destroy three objectives, so I knew I was in good shape going into the second game. In the second game I quickly destroyed two objectives with Red Two and finished off the third with Rebel Assault. 

The first game of the Top 4 was particularly close. I was eventually able to take one objective down, so with the dial at 11 I needed one more objective to win. The only units on the table were Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker and my opponent had The Secret of Yavin 4 in play with no damage on it. I ended up drawing Human Replica Droid as my only unit in hand but also got my only copy of Target of Opportunity. I was able to barely win the edge battle, finish off Luke with Vader and Heat of Battle, and deal exactly the six damage I needed to win. Our second game went quickly, and I was headed to the finals!

The championship match of the tournament was very intense and probably my most enjoyable match all day. I need to give major props to Grant Huddleston for having great decks and being an amazing player. I ended up losing the first game by a count of three objectives to two, so the pressure was certainly mounting for our next game.

During the second game Grant was able to take an early objective, but I took control of the board with Darth Vader and a TIE Attack Squadron. The turning point came when I shot down his Millennium Falcon with my TIE Attack Squadron. Shortly afterwards, I destroyed all three of his objectives and won the championship, five to four! I was finally able to sit back and relax.

Why Play Sith?

My favorite faction is Sith. I have played some form of Sith in all three regionals that I attended and the North American Championship. I like the board control that the Sith provide as well as the ability to cycle cards to see more useful cards during a game. I never feel like I am out of a game with the Sith. It also helps that Darth Vader happens to be a complete badass. My Sith decks have a combined record of 20 wins with only 3 losses between the three regionals and the North American Championship.

On Preparing for Tournaments:

To prepare for major events, my playgroup and I perform a significant amount of deck testing. Typically the four of us will each build a number of decks, which are then entered into a grid – light side on one axis, dark side on the other. We then play all of the matches and record the results on the grid. After the initial grid is completed, we remove the decks that did not perform well and then prepare a new grid with just the better decks. 

We tweak the decks and continue collecting data in this fashion until we are left with only the top performing decks. After analyzing the win/loss ratio of each of the top decks, we take the decks’ performance against certain matchups into consideration, and gauge what we think the majority of competitive players will run at the tournament to decide on our final deck. We play a few more games with the final decks to ensure we know them inside and out. Though I am a numbers guy and prefer to rely on the results of the data, I also have ten years of experience playing card games competitively to assist in the final decision.

Matt Kohls’s 2013 Star Wars: The Card Game North American Championship Decks

Light Side
Affiliation: Rebel Alliance

Objective Sets:
The Defense of Yavin 4 (x2)
The Rebel Fleet (x2)
Renegade Squadron Mobilization (x2)
Prepare for Evacuation (x2)
Raise the Stakes (x2)

Dark Side
Affiliation: Imperial Navy

Objective Sets:
Fall of the Jedi (x2)
Counsel of the Sith (x2)
The Emperor's Web (x2)
Imperial Command
Defense Protocol (x2)
Reconnaissance Mission

Who Is Matt Kohls?

In His Own Words:

Let’s get the boring stuff out of the way first. I am a certified public accountant and auditor for a large accounting firm and I live and work near Cincinnati, Ohio. In my free time, I like to play games of all kinds (board games, video games, card games, etc) with my girlfriend and friends, but my primary gaming passion is competitive card games. I’ve been playing various card games for over ten years and love competing at tournaments. I have had a good deal of success in tournaments, including winning the first World Championship for the UFS collectible card game and various team championships along the way. Nowadays, I really enjoy the LCG model and gameplay of the Star Wars card game.
 
When I’m not gaming, I enjoy sci-fi movies, horror films, and fiction, and enjoy discussing such topics on a weekly podcast called Antidote for the Commonplace. I am a very passionate fan of the Star Wars original trilogy; so much so that I even have a room in my house dedicated solely to displaying my memorabilia. I’m also a fan of the universe created by H.P. Lovecraft and I occasionally collect comic books. Overall, my life is pretty awesome, other than in the sports world, as I am a dedicated fan of the Cleveland Browns and Cleveland Indians.  

On the 2013 North American Championship: 

For the Star Wars: The Card Game North American Championship, I decided to run what our play group calls the “Targeted Sith” deck for the dark side and a Vehicle-heavy deck for the light side. The dark side deck has strong board control with cards like Darth Vader, Force Choke, Force Lightning, Defense Protocol, and TIE Attack Squadron. 

My light side deck was built with the goal of hitting my opponent with as many black blast damage icons as possible. I used Renegade Squadron Escort to protect my other ships and allow them to strike even if I lost the edge battle. Home One, Blockade Runner, and Red Two provided a lot of damage output, while Renegade Squadron and Echo Caverns provided me with some other tricks. By running Vehicles I hoped to counter Sith Character control decks. Going into the tournament, I knew both of my decks would play well.

During the five Swiss rounds my decks performed great, with each side going 4-1 in individual games. My light side deck was winning even faster than anticipated, with victories at dial numbers four, five, seven, and four. A mono-Imperial Navy deck gave me the most problems but I was able to beat the Sith decks which I had expected to be the majority of the dark side decks at the tournament. The only real surprise for my dark side deck was the mono-Rebel deck, but I was able to beat it in the end. I finished with 33 total points which was good enough for third place after the Swiss rounds, ensuring me a place in the Top 16!

