Last Tuesday was very exciting for me. I went to Suntec to collect my Burning Crusade with everyone. I had planned to go at 1 pm to pick the game up and go home to play. However, we didn't expect such a massive queue that trailed out of the building. We couldn't decide on how to pass the time so we just ended up joining the queue. Nearly two hours later, I picked up my game and went home.
I am glad that the game installed and patched without any problems (I kept reading about defective CDs online). Before I knew it, I had joined the millions of gamers online venturing into the Outlands for the first time.
It has been almost a week already. I think everyone is very pleased with how the expansion turned out. The new zones and its inhabitants are interesting. The quests are refreshing. My main complaint is that the reported leveling time from 61-70 had been greatly exaggerated; it is not that long at all. I was hoping for at least 3 weeks before I reach the new endgame content but I feel it can probably be accomplished in less than that amount of time.
Nevertheless, TBC really lives up to the hype. Happiness to WoW players everywhere.
Monday, January 22, 2007
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
It's 2007, The New Year~
It's now 2007!!!
New Year's celebration was a simple dinner at Fish & Co's with Brainy, Alvin, Akira and Kyo. I was just planning to stay home that day and play more WoW until Brainy suggested it in-game. And then Himura SMS'ed me for a movie outing, so well, it looked like my day had already been planned out for me. I had always wanted to try Fish & Co's and I was pleasantly surprised; it tasted great! I watched Death Note: The Last Name which was real nice, too, even though it was very different from the original.
I don't really have any New Year Resolutions since I always cannot stick to them. So I would rather say, I have some wishes for the New Year.
1: I wish the key necessities of my life, namely my computers, my Internet connection and my WoW, will always be working for me.
2: I wish to go out more with friends instead of being cooped up at home. It's kinda contradictory to the above, I know.
3: I wish I can find a proper job. I am perfectly aware that it is kinda tough now since I have lost the drive to do. But still, a wish is a wish.
Oh, well. I don't really have much to look forward to every new year since I don't have to go to school or stuff (just... reservist.). I guess everyone else has a lot to look forward to. Here's wishing everyone else a happy new year.
New Year's celebration was a simple dinner at Fish & Co's with Brainy, Alvin, Akira and Kyo. I was just planning to stay home that day and play more WoW until Brainy suggested it in-game. And then Himura SMS'ed me for a movie outing, so well, it looked like my day had already been planned out for me. I had always wanted to try Fish & Co's and I was pleasantly surprised; it tasted great! I watched Death Note: The Last Name which was real nice, too, even though it was very different from the original.
I don't really have any New Year Resolutions since I always cannot stick to them. So I would rather say, I have some wishes for the New Year.
1: I wish the key necessities of my life, namely my computers, my Internet connection and my WoW, will always be working for me.
2: I wish to go out more with friends instead of being cooped up at home. It's kinda contradictory to the above, I know.
3: I wish I can find a proper job. I am perfectly aware that it is kinda tough now since I have lost the drive to do. But still, a wish is a wish.
Oh, well. I don't really have much to look forward to every new year since I don't have to go to school or stuff (just... reservist.). I guess everyone else has a lot to look forward to. Here's wishing everyone else a happy new year.
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Slow Surfing~
I was playing WoW early Wednesday morning till around 2 am when I got d/c'ed. Following that, I realized that I could not surf any websites properly. Thinking that it was just Starhub free upgrade plan being put into action (all current Starhub users get a free plan upgrade this week), I decided to go to sleep.
I woke up the next morning only to find that the situation was worse. I panicked a little, thinking that both my computers got hit by viruses. It was then I went over to Hardwarezone and realized that everyone was experiencing the same thing since an Earthquake in Taiwan knocked out some Internet cables.
This is the second day already and things are slightly better. Though there are certain times of the day where I simply cannot surf or play WoW (possibly during the peak/busy hours). MSN is still a problem, though. There are times when I simply cannot log on.
I woke up the next morning only to find that the situation was worse. I panicked a little, thinking that both my computers got hit by viruses. It was then I went over to Hardwarezone and realized that everyone was experiencing the same thing since an Earthquake in Taiwan knocked out some Internet cables.
This is the second day already and things are slightly better. Though there are certain times of the day where I simply cannot surf or play WoW (possibly during the peak/busy hours). MSN is still a problem, though. There are times when I simply cannot log on.
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Welcome to Azeroth
Christmas came early for me in the form of my new Asus laptop. Thanks to it, I was able to play WoW. I am so glad that it survived the first week of usage with only a few small problems. This is so unlike the other laptops that I bought. I hope it will be able to last me a long time. So now, I use both laptops side-by-side even though it is kinda putting a strain on my wireless.
As a result, I actually stayed home for the whole of the past week to play WoW. I did not even go to work. I just told my mother to "help me out" and so I was able to stay home and play WoW all day long. Yes, it is something I've never done before but it is so darn addictive. But I promise I'll be a good boy (am I still a 'boy'?) and start going back to work as for normal next week.
