Well, I won the STAR TREK CCG Utah State Championship last year, so I decided I should probably try to defend my State Championship title for this year.  8 people showed up to compete in the Tournament.  One player had to drop out after the first round, but the remaining players stayed and had a great time.  Last year's Runner-Up, Robert Kinser, and I, the defending State Champion, both participated in the Tournament.

Game #1: STCCG Player VS. Josh Merrill (aka "STCCG Expert" / YJCCG Jedi Council / JKTCG Rebel Strike Team)

Josh was playing a Federation Terran Empire / Dominion Treaty Deck, using the Halkan Council, Office of the President, and The Great Link for multiple free reporting each turn.  He was successful in building up large Away Teams, but not very successful at attempting missions.  I was successful in "disrupting the timeline in 2063" before Josh was able to complete any missions, but Time was called before I could complete Salvage Starship.

Game #1 Score: Timed Win -- 1 (+40)
Cumulative Tournament Score: 1 (+40)

Game #2: STCCG Player VS. Robert Kinser (Utah State Runner-Up 2000)

Robert was playing a Klingon Empok Nor / Mirror Alliance Nor Deck.  Robert would use a Mirror Alliance Nor to Process Ore (being "Immune to Reactor Overload), and would use Empok Nor as his main base.  Mine Dilithium, a [MQ] [KCA] ENGINEER or [MQ] [KCA] SECURITY, and the Alliance Nor were the only cards from the Mirror Universe that was in his deck, solely for the purpose of "Processing Ore," while being "Immune to Reactor Overload."  His Black Hole "pulled" in my seeded Transwarp Network Gateway, and if I had not closed the Black Hole when I did, Earth would have been the next mission to be pulled in.  This game was a little strange, as I had three copies of Locutus of Borg in my hand in addition to the one in play, but not one of my Borg Queens
hit the table.  I was successful in "disrupting the timeline in 2063," and Robert was able to complete A Good Day to Live and played some Klingon Death Yells for some Honorable dead Klingons after my Sheliak hit the mission.  Time was called before either of us could complete another Mission or Objective.

Game #2 Score: Timed Loss -- 0 (-20)
Cumulative Tournament Score: 1 (+20)
 

Game #3: STCCG Player VS. Richard Caywood

Richard was playing a Bajoran Patrol Neutral Zone Deck that used Bajor with Deep Space Nine and the Chamber of Ministers. But the rest of his missions were Symbiont Diagnosis and 4 Patrol Neutral Zones.  His entire strategy depended on keeping Riker Wil alive so he could attempt the missions.  Richard used HQ: Secure Homeworld, Sarjenka, and HQ: Return Orb to Bajor to acquire the Orb of Prophecy and Change on his first few turns using Vedek Dax (a "Trill with Symbiont" for Symbiont Diagnosis).  He would then "Conduct Services" at the Bajoran Shrine and would use free reporting at the Chamber of Ministers and with First Minister Shakkar.  His deck strategy seemed to be working nicely, until I "disrupted the timeline in 2063," forcing Richard to remove the U.S.S. Yangtzee Kiang, The Emissary, Kassidy Yates, and Riker Wil out-of-play.
Richard was able to score some points with Dabo, but without Riker Wil, the only mission he could attempt was Bajor, but I had a Sheliak seeded there, along with some other dilemmas.  I was then successful in completing Salvage Starship
for a Full Win.  We then took a 45-minute lunch break.