The Elimination Rounds:

During the Top 16 match I faced my first mono-Scum and Villainy deck of the day. My opponent played Jabba the Hutt on his first turn, which scared me a bit, but I was able to drop enough units to work around him. After damaging each of my opponent’s objectives over a few turns, I was able to have Red Two with an Astromech Droid Upgrade finish off all three of his objectives in one turn with the dial at five. In the second game, my dark side deck was able to hold off Han Solo long enough to get the Death Star dial past five and ensure my victory.

After advancing to the Top 8, I took the first game with my dark side against a Jedi/Smuggler deck. I was able to destroy three objectives, so I knew I was in good shape going into the second game. In the second game I quickly destroyed two objectives with Red Two and finished off the third with Rebel Assault. 

The first game of the Top 4 was particularly close. I was eventually able to take one objective down, so with the dial at 11 I needed one more objective to win. The only units on the table were Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker and my opponent had The Secret of Yavin 4 in play with no damage on it. I ended up drawing Human Replica Droid as my only unit in hand but also got my only copy of Target of Opportunity. I was able to barely win the edge battle, finish off Luke with Vader and Heat of Battle, and deal exactly the six damage I needed to win. Our second game went quickly, and I was headed to the finals!

The championship match of the tournament was very intense and probably my most enjoyable match all day. I need to give major props to Grant Huddleston for having great decks and being an amazing player. I ended up losing the first game by a count of three objectives to two, so the pressure was certainly mounting for our next game.

During the second game Grant was able to take an early objective, but I took control of the board with Darth Vader and a TIE Attack Squadron. The turning point came when I shot down his Millennium Falcon with my TIE Attack Squadron. Shortly afterwards, I destroyed all three of his objectives and won the championship, five to four! I was finally able to sit back and relax.

Why Play Sith?

My favorite faction is Sith. I have played some form of Sith in all three regionals that I attended and the North American Championship. I like the board control that the Sith provide as well as the ability to cycle cards to see more useful cards during a game. I never feel like I am out of a game with the Sith. It also helps that Darth Vader happens to be a complete badass. My Sith decks have a combined record of 20 wins with only 3 losses between the three regionals and the North American Championship.

On Preparing for Tournaments:

To prepare for major events, my playgroup and I perform a significant amount of deck testing. Typically the four of us will each build a number of decks, which are then entered into a grid – light side on one axis, dark side on the other. We then play all of the matches and record the results on the grid. After the initial grid is completed, we remove the decks that did not perform well and then prepare a new grid with just the better decks. 

We tweak the decks and continue collecting data in this fashion until we are left with only the top performing decks. After analyzing the win/loss ratio of each of the top decks, we take the decks’ performance against certain matchups into consideration, and gauge what we think the majority of competitive players will run at the tournament to decide on our final deck. We play a few more games with the final decks to ensure we know them inside and out. Though I am a numbers guy and prefer to rely on the results of the data, I also have ten years of experience playing card games competitively to assist in the final decision.

Matt Kohls’s 2013 Star Wars: The Card Game North American Championship Decks

Light Side
Affiliation: Rebel Alliance

Objective Sets:
The Defense of Yavin 4 (x2)
The Rebel Fleet (x2)
Renegade Squadron Mobilization (x2)
Prepare for Evacuation (x2)
Raise the Stakes (x2)

Dark Side
Affiliation: Imperial Navy

Objective Sets:
Fall of the Jedi (x2)
Counsel of the Sith (x2)
The Emperor's Web (x2)
Imperial Command
Defense Protocol (x2)
Reconnaissance Mission

Who Is Oliver Franke?

• Warhammer: Invasion The Card Game World Champion – 2013
• Warhammer: Invasion The Card Game German National Championships 3rd – 2013
• Warhammer: Invasion The Card Game World Championships Runner-Up – 2012
• Warhammer: Invasion The Card Game German National Championships 8th – 2012
• Warhammer: Invasion The Card Game European Championships Top 16 – 2011
• Warhammer: Invasion The Card Game German National Championships 3rd – 2011
• Warhammer: Invasion The Card Game German National Championships 5th – 2010
• Warhammer: Invasion The Card Game Prague Regional Championships Top 8 – 2010

In His Own Words:

My name is Oliver Franke, and I live in Hamburg, Germany. I have played card games like Warhammer: Invasion for almost twenty years. After years of casual games, I started entering card game tournaments in 2004 with the former Warhammer license. Aside from card games, I play some board games with friends. My other hobbies include running, films, and travel. All this stuff has to be organized around my service as a police officer, which gets a bit complicated sometimes.

On the 2013 World Championship: 

In the finals, I played the Polish champion, Jakub Serafin. We had already met in the Swiss rounds, so we both knew the other player’s deck. In this case, Jakub ran an Empire combo deck, which was a really good match-up for me. I had to draw as much as possible to get the necessary cards and give me the best chance of breaking his combo, while he had to hurry to start the combo as quickly as possible.

