The 21st of September heralded a great moment in the history of South African ST:CCG. Despite people pulling out left right and center, our heroes, the ST:CCG players of Cape Town and Durban held their resolve and went ahead with plans to conquer Wizards Books of the Stadium on Main shopping center.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the "South African National ST:CCG Championships" - better than a Michael van Breemen romance novel/open log.

Some background. The concept of a national championships was born into the minds of South African players in April. After consulting the then Decipher tournament coordinator Bruce "PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR DIRECTOR'S ID# WITH ALL CORRESPONDANCE" Umene, we were told that we couldn't be included on the championships circuit, as it was "very rare" that a country be included on the circuit after less than a year of sanctioned tournament play. This was all very academic, as chances are, the winner of these championships wouldn't be able to afford a flight to Decipher Con in any case.
So we decided to hold the tournament in September, over the weekend 21st-23rd.

In return for Allan Campbell running the Saturday and Sunday "official tournaments", I ran the warmup tournament on Friday evening. Standard constructed deck, four rounds of which were to determine the metagame for the rest of the weekend. Assuming, that is, that not everyone was holding their best decks back for Sunday's tournament. Shaun Kennedy came out on top, with a hastily assembled PNZ deck.

The scores:

Shaun Kennedy	8 (+325) PNZ
Drew Rabie	5 (+190) DQ Kazon\Vidiian with first turn Tantalus Field in any quadrant
Fritz Meissner snr.	5 (+175) AQ Fed dilemma buster
Rethea Deetlefs	5 (+105) ditto
Warren Cramer	4 (- 35) Bajoran?
Richard Slater	4 (- 45) DQ Fed\Vidiian
Hugo Schuitemaker	3 (- 45)
John van Rensburg	2 (-100) Brat pack?
Jarred Cramer	2 (-165)
Guy Sclanders	2 (-190)
Terri Nicole	0 (-295)

This took us to Saturday morning - we finished play after midnight! After giving Shaun a lift home, finally got into bed at around 2AM. 5 hours later, I awoke in time to have breakfast, shower at a reasonably leisurely pace and get to the venue ten minutes before registration opened for the Warp Speed half of the nationals. We each received our Enhanced Premier pack, and begin building.

I received a mediocre to bad set of cards, but I was determined not to let that get me down. My rares were Tsiolkovsky Infection, Ancient Computer, Nutational Shields and Tox Uthat. My main problem was that I didn't get any missions in the expansion packs, so I was forced to go with the two premium missions I picked. I was further hampered by the fact that I didn't a single Stellar Cartography, so to solve Explore Typhone Expanse II, I had to have cunning > 50. My deck was as follows:

SEEDS
Explore Typhone Expanse II
Relief Mission II
Male's Love Interest & Plague Ship
Alien Parasites & REM Fatigue
Cosmic String Fragment
Tsiolkovsky Infection
Anaphasic Organism
Archer
Female's Love Interest
Ancient Computer
Microvirus
IKC K'Vort

DRAW DECK
Data and Picard
Palteth
Taul
Galathon
Selok
Mendak
Varel
Thei
J'Ddan
Divok
Vekma
Koroth
McKnight
Mendon
Sirna Kolrami
Eric Pressman
Dr. Farek
Medical Kit
Scan
IKC Vor'Cha
 

On to the games:

Round 1 vs. Hugo Schuitemaker
Hugo hails from Durban, which is about as far away from Cape Town as one can get in South Africa. He and Guy Sclanders arrived early morning Friday after departing from Durban International Airport at something like 5AM.

I went first and sent my seeded IKC K'Vort down the spaceline with two personnel to redshirt Relief Mission. Some or the other dilemma killed my personnel, leaving my K'Vort unstaffed and useless. I build up my personnel at my outpost while drawing through most of my deck in the hope of picking up my other ship. In the mean time, he waits until he has about six personnel on the table and attempts his outpost mission. My Alien Parasites combo dilemma succeeds in taking control of his crew, so I move his Husnock ship next door to my Relief Mission, which his personnel kindly complete for me. In the process, most of his personnel are killed, leaving his ship stranded there.

