Subject: snowed in Date: Wed, 11 Mar 1998 03:21:09 -0600 (CST) From: sheckman@ix.netcom.com To: fkusumot@ix.netcom.com ------------------------------------------- PTLA Day 4 - "Snowed In" by Sam Heckman By the time I wake up at 1PM Francis Keys had long since left to watch top 8. I'm pretty hungry and thinking of cool places to go for some grub. In the shuttle on Thursday from the airport some lady that lived in the Long Beach area recommended I try the Sunday champagne brunch at the Queen Mary. Being a guy open to new things (especially when they involve champagne) I decide to try it. Melissa Lang and I shower up and head down to R deck to get there before it ends at 2PM. The Grand Hall where it was held is incredible, it's 3 decks high and must seat over 500 comfortably. So Big! The spread there is unbelievable, and surprisingly I don't see anyone from the Pro Tour there at all. I guess everyone wanted to catch the action in top 8 and see who walked away with the cash. We both eat and drink until our clothes don't fit so well anymore, and waddle down to the convention area to watch the beatings live on the WotC closed circuit TV. I arrive just in time to see the last game of Ben Rubin vs. Adam Katz. Chris Pikula and Brian Weissman are doing commentary and ripping Katz apart for numerous misplays. Rubin wins, and I try to locate the finals room and Francis. The area used to for the finals is an auditorium secluded towards the bow of the ship, where the Titanic exhibit is being constructed. The matches there are played out on a small stage. The finalists are surrounded by judges and a camera crew with 3 video cameras and a still camera on a tripod. The room has seating for over 100 people, but only and handful of spectators have been admitted. The majority of those watching the finals are in the main convention area, where a rear projection screen has been set up, along with other smaller monitors for the fans. The convention area has speaker for the color commentary, but in sharp contrast the finals room is dead silent. The only noises mere whispers and the occasional camera flash. You can literally hear the cards snap against the table when played. I sat in the auditorium seating by Francis and Alex Schwartzman, I am quickly asked for a favor from Scott Larabee. He wants me to run a list to Mark Rosewater of the current state of both player's sideboards for the commentators. Looking at the list I see that David Price has sideboarded out all of his Kindles for 4 Stone Rains, a decision that earned him a spot in Pro Tour history. In the 5th game, virtually a $10,000 ante game, Price draws 2 Stone Rains and a Wasteland early. This slows down Rubin and allowed Price to get a lot of damage in before Ben could react by casting defensive spells. Things wrapped up quickly, and Price, once known as the "king of qualifiers" was finally a Pro Tour Champion. After the short awards ceremony I left to go back to my hotel room and chill with a exhausted Francis Keys. He eventually starts writing his top 8 report and I go back to the convention area to do some work of my own, finding top 96 decklists for a report of the Chicago area competitors at PTLA. Andrew Finch goes out of his way to help me find the decklists I need. Look for that report in the next few days. Later that night I am just hanging in the open play areas and see Weissman playing some type 1 with "The Deck." He is approached by a player from Spain that wants to play for ante. This guy is playing Zoo with pups and scroll, from the looks of it no disruption or removal other than Wastelands and Gorilla Shaman. The Zoo deck wins the first match and I decide I need to get a piece of this action. I'm positive the Zoo deck has zero chance against Turbo Lose so I run to the hotel room to get the deck. Francis is willing to put up all the cards, and I think it's all good. When I get back they are in match 2, and Brian is doing rather well. Weissman ends up winning, and gives me a chance to play. Suddenly the dude from Spain isn't into ante anymore and leaves. My only option is to play his friend for fun. The person I play is using basically the same deck with the addition of disenchant, giving him much more play in a match up against me. Our first game ends before he gets a 2nd turn. My draw wasn't exceptional, but Vampiric Tutors allow me to get what I need rather quickly. Next game he goes first, playing a City of Brass, Mox Emerald, Mox Ruby, Gorilla Shaman. I play a tropical Island. He plays another land and I mystical for Twister at the end of his turn. I drop another land, Mana Crypt and Twist. His Shaman kills a Mana Crypt and 2 Lotus Petals while I go into recursion but it doesn't matter. I get the recycle on the table and draw basically my whole deck while he sits there tapped out. After I'm done he wants to see my deck laid out so he can try it out in Spain. I guess when somebody takes a beating that fast they feel the need to return the favor on fellow countrymen. In the middle of this madness Land D. Ho and Mark LePine arrive fresh from Disneyland wearing the tourist T shirts and the classic mouse ears. Gary Wise asks Lan to introduce him to Annette Funicello, but Lan grew up in Vietnam and had no idea who he was talking about. Shortly after that Gary and I get into a fistfight when I insult Beach Blanket Bingo and he takes it very personally. I have to turn in early in order to get things ready to check out on Monday morning. Day 5 I wake up to a phone call from home with bad (?) news. Chicago got hit with a pretty severe ice storm and O'Hare airport was cancelling flights. I call United to check on things, and sure enough my flight got the axe. Left with very little options I decide to stay another day, hoping that things will get cleared up for me to come home on Tuesday. Francis and Melissa don't have to depart until midnight, and their flight to Minneapolis is fine. Unfortunately we are all too broke to go to Disneyland, but there is a free bus to downtown Long Beach. We also do a little window shopping, and I determine that I need a lot more cash to spend on interior decor. A valuable lesson was learned: If you go to a restaurant and a big meal costs $10 but a meal for two costs $30 that means that the meal for two is really a meal for 4 people. At the bus stop to go back to the hotel PT players Chuck Heck and a guy from Germany run into us. They go back to the Queen Mary with us, and on the way in we run into some WotC staff including Jeff "Superman" Donais. Jeff gives me a warm hug and I almost shed a tear of sadness, the PT is pretty much over. We stop by Brandon Rutter and Ray DeGuzman's room to see what they are up to. They are pretty bored and follow us to our room for a few games of Standard. Eventually everyone's flights leave and I'm left alone. I sort through my stronghold and doze off the sleep. With the exception of checking out and heading home the weekend is over. Chicago is a cold place right now, and I'm glad my girlfriend Cara was here to warm things up when I got home. Until next time, good luck and best wishes. Sam Heckman sheckman@ix.netcom.com