The highlight of the match was definitely the way we played the game. Jakub reminded me that I forgot to ready my legend, and I put tokens on his quest when he forgot about that. I guess there is no better way to explain how great our community is. Even in the final match of the World Championships, players from different countries play fair together and have so much fun. Thanks to all the members of the community for such good sportsmanship!

On Preparing for Tournaments: 

Every race has its own special strengths. All of them are a lot of fun, and testing every faction gives a player a wide spectrum of possibilities for playing this game. At tournaments I play the deck type and race that performed best in the testings.

My preparation for big tournaments usually starts by thinking about the current strongest one or two decks that each race can create. I build these decks and play five to ten matches with each deck, one against each other. In the end, there is usually a deck that won altogether more than the rest. I add a few cards to this deck to answer the expected meta, and the deck is done.

Oliver Franke's 2013 Warhammer: Invasion The Card Game World Champion Deck List

Kingdom: Orc

Restricted Card: Wurrzag

Legend (3): Wurrzag (x3)

Units (14): Goblin Raiders (x3), Grimgor Ironhide (x3), Lobber Crew (x3), Spider Riders (x3), Wight Lord (x2)

Support (13): Boar Pen (x2), Mob O’ Hutz (x3), Morglor the Mangler (x2), One Orc’s Scrap (x2), The Liber Mortis (x2), Valley of Many Eyes (x2)

Tactic (17): Ancient Map (x2), Arcane Power (x2), Get ‘Em Ladz! (x2), Get Outta My Way! (x2), Mork’s Teef Ritual (x3), Pillage (x2), Smash ‘Em!, Troll Vomit (x3)

Quest (6): Raiding Parties (x3), Snotling Insvasion (x3)

Who Is Oliver Franke?

• Warhammer: Invasion The Card Game World Champion – 2013
• Warhammer: Invasion The Card Game German National Championships 3rd – 2013
• Warhammer: Invasion The Card Game World Championships Runner-Up – 2012
• Warhammer: Invasion The Card Game German National Championships 8th – 2012
• Warhammer: Invasion The Card Game European Championships Top 16 – 2011
• Warhammer: Invasion The Card Game German National Championships 3rd – 2011
• Warhammer: Invasion The Card Game German National Championships 5th – 2010
• Warhammer: Invasion The Card Game Prague Regional Championships Top 8 – 2010

In His Own Words:

My name is Oliver Franke, and I live in Hamburg, Germany. I have played card games like Warhammer: Invasion for almost twenty years. After years of casual games, I started entering card game tournaments in 2004 with the former Warhammer license. Aside from card games, I play some board games with friends. My other hobbies include running, films, and travel. All this stuff has to be organized around my service as a police officer, which gets a bit complicated sometimes.

On the 2013 World Championship: 

In the finals, I played the Polish champion, Jakub Serafin. We had already met in the Swiss rounds, so we both knew the other player’s deck. In this case, Jakub ran an Empire combo deck, which was a really good match-up for me. I had to draw as much as possible to get the necessary cards and give me the best chance of breaking his combo, while he had to hurry to start the combo as quickly as possible.

The highlight of the match was definitely the way we played the game. Jakub reminded me that I forgot to ready my legend, and I put tokens on his quest when he forgot about that. I guess there is no better way to explain how great our community is. Even in the final match of the World Championships, players from different countries play fair together and have so much fun. Thanks to all the members of the community for such good sportsmanship!

On Preparing for Tournaments: 

Every race has its own special strengths. All of them are a lot of fun, and testing every faction gives a player a wide spectrum of possibilities for playing this game. At tournaments I play the deck type and race that performed best in the testings.

My preparation for big tournaments usually starts by thinking about the current strongest one or two decks that each race can create. I build these decks and play five to ten matches with each deck, one against each other. In the end, there is usually a deck that won altogether more than the rest. I add a few cards to this deck to answer the expected meta, and the deck is done.

Oliver Franke's 2013 Warhammer: Invasion The Card Game World Champion Deck List

Kingdom: Orc

Restricted Card: Wurrzag

Legend (3): Wurrzag (x3)

Units (14): Goblin Raiders (x3), Grimgor Ironhide (x3), Lobber Crew (x3), Spider Riders (x3), Wight Lord (x2)

Support (13): Boar Pen (x2), Mob O’ Hutz (x3), Morglor the Mangler (x2), One Orc’s Scrap (x2), The Liber Mortis (x2), Valley of Many Eyes (x2)

Tactic (17): Ancient Map (x2), Arcane Power (x2), Get ‘Em Ladz! (x2), Get Outta My Way! (x2), Mork’s Teef Ritual (x3), Pillage (x2), Smash ‘Em!, Troll Vomit (x3)

Quest (6): Raiding Parties (x3), Snotling Insvasion (x3)

Who Is Robert Graves?

Robert Graves began playing Warhammer: Invasion The Card Game at the end of May 2013, just one week before the Regional Championship in Louisville, Kentucky. There, he took first, but taking first place in the Regional Championship was just the beginning for Robert. A little over a month later, he headed north to Indianapolis to compete in the 2013 North American Championships at Gen Con Indy where he once again emerged victorious. Although he enjoys playing Chaos, Robert cleared the field at the North American Championships with the Empire and their allies, the Wood Elves, leaving a trail of burning capitals behind him and stepping up to take his place in the Hall of Heroes!

