Spring Limited Report

by El Pez

Players from all over the Tampa Bay Area converged on Armada Games bright and early to test their luck, Pluck, and deck-building skills during an extra special edition of Afternoon Saturday Spoils: The Spoils Spring Limited Championship! So maybe registration started at noon, but hey, we’re gamers… noon is early!

Saturday’s event was run by none other than R&D Lead Designer Ken Pilcher, who personally introduced The Spoils to Armada Games just a few short months ago. The Spoils has found a home in Tampa, and in Armada’s busy event schedule, with weekly Spoils Drafts and deck-building workshops during Afternoon Saturday Spoils. So if you’re ever in the neighborhood with a Saturday afternoon to spend having fun and playing Spoils with Ken, feel free to stop by Armada and battle with him and some of the other regulars.

The format for the 2012 Spring Limited Championship was Second Edition Sealed; unfamiliar territory for most of the players, who are used to Seed Drafts and Constructed events. At least no one had to worry about facing a turn one Crest of Rage! Nonetheless, eight players were eager to dive head first into the Championship and play some Sealed Spoils.

Everyone who played in the event received fifty Red Spoils Sleeves, an epic Mr. Talbot Card, and two random foil Second Edition Rares. Unfortunately for the player that got an Incriminating Photograph, the rares Ken handed out weren’t usable in the tournament, though they will likely hit the table at next week’s ASS event.

Shortly after one p.m., players were given five packs of Second Edition and forty minutes to build a forty-five card deck that would hopefully lead them to victory. After the excited flurry of busting packs, there were friendly boasts about what the players’ sealed pools had to offer and casual threats of Degenerate Molestation, but everyone quickly turned their attention to the task at hand.

In Second Edition sealed there aren’t many ways to smooth out the threshold requirements of a multi-trade deck, so most players kept it to two trades, but a few brave players went with three-trade decks.

After deck building was finished there were three rounds of Swiss play. In the third round Gerardo Fedón and Anthony Padron were undefeated and able to draw into the Top 4, while Jesse Fisher narrowly escaped a second loss and Ben Stevens fought his way back from a loss in Round 1 to join them in the Top 4.

The players who didn’t make it into the single elimination rounds weren’t discouraged, as they broke into a spontaneous Spoils Constructed tournament before the Top 4 players were even seated for their matches! After standings were posted it was announced that Robert Jones won a Spoils Hat as a door prize, and as an added bonus, Ken gave a free pack to every player!

Standings after Swiss:

• First - Gerardo Fedón, 7 points
• Second - Anthony Padron, 7 points
• Third - Jesse Fisher, 6 points
• Fourth - Ben Stevens, 6 points
• Fifth - Anthony Gomez, 3 points
• Sixth - Sergio Hernandez, 3 points
• Seventh - Robert Jones, 3 points
• Eighth - Chris Williams, 0 points

Player Profiles

In between the Swiss rounds and the Top 4 we asked the players:

• What is your favorite Trade in The Spoils Limited?
• What were the top performing cards in your deck?
• What card did you play that surprised you the most?
• What card played by an opponent caused the most problems for you today?
• If you were a Spoils character, what would your Threshold be and why?

Everyone filled out the questionnaire and there was at least one Arcanist-Warlord in the group whose identity will remain hidden to protect his secret evil plans. His answer to the last question was “One Rage and two Obsession because my mom’s trunk can’t hold three elephants with an eggshell.” I sure don’t know what that means, but if you come to Armada for Afternoon Saturday Spoils, be on the lookout for Spastic Tentacles. With that said, here are the Top 4 player profiles!

Anthony Padron, Spoils veteran and emphatic Elitist - his Threshold is EEEE because he just wants to be with the Micromajigs! He prefers to play with Rouge and Gearsmith during Sealed events.

His top cards were Jacques’s Trap, Grand Theft All, and Snake Eyes. His most surprising card of the day was Tax Attorney, because it managed to stall out Warlord blitz. Martial Arts Trainee was the hardest card for Anthony to deal with, but luckily it wasn’t a Master and he battled through to the Top 4.