As a result, I actually stayed home for the whole of the past week to play WoW. I did not even go to work. I just told my mother to "help me out" and so I was able to stay home and play WoW all day long. Yes, it is something I've never done before but it is so darn addictive. But I promise I'll be a good boy (am I still a 'boy'?) and start going back to work as for normal next week.
Sunday, December 03, 2006
Shopping at SITEX 2006
It had been quite a stress-filled and hectic day for me. I woke up at around noon time and prepared to go to the SITEX 2006 at Expo. My mother gave me a ride in case I wanted to purchase a laptop home. I had done a bit of homework on the day before and was deciding between the Asus J8N and the Vaio C (C15GP).
I arrived at Expo at around 1 pm. Cars were having trouble moving in and the crowd of people was huge as expected. I tried to locate the Sony and Asus booth by walking along the perimeter but didn't manage to spot them at first because they were both close to the center.
At the Asus booth, I saw the laptop I wanted. A lady promoter tended to me and I asked her if WoW ran fine on it. She said that she didn't play games so she wouldn't know (Meh). I told her that I would think about it and then he wrote her name on my brochure, saying that she'd throw in an additional external HDD if I came back to get the lappy from her. Looks like she was keen on leaving a good impression and getting a sales.
I dropped by at the Sony booth next. The Vaio C was a lot smaller than I expected despite being only 1 inch smaller than the 14-inch Asus one. My first impression was that I probably won't be able to enjoy playing games on it. Lots of people were going crazy over its colourful and stylish look, though. I asked the promoter if it would work well with WoW and I got a definitive 'yes'. He said he would throw in a free RAM upgrade to 1 GB if I bought from him.
At this point in time, I couldn't really decide if I wanted to buy a new laptop today. I felt like I was being rushed into making a decision because it was the last day of the SITEX. I decided to go home empty-handed for now to put more thought into it.
Back home, I was beginning to feel stressed. I more or less made up my mind on getting the Asus but now the problem was whether to get it today or not. I began asking around anyone I could find on MSN to see if I was making the right choice. The couple of hours I spent at home passed by very slowly as I struggled to make up my mind before 6 pm. My main concern was bringing home a laptop only to find that it would be a repeat of my nightmarish experiences with both my Acer laptops. That was something that my feeble heart could not take anymore.
After a whole lot of consideration, I finally decided to get it today. My mother drove me down again and I picked it up. Too bad the lady promoter I met earlier in the day wasn't there to give me my HDD freebie but the guy I spoke to this time wavered the extra credit card charges.
The thing that surprised me was that they actually took the laptop out, installed the battery, turned it on for me to inspect and then put everything nicely into the carry bag for me to take home. I guess I am quite 'swakoo' but I thought they would just give it to me in a box.
It was the moment of truth when I got home. I flew into a panic at first when I saw that the wireless connection option was completely missing from the laptop. It was only around five minutes of tinkering later that I realized the laptop used some other program to connect to wireless instead of the standard Windows one. It was quite strange. I spent the next hour or so testing the laptop to see if it worked, with my main concern being the wireless connection.
I am glad to say that, it is now past the 2-hour mark and not a single d/c yet. I hope this will keep up. At the moment, I am trying to install WoW. It is very slow (supposedly takes over an hour). I hope that things will be fine or else all that waiting would've been in vain.
Overall, I am quite glad with the way things turned out.
I arrived at Expo at around 1 pm. Cars were having trouble moving in and the crowd of people was huge as expected. I tried to locate the Sony and Asus booth by walking along the perimeter but didn't manage to spot them at first because they were both close to the center.
At the Asus booth, I saw the laptop I wanted. A lady promoter tended to me and I asked her if WoW ran fine on it. She said that she didn't play games so she wouldn't know (Meh). I told her that I would think about it and then he wrote her name on my brochure, saying that she'd throw in an additional external HDD if I came back to get the lappy from her. Looks like she was keen on leaving a good impression and getting a sales.
I dropped by at the Sony booth next. The Vaio C was a lot smaller than I expected despite being only 1 inch smaller than the 14-inch Asus one. My first impression was that I probably won't be able to enjoy playing games on it. Lots of people were going crazy over its colourful and stylish look, though. I asked the promoter if it would work well with WoW and I got a definitive 'yes'. He said he would throw in a free RAM upgrade to 1 GB if I bought from him.
At this point in time, I couldn't really decide if I wanted to buy a new laptop today. I felt like I was being rushed into making a decision because it was the last day of the SITEX. I decided to go home empty-handed for now to put more thought into it.
Back home, I was beginning to feel stressed. I more or less made up my mind on getting the Asus but now the problem was whether to get it today or not. I began asking around anyone I could find on MSN to see if I was making the right choice. The couple of hours I spent at home passed by very slowly as I struggled to make up my mind before 6 pm. My main concern was bringing home a laptop only to find that it would be a repeat of my nightmarish experiences with both my Acer laptops. That was something that my feeble heart could not take anymore.