• Warhammer: Invasion The Card Game North American Champion – 2013
• Warhammer: Invasion The Card Game Louisville Regional Champion – 2013

In His Own Words:

I started playing card games in middle school. The first card game that I played was Magi-Nation Duel. I played it until the game went out of print after its fourth set. Once that fell through, I started playing Magic: The Gathering. I've been playing card games competitively since about the time I started high school. I've spent the most time playing Magic: The Gathering, but I've been to events for World of Warcraft TCG, Versus System, and most recently the Fantasy Flight Living Card Games. During my time playing Magic I've been able to compete at the National Championships a few times, and I also went to their Pro Tour once. I still play the game regularly. I play each of the other Fantasy Flight LCGs with the exception of Call of Cthulhu.

In addition to playing card games, I'm an avid board gamer. I regularly try to organize nights to play board games with my friends, as well as setting up demo events for games at my store. My favorite board games are probably Arkham Horror, Chaos in the Old World, Lords of Waterdeep, and 7 Wonders.

On Preparing for Tournaments:

When I’m not playing card games, I work at a game shop in Louisville called Something 2 Do, where I’ve been working for about two years now. We run weekly events for all of the LCGs and have a rotating tournament as well. My preparation for events is usually attending my local store's Living Card Game night, which includes tournaments for each of the LCGs. I was unable to attend the regionals for A Game of Thrones: The Card Game and Star Wars™: The Card Game, but I finished in the top eight of the Android: Netrunner regional we held.

On the 2013 North American Championship:  

The North American Championship at Gen Con Indy 2013 started off with me playing against Brian Chellgren, who is also a player from Louisville. Despite coming from the same city, I hadn't actually been able to play with him before. I did have one of the more exciting starts against him when I played six of my cards on turn one against his Dwarves. In general, I don't mind the matchup against Dwarves because I don't feel like they put down enough pressure early, and all I feel like my deck needs is time to set up Judgement of Verena (Core Set, 49) to reset them to nothing.

I played against another player from Louisville, Gene Beeber, who I actually came to Gen Con with. Games against Dark Elves are always close, but I was able to cast Judgement of Verena on turn two or three after he had invested a few units or supports to the board. Then I used that setback to take control over the next few turns.

The third round was against my eventual Top 4 opponent who was playing an End Times deck that was built to put an army of large monsters into play pretty consistently on his second turn. I had seen him playing to my right earlier in the event and I knew that what was most important in the matchup was having an early Hidden Grove (Omens of Ruin, 7) and Long Winter or Pageant of Shrikes (City of Winter, 97) so that I could survive the attack from the turn my opponent cast End Times and follow up with a Judgement of Verena on my turn. We split the first two games but the third game he was able to cast End Times on turn two when I had nothing for it.

In the fourth round I played against one of the remaining undefeated players who was playing some kind of Empire control deck. I don't know if there were cards he was playing that I didn't see, but the matchup felt favorable for me because he was trying to control things that don't matter much to my deck and his lack of pressure gave me the time I needed to set up a Judgement of Verena that effectively ended the game for him.

The Elimination Rounds:

My Top 4 match was against my opponent from the third round. My plan was the same as before, and just like in the Swiss rounds we split the first two games. In our second game I was actually devastated by his End Times, which in addition to providing him with an army of large units put all my copies of Pageant of Shrikes into my discard pile, effectively negating my ability to ever cast Judgement or have Hidden Grove protect me. In our deciding game he took his mulligan only to end up with a hand that never contained an End Times, and I advanced to the final match.

My final opponent was also playing End Times, but he was using a Chaos capital instead of Orc. His deck also featured Summons of Chaos, and a combination of cards that gave him alternative ways to attack me, rather than being totally reliant on End Times. My deck's plan remained the same. I needed to set up a Hidden Grove to defend myself and let him cast End Times or Summons of Chaos before reseting him back to nothing with Judgement. I was able to do so fairly easily in the first game. The second game, I lacked a Hidden Grove and ended up taking a ton of damage from an early Swarm of Bats. I wasn’t able to stabilize after my Judgement cleared his board. In our deciding game, though, my deck was running smoothly again, and I used my Friedrich Hemmler and Forest Dragon to attack my opponent’s Kingdom and Quest while Hidden Grove kept his units from damaging my capital at all.

Who Is Robert Graves?

Robert Graves began playing Warhammer: Invasion The Card Game at the end of May 2013, just one week before the Regional Championship in Louisville, Kentucky. There, he took first, but taking first place in the Regional Championship was just the beginning for Robert. A little over a month later, he headed north to Indianapolis to compete in the 2013 North American Championships at Gen Con Indy where he once again emerged victorious. Although he enjoys playing Chaos, Robert cleared the field at the North American Championships with the Empire and their allies, the Wood Elves, leaving a trail of burning capitals behind him and stepping up to take his place in the Hall of Heroes!