Game #3 Score: Full Win -- 2 (+79)
Cumulative Tournament Score: 3 (+99)

Game #4: STCCG Player VS. Nathan Howard (SWCCG Squadron Leader)

After lunch, I was then paired-up with Nathan Howard.  Nathan was playing a Federation Visit Cochrane Memorial / Empok Nor Deck, and included many Human ENGINEERS along with Lore, Crosis, and lots of Rogue Borg Mercenaries.  This was a very intense and suspenseful game.  I immediately discarded a Q the Referee to download It's Only A Game on my first turn.  Both of us built-up fairly large crews with nearly equal STRENGTH, but when I tried to scout Earth he would constantly attack my Borg.  After completing each Scouting attempt for that turn, I would move the Borg to Secret Salvage adjacent to Earth so I would not be forced to battle at Earth.  When I finally moved my Borg to the Montana Missile Complex, he tried to play some Rogue Borg Mercenaries on my Ship.  I used my Reassimilation Drone's special skill to replace one of them with the Tactic Drone (Third of Five), who then immediately "suspended play" to download Hugh
to destroy his Rogue Borg Mercenaries.  Unfortunately, I had a bad probe, and Time was then immediately called.  Neither of us scored any points in this game.

Game #4 Score: True Tie -- 1 (+0)
Cumulative Tournament Score: 4 (+99)

Game #5: STCCG Player VS. Dennis Holliday (STCCG Ambassador)

Dennis was playing a Romulan Hawking's Paradox Deck, along with two Terraforming Stations on opponent's Missions.  I closed his Black Hole before it could pull in his Q's Planet, and his Pegasus Search and other two Missions were loaded with Dilemmas.  Unfortunately for me, Dennis completed my Espionage Mission and Investigate Incursion, to which I completed Salvage Starship at Investigate Incursion.  I was attempting to Stop First Contact at Earth, but Dennis played a Supernova at Earth before I complete the Objective.  I used Resistance Is Futile on the completed Salvage Starship, but time was called before I could complete the other Salvage Starship.

Game #5 Score: Timed Loss -- 0 (-50)
Cumulative Tournament Score: 4 (+49)

Game #6: Bye -- 2 (+49)
Final Tournament Score: 6 (+49)

The final standings after the six regular rounds were as follows:

8 (+304)    Dennis Holliday (STCCG Ambassador)
7 (+260)    Nathan Howard (SWCCG Squadron Leader)
7 (+250)    Robert Kinser (Utah State Runner-Up 2000)
6 (+49)     Hyrum Asay (STCCG Player / Utah State Champion 2000)
4 (-285)    Richard Caywood
4 (-285)    Josh Merrill (YJCCG Jedi Council / JKTCG Rebel Strike Team)
2 (-330)    Daniel Petrulionis (Hero of the Empire Deck)
0 (-19)     Barry Johnson

I did not stay to watch the Final Confrontation, but here is what the Tournament Director,
STCCG Ambassador Everett E. Johnson wrote in his report:

"Dennis and Nathan played one of the strangest final confrontations I've ever seen.  Both
seemed pretty much to be scraping the barrel for points most of the time.  Dennis denied Nathan 3 of his missions by solving one, and having used 2 Terraforming Stations during their first game (in Round 1).  Twice, Dennis used a Devidian Door, and was lucky that he drew a new one when Nathan played Masaka Transformations on him immediately after.  Empok Nor went the whole game without being commandeered, with Luther Sloane (Nathan's) and Ruk (Dennis') glaring at each other at Ops the whole time (no Docking Sites).  Dennis built a Colony on Q's Planet, saw it vanish to The Wake of the Borg, and built it again later in the game.  Q's Planet gave Dennis a Tox Uthat, which was placed beneath the draw deck by a Masaka Transformations.  When it finally came back later in the game, it came just in time for Dennis to blow up a universal Space mission, which was where Nathan's Future Enterprise was.  The final score, after factoring in all the Mission Specialist bonus points both players scored, was 114 to 80, in Dennis' favor, making fellow Ambassador Dennis Holliday the new STAR TREK CCG Utah State Champion for 2001." -- Everett E. Johnson

Hyrum Asay
"STCCG Player" -- stccg-player@juno.com

See the deck!

Related LINKS:
   STAR TREK CCG Utah State Championship 2000 Tournament Report --
25utahstates.shtml
   STCCG Player's Stop First Contact Borg Deck -- STCCG Utah State Championship 2000 Tournament
-- 25sfc.shtml
   STAR TREK CCG Utah Information Center -- http://beam.to/utahstccg/