Dark Moon Fair – Lyon

What an awesome weekend that was. My notes are complete rubbish and I should have written this up Monday so any mistakes are down to that! So time to run over the highlights!

My first time in a plane, I didn’t get a window seat on the way out (but did on the way back and the views are amazing). And take off! WOW! The plane taxied to the runway and I had a small smile, the engines kicked in the acceleration and my smile grew, when the plane left the ground that smile became a grin and with every jerk and jolt it just got bigger, it was all I could do to stop myself laughing out loud! All I can really say is “What a Rush”. I’d love to learn how to fly just so I can take off and land repeatedly.

Once in Lyon I met up with my team mate Jack (who was reporting for UDE rather than playing) and the three Middlesbrough players he had driven down with. We got some food and then went back to our rooms for some play testing.

Saturday and the Fair was HUGE, 209 competitors made it the biggest DMF to date in either Europe or Yankland. We met up with the four from Lincoln, making a group of 8 UK players, UDE report 10 but I’ve no idea who the other two where, ready to face the world!! or Europe as the case may be.

The first pairings came up and it was time to play. I was using my Chaigon deck from the UK realms but with a few more tweaks, the decklist and credits at the end.

Round one was Mage #1. The cards just flowed and he was squashed very flat very fast for a nice comfortable 2/0 win
[UK Players => Me 1-0, Andrew 1-0, Gary 1-0, John 1-0, Julian 1-0, Mark 0-1, Karl 0-1]

Round two was a ripped deck… damn. Game one though I rushed him to death and it was over by turn 5. In game two I sided in only 1 silent fang … why???? Must have been a moment of madness! But it was on the table in time to stop his first ripped and despite recurring deshura my allies squashed him a 2nd time. Another 2/0 win for me.
[UK Players => Me 2-0, John 2-0, Andrew 2-0, Julian 1-1, Gary 1-1, Karl 0-2, Mark 2-0]

Round three was against the world champion. Yup that’s what I said! Before the round Jack told me I was playing the world champion (made me worried) with a runetusk deck (made me more confident). So I sat down against a mage deck….. O well Jack must have been mistaken as to who I was paired against. I went on to beat mage deck #3. Turns our Jack had got some French players and their decks confused, it was the world champ I beat after all. That was good for my confidence!
[UK Players => Me 3-0, John 3-0, Andrew 2-1, Julian 2-1, Gary 1-2, Karl 1-2, Mark 1-2]

Round four was Mage #3. What is it with these little 25 life pipsqueaks?. But By this time I am buzzing and made the win needed to guarantee my cut to the top 64 and the draft.
[UK Players => Me 4-0, John 4-0, Julian 3-1, Mark 2-2,  Andrew 2-2, Karl 1-3, Gary 1-3]

Round five was a rogue deck, and my cards finally deserted me. In one game I had a had fall of jank, completed a one dreani’s and hit two jubilies but still had a hand of jank, at the end of my 3rd turn I’d discarded 4 cards. Well ended up losing 0/2. Was a shame but hey these things happen.
[UK Players => Me 4-1, John 4-1, Julian 3-2, Mark 3-2, Gary 3-2]

Ok the draft and I’m in pod 2, I’ll need 3 wins to guarantee top 8 and taking advice from jack on board I grab an infusion of fortitude from my first pick, as I let priest cards wheel it becomes obvious to me that I am the only one drafting priest. I pick up a second infusion and a couple of absorb magic’s. Later on I pick up an Eclipse after letting it wheel, which goes nicely with the instant 3 cost heal 8 (split as you like) card Salvation. I’ll admit I’m not the best drafter, I let two Ingrid Shadowstorms go past me and picked up an Atani of the Watch which being honest is pretty crap in draft as it doesn’t trade off in any way shape or form. So in the end I had a reasonable but could have been better traitor priest deck – list at the end.