• Warhammer: Invasion The Card Game North American Champion – 2013
• Warhammer: Invasion The Card Game Louisville Regional Champion – 2013

In His Own Words:

I started playing card games in middle school. The first card game that I played was Magi-Nation Duel. I played it until the game went out of print after its fourth set. Once that fell through, I started playing Magic: The Gathering. I've been playing card games competitively since about the time I started high school. I've spent the most time playing Magic: The Gathering, but I've been to events for World of Warcraft TCG, Versus System, and most recently the Fantasy Flight Living Card Games. During my time playing Magic I've been able to compete at the National Championships a few times, and I also went to their Pro Tour once. I still play the game regularly. I play each of the other Fantasy Flight LCGs with the exception of Call of Cthulhu.

In addition to playing card games, I'm an avid board gamer. I regularly try to organize nights to play board games with my friends, as well as setting up demo events for games at my store. My favorite board games are probably Arkham Horror, Chaos in the Old World, Lords of Waterdeep, and 7 Wonders.

On Preparing for Tournaments:

When I’m not playing card games, I work at a game shop in Louisville called Something 2 Do, where I’ve been working for about two years now. We run weekly events for all of the LCGs and have a rotating tournament as well. My preparation for events is usually attending my local store's Living Card Game night, which includes tournaments for each of the LCGs. I was unable to attend the regionals for A Game of Thrones: The Card Game and Star Wars™: The Card Game, but I finished in the top eight of the Android: Netrunner regional we held.

On the 2013 North American Championship:  

The North American Championship at Gen Con Indy 2013 started off with me playing against Brian Chellgren, who is also a player from Louisville. Despite coming from the same city, I hadn't actually been able to play with him before. I did have one of the more exciting starts against him when I played six of my cards on turn one against his Dwarves. In general, I don't mind the matchup against Dwarves because I don't feel like they put down enough pressure early, and all I feel like my deck needs is time to set up Judgement of Verena (Core Set, 49) to reset them to nothing.

I played against another player from Louisville, Gene Beeber, who I actually came to Gen Con with. Games against Dark Elves are always close, but I was able to cast Judgement of Verena on turn two or three after he had invested a few units or supports to the board. Then I used that setback to take control over the next few turns.

The third round was against my eventual Top 4 opponent who was playing an End Times deck that was built to put an army of large monsters into play pretty consistently on his second turn. I had seen him playing to my right earlier in the event and I knew that what was most important in the matchup was having an early Hidden Grove (Omens of Ruin, 7) and Long Winter or Pageant of Shrikes (City of Winter, 97) so that I could survive the attack from the turn my opponent cast End Times and follow up with a Judgement of Verena on my turn. We split the first two games but the third game he was able to cast End Times on turn two when I had nothing for it.

In the fourth round I played against one of the remaining undefeated players who was playing some kind of Empire control deck. I don't know if there were cards he was playing that I didn't see, but the matchup felt favorable for me because he was trying to control things that don't matter much to my deck and his lack of pressure gave me the time I needed to set up a Judgement of Verena that effectively ended the game for him.

The Elimination Rounds:

My Top 4 match was against my opponent from the third round. My plan was the same as before, and just like in the Swiss rounds we split the first two games. In our second game I was actually devastated by his End Times, which in addition to providing him with an army of large units put all my copies of Pageant of Shrikes into my discard pile, effectively negating my ability to ever cast Judgement or have Hidden Grove protect me. In our deciding game he took his mulligan only to end up with a hand that never contained an End Times, and I advanced to the final match.

My final opponent was also playing End Times, but he was using a Chaos capital instead of Orc. His deck also featured Summons of Chaos, and a combination of cards that gave him alternative ways to attack me, rather than being totally reliant on End Times. My deck's plan remained the same. I needed to set up a Hidden Grove to defend myself and let him cast End Times or Summons of Chaos before reseting him back to nothing with Judgement. I was able to do so fairly easily in the first game. The second game, I lacked a Hidden Grove and ended up taking a ton of damage from an early Swarm of Bats. I wasn’t able to stabilize after my Judgement cleared his board. In our deciding game, though, my deck was running smoothly again, and I used my Friedrich Hemmler and Forest Dragon to attack my opponent’s Kingdom and Quest while Hidden Grove kept his units from damaging my capital at all.

2013 X-Wing World Champion Paul Heaver

Who Is Paul Heaver?

Paul Heaver got his first introduction to X-Wing™ at Gen Con Indy 2012. He came to the Fantasy Flight Games booth looking for Android: Netrunner, but after seeing how popular X-Wing was, he read some online reviews and picked up the Core Set for Christmas. At his local Kessel Run event, Paul borrowed a set of ships and battled his way to third place, starting him on a long and glorious journey. After improving his skills throughout a series of Regional Championships, Paul elevated his game to the highest levels at the 2013 FFG World Championship Weekend where he claimed the title of 2013 X-Wing World Champion!