A few turns later, I draw my Vor'Cha and redship through his dilemmas to complete Typhone Expanse II for the win.

Score: 2 (+45)
Cumulative: 2 (+45)

After this game, I realized the importance of ships in an environment where one can't guarantee having personnel to staff the ships readily available, so I added in a Runabout and USS Excelsior. My win puts me in second place behind Shaun Kennedy, so I head on up to table 1.
 

Round 2 vs Shaun Kennedy
Knowing of course as one always does in Warp Speed where your opponent's outpost is during the dilemma phase is quite helpful. Alien Parasites & REM Fatigue went under his outpost, and lo and behold, he hits it on the first turn. His geology personnel is kind enough to head on down to Relief Mission, which he completes for me, putting me 15-0 ahead.

While he continues at his outpost, struggling especially with my Ancient Computer, I build up my crew for Typhon Expanse II. A quick scan reveals that I can complete the mission, so I load everyone on to my K'Vort, only to be Temporal Rifted. During the next two turns, he solves 70 points worth of missions to give him a full win, 70-15.

Score: 0 (-55)
Cumulative: 2 (-10)
 

Round 3 vs. Jarred Cramer
Once again, the Alien Parasites combo went under his outpost. This time, however, I redshirted through his dilemmas successfully on turn two giving me a 15-0 head start. I moved my K'Vort back as close to my outpost as possible. Next turn, he attempts his outpost mission and hits Alien Parasites, predictably enough. I move his ship over to where my K'Vort is, in the hope of attacking him my turn.

My notes are a tad sketchy from here. I seem to recall me not having enough weapons to off his ship, so instead I move back to my outpost. He moves his ship back the outpost, but that becomes academic as I quickly finish off my second mission.

Score: 2 (+45)
Cumulative: 4 (+35)

My memory of rounds four and five is even worse than that of the previous game, so I'm going to skip straight to round five. All I know is that I beat Richard Slater by 45 and lost to Warren Cramer, largely because I was worried about differential and seeded Cosmic String Fragment under my outpost mission, thus reducing the number of dilemmas he had to face. Needless to say, I didn't try that again.
 

Round 5 vs. Fritz Meissner senior
Background: my dad and I share the same name. By this stage, I was two points behind Shaun Kennedy. With the cumulative system coming into effect to decide who participates in the final confrontation, I didn't want to lose any more points.

This game was up and down. We both solved one mission, after which I blew up his only ship with my IKC Vor'Cha. That was pretty much game over for him, but I spent too much time chasing his ship down, meaning I had to settle for a true tie.

Score: 1 (+0)
Cumulative: 7 (+5)

Shaun was now on 10, making the difference 3 points. In addition, five other players were on 8, so I was in trouble.
 

Round 7 vs. Robin Caddie
Early on, I redshirt through one dilemma at Relief Mission, but get stopped by Matriarchal Society. Wow - when was the last time you got stopped by one of those? In any case, his turn, he redships into Alien Parasites, and, knowing he won't be able to pass Matriarchal Society either, I move his ship as far away from his outpost as it can go. He ends his turn, and next turn, my runabout joins my K'Vort with two females aboard it. I pass it to solve the mission for 15. I move my Runabout and K'Vort over to attack his Scout Ship, but I don't have the range. I even up, knowing that next turn I should be able to destroy his only ship.

Unfortunately, the unforseeable happens. He drops a D'Deridex which proceeds to make short work of my Runabout. I knew that I wouldn't be able to get my K'Vort away in time, so I beam my personnel down to Relief mission and leave my ship undefended, hoping that he'd waste time in attacking it. He obliges next turn, then moves on to his planet missions. In what must have been an attempt to up his differential, he solves both of them. Meanwhile, through some clever daisy chaining, I get my stranded personnel back to my OP, and make a last ditch attempt to salvage the win. A last ditch attempt, which, lucky for me, succeeds.