After a whole lot of consideration, I finally decided to get it today. My mother drove me down again and I picked it up. Too bad the lady promoter I met earlier in the day wasn't there to give me my HDD freebie but the guy I spoke to this time wavered the extra credit card charges.
The thing that surprised me was that they actually took the laptop out, installed the battery, turned it on for me to inspect and then put everything nicely into the carry bag for me to take home. I guess I am quite 'swakoo' but I thought they would just give it to me in a box.
It was the moment of truth when I got home. I flew into a panic at first when I saw that the wireless connection option was completely missing from the laptop. It was only around five minutes of tinkering later that I realized the laptop used some other program to connect to wireless instead of the standard Windows one. It was quite strange. I spent the next hour or so testing the laptop to see if it worked, with my main concern being the wireless connection.
I am glad to say that, it is now past the 2-hour mark and not a single d/c yet. I hope this will keep up. At the moment, I am trying to install WoW. It is very slow (supposedly takes over an hour). I hope that things will be fine or else all that waiting would've been in vain.
Overall, I am quite glad with the way things turned out.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Stress~ Feeling Stressed
I went to have my wisdom tooth extracted today. It seemed like a little operation with the heavy dosage of anaesthetics and all the strange 'power tools' I have never seen before. One more wisdom tooth left to extract and that would be in March 2007 followed by crowning. I am beginning to think the dentist is trying to milk some more money out of me and my family since my braces have been removed already.
I had planned to spend the day resting at home since I was at AMK for the past few days. As I rested, I starting thinking about the World of Warcraft game. I have reached a point where I really want to play it but it is not just a simple task of going out there and purchasing a new laptop. I need something called 'luck' or perhaps some blessing from a higher divine being. I believe many people have seen me complain numerous times about my horrible luck with computers. I think it is time I relate my unfortunate experiences right here in my blog...
1st computer: Compro desktop (1996). Kept d/c'ing from the Internet (56k). Technician concluded that graphics card had conflicts with the modem. He told me to disable my graphics card. I spent the next few years staring at 256-colour graphics. The computer was eventually killed by viruses/malware.
2nd computer: Toshiba Satellite (2001). Could not connect to the net when I signed up for broadband. Called SingNet and tried to troubleshoot all night but they could not help and told me to reformat. I was desperate so I did. It still did not work. I was depressed and had no choice but to give it up and pay the cancellation fees ($800+). Went to their branch at Tampines but the nice CSO tended to me and somehow helped to fix the problem from their side. Laptop was eventually killed by a combination of viruses (reformatted twice) and me spilling water on it.
3rd computer: Acer Travelmate (2005). Bought for final year project. Gave me a heartattack since the first day. Got killed multiple times by viruses/malware and had to be reformatted on an average of 3 times a week despite having anti-virus and anti-spyware. By the 3rd week, I chanced upon ZoneAlarm which helped keep it alive to this very day. The hard drive did crash after a year of use and had to be replaced. Switched to MaxOnline (wireless) and had problems with d/c's but it just disappeared for no apparent reason after several weeks of use.
4th computer: Acer Aspire (2006). Technically, it isn't mine. My brother is using it but I was the one who chose it. It experiences frequent disconnections. Another one of those inexplicable mysteries of IT that no one will ever figure out.
I have side-tracked for quite a bit there but I think that should give people a better understanding as to why I am so paranoid about computers. Growing up and being scarred like that is enough to be make anyone paranoid about buying his next computer. The point is, I want to play WoW but I am not sure if fate will smile on me. I thought of a plan, though: If anyone knows any friends selling 2nd-hand laptops that I can take home to try before I buy, please let me know. And I am not joking.
Back to the topic at hand: I kept thinking about my WoW/laptop dilemma so much that it got me stressed up. In the end, I dropped the idea of resting went to AMK again (7th day in a row?) just to take my mind off it. It did work, though, and I feel a bit better now. :) I still would want to play WoW if I could but I guess I'll take it slow for now.
On a little side-note, did anyone try upgrading their Blogger account recently? I am wondering if it is safe and worth the trouble.
I had planned to spend the day resting at home since I was at AMK for the past few days. As I rested, I starting thinking about the World of Warcraft game. I have reached a point where I really want to play it but it is not just a simple task of going out there and purchasing a new laptop. I need something called 'luck' or perhaps some blessing from a higher divine being. I believe many people have seen me complain numerous times about my horrible luck with computers. I think it is time I relate my unfortunate experiences right here in my blog...
1st computer: Compro desktop (1996). Kept d/c'ing from the Internet (56k). Technician concluded that graphics card had conflicts with the modem. He told me to disable my graphics card. I spent the next few years staring at 256-colour graphics. The computer was eventually killed by viruses/malware.
2nd computer: Toshiba Satellite (2001). Could not connect to the net when I signed up for broadband. Called SingNet and tried to troubleshoot all night but they could not help and told me to reformat. I was desperate so I did. It still did not work. I was depressed and had no choice but to give it up and pay the cancellation fees ($800+). Went to their branch at Tampines but the nice CSO tended to me and somehow helped to fix the problem from their side. Laptop was eventually killed by a combination of viruses (reformatted twice) and me spilling water on it.