• X-Wing World Champion – 2013
• X-Wing North American Championships, Top 16 – 2013
• X-Wing Team Covenant VASSAL Tournament Champion – 2013

In His Own Words:

I am a software engineer in the Northern Virginia region, living with my wife and two kids.  Our group of X-Wing players calls itself NoVa Squadron. We play at the Game Parlor in Chantilly and make trips to most of the game stores that run X-Wing in the Baltimore-DC area. I've done well in a few competitive CCGs before this and played the D&D minis game competitively for a short while, but X-Wing is the first miniature game I've gotten serious about. Otherwise, I casually play some online CCGs and computer games.

On Preparing for Tournaments:

The first step is to figure out what you expect to face in the event by paying attention to battle reports on forums. For the 2013 World Championships, I expected TIE swarms and low-pilot skill pilots such as Blue Squadron Pilots,Rookie Pilots, and Bounty Hunters. Once I have an idea of the popular squads, I try to build something that has a good chance of beating those ships. Finally, I practice as much as possible. You can have the best list and lose because you aren't familiar with it. I tested via VASSAL online, and I performed additional testing of a number of opening maneuvers and asteroid placements by myself.

On His 2013 X-Wing World Championship Squad List:

The first time I saw a B-wing, I started playing around with it. The extra shields over an X-wing seemed worth the loss of agility. I had a lot of trouble getting used to the dial, getting blocked while performing Koiogran turns, and getting burned down by opposing ships. When I was constructing my squad list, Biggs Darklighter seemed to add a lot of defense to the list by staying back and drawing fire against an extra defense die. I also decided to add Advanced Sensors to the B-wings so they could K-turn and focus, even while ramming into other ships.

Paul Heaver’s World Championship squad

At that point in testing, my list was three Blue Squadron Pilots with Advanced Sensors and Biggs. It seemed like a good list, but then I read Doug Kinney’s article on the Team Covenant website entitled "Use the 4's," where he talks about how pilot skill “4” pilots could be a strong counter to the current metagame. I was having trouble keeping all three B-Wings close enough to Biggs anyway, so trading one for a Rookie Pilot and upgrading the other two to Dagger Squadron Pilots seemed like it was worth testing. I played on VASSAL a bunch (winning the Team Covenant VASSAL tournament), and came in second at a monthly event near me, losing to an Imperial list that had everything at pilot skill six or higher. My squad list going into the World Championships was Biggs, a Rookie X-wing, and two Dagger B-wings, each with Advanced Sensors.

On the 2013 X-Wing World Championship:

In the World Championships, I faced two lists with Firesprays, four with YT-1300s, and one build with four X-wings. In each match, Advanced Sensors were extremely helpful. Barrel rolling to K-turn to a clear spot, focusing before purposefully ramming my own ships, and otherwise “cheating” the action mechanics worked really well for me.

My strategy against a TIE swarm was mainly based on the asteroids. A swarm player will drop asteroids in the corners, and usually has initiative, since they often run less than one-hundred points. My first asteroid is always in the middle, then my second asteroid is between that one and one of the corner asteroids. If they place their first two asteroids in my corners, I situate the rest of the asteroid field in my half and loiter there. If they place the asteroids in their corners, I make a hook and maneuver my ships into the pocket. I try to play so that Biggs can only be shot through the asteroids in the beginning, and the TIEs can't K-turn without landing on rocks. After that, you have to play it by ear and take range “1” shots when you can.

Paul Heaver in action during the World Championship finals

All in all, I was surprised at how many large ships I faced at Worlds. Generally, my plan against large ships is to force them to navigate the asteroid field, while Advanced Sensors lets me dodge rocks easier than the large ships. My only loss in the event was to a proton bomb-heavy Firespray list fielded by former World Champion Doug Kinney. Doug won with two hull left, so that match was nail-biter!

On the 2013 World Championship Finals: 

The final match of the World Championship lasted twenty-one rounds, but it seemed like more when we were playing. It was a game where the least likely events happened. I was surprised when Biggs one-shot “Dark Curse” at the beginning of the match, and even more surprised when Biggs rolled zero evades on sixteen dodge dice! With Biggs shot down and the rest of my ships in bad position, I resigned myself to killing as many TIEs as possible before losing.

Paul Heaver’s B-wings were briefly outnumbered two-to-six!

I realized that I needed “Howlrunner” to die to stand a chance of winning, or the phantom attack dice provided by her ability would overwhelm my B-Wing defenses. So I took shots at her instead of closer Academy Pilots, and when she was stressed from a K-turn, the second shot paid off. I definitely felt the tempo had come back to me and that I could joust better than the Academy Pilots, thanks to Advanced Sensors and my higher pilot skill values. I had been playing my squad list exclusively for the past six to eight weeks, so I'd gotten pretty good at using the Sensors to their full value. Never losing my action for the K-turn was key to winning the joust.

Click on the thumbnail above to watch full match coverage of the 2013 X-Wing World Championship final match, originally presented live at FFG's Twitch channel.

Throughout the match, whenever a ship exploded, there were cheers from various the crowd. It slowly got louder and louder as more people stopped to watch the finals, and the tension ratcheted up as each ship died. You could tell the spectators were just as into the game as we were!

2013 X-Wing World Champion Paul Heaver

Who Is Paul Heaver?