Gerardo Fedón (who everyone at the shop knows as GeFe) - a new Spoils player that has only played in a couple of Limited events and has never played in Constructed, ran over his opponents with a Gore Engine even though his favorite trade is Gearsmith. Pillaging Pirate surprised GeFe the most, but when he didn’t have the Gore Engine online, his smaller characters were just Target Practice for his opponents.

His threshold? GGG, because he’s a Greedy Gluttonous GeFe!

Jesse Fisher, casual player and Armada Games employee - loves Limited events in all forms: draft, sealed, sealed pre-cons, you name it. If he were Spoils character, he would be a Gearsmith Rogue because he likes designing things, but he’s very sneaky about it.

The three cards that did the most work for him were Violating Anomaly, 633fy 31f, and Face in the Crowd. In the Swiss rounds, his most surprising card was Arcanology Recruitment Officer, using it so he could attack for lethal with a Non-Covert party.

His opponents’ Pillaging Pirate/Card Counter always seemed to hit relevant cards when they came into play, but he made Top 4 with some of his best cards in the discard pile.

Ben Stevens, an Armada-tournament-regular-turned-employee - is an avid Warlord/aggro player. His only loss in the Swiss rounds was to a Deceptive Muddler, he just couldn’t come back from the tempo advantage muddling creates. Scout was his most surprising card because Warlord characters are supposed to be expendable, but the Scout is fast enough to stick around. He also relied on Flaming Barduse and the Arcanist tactic Forget to get him into the Top 4. His Threshold? As Ben wrote, “RR (Rage Rage), because shut up.” Aggressive words from a player with an impressive list of tournament victories and Top 4 finishes to back them up.

Semi-Finals

The semi-final action was ready to begin, with GeFe vs. Ben and Anthony vs. Jesse to determine who would go on to play for the title of Spring Spoils Limited Champion!

Gerardo Fedón vs. Ben Stevens

Ben came blazing out of the gates with an early Sadistic Colonel followed by a Deadly Striker. GeFe tried to stem the tide with a Barbaric Rifleman, who was merely Target Practice for Ben. GeFe seemed to draw nothing but Resources while Ben kept up the assault and added a Plodding Brute to the attacking force. GeFe didn’t find answers and the match was over brutally fast.

Anthony Padron vs. Jesse Fisher

Anthony led off with a Card Counter and won the coin flip, hitting Rapine, Obsessive Compulsion, and an Elitism off the top of Jesse’s deck. Jesse’s first play was a 3/4/4 Bipolar Sarcophyle, due to another winning coin flip. Anthony wasn’t afraid of the Sarcophyle, though, as his next play was a Jacque’s Trap, keeping the 3/4/4 away from his Faction.

The action seemed to only be happening on Jesse’s side of the table with a Violating Anomaly two turns later, followed by a Face in the Crowd the turn after that. Jacque’s Trap was keeping the growing army at bay until the seventh turn when Jesse played a Guardforce Morphmajig and attacked with it. Jacque’s Trap continued to lay idle and Anthony’s Faction lost three Influence. The follow-up attack by the Face in the Crowd and Violating Anomaly was met with Jacque’s Trap to the Face (yes, it actually happened that way), letting the Anomaly through, putting Anthony to twenty Influence. Jesse played a Horsemajig of the Apocalypse: Famine and a Subversion Matrix on the Card Counter, putting two tokens on the Guardforce Morphmajig and making it a 5/5/3, and then ended an eventful turn.

Anthony played a Tad Disingenuous (Morphmajig 4/4/3) and passed. Jesse went back on the offensive, attacking with the Bipolar Sarcophyle that had spent the last turn on defense, and then with the Guardforce Morphmajig, both going unblocked and taking Anthony’s Faction to thirteen Influence. On Anthony’s turn he played an Omnidirectional Patrolmajig (Morphmajig 3/3/3) that would help slow the assault and passed the turn. Jesse played an Arcanology Recruitment Officer (Morphmajig 4/4/3) and then attacked with the Morphmajig, which was blocked by the Omnidirectional Patrolmajig, depleting it.

