Mathieu kindly sent me his report from the last Fishliver Oil cup (more detailed than mine), I had the chance to translate it…..
Friday 6 am, what a rough awakening but it has to be done, moving towards “Gare du Nord” to join the french parisian crew before going to “Charles de Gaulle” Airport to fly to Genoa.
No way to playtest while flying, plane is too tight to take out the Decks.
Arrived in Italy, we go directly to the hotel where the Saturday tournament will take place.
We find the organizers and some friends we have not seen for 1 year and the previous edition of the fishliveroilcup.
A restaurant and a nap later, we move slowly towards “la lanterna”, the ancient lighthouse of Genoa, inside which will be the evening EC tournament.
Tasting focaccia and Italian wine until all the players arrive and the organizer starts his welcome speech.
This year again the tournament is very international, Italian, French, German, Spanish, Swedish, Swiss, American, Israeli, English, Irish, and even a New Zealander (the Eternal Central Champion), everyone has moved to play some oldschool cards.
I find the Israeli players that I spent this summer in Tel Aviv, Jason and Charlie (USA) with whom I had hooked last year, and I discovered the French players that I knew only through groups Facebook : Bastien, Laurent, seb…
The hype is here and everyone is really happy to start this Italian weekend.
After a speech from the organizer, we start the EC tournament, 6 rounds + top8 are on the program.
I play a white weenie EC version, 4 strip mine and fallen empire allowed, and this year I play a powered version of my game unlike last year.
I did indeed catch a Mox pearl few months ago, and Guillaume lent me a Black Lotus (very very crappy) appearing in starting hand starting very very often.
The first match starts (against Alban Lotner), I have an awesome starting hand (Black, 3 lions) but the organizers who have messed up the pairing asks us to stop and remake it.
Round 1
Philip Arnold. Switzerland
I lose first on a double underworld dreams, Black vise, Howling Mine and Wheel.
I win the second, I quickly put a Serra and orders that are boosted by 2 Crusades, the speed of Weenie has worked well this time.
I win the third same as second, but having to manage a Gloom that could have been fatal.
Round 2
Daniele brunazzo Italia
I quickly lose the first to erhnam djiin, my lions and tundra wolves do not take long against 2 erhnam and serendib.
I lose the second to almost nothing, he topdeck his chain lightning with Sylvan, even if I clean the board with city in a bottle during the game.
He has erhnam on the table, then cast serendib and kird by putting fulltap, I take advantage of the moment to put my city on board 🙂
Round 3
Gene Brumby New-Zealand. (EC Champion)
I win both pretty quickly, he was unlucky in his draws and I had very very good hands.
First: Serra, Order Crusade
Second: Black + Serra turn 2, too stiff for him, he is submerged by the white horde.
On this round, the Organizer has put on our table a booster Fallen Empire, so I win.
Round 4
Léo Bruder Germany
I lose the first one, it breaks my lands and kills me to the hippy by discarding my hand.
I lose the second because it puts moat very quickly and chained on 2 serra, my creatures do not stand against the big flying.
Round 5
Bjorn. Sweden
I lose the first of almost nothing,
I lose the second hit by 2 sengir, I managed one with a swords, but the second one was too much to handle
Round 6
Brian Connolly GB
I lose the first despite a return on the end, I kill his hippy with my icatians, but he finished me at the mishra + psionic
Can’t remember the second game in this game.
Balance of Friday night, 2 wins-4 losses.
The 4 strip mines in the format are really too much, like the 4 workshops.
The top 8 of this EC tournament takes place in our hotel because the lanterna closes at midnight.
Everyone gives a helping hand to tidy the tables and chairs, and here we go again to the colombus sea.
After a very short night (the top 8 finished at 4am), I join the game room to register for the event of the day, the tournament “Swedish rules”.
There are 122 players, so it takes a lot of time and we think that the day will be long (6 rounds + top16).
The atmosphere is once again very relaxing, there is a Mox jet to be won randomly between all the players who will not have dropped before the top 16, and a chaos orb unlim for a lottery whose income will be donated to an association which helps people who have lost a lot with the collapse of the Genoa Bridge.
I play the classic version of White Weenie, always powered.
Round 1
James burton USA (Seattle)
I lose the first on double erhnam, I do not find inspiration or swords and I drew 10 lands in a row.
I’m losing the second on a mana death after Armageddon.
James offers all his opponents a randomly drawn OS card, I draw an ashes to ashes signed by Drew Tucker.
Round 2
Michel hollenberg (Netherlands)
I lose the first one quickly based on double serendib (I’m still waiting for my Armageddon).
I win second by blocking the game from the start with a king suleiman round 1 with the help of a welcome pearl Mox.
Draw on the 3rd, we hang with Mishra and I put city in a bottle that blocks his creatures, but we do not have time to finish.
Round 3
Luca (Italia)
I lose the first on guardian beast and triskelion that smashes my animals.
I win the second triple lion plus white knight casted very quickly with a Black Lotus.
I lose the third on triskel and lack of beast.
