Always a titanic struggle ...
There were only 12 preliminary matches this year, which is
down considerably, probably due to the tournament taking place
so early in the convention. This meant that every first and second
place finisher advanced to the semi-finals and if one placed
third, they had a good chance of making it into the semi-finals
as an Alternate. As it turned out, due to no-shows, anyone who
played in the preliminary rounds would likely have been able
to play in the semi-finals.
The highest point total scored in the preliminary matches
was by defending champ Alan Witte, who annihilated his opponents
in the game by scoring 27 points in two games, with the next
highest total being 13.
The title of Tournament Assassin goes to Keith Levy who was
allowed to kill off every creature in a semi-final game.
6th seed, Scott Buchwalter, 12th seed, Keith Levy, 15th seed,
Rebecca Hebner, 21st seed, Ken Sheffield and 22nd seed, James
Hopkin played the finals.
Scott took a commanding lead by winning the first game with
14 points while the next closest was eight points scored by Rebecca
and James. Things looked very bad for Keith in the finals, finishing
the first game with a mere three points.
The second game of the set would see a reversal of fortunes
as Keith soundly defeated his opponents with a 15 points while
the next closest was ten points scored by Rebecca and Ken.
The finals, not surprisingly, proved to be the closest matches
of the entire tournament, with every position determined via
the tiebreaker. Ken, James and Scott finished with a total of
16 points while Rebecca and Keith finished with 18. The win went
to Rebecca as she was sitting closest, counter-clockwise to the
person who killed the last creature, giving Keith an agonizingly
close second and Rebecca the second jewel in her quadruple crown
for the week.
The lessons learned in the final were never underestimate
the power of allowing someone to end a round and keep a close
eye on those who don't seem to have a chance.
The three creatures most likely to receive a secret bet were
the Dragon, Unicorn and Titan. The five creatures most likely
to be killed were the Warlock, Dragon, Hydra, Cyclops and Titan,
with the Warlock and Hydra leading the pack. The top three creatures
to survive were the Troll, Ranger and Cyclops.
It is fitting perhaps to conclude this report with a look
at the "minors" which so recently gratuated Rebecca
to the big leagues. The coming new star this year was Erica Kirchner
who bested 13 others in the junior event. Jed Shambeda took second,
followed by Katie McCorry, Shea Lawson, Jessica Finkeldey and
Grant Herman.
|