Paul Heaver got his first introduction to X-Wing™ at Gen Con Indy 2012. He came to the Fantasy Flight Games booth looking for Android: Netrunner, but after seeing how popular X-Wing was, he read some online reviews and picked up the Core Set for Christmas. At his local Kessel Run event, Paul borrowed a set of ships and battled his way to third place, starting him on a long and glorious journey. After improving his skills throughout a series of Regional Championships, Paul elevated his game to the highest levels at the 2013 FFG World Championship Weekend where he claimed the title of 2013 X-Wing World Champion!

• X-Wing World Champion – 2013
• X-Wing North American Championships, Top 16 – 2013
• X-Wing Team Covenant VASSAL Tournament Champion – 2013

In His Own Words:

I am a software engineer in the Northern Virginia region, living with my wife and two kids.  Our group of X-Wing players calls itself NoVa Squadron. We play at the Game Parlor in Chantilly and make trips to most of the game stores that run X-Wing in the Baltimore-DC area. I've done well in a few competitive CCGs before this and played the D&D minis game competitively for a short while, but X-Wing is the first miniature game I've gotten serious about. Otherwise, I casually play some online CCGs and computer games.

On Preparing for Tournaments:

The first step is to figure out what you expect to face in the event by paying attention to battle reports on forums. For the 2013 World Championships, I expected TIE swarms and low-pilot skill pilots such as Blue Squadron Pilots,Rookie Pilots, and Bounty Hunters. Once I have an idea of the popular squads, I try to build something that has a good chance of beating those ships. Finally, I practice as much as possible. You can have the best list and lose because you aren't familiar with it. I tested via VASSAL online, and I performed additional testing of a number of opening maneuvers and asteroid placements by myself.

On His 2013 X-Wing World Championship Squad List:

The first time I saw a B-wing, I started playing around with it. The extra shields over an X-wing seemed worth the loss of agility. I had a lot of trouble getting used to the dial, getting blocked while performing Koiogran turns, and getting burned down by opposing ships. When I was constructing my squad list, Biggs Darklighter seemed to add a lot of defense to the list by staying back and drawing fire against an extra defense die. I also decided to add Advanced Sensors to the B-wings so they could K-turn and focus, even while ramming into other ships.

Paul Heaver’s World Championship squad

At that point in testing, my list was three Blue Squadron Pilots with Advanced Sensors and Biggs. It seemed like a good list, but then I read Doug Kinney’s article on the Team Covenant website entitled "Use the 4's," where he talks about how pilot skill “4” pilots could be a strong counter to the current metagame. I was having trouble keeping all three B-Wings close enough to Biggs anyway, so trading one for a Rookie Pilot and upgrading the other two to Dagger Squadron Pilots seemed like it was worth testing. I played on VASSAL a bunch (winning the Team Covenant VASSAL tournament), and came in second at a monthly event near me, losing to an Imperial list that had everything at pilot skill six or higher. My squad list going into the World Championships was Biggs, a Rookie X-wing, and two Dagger B-wings, each with Advanced Sensors.

On the 2013 X-Wing World Championship:

In the World Championships, I faced two lists with Firesprays, four with YT-1300s, and one build with four X-wings. In each match, Advanced Sensors were extremely helpful. Barrel rolling to K-turn to a clear spot, focusing before purposefully ramming my own ships, and otherwise “cheating” the action mechanics worked really well for me.

My strategy against a TIE swarm was mainly based on the asteroids. A swarm player will drop asteroids in the corners, and usually has initiative, since they often run less than one-hundred points. My first asteroid is always in the middle, then my second asteroid is between that one and one of the corner asteroids. If they place their first two asteroids in my corners, I situate the rest of the asteroid field in my half and loiter there. If they place the asteroids in their corners, I make a hook and maneuver my ships into the pocket. I try to play so that Biggs can only be shot through the asteroids in the beginning, and the TIEs can't K-turn without landing on rocks. After that, you have to play it by ear and take range “1” shots when you can.

Paul Heaver in action during the World Championship finals

All in all, I was surprised at how many large ships I faced at Worlds. Generally, my plan against large ships is to force them to navigate the asteroid field, while Advanced Sensors lets me dodge rocks easier than the large ships. My only loss in the event was to a proton bomb-heavy Firespray list fielded by former World Champion Doug Kinney. Doug won with two hull left, so that match was nail-biter!

On the 2013 World Championship Finals: 

The final match of the World Championship lasted twenty-one rounds, but it seemed like more when we were playing. It was a game where the least likely events happened. I was surprised when Biggs one-shot “Dark Curse” at the beginning of the match, and even more surprised when Biggs rolled zero evades on sixteen dodge dice! With Biggs shot down and the rest of my ships in bad position, I resigned myself to killing as many TIEs as possible before losing.

Paul Heaver’s B-wings were briefly outnumbered two-to-six!

I realized that I needed “Howlrunner” to die to stand a chance of winning, or the phantom attack dice provided by her ability would overwhelm my B-Wing defenses. So I took shots at her instead of closer Academy Pilots, and when she was stressed from a K-turn, the second shot paid off. I definitely felt the tempo had come back to me and that I could joust better than the Academy Pilots, thanks to Advanced Sensors and my higher pilot skill values. I had been playing my squad list exclusively for the past six to eight weeks, so I'd gotten pretty good at using the Sensors to their full value. Never losing my action for the K-turn was key to winning the joust.