The next attack came from the Bipolar Sarcophyle, which was met by Tad Disingenuous and a newly restored Omnidirectional Patrolmajig. The Sarcophyle took out Tad, and the Patrolmajig dealt its damage to the Sarcophyle and depleted again. Violating Anomaly attacked next, restoring the Patrolmajig one last time so it could block the Anomaly alongside the Card Counter. The Patrolmajig was finally destroyed when it blocked for the third time, but it took the Anomaly with it. The Anomaly’s leaves play trigger bounced Jesse’s own Horsemajig: Famine and drew a card. The Horsemajig was replayed along with a Clockman Pickpocket to make the Morphmajig a 6/6/3. Anthony drew two cards, and finding no outs, conceded the game.

Finals

The finals were set with Ben’s blazing fast Arcanist/Warlord deck against Jesse’s Arcanist/Gearsmith/Rogue build. They agreed to split the prize foils and promos, each receiving twelve random Second Edition foils and a pewter Micromajig token, and played for the title of Champion, as well the #1 prize, a set of Seed Three: The Fall of Marmothoa!

Jesse Fisher vs. Ben Stevens

The final match started exactly like the semi-finals. Ben had a turn one Sadistic Colonel that would start the clock immediately. Jesse played a turn one Horsemajig of the Apocalypse: War that wouldn’t last long. On turn two, Ben’s Stolen Inspiration hit the Violating Anomaly in Jesse’s hand, allowing Ben to play Flaming Barduse for free, which dealt 2 damage to the Horsemajig: War. The Sadistic Colonel attacked for three and Ben passed the turn.

Jesse played a Clockman Pickpocket, hoping to keep a blocker on the table, but on Ben’s next turn it was bounced back to Jesse’s hand with Forget and Ben chose to make Jesse discard Rapine. The Colonel swung in again, followed by the Barduse, putting Jesse’s faction to eighteen Influence. Jesse’s next turn saw the return of Clockman Pickpocket and an Arcanist’s Almanac that would hopefully find some answers soon.

On Ben’s turn he attacked with the Colonel, which was blocked by the Pickpocket, unaware of the Eye Gouge that was headed his way. With the blocker gone, the Colonel dealt its damage to Jesse’s faction, and after the Barduse followed suit, Jesse was at fourteen Influence. Before the end of Ben’s turn, Jesse used the Almanac’s Foresight ability to look at the top five cards of his deck, searching for something to stop the Warlord duo.

On Jesse’s turn he played a Servile Centipede, finding and then playing Obsessive Compulsion, which made him take two damage from the Sadistic Colonel’s triggered ability. Ben then played 12 Man Brunch of Doom, depleting the Barduse to destroy the Servile Centipede, and the Colonel attacked again taking Jesse to nine Influence.

Foresight on Ben’s turn found Jesse a Scrag that took out the Colonel once and for all, but not before the Colonel did two more damage thanks to his ability, putting Jesse at seven Influence. With nothing on Jesse’s side of the table except an Almanac and resources, on Ben’s next turn the Barduse put Jesse to six and Ben played a Deceptive Muddler. Foresight didn’t help and Jesse played a Resource and passed the turn.

Ben attacked with the Muddler, but it was destroyed with Impeccable Timing. Ben played Ectological Hazard Suit on his Flaming Barduse and attacked Jesse down to four Influence. Jesse used Foresight and then drew a card, and on his turn played Forget on the Flaming Barduse, returning it, as well as the Hazard Suit, to Ben’s hand and made Ben discard a Cloaked Creeper. Ben drew and played a Sneaking Spitspider and passed the turn. Jesse dug with the Almanac again, only to find resources and characters that would simply die to Ben’s re-played Flaming Barduse. Jesse extended the handshake, making Ben Stevens the 2012 Spoils Spring Limited Champion!