Score: 2 (+1)
Cumulative: 9 (+6)

Round 8 vs. Guy Sclanders
My first encounter with our other out-of-towner, Guy Sclanders, was a largely unsuccessful one for me. I manage to solve Relief Mission on my first turn, but then he Q-Nets my outpost mission. My first attempt of the mission reveals that it is a Garbage Scow combo dilemma. With only one Diplomacy in the deck, I'm unable to tow the scow to anywhere. We both end up drawing out, him achieving a modified win.

Score: 1 (-15)
Cumulative: 9 (-9)

This gives me an utterly dismal fifth place out of ten. Moreover, I'm going into day 2 3 points behind the lead, which is never an ideal start.

Scores:

Shaun Kennedy	12 (+ 55)
Richard Slater	10 (+ 95)
Hugo Schuitemaker	10 (+ 85)
Guy Sclanders	9 (+140)
Fritz Meissner	9 (-  9)
Warren Cramer	8 (- 75)
Rethea Deetlefs	7 (- 45)
Robin Caddie	6 (- 21)
Fritz Meissner snr.	5 (-175)
Jarred Cramer	2 (-240)

After we finished the days' play at around 8PM, we all headed over to Drew Rabie's place where some watched Trek and others built decks. I did both, putting together a DT style PNZ Pla-Net deck for Guy out of myself and others' cards. My dad and I left at around midnight. Once home, my attempts to build\playtest my deck failed miserably. I fell asleep, and woke up seven hours later, at which stage we left for Wizards, where I put the finishing touches on my deck.

My deck was a Fed/Kazon DQSS Caretaker's Array monster with some extras not normally seen in your average DQSS deck-next-door. It wasn't the fastest ever - my shortest game was four turns, but that's understandable, since it didn't run any of the jumpstart cards. Instead, the crux of the deck was four Computer Crashes. I figured that that four turn advantage is worth more than four jump start cards any day. DQSS doesn't really need to download anything, and since I was running more than the average number of ships for the Array, I didn't even need Spacedoor or a Tent. In fact, the only downloads in the deck were referee downloads, which are immune to Computer Crash in any case. I was also running a couple of handshakes, and to counter the loss of the cards which I discarded, I added 3 Regenerates. Apart from two copies each of Voyager, Equinox (one seeded) and the Delta Flyer, I ran a bunch Kazon Raiders and a Kazon Warship so that I could engage in the odd battle and also defend myself. My missions were all worth at least 40 points, except for Liberation. My plan was to solve Investigate Quantum Singularity, Cure Deadly Virus and Liberation, but I could be flexible with which missions I solved.

Play got underway at around 10AM.
 

Round 1 vs. Rethea Deetlefs  - Fed AQ dilemma buster
I start off the game quite badly, not noticing her Cultural Observation until she seeds something there. By that stage, my only unseeded dilemma was Crisis, which wouldn't do much, but I seeded it anyway.

The first four turns were mine, despite getting a terrible draw in which I didn't pick up any Handshakes, Kivas or DQSS doubles. She couldn't get her deck into gear while my Computer Crashes were in play because she couldn't Spacedoor, Tent or use her jump starts. I solved Investigate Quantum Singularity for 45, then attempted Cure Deadly Virus. I ditch QtR for Temporal Vortex to take care of The Sheliak, but am stopped by her Q. She relocates the mission to the far end of the spaceline. Her turn, with my Computer Crashes out of the way, she solves Cultural Observation and earns Tox Uthat, but fortunately I solve CDV and then pass her Dead End at Liberation. Next up is Q-Flash, which doesn't hurt me much - I ditch my other QtR to fetch Oof! for Fightin' Words. Solving Liberation brings me to 100.