Round six and lol victory in game two came from the use of Piana and Eclipse to slowly burn his hero and allies until I could drop the big guns. I won 2/0 comfortably keeping me on track.
[UK Players => Me 5-1, John 4-2, Andrew 4-2, Julian 3-3]

Round seven and letting the flip denial dude slide came back to haunt me, that combined with no early game cards beyond my healer and Antani showing up in either game meant I could not get an momentum going and in the end I lost 0/2. So my dreams of top 8 almost gone – might have a chance on tie breakers if I win my last match.
[UK Players => Me 5-2, Andrew 5-2, John 5-2, Julian 4-3]

Round eight went to time, I lost the first game, and got the second game with an eclipse and then healing his hero for 8 when he had 7 health left. The third game had been on 1 damage each for a while when time was then called. He had just done intensify rage on Jezbella of Karabor and used it to kill off Order Keeper Henley, and it was over to me at time. I promptly stole his ally with my flip traded off his only other remaining ally. His turn was some more aggression ready to hit me with. In his end phase I dropped prayer of healing on my acquisition to keep it alive and hit him with it. His turn and he couldn’t get the last 3 damage needed to beat me.

So my final score was 6/2. Turns out that the person with 7/0 folded against his 6/1 opponent so that they both got into the top 8. The result was 8 people on 7/1 so no top 8 for me.

[The final UK player standings where => Me 12th, Andrew 18th, John 22nd, Julian 52nd]

I am understandably really chuffed with 12th out of a field of 209! This netted me a £60 amazon voucher – will be a lot of books. And 12 boosters, 6 MotL & 6 SotB. Called a rocket on the first Servants pack and pulled on! (Would have done that on every pack, but getting it on the first looks impressive!!!) Just need to give it a few months before I sell it (I’ve used one already) and that’s the whole cost of the trip covered.

Overall it was an awesome event and I really enjoyed myself.

So I end up with my constructed and draft decks. The constructed deck is based on a deck by Mark Slack which he used in one of the USA realm championships, I was trying to build a 
myriam deck and jack pointed me to an article featuring his deck. I like playing hunter decks to I took it, tweaked it and ran with it!

Contructed Deck - Hero: Chaigon Steelsight
Main: 61 Cards

4x Xavar the Resourceful [1]
4x Zandar Shadesprocket [1]
4x Apprentice Merry [1]
4x Marksman Glous [2]
3x Vindicator Kaldel [2]
2x Chipper Ironbane [2]
4x Waldo the Decoy [3]
3x Jubilee Arcspark [3]
4x Myriam Starcaller [4]
3x Fury x 3 [5]

2x Bloody Weclome [2]
3x Feign Death [3]

2x Annihilator [2]
2x Glaive of the Pit [7]

4x Kilbler's Exotic Pets
4x Marks of Kil'jaeden
3x One Draenei's Junk...
2x Chasing A-Me 01
2x The Defias Brotherhood
2x Dr. Boom

Side: 10 Cards
1x Chipper Iron Bane [2]
1x Bloody Welcome [2]
2x Burn Away [3]
3x Thrill of the Hunt [4]
1x Annihilator [2]
2x Silent Fang [2]

Draft Deck - Hero: Remba Abbess of Ash
Main: 31

1x Touch of Darkness [1]
2x Infusion of Fortitude [1]
1x Prayer of Mending [1]
2x Absorb Magic [2]
1x Salvation [3]
1x Mental Anguish [3]
1x Eclipse [5]

1x Xavar the Resourceful [1]
1x Atani of the Watch [1]
1x Piana [1]
1x Hanaga Silvervein [2]
2x Durae Crystalshield [2]
1x Vindicator Agran [3]
1x Anchorite Alonora [4]
1x Magdeline Prideheart [5]
1x Breen Toestubber [5]
1x Orderkeeper Henley [5]
1x Narthadus [6]
1x Weeble [6]
1x Gabble [7]

1x Abyss Walker's Boots [2]

1x Gurok the Usurper
1x Information Gathering
1x Forces of Jaedenar
1x Natural Remedies
1x The Spirit Polluted
1x The Sigil of Krasus
1x Wanted Durn the Hungerer

Side: 9 (The other playable cards drafted)
1x Vindicator Belian [1]
1x Zaistor the Vigilant [1]
1x Aldana [2]
1x Orderkeeper Calister [4]
1x Rames the Purifier [4]
1x Fade [1]
2x Heartening Arrival [3]
1x Crystalfire Staff

Wisp