Top 4 Deck Lists

Ben Stevens - First Place

• Resources
• 5x Rage (2 Starting)
• 12x Obsession


• Arcanist
• 1x 12 Man Brunch of Doom
• 1x Air Travel
• 1x Ashes of Zenobia
• 1x Cloaked Creeper
• 1x Deceptive Muddler
• 1x Degenerate Molestation
• 1x Ectological Hazard Suit
• 1x Forget
• 1x Lugubrious Finger Trap
• 1x Ominous Oozling
• 1x Sneaking Spitspider
• 1x Sneaky Mansion
• 1x Spontaneous Displacement
• 1x Stolen Inspiration
• 1x Toxic Cultivator


• Warlord
• 1x Barbaric Rifleman
• 1x Bloodcurdling Bulldozer
• 1x Callow Liegeman
• 1x Deadly Striker
• 1x Eye Gouge
• 1x Flaming Barduse
• 1x Plodding Brute
• 1x Reveille Tower
• 1x Sadistic Colonel
• 1x Scout
• 1x Skin Suit
• 1x Target Practice
• 1x Trip Wire

• Resources
• 7x Elitism
• 2x Obsession (Starting)
• 8x Deception


• Arcanist
• 1x Arcanist’s Almanac
• 1x Arcanology Recruitment Officer
• 1x Forget
• 1x Kinky Asp
• 1x Obsessive Compulsion
• 1x Quotidian Ejector
• 1x Ritual of the Knob & Pull
• 1x Servile Centipede
• 1x Violating Anomaly


• Gearsmith
• 1x 1337!
• 1x 633fy 31f
• 1x Contriving Engineer
• 1x Guardforce Morphmajig
• 1x Heavy Plating
• 1x Horsemajig – Famine
• 1x Horsemajig – Pestilence
• 1x Horsemajig – War
• 1x Invent
• 1x Omnidirectional Patrolmajig
• 1x Subversion Matrix


• Rogue
• 1x Befuddling Beggar
• 1x Bipolar Sarcophyle
• 1x Clockman Pickpocket
• 1x Dock Sentinel
• 1x Face in the Crowd
• 1x Grand Theft All
• 1x Hasty Sarcophyle
• 1x Impeccable Timing
• 1x Poisoned Blade
• 1x Rapine
• 1x Scrag

• Resources
• 7x Rage (1 Starting)
• 5x Deception
• 4x Greed (1 Starting)


• Banker
• 1x Anesthetizing Opulence
• 1x Irresistible Bribe
• 1x Postmortem Debenture
• 1x Secret Handshake


• Rogue
• 1x Adroit Marauder
• 1x Catastrophic Betrayal
• 1x Fwing!
• 1x Hasty Sarcophyle
• 1x Headlong Purloiner
• 1x Pillaging Pirate
• 1x Poisoned Blade
• 1x Scrag
• 1x Sudden Osprey
• 1x Unexpected Boobysnake
• 1x Wild Boars


• Warlord
• 1x Barbaric Rifleman
• 1x Bloodcurdling Bulldozer
• 1x Callow Liegeman
• 1x Deadly Striker
• 1x Explosive Fury
• 1x Flaming Barduse
• 1x Gore Engine
• 1x Morale Officer
• 1x Penetrate
• 1x Reckless Challenger
• 1x Reveille Tower
• 1x Ruthless Platoon
• 1x Scout
• 1x Target Practice

• Resources
• 2x Elitism (Starting)
• 9x Deception
• 5x Greed


• Banker
• 1x Entry-Level Employee
• 1x Market Oracle
• 1x Pettifogger
• 1x Prudent Thug
• 1x Resurrection Emporium
• 1x Tad Disingenuous
• 2x Tax Attorney
• 1x Union Leader


• Gearsmith
• 1x Contriving Engineer
• 2x Exploding Sock Puppet
• 2x Jacque’s Trap
• 1x Omnidirectional Patrolmajig
• 1x T Force 5 Megascoutmajig
• 2x Topplemajig
• 1x Unrelenting Ridicule


• Rogue
• 1x Bipolar Sarcophyle
• 2x Card Counter
• 1x Early Retirement
• 1x Grand Theft All
• 1x Pillaging Pirate
• 1x Red Raven
• 2x Snake Eyes
• 1x Swashbuckler