Round 4
Paolo bogo (Italia)
No player, he probably dropped.
Game 5
Alissa (USA, sf).
I lose first on double black knight and hippy.
(I go down to 8 but not fast enough.)
I lose the Second on gloom and double underworld, unstoppable …
Round 6
Roberto (Italia)
Mirror match, my opponent also plays White Weenie.
I win at speed, we spend 3/4 of the game in the dark following a power outage of the entire neighborhood.
Macgyver “mode on” on all tables, players compete ingenuity to diffuse the light of their phone.
(Reflection of the water, construction of towers to raise the light sources, …)
Saturday result, 2 wins, 1 draw, 3 losses.
But really, during these two days of old school, I realized that Mox and Black in the game, it changes the game on some games.
Before the top 16, there is the draw for the Mox jet and chaos orb, and the “eating by the rats challenge”, a contest of the most crappy card that we play in his deck.
We had good chances, and yes, the Black Lotus that Guillaume lent me won this contest.
Given the state of the map, it is not very surprising.
So he wins a signed rats plague.
During this top that will last until 4:30 in the morning, we organize a side event between us.
The Paf and 15 €, but we can also give a card that will be a prize.
(For my part I offered 2 pv counters)
Round 1
Matteo (Italia)
I’m overflowed with suchi, Mox + transmute artifact + atog 17 damage .
Direct elimination tournament, so bye bye …
(Last year I’m 3rd at this side event)
I spend the rest of the evening encouraging foreign buddies I see only once or twice a year.
(Alon and Yohav of Israel, Jason and Charlie of the US, Gordon of Sweden, the Italian staf who can relax after 2 days of tournament, …)
I go back to my room at 5:00, woke up scheduled at 10:30 for the premodern tournament at 11:30.
It stings again …
Round 1
Marco (Italia)
I lose the first, cycling game that creates tokens.
I do not shoot the stasis in time and destroy my Black vise before I kill him.
I lose the second despite good game, I die again with recycled chips.
Round 2
Marco (Italia) ( so I wonder if all the Italians are called Marco )
I lose the first despite a nice start (Double Black vise, Howling Mine), submerged by a 7/7 green that creates token poses with order of nature.
I’m losing the second because he’s cleaning everything with keg and orang-utan, I’m doing full mana and he’s killing me with his land 3/3 + Orang-utan.
Round 3
Luca (Italia)
I lose first on a copy of phage the untouchable.
He’s tutoring phage and then discarding it, in game he has a card that instantly becomes a copy of the top card of the graveyard, so that becomes phage ….. I’m dead.
I’m losing the second idem squee + phage
Round 4
Stephano it
I win first by blocking with Stasis and forsaken, having Howling mine in play and chains of vapor in hand, I can stay a long time like that, he concedes.
I win the second, he kills a lot with his CoB, I finished him with Black vise.
Round 5
Patric (Irlande)
He dropped
Round 6
Guillaume (France)
Stasis well settled, I win the first
Guillaume wins the second thanks to aura of silence and Seal of cleaning which prevents me from developing my game, I die in the mishra and token in the fifth and last additional turn of this long part, I was this close to beat my fellow friend.
We are therefore tied.
Sunday result : 2 win, 1 draw, 3 losses.
I start driving the game well, but I need stamps, tabs and caps (translator note : I don’t know what’s mathieu is talking about).
Capabilities are ubiquitous in the format.
I spend the end of the day with different players and watching a little tournament end of the wizzard (alpha deck 40 cards), where there is some crazy rules.
4 sol ring, 8 icy manipulator, … no limitation in this format.
I play the role of innocent hand to throw dices which will designate the winner of the fireball to the Alpha full tournament lottery.
The must for me being Charlie’s chaos orb. (erred by Richard Garfield or you pay double the cost of invocations and activation to be able to play twice in a row)
Jason offers me a plain Alpha that many players will sign and that will go into my white weenie in the future.
The French Crew gathers before mealtime and we will eat together in a small restaurant where we taste some specialties of the city and where we eat very good seafood.
(Circle of protection Crab in action …)
Back to the hotel and prepare bags for the return of the next day.
On Monday morning at 10am, we take a taxi to the airport where our flight is supposed to take off at 12:40.
After a little explanation to Italian customs about why homemade HP counters and cards in my bag, we fly.
The region is under very heavy storms, so we have to wait a little before taking off, and once we leave, we have the right to great air holes that shake when not bad.
Back in Paris, we find the joy of the RER, we are ready for the third edition of the Fishliveroilcup next year.
No big expenses, I bring back from Genoa only a few things:
– an Alpha Plains signed by many tournament players.
-a fallen Empire booster wins at the EC event.
-An Ashe to Ashe signed offered by James at the hand vent.
-a library of leng altered offered by Alon (the Israeli player where I spent some games this summer during my vacation).
-An Island (testprint.?) Odyssey foil with square edges bought at Bastien and that will go into my premodern stasis.
-A flask tagged “fishliveroilcup” offered by the Italian crew.
-A game mat for the 2017 edition of the Fishliver that I did not take last year.
