Here's the happens from Origins.....

Saturday 10am sitting alone at a table waiting for the show to begin... Where oh where can all the Spellfire Players be????

"Getting ready for GenCon I guess", ponders Arioch while he scans the crowd for a familar face. When who should his wondering eye see....an Ogre. Not just any Ogre but the infamous mWo Ogre. Greetings are quickly dispatched. No one else yet so we settle for a 3rd edition sealed deck (with some R&R and UD booster to help).

Hmmm as I glaze at the the oh too familar "sleep", "web", "magic missile' and "sticks to snakes" that I've gotten in every 3rd edition starter I've ever opened. Maybe Ogre is have the same luck.

This was not to be as Mike gleefully announces "You're toast" and throw out the dreaded cataclysm, caravan, good fortune events. A sudden lump develops in my throat knowing that I've got a tough task ahead. Things went from dark to pitch black when I figured out I only have 10 champions total as the Ogre was deciding which champion NOT to put in the deck, Drizzst, Borys, Elminister...ah the choices.

Needless to say it was a quick game but it pasted the time until your ever so gracious host Mr. EDT himself (Chuck Carey) arrived. He, Andy the WarParty Bill were stuck in the registration line.

On to the main event, Since there were so few of us, it was decided that we would play head-to-head double elimination. Everyone modified there decks and names were drawn.....Again Arioch would play the Ogre. In typically Ogre fashion, he decided to allow a fellow mWo member pick a deck at random. It's Arioch, he chuckled, any deck will dispatch him in record time. This was his fatal flaw. Little did he know that I was ready this year to dispatch the mWo quickly and without mercy.

Game one - started as a event fest for the Orge - Good Fortune, caravan, hurricane all in the first two turns. His luck didn't last. I got my combo out that basic shut him down. AntiMagic Shell (no spells) and throne of the Pharohs (no events). ConGame his pool into submission and the Ogre know he had meet his match. He conceded the game.

Game two was much more in his favor. Mike was able to run throw most of his spells and event. I was about to stop some of them but not all of them. Not drawing any realms for 3 turns sealed my fate.... all even.

Game three - got my rule out early and was able to keep his events in check. Nothing spectacular in this game just the grinding out the victory. Again, not the best luck in pulling realms or it would have been over alot earlier. I had Necba out and Ogre had to toss champions - he couldn't fly, swim or earthwalker (DUN - Song of the DragonLance) and if he did he would lose to Pascall Darvan or Colleen or Living Wall. Being pissed off - he announced that he was going to ban that card from all tournament play. We quickly reminded him that he was once, twice and thrice quoted as saying, "I will never ever ever ban any card." He qucikly modify it to "they are banned when you play me.....".

Andy "the Master" Tobolski beat WarParty Bill Andy Beat Chuck Arioch "the pupil" now sets his sight on the Andy the master. <......flashback to GenCon when Arioch last meet the Master. No pool, No realms, No hand - I suck! pretty well describes the last last time I meet Mr. Sure Thing/Fates. Three games hit by it three time> I phase back into reality with revenge on my mind.

Game one - 1st turn - I good fortune - the master pulls the UGF. Never recovered from that. He had 3 realms down and a hugh pool before I was even able to regroup and get my first realm down. Game one to the Master.

Game two - 1st turn - I good fortune - this time no UGF. got out to an early led and never looked back. Was able to use ConGame and wack his poll hard. Had Necba out and got my event killer and spell stoppers out and that was all she wrote.

Game three - Ancient Kalidnay my lead realm get cataclysmed - I knock. Andy has to play Menzo as his second realm and pools lots of champion. Draw three cards - no realm. Decide to attack - Avanvil (his led realm). The Master decides to toss it to get 5 cards. My spoils is Lair of the Shadowdrake ... Goodbye Menzo. What no realms? Kiss that pool goodbye! But NO, he pulls Caer Allison to save it. Although this saved his pool it even the game. My cards started to come. Got the ring of all seeing and Hettman Tsurin out- Got him coming amd going. Game three to Arioch - The student has become the Master.

WarParty Bill beats Ogre (Ogre eliminated) Chuck beats WarParty Bill (WarParty Bill eliminated) This leaves Chuck (2-1) Andy (2-1) and me (2-0). We decide to shorten things and have Chuck and I play. If I win it's over - I'm the new US Spellfire Champion. If Chuck wins, Andy, Chuck and I play a 3-way winner takes all.

Game one - went quickly to Chuck. I just rolled over and played dead. His cards came up and mine didn't.

Game two was another story. All of my counter cards can up when I needed them reserval for his fighting dirty. Deflection on his Cold Cup of Calamity. Limited wish his caravan. The rule card came out early. My events were timely and with the effective use of ConGame and Necba it was over. Chuck pulled a greenie rookie move (I'll let him tell you about it) and the game went to me.

Game three for all the marbles, went much like game two. Chuck would play a card and I would cancel it. Needless to say I almost immediately removed that nasty little Dungeon - Azure Towers of Onad the Fallen as the first possible opportunity. Gib Kcir typically does the trick. I then return her and leave her in my pool to keep my opponent from using her against me. A tactical error was made, assuming that I was going to attack Tyr with the Living Scroll like I had done the turn before (when he had no cards in his hand and only heroes as defenders). I only use the Living Scroll when I know it is a sure win. Chuck wasted many champions then ended up flipping the realm and having no defenders for later rounds.

The championship was mine. All post the deck after GenCon - except for several small modification - I'll be playing it there.

After the Championship - several other Spellfire player from the DC area (Nice to meet ya Paul and Jim) showed up for the free 3rd edition sealed deck tourney (it's sad when more people from Washington DC area show up them Indiana - the supposed hot bed of Spellfire).

Ogre has already left his testimony about the sealed deck tourney!

See you all at GenCon!