So Long....Goodbye

No, it's not my last post, nor am I leaving for, another plane......

The above was the name of a Raw Deal Card (Caution! Whole post revolves mainly on a Raw Deal Tournament that happened yesterday) that practically made my day yesterday. Yesterday, after a long, long while, I played in a sanctioned Raw Deal Tournament that I could win a prize. It was for the U.S. Title Belt. Let the storytelling begin.......

Saturday, 4th June 2005 @ 6.00pm

Andy: Hey Ben, did you know there's a tournament tomorrow at Bangsar?
Me: Really?? No, i had no idea.
Andy: Call Joe. He's got the details.
Me: Any card restrictions? (Oi, already asnwered above la!)

later, during a dinner that a I didn't eat....

Andy: So did you call Joe and find out what can/cannot be played?
Me: No, I had his mobile number 3 times, and lost my phone that many times too.
(Dinner crowd shrugs in dissapointment)
Me: Anyone has his number? (To my surprise, all of a sudden there was a impromptu race to provide me the number.....And Triona won!)
(Tried to call Joe with no success)

After dinner, back at Wolf's Games Shop (where all wrestlers, table top gamers and RPGers call their 2nd home).

Andy: So did you call Joe?
Me: No luck. Can't get him.
Andy: Joe called me. It's a no PROMO tournament (PROMO capitalised for a unique reason).

yada yada yada yada.......

After a Movie and some more gaming, and just into 4th June 2005, i.e. 1.00am....Andy, Ahmad, Geoffrey ( I think that's his name) decided Enough With the Trash Talk (and gaming), it's time to feed. Off we went to our usual hangout place at Section 14, PJ. While on the way there, I had this conversation:

Me: Who do you think I should play tomorrow?
Ahmad: You should play 2MPT heat. Consistent deck.
Me: Why? (Again, why you like to ask questions that's already asnwered?) I think I want to play Gail Kim & Molly Holly. It's nice to be able to hit a 0-F manuever for 12 damage!...Andy's here. Don't tell him what I want to play tomorrow!
Ahmad: Ok!

By the end of the feeding session, I left the place bent on going home to build my "Hardcore Molly" deck, but was telling everyone I will play Big Poppa Pump. Yet for some reason, by the time I am home I chose to build a Big Poppa Pump Deck!

5th June 2005, @ 9.30am

Woke up early due to my familiarity to wake up to work. Curses. Thought that I will arrive early at Bangsar and use a proxy deck to play. Since Big Poppa Pump was Raw, I decided it's time to build a SmackDown Eugene deck. After making some changes to my current Raw Eugene, voila! Eugene is now SmackDown specialing in Torrie's DDT, Rock Bottom & thePeople's Elbow and a host of SuperStar Specific Moves that Eugene can mimick. Out of curiosity, I played Big Poppa Pump against Eugene only to see Big Poppa Pump get a Beating it will forget asap! All of a sudden, I have now decided to play Eugene instead! (Note: It is extremely enjoyable to play Eugene as you can hit to most ridiculous moves at your opponents!) Reached Bangsar at 12.20pm and, well, the rest is history......below:

Pre-Tournament:

I played a game with Joe with my Big Poppa Pump and lost marginally to his All Axxess JBL. Then came the time to write my name on the entry list.

Mae: Ben, are you chinese educated?
Me: No, why?
Mae: You write with a stlye similar to chinese caligraphy.
Me: No, their style is similar to me.
Mae: Unless you're thousands of years old....
Me: I am! Can't you tell? I am Immortal!!
Mae: No I can't tell...
Joe: I can. I can smell it!

While that conversation didn't turn out as close as the reality, I would note that for some unknown reason, the way I grip a pen (scratch that thought!) has always had many chinese questioning why I hold it that way...Whatever...

Fast Forward to Round One:

Opponent - Shane O'Mac played by Shaz

Got lucky as he decided not to Mean Streets of Greenwich me and I had the opportunity to play my preferred Prematches. The game was rather one sided, I threw several unique manuevers at him without return, and he was limited to 2 fortitude until the end. Sorry Shaz, Eugene had to Torrie's DDT you.

Round Two:

Opponent - APA by Fiezan

My first Heat opponent. Yet again I got lucky I had enough reversals in my hand and hit him with a first tun That One Thing, choosing submission. He was stuck at 4 fortitude and Torrie's DDT setup another win for Eugene.

Round Three:

Opponent - GOLDBerg by Johan(Joe)

This has got to be the easiet of all matchups. GOLDBerg's lack of 0-fort reversals, coupled by his inability to reverse unique manuevers with his ability, should mean a walkover for me. Yet, yet in this game I made 2 blunders. Firstly, I forgot to play It's Showtime to move first. That gave him an opportunity to push through a manuever (My hand was atrocious) and eventually we were both having 10+ fort. Then, as I wasn't drawing much manuevers, I decided to play Teaser Mode and search for........So Long....Goodbye. Yes it's a Raw Deal Card.

Joe: What did you search for?
Me: So Long, Goodbye.....(showing him the card)
Joe: Hey! That's a PROMO from Ruthless Agression
Me: (looked at the card and saw V 7.0 whatever that meant)
Joe: I know my PROMOs! What irony! So Long! GoodBye! (And laughs no different from a Hyena)
For the next 10+ minutes, I was in shame. Raw Deal Manager playing with an illegal deck. I should have been DQed. Thank goodness Mae, the person running that tourney, wasn't much of a rules person (heck, she probably doesn't even know how to play the game), decided to not decide and let my previous opponents decide on my fate. Due to some suprising turn of events, I was to rematch with Fiezan (Shaz let me off, good man) and lost to him (not so lucky this time). I was now from what should have been 3-0 to 1-2. It's Over for me.

Joe: Hey. Still got another round to go. Andy may still do a Go Behind!

And so there was another round. I was still distraught at this point due to the So Long, Goodbye thingy....Such a poor mistake.

Round Four

Opponent - Babe of the Year by Andy

For what would have been a difficuly match turned out ok as Eugene prevailed. But to think of it, 2 wins just ain't enough. Right? (ok, I have to admit, if I didn't cut it I wouldn't be bothered to write so much of this crap, no?)

Top four single elimination saw me do an "Andy", Go Behind. Andy was once playing with an illegal deck, made our semis matchup the matchup of the Liars, Cheaters & Thieves. However, despite his attempt to play differently, Eugene manage to hit him with more unique manuevers, including Babe Buster!

The other semis was Azmin's Torrie (Eugene's mentor) and Joe's GOLDBerg. Much the same as the swiss rounds, Azmin could not notch that much needed win over Joe to meet me for the final. So it was GOLDBerg VS Eugene in the final.

Joe: Come over and trash me, you cheater!
Me: (Still embarressed over the boo boo).......

No mistakes this time, I showtimed and hit Joe with Double Chop. For some unknown reason, Joe chose to not reverse it and, the rest, I guess, is History (not Anachronism!) Unique move after Unique move, I finished Joe off with RKO!

And so I've won. Yet another US Title Belt. Whatever......

Post Match.

Decided I should try out Azmin's Torrie just to 'prove' nothing, I got hit with DDTs until Eugene pinned out. It would have been a good feel, though!

So Long.....Goodbye......