3rd computer: Acer Travelmate (2005). Bought for final year project. Gave me a heartattack since the first day. Got killed multiple times by viruses/malware and had to be reformatted on an average of 3 times a week despite having anti-virus and anti-spyware. By the 3rd week, I chanced upon ZoneAlarm which helped keep it alive to this very day. The hard drive did crash after a year of use and had to be replaced. Switched to MaxOnline (wireless) and had problems with d/c's but it just disappeared for no apparent reason after several weeks of use.
4th computer: Acer Aspire (2006). Technically, it isn't mine. My brother is using it but I was the one who chose it. It experiences frequent disconnections. Another one of those inexplicable mysteries of IT that no one will ever figure out.
I have side-tracked for quite a bit there but I think that should give people a better understanding as to why I am so paranoid about computers. Growing up and being scarred like that is enough to be make anyone paranoid about buying his next computer. The point is, I want to play WoW but I am not sure if fate will smile on me. I thought of a plan, though: If anyone knows any friends selling 2nd-hand laptops that I can take home to try before I buy, please let me know. And I am not joking.
Back to the topic at hand: I kept thinking about my WoW/laptop dilemma so much that it got me stressed up. In the end, I dropped the idea of resting went to AMK again (7th day in a row?) just to take my mind off it. It did work, though, and I feel a bit better now. :) I still would want to play WoW if I could but I guess I'll take it slow for now.
On a little side-note, did anyone try upgrading their Blogger account recently? I am wondering if it is safe and worth the trouble.
Monday, November 27, 2006
Week of Warcraft: My Panax is Unstable!
That title came out of nowhere. But at least it sounds funny.
On Thursday, we went to Heartland Mall for the Onyxia raid demo. I thought it wouldn't arrive till next week but it looks like the UDE people got an exclusive set for themselves to demo. It was nice to see Javen and Danny from VS System performing the demo. It was comforting to know that the same UDE people who were in charge of VS System are also running WOW TCG. We can probably expect good things from them.
We played against Javen's Onyxia first. It was the four of us: me, Alvin, Jeremy and Michael. I felt something was amiss when all of us were pretty much in control most of the time and no one was in danger of getting eliminated. Onyxia was pretty much overrun by the four of us after an hour and I found myself dissatisfied. I wanted to experience the kind of insane difficulty that terrorized Gen Con participants (or at least, a fraction of it).
Which was why, after dinner at Yoshinoya, we were back to raid Onyxia again only this time with the standard 3 players. Danny was playing, and this time, we got thrashed due to a combination of really bad draws on our part and a seemingly endless swarm of Whelps from Onyxia. We lost but I was convinced that the Onyxia raid deck won't be just a cheap thrill that players can just effortlessly defeat without a strategy. I can't wait for its release to face it again. Even more so when I combine two Ony decks together.
The raid demo ended at 8 pm. It was early and we didn't want to go home. We ended up staying over at Michael's house with the partial reason to playtest for Saturday's WOW @ Serene Centre. I was still deciding whether to play Grennan or Senzir. I am more confident in using Senzir (since Hunters are sorta tried & true) but I like Grennan simply for the fact that he is a Tauren (favourite race <3) and his artwork (by Sam Wise, no less) is so cool, which was why I played him in the first place. haha.
Jeryl, Mog and I left Michael's house on Friday morning. After a nice breakfast at McDonald's, I was on my way home. I crashed on the bed and slept till evening when I returned to AMK for more WOW TCG.
The day finally game. I cabbed to Serene Centre (Someone please construct an MRT station next to that blasted place). I was quite amazed by the turnout. Despite this being a new game, there were 24 people who showed up. The whole thing lasted from 2 pm to 10 pm because the game itself was rather slow and the organizer did not call for time whenever the forty-five minutes was up. I managed to get into the finals and had a prize split with the other guy. It was an exciting day and I have never thought so hard since the last VS System PCQ a few months back. I was very very happy at my own performance with my Grennan deck. Though I have to say, I was lucky to not have met any Mage or Paladin decks as I perform pretty badly against those.
(*Note: My tourney report can be found in the blog entry below this one.)
On Thursday, we went to Heartland Mall for the Onyxia raid demo. I thought it wouldn't arrive till next week but it looks like the UDE people got an exclusive set for themselves to demo. It was nice to see Javen and Danny from VS System performing the demo. It was comforting to know that the same UDE people who were in charge of VS System are also running WOW TCG. We can probably expect good things from them.
We played against Javen's Onyxia first. It was the four of us: me, Alvin, Jeremy and Michael. I felt something was amiss when all of us were pretty much in control most of the time and no one was in danger of getting eliminated. Onyxia was pretty much overrun by the four of us after an hour and I found myself dissatisfied. I wanted to experience the kind of insane difficulty that terrorized Gen Con participants (or at least, a fraction of it).