Score: 2 (+45)
Cumulative: 2 (+45)
 

Round 2 vs. Guy Sclanders - PNZ
I have a bit of an unfair advantage in this game, having helped Guy to build his deck. I know he wants to self-seed Pla-Nets, so my main aim in the seed phase is to outseed him. I manage this with my huge number of hidden agendas - all ten of them, so two of his Pla-Nets are useless. This doesn't help me much, though, as he still only needs to solve two PNZs to win.

Fortunately, Computer Crash is on my side. He doesn't use Quark's Rods, so I do enjoy my usual head start. He plays a Q-Net (not often you see one of those) next to my outpost, but that doesn't slow me down much as I race to a 90-0 lead, solving IQS and CDV. On my way back, he Temporal Rifts me, and without an AU door in the deck (despite using two STPs), I have no response. He gets his jump starts and gets stopped by Dead End. Next turn, he moves to another PNZ, continues at Edo Probe, passes Beserk Changeling and Pla-Nets my Scientific Method, putting him at 55 after solving. At this point, he could have won the game if he had moved back to the Dead End mission where my other dilemma would have been taken care of by his Pla-Net. Instead, he continues away from his outpost to another PNZ, where he gets stopped by Aggressive Behavior. My turn, Kazon Raider reappears, and I start moving down the spaceline. He wormholes me, but I'm ready for it with Operate Wormhole Relays. The 11 range of the Equinox makes short work of the intervening distance, and I solve Liberation to win, 100-55.

Score: 2 (+45)
Cumulative: 4 (+90)
 

Round 3 vs. Warren Cramer - Another PNZ
It emerges in the seed phase that Warren is also playing PNZ, with a seeded Husnock Ship at a Husnock OP, bang in the middle of the neutral zone. He gets his Pla-Nets down without much trouble - Warren is one of the better seed phase players around here.

// Editor's note: I am of course wondering where he got a PNZ with a NA icon to seed
// the Husnock outpost ;-)

There isn't much to tell with this game. Obviously, there was little interaction with him in the neutral zone and myself in the delta quadrant. My Computer Crashes worked wonders (as they almost always do - I love the metagame). I remember him encountering a Dead End, and Implication slowing him as well. The other main problem he had was that his Husnock Ship's meager range of six didn't help him much with all his five span PNZs. I won 100-0 through my usual three missions, but the scoreline doesn't do him justice; he could probably have solved one, if not two PNZs on the next turn.

Score: 2 (+100)
Cumulative: 6 (+190)
 

Round 4 vs. Drew
Drew is paranoid about privacy - he wouldn't let me use his full name and surname here. His deck is a straight Kazon/Vidiian mission solver, with very few twists. Amazingly, though, we don't duplicate any missions. It seems we're on an even footing, except for the small matter of my Computer Crashes.

Unfortunately, that advantage is quickly negated - he Kevins, uses Nanoprobe Resuscitation, Kevins etc. to wittle my crashes down very quickly. Now it is he who has the advantage because he has jump starts and I have to compete with them. Both of us begin the game quickly with DQSS, but my Caretaker's Array drops give me an advantage over his Collective + Sodality plays. We're both drawing cards like crazy with Kivas Fajo - Collector and Handshakes.

I knew I had to start attempting missions quickly. I attempt Investigate Quantum Singularity and lose Kes, Neelix, Arturis, Nimira and Janeway to a Kazon Bomb, then get stopped by Chula: the Game. In any case, I no longer had the skills to solve Inv. Quantum Singularity, so next turn I move on to Return Life-form, where I lose more personnel. After passing an Implication with Tuvok's Law (first time I've overcome that one with Law), I'm through all the dilemmas, but I'm lacking diplomacy to complete.

My notes are sketchy here. I can't remember the time frame, but by this stage Drew has solved Kazon Conference and Combat Training to put him on 70. He then clears Acquire Technology, but something or the other stopped him. He ends his turn leaving a Kazon Shuttle with a couple of personnel on board off to where he can bring them in next turn to solve for the win. My turn, I load two Kazon Raiders on board my Kazon Warship, move the Warship seven span, unload the Raiders, move them eight to the same location as his Shuttle, and he responds by STPing the Shuttle back to his hand, giving me another turn or two in which to work. I end my turn, drawing Arturis, who is the diplomacy I need to solve Return Life-form.