Click on the thumbnail above to watch full match coverage of the 2013 X-Wing World Championship final match, originally presented live at FFG's Twitch channel.

Throughout the match, whenever a ship exploded, there were cheers from various the crowd. It slowly got louder and louder as more people stopped to watch the finals, and the tension ratcheted up as each ship died. You could tell the spectators were just as into the game as we were!

Who Is Jacob Pichelmeyer?

Jake Pichelmeyer first began playing X-Wing™ in late December, 2012, just eight months before the North American Championship at Gen Con Indy 2013. Jake quickly developed an affinity for the Galactic Empire and its swarm tactics. For Jake, successfully controlling a large swarm of TIE Fighters is both great fun and a great challenge. Jake took his Imperial squadrons to the stars at Gen Con this year, ultimately battling his way to the top and becoming the North American Champion!

• X-Wing North American Champion – 2013
• X-Wing Janesville, WI Regional Champion – 2013
• X-Wing Roseville, MN Regional Championship, 4th – 2013
• X-Wing Manitowoc, WI Regional Championship, 2nd – 2013
• X-Wing Chicago Regional Championship, 2nd – 2013

In His Own Words:

In the professional world, I am a lecturer at several universities in Wisconsin, where I teach calculus to undergraduates. I am a former amateur boxer, boxing coach and Lindy Hop instructor.

On Preparing for Tournaments: 

To prepare for high-level events I like to play against random lists just to keep myself ready for whatever creative squadrons my opponents might come up with.

On the 2013 North American X-Wing Championships:

Two of the highlights of the North American Championship came after the Top 16 cut. Both matches were actually rematches of a sort. The last round before the cut to Top 16 I faced and lost to a dual YT-1300 list. Then the first round of the Top 16 I faced the exact same setup – with a different opponent – and won. That felt great.

The second highlight was an actual rematch, against Lyle Hayhurst, a player I had played against and lost to during a Regional Tournament in Chicago, IL. We had both flown nearly identical, seven ship TIE swarms in that tournament. I designed my North American Championship list with him specifically in mind. We faced off in the semi-finals and I won but it was a pleasure just to have a rematch with him. He’s very nice and his formation flying with TIE swarms is exceptional.

Jacob Pichelmeyer’s 2013 X-Wing North American Champion Squad List

Points: 98

Squad List:
TIE Fighter – "Howlrunner" – No upgrades
TIE Fighter – Dark Curse – No upgrades
TIE Fighter – "Backstabber" – No upgrades
TIE Fighter – Academy Pilot – No upgrades
TIE Fighter – Academy Pilot – No upgrades
TIE Fighter – Academy Pilot – No upgrades
TIE Fighter – Academy Pilot – No upgrades

Who Is Jacob Pichelmeyer?

Jake Pichelmeyer first began playing X-Wing™ in late December, 2012, just eight months before the North American Championship at Gen Con Indy 2013. Jake quickly developed an affinity for the Galactic Empire and its swarm tactics. For Jake, successfully controlling a large swarm of TIE Fighters is both great fun and a great challenge. Jake took his Imperial squadrons to the stars at Gen Con this year, ultimately battling his way to the top and becoming the North American Champion!

• X-Wing North American Champion – 2013
• X-Wing Janesville, WI Regional Champion – 2013
• X-Wing Roseville, MN Regional Championship, 4th – 2013
• X-Wing Manitowoc, WI Regional Championship, 2nd – 2013
• X-Wing Chicago Regional Championship, 2nd – 2013

In His Own Words:

In the professional world, I am a lecturer at several universities in Wisconsin, where I teach calculus to undergraduates. I am a former amateur boxer, boxing coach and Lindy Hop instructor.

On Preparing for Tournaments: 

To prepare for high-level events I like to play against random lists just to keep myself ready for whatever creative squadrons my opponents might come up with.

On the 2013 North American X-Wing Championships:

Two of the highlights of the North American Championship came after the Top 16 cut. Both matches were actually rematches of a sort. The last round before the cut to Top 16 I faced and lost to a dual YT-1300 list. Then the first round of the Top 16 I faced the exact same setup – with a different opponent – and won. That felt great.

The second highlight was an actual rematch, against Lyle Hayhurst, a player I had played against and lost to during a Regional Tournament in Chicago, IL. We had both flown nearly identical, seven ship TIE swarms in that tournament. I designed my North American Championship list with him specifically in mind. We faced off in the semi-finals and I won but it was a pleasure just to have a rematch with him. He’s very nice and his formation flying with TIE swarms is exceptional.

Jacob Pichelmeyer’s 2013 X-Wing North American Champion Squad List

Points: 98

Squad List:
TIE Fighter – "Howlrunner" – No upgrades
TIE Fighter – Dark Curse – No upgrades
TIE Fighter – "Backstabber" – No upgrades
TIE Fighter – Academy Pilot – No upgrades
TIE Fighter – Academy Pilot – No upgrades
TIE Fighter – Academy Pilot – No upgrades
TIE Fighter – Academy Pilot – No upgrades