Which was why, after dinner at Yoshinoya, we were back to raid Onyxia again only this time with the standard 3 players. Danny was playing, and this time, we got thrashed due to a combination of really bad draws on our part and a seemingly endless swarm of Whelps from Onyxia. We lost but I was convinced that the Onyxia raid deck won't be just a cheap thrill that players can just effortlessly defeat without a strategy. I can't wait for its release to face it again. Even more so when I combine two Ony decks together.
The raid demo ended at 8 pm. It was early and we didn't want to go home. We ended up staying over at Michael's house with the partial reason to playtest for Saturday's WOW @ Serene Centre. I was still deciding whether to play Grennan or Senzir. I am more confident in using Senzir (since Hunters are sorta tried & true) but I like Grennan simply for the fact that he is a Tauren (favourite race <3) and his artwork (by Sam Wise, no less) is so cool, which was why I played him in the first place. haha.
Jeryl, Mog and I left Michael's house on Friday morning. After a nice breakfast at McDonald's, I was on my way home. I crashed on the bed and slept till evening when I returned to AMK for more WOW TCG.
The day finally game. I cabbed to Serene Centre (Someone please construct an MRT station next to that blasted place). I was quite amazed by the turnout. Despite this being a new game, there were 24 people who showed up. The whole thing lasted from 2 pm to 10 pm because the game itself was rather slow and the organizer did not call for time whenever the forty-five minutes was up. I managed to get into the finals and had a prize split with the other guy. It was an exciting day and I have never thought so hard since the last VS System PCQ a few months back. I was very very happy at my own performance with my Grennan deck. Though I have to say, I was lucky to not have met any Mage or Paladin decks as I perform pretty badly against those.
(*Note: My tourney report can be found in the blog entry below this one.)
Sunday, November 26, 2006
ComicsMart Serene - WOW TCG (25/11)
The event wasn't a PCQ or anything but it was the first local WOW TCG event that was sanctioned, meaning it would be a good competitive environment to test decks and have fun.
I was deciding between my Grennan and Senzir deck. Senzir seemed more appealing at first since it required less thought to play but I decided to go with Grennan in the end since he was my favourite character in the set.
A total of 24 people turned up to play. The format was to be 5-rounds Swiss with top 8 finals.
Match 1: Vs. Dizdemona
The first round went by rather peacefully in the early game. I only saw a Sarmoth on his side while he spent a few turns Life-Tapping away. The later turns were quite funny, with him recruiting Infernal 3 times in a row after I kept taking him down in a variety of ways (mostly by Vanquish). He eventually attached a Curse of Agony to me but I managed to win by repeatedly attacking with 2 Mokos in play.
For round 2, his first few turns saw more activity this time, with Parvink, Crazy Ivgand and Sarmoth. Sever the Cord took out my Caydiem. Moko was once again my MVP as he repeatedly attacked for damage. I think he didn't get good cards or something. He used Missing Diplomat to tutor for a Magni Bronzebeard and put 2 Curse of Agonies on me as the game went by. It left him open for my Moko's attacks and I won.
After the match, I realized that he never used Dizdemona's hero ability to destroy any of my Mokos for both games. Maybe he forgot about it.
Result: 2-0
Match 2: Vs. Grennan Stormspeaker
My opponent was a rather cheerful person who spoke with an accent. Might be a foreigner but definitely not a 'black man' (inside joke). *Feels devilish horns coming out.*
The moment I saw Ghost Wolf and Thunderhead Hippogryph, I recognized it as the deck from the Gen Con reports. I just played normally and kept Vanquishes in my hand for Zy'lah. Ghost Wolf gave me a bit of trouble when I only had one ally in play. Caydiem kept me alive since his Ferocity allies left my health rather low earlier on. The second round went by quick as Moko helped me push for the win again.
Result: 2-0
Match 3: Vs. Boris Brightbeard
I was kinda demoralized when I saw that I was playing against a Priest. It was a stall deck with tons of fatties and recursion. My opponent was a very stern-faced guy and he did not smile at all despite some of my wisecracks. It led me to feel that he wasn't a friendly person. One thing to note, though, was he had doodled over his hero card, giving Boris a different look for his armor.
For the first round, I had no idea how the deck worked yet so I went about my usual thing. He did not recruit any allies for the first few turns and I was beginning to suspect he might not have any early drops at all. He managed to mess up my hand earlier by Mind-Spiking my 2 Searing Totems each time I got it out. His Mind Control even took my my Moko and I had no choice but to take it down myself.
The game lasted very long and soon, Grayson, Jaina and Magni Bronzebeard started appearing one at a time. Surprisingly, I managed to take them all down with the Vanquishes, Chain Lightnings, Caydiems and Moko but it left me with a dwindling handsize. When I had no more cards in hand, Medoc made an appearance and it was at this point, I felt he was saving it for last. The entire game went by very slowly and I counted he had nearly 15 resources. I top-decked, saw my next card and decided to concede. I was hoping for Panax but he never appeared.