Next turn I solve Return Lifeform for 40, putting me on 35 (I lost points somewhere along the line) and we time out, making the score 74-35 in his favor.

Score: 0 (-39)
Cumulative: 6 (+151)
 

Round 5 vs. Shaun Kennedy
I'm expecting something interesting from Shaun today, especially since he's probably my biggest rival at the moment. He seeds two missions in the Gamma Quadrant, including the Founder Homeworld and four in the Alpha, including Diplomatic Conference. Seeding goes pretty much as normal - he comments on the number of HAs I'm using, and I don't respond. He gets the last seed at his own Diplomatic Conference. I certainly wasn't expecting Q-Bypass from a Dominion deck, and I don't have any defense, but maybe that was just an artifact.

For once, however, my deck works perfectly. He plays Red Alert and attempts to Defend Homeworld for Deyos, so I know exactly what's happening with his deck. However, he has no response to my computer crashes. He plays lots of Jem'Hadar from hand, but doesn't do much else. I get the perfect draw, DQSSing and dropping ships at Caretaker's Array. I went first, which meant that I had five turns before he could download anything, and I won on the fifth turn, 100-0. He doesn't look happy, and tells me that if we have to play the final confrontation against each other, he won't play because he can't do anything against my deck. I reassure him that I did get the best draw I've had all tournament long, and in the end he seems willing to play.

Score: 2 (+100)
Cumulative: 8 (+251)
 

Round 6 vs. Fritz Meissner snr.
Great. I end up playing my dad in the national championships (we share the same name). This game was totally unfair. I built his deck knowing that he wouldn't be able to handle my Computer Crashes, although I did suggest that he use Quark's Rods at one stage. Like I said, this was solitaire. He couldn't get a ship out (I Crashed his Spacedoor) and I fly through his dilemmas. His Q-Flashes did give me problems, though. Worst was the one which requires Integrity between two totals (10 and 50?) - with fourteen personnel in play, I was way over them, but fortunately the 11-range of the Equinox helped me out.

Score: 2 (+100)
Cumulative: 10 (+351)

The top three constructed deck scores looked like this:

Fritz Meissner          10 (+351)
Warren Cramer            9 (+200)
Shaun Kennedy            8 (+100)

However, when combined with the sealed deck scores, Shaun was first with 20 (+345) and myself second with 19 (+320), meaning we were to play the final confrontation. A good thing, because I did *not* want to face Warren's deck again. He beat Guy Sclanders (both playing the same deck, see rounds 2 and 3) 100-0 on the first turn with twelve neutral zone locations on the table in the final round. Scary stuff. Shaun and I decided to play the final on a later date, but I have reason to be confident. I'll report on that when we play it.

Our work for the past five months is over, and it's quite a relief. Next year I hope to run our national championships in another location (probably GenCon SA, which is held at the other end of the country). My aim for the next while is also to become an Ambassador, so we can get some proper support from Decipher.

Dismal turnout: 13 is pathetic when one is hoping for 20+ and expecting at least 15. With the Johannesburg guys pulling out two days before hand, I suppose that's understandable, but these are not the sort of figures we wanted to show Decipher. Only two out of towners showed up, which doesn't speak wonders for our national organization, although Cape Town is the only location nation-wide with sanctioned tournaments.

Decks: Compare this report to my last two, and you'll see the standard of play rising. Now we just need to start building original decks. And we need to find some way of affording plane tickets to DecipherCon. Hmmm... donations welcome.

The Borg: I had to write an article for Scrye due last Wednesday. I still don't have any Borg cards, and I'm not expecting them to arrive any time in the next month. Sigh... when they do come, however, I'm sure we'll see the metagame shifting quite a bit.
 

That's it. Hope you liked the report.