I boarded out all my dead cards and in went Mildred, Gellrin, Ophelia and my 4th Vanquish. I decided that I would drop as many allies as I could for every turn. So long as I could have a sizeable board, I felt that I could pressure him since Priests did not have any AOE. I was delighted that my plan was working since I managed to knock him down to 6 health by turn 6 and he was forced to use his hero ability to get back to 12 health. I proceeded to get him down back to 5 health but time was called. I may have won the round by time up but he had the first win of the match so he was the winner. Darn, the first round took way too long.
At the end, we were packing up and he started chatting. He asked me why I didn't have Zy'lah in the deck (he must be a fan of fatties). I told him that I preferred Moko as my finisher because he gets the job done the moment he comes out. He remarked, "Moko is a poor man's Fury." Normally, that would be a joke but he never said it with a smile. One could interprete that statement in a lot of ways and none of them could possibly be nice.
Result: 0-1
Match 4: Vs. Senzir Beastwalker
It was Edward this time. Having played against him before, I felt that I was actually more afraid of Senzir than Elendril. The main reason being that Senzir's allies had 2 health which made it harder for Searing Totem and Taz-Ping-o to do their job.
The first round went by pretty quick. I traded my allies with his as much as I could so he didn't overwhelm me. I managed to pull off Chain Lightning on turn 5, destroying his Fury and other weenies. He ran out of steam and I won.
The second round began with Edward rushing. I did not manage to clear his board early as Ravenous Bite prevented my allies from trading and his Arcane Shot took out my totem. I was down to 6 health by turn 7 and things looked pretty grim. But I hung on and soon drew into Caydiem, followed by Deacon Johanna. I managed to heal up a whole lot and won the game as a result. Wee.
Result: 2-0
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Intermission
It was supposed to be a 5-round Swiss but it was 7:30 pm and ComicsMart was closing at 8 pm. The organizer decided to cut to the top 8 immediately. Since I was sitting at 3-1, I was in for the finals. Hooray.
And so, the top 8 was held at McDonald's. Normally, I think we would be chased out but this was Serene Centre we were talking about, so I guess the McDonald's staff didn't mind.
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Quarter Finals: Vs. Boris Brightbeard
It is the same guy again. I was hoping that he'd ease up and at least show me a smile since I have been all chummy with him. But nope, he was still so stern. The stiff probably needs to get laid.
Round 1:
I thought I was gonna lose since I felt couldn't do well without sideboarding. But then I saw my starting hand which consisted of a curve full of allies. Normally, this would be a bad hand but it was what I needed against his super slow deck.
I tried to rush him as much as I could, dropping down an ally every time I could for every turn. I even put down all my key Ability cards as resources (Chain Lightning, Searing Totem, etc) while saving up only Vanquishes. It was working as the look on his face told me that he was feeling pressured by my neverending wave of allies both big and small. "This is so annoying!"he commented. Mind Control gave me a problem along the way but he conceded the game when he ran out of ways to deal with my allies. I felt amazed that I managed to win.
Round 2:
I boarded in Mildred, Gellrin, Ophelia and 4th Vanquish again. I tried to do the same thing I did in the previous game. I was rushing well for the first few turns but I ran into trouble as a Lord Grayson showed up. I didn't have a Vanquish handy and went through a lot of trouble to take him down at the expense of my precious allies. It didn't feel good as the game seemed to be a reminiscient of the match I had with him earlier. The game went ultra slow and he went up to 15 resources. "Look, I can now play Rise to the Challenge," he said, though I couldn't tell if that was meant to be a joke. He began building up his board again and I saw Medoc. I had no more cards in hand and his fatties would all be coming back. I was stilll sitting at close to full health and was actually thinking, "Why isn't time called yet???" Looks like I wasn't gonna win by time up.
I had no more cards in hand and no allies in play. I top-decked into In Dreams and put it down. Medoc returned Magni Bronzebeard to his hand while he Resurrected Jaina and recruited a Parvink. I completed In Dreams on his end phase, thinking that there was nothing I could possibly do at this rate. To my surprise, I drew into Chain Lightning and Frost Shock. I checked Boris' life and he was left with 4 health thanks to my early rush. I launched both cards at his dome and managed to win. I believe he wasn't expecting it either. That was a relief. I didn't want to endure another round with him. He remarked that I won due to my top-decking In Dreams. I just kept quiet cos' I felt he was right; I did have mad top-decking skillz™.
It was at this point, I realized the guy was an M:TG player (he was wearing some PTQ shirt or something). Down with unfriendly M:TG players~
Result: 2-0
Semi-Finals: Vs. Grennan Stormspeaker
It was good old Ryan of the GBT. Haven't played with him in ages. I knew it was going to be a fun and quick game and I could see how his Shaman rush deck was like. "This is ridiculous," he complained, "We spent like 8 hours here today and 4th place is just gonna get ONE booster pack!" I actually agreed with him; the prizes kinda sucked when compared with the effort you have to put into winning them.
Round 1:
I saw Elder Moorf, Kagra and other 1-drops early. I traded my allies as usual. I played Searing Totem but he traded it with his own Searing Totem. We both had around 18-20 health when Barak the Shamed made an appearance. I bid 9 health for it, thinking that I may get it but he actually bid 13. I was quite shocked at his boldness. I managed to trade my Moko with his Barak. I managed to get the Draconian Deflector out which helped to blunt most of the damage and slowly attacking back for the win. "That Draconian Deflector came out of nowhere!" he laughed.
Round 2:
He boarded in some new cards. He started with Kagra, followed by 2 Gellrins. I had a very slow start and had to use Frost Shocks on each Gellrin on Turn 4. I got out Caydiem on turn 5, hoping to divert his attention to her but Karkas Deathhowl promptly cleared the way for more beatings. I was left with 6 health and he was over 15 when he recruited Barak again. I didn't dare to make any high bids (wrote down a 1) while he bid 7. LKY came by and teased Ryan, "Why did you bid a 7? Your opponent only has 6 life left; you could just bid 6." Then we all laughed. I was rushed to death following that.
Round 3:
The last round went by pretty well for me. I managed to trade my allies with him earlier and a Chain Lightning on turn 5 helped my board position a lot. Barak appeared again (which he bid for and won). There was one time when he played Kibler and I saw Elder Moorf and Karkas. He went for Moorf, much to my relief since I was holding Panax in my hand. I recruited Panax on my next turn and Frost-Shocked Barak when he tried to attack. I then blew Panax up the following turn to clear his board of 3 allies. He ran out of gas and following that, I got an assortment of allies out and managed to win. Overall, it was a fun game.
Result: 2-1
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Final Intermission
There was supposed to be a Finals but it was already 10 pm. No one wanted to play the last round or else it would last till 11 pm. My opponent was WayLong (sp) and he was playing Elendril. They suggested a prize split and we were all on our way. haha.
I enjoyed myself today except for that Priest guy. I was glad that I never ran into any Equipment decks. I learnt quite a lot and overall, it was a good experience. It was very tiring, though, since it was best 2 of 3 and some rounds lasted over 30 minutes. I was just kinda disappointed that I was not the only Shaman-lover around. hehe.
I was deciding between my Grennan and Senzir deck. Senzir seemed more appealing at first since it required less thought to play but I decided to go with Grennan in the end since he was my favourite character in the set.
A total of 24 people turned up to play. The format was to be 5-rounds Swiss with top 8 finals.
Match 1: Vs. Dizdemona
The first round went by rather peacefully in the early game. I only saw a Sarmoth on his side while he spent a few turns Life-Tapping away. The later turns were quite funny, with him recruiting Infernal 3 times in a row after I kept taking him down in a variety of ways (mostly by Vanquish). He eventually attached a Curse of Agony to me but I managed to win by repeatedly attacking with 2 Mokos in play.
For round 2, his first few turns saw more activity this time, with Parvink, Crazy Ivgand and Sarmoth. Sever the Cord took out my Caydiem. Moko was once again my MVP as he repeatedly attacked for damage. I think he didn't get good cards or something. He used Missing Diplomat to tutor for a Magni Bronzebeard and put 2 Curse of Agonies on me as the game went by. It left him open for my Moko's attacks and I won.
After the match, I realized that he never used Dizdemona's hero ability to destroy any of my Mokos for both games. Maybe he forgot about it.
Result: 2-0
Match 2: Vs. Grennan Stormspeaker
My opponent was a rather cheerful person who spoke with an accent. Might be a foreigner but definitely not a 'black man' (inside joke). *Feels devilish horns coming out.*
The moment I saw Ghost Wolf and Thunderhead Hippogryph, I recognized it as the deck from the Gen Con reports. I just played normally and kept Vanquishes in my hand for Zy'lah. Ghost Wolf gave me a bit of trouble when I only had one ally in play. Caydiem kept me alive since his Ferocity allies left my health rather low earlier on. The second round went by quick as Moko helped me push for the win again.
Result: 2-0
Match 3: Vs. Boris Brightbeard
I was kinda demoralized when I saw that I was playing against a Priest. It was a stall deck with tons of fatties and recursion. My opponent was a very stern-faced guy and he did not smile at all despite some of my wisecracks. It led me to feel that he wasn't a friendly person. One thing to note, though, was he had doodled over his hero card, giving Boris a different look for his armor.
For the first round, I had no idea how the deck worked yet so I went about my usual thing. He did not recruit any allies for the first few turns and I was beginning to suspect he might not have any early drops at all. He managed to mess up my hand earlier by Mind-Spiking my 2 Searing Totems each time I got it out. His Mind Control even took my my Moko and I had no choice but to take it down myself.
The game lasted very long and soon, Grayson, Jaina and Magni Bronzebeard started appearing one at a time. Surprisingly, I managed to take them all down with the Vanquishes, Chain Lightnings, Caydiems and Moko but it left me with a dwindling handsize. When I had no more cards in hand, Medoc made an appearance and it was at this point, I felt he was saving it for last. The entire game went by very slowly and I counted he had nearly 15 resources. I top-decked, saw my next card and decided to concede. I was hoping for Panax but he never appeared.
I boarded out all my dead cards and in went Mildred, Gellrin, Ophelia and my 4th Vanquish. I decided that I would drop as many allies as I could for every turn. So long as I could have a sizeable board, I felt that I could pressure him since Priests did not have any AOE. I was delighted that my plan was working since I managed to knock him down to 6 health by turn 6 and he was forced to use his hero ability to get back to 12 health. I proceeded to get him down back to 5 health but time was called. I may have won the round by time up but he had the first win of the match so he was the winner. Darn, the first round took way too long.
At the end, we were packing up and he started chatting. He asked me why I didn't have Zy'lah in the deck (he must be a fan of fatties). I told him that I preferred Moko as my finisher because he gets the job done the moment he comes out. He remarked, "Moko is a poor man's Fury." Normally, that would be a joke but he never said it with a smile. One could interprete that statement in a lot of ways and none of them could possibly be nice.
Result: 0-1
Match 4: Vs. Senzir Beastwalker
It was Edward this time. Having played against him before, I felt that I was actually more afraid of Senzir than Elendril. The main reason being that Senzir's allies had 2 health which made it harder for Searing Totem and Taz-Ping-o to do their job.
The first round went by pretty quick. I traded my allies with his as much as I could so he didn't overwhelm me. I managed to pull off Chain Lightning on turn 5, destroying his Fury and other weenies. He ran out of steam and I won.
The second round began with Edward rushing. I did not manage to clear his board early as Ravenous Bite prevented my allies from trading and his Arcane Shot took out my totem. I was down to 6 health by turn 7 and things looked pretty grim. But I hung on and soon drew into Caydiem, followed by Deacon Johanna. I managed to heal up a whole lot and won the game as a result. Wee.
Result: 2-0
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Intermission
It was supposed to be a 5-round Swiss but it was 7:30 pm and ComicsMart was closing at 8 pm. The organizer decided to cut to the top 8 immediately. Since I was sitting at 3-1, I was in for the finals. Hooray.
And so, the top 8 was held at McDonald's. Normally, I think we would be chased out but this was Serene Centre we were talking about, so I guess the McDonald's staff didn't mind.
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Quarter Finals: Vs. Boris Brightbeard
It is the same guy again. I was hoping that he'd ease up and at least show me a smile since I have been all chummy with him. But nope, he was still so stern. The stiff probably needs to get laid.
Round 1:
I thought I was gonna lose since I felt couldn't do well without sideboarding. But then I saw my starting hand which consisted of a curve full of allies. Normally, this would be a bad hand but it was what I needed against his super slow deck.
I tried to rush him as much as I could, dropping down an ally every time I could for every turn. I even put down all my key Ability cards as resources (Chain Lightning, Searing Totem, etc) while saving up only Vanquishes. It was working as the look on his face told me that he was feeling pressured by my neverending wave of allies both big and small. "This is so annoying!"he commented. Mind Control gave me a problem along the way but he conceded the game when he ran out of ways to deal with my allies. I felt amazed that I managed to win.
Round 2:
I boarded in Mildred, Gellrin, Ophelia and 4th Vanquish again. I tried to do the same thing I did in the previous game. I was rushing well for the first few turns but I ran into trouble as a Lord Grayson showed up. I didn't have a Vanquish handy and went through a lot of trouble to take him down at the expense of my precious allies. It didn't feel good as the game seemed to be a reminiscient of the match I had with him earlier. The game went ultra slow and he went up to 15 resources. "Look, I can now play Rise to the Challenge," he said, though I couldn't tell if that was meant to be a joke. He began building up his board again and I saw Medoc. I had no more cards in hand and his fatties would all be coming back. I was stilll sitting at close to full health and was actually thinking, "Why isn't time called yet???" Looks like I wasn't gonna win by time up.
I had no more cards in hand and no allies in play. I top-decked into In Dreams and put it down. Medoc returned Magni Bronzebeard to his hand while he Resurrected Jaina and recruited a Parvink. I completed In Dreams on his end phase, thinking that there was nothing I could possibly do at this rate. To my surprise, I drew into Chain Lightning and Frost Shock. I checked Boris' life and he was left with 4 health thanks to my early rush. I launched both cards at his dome and managed to win. I believe he wasn't expecting it either. That was a relief. I didn't want to endure another round with him. He remarked that I won due to my top-decking In Dreams. I just kept quiet cos' I felt he was right; I did have mad top-decking skillz™.
It was at this point, I realized the guy was an M:TG player (he was wearing some PTQ shirt or something). Down with unfriendly M:TG players~
Result: 2-0
Semi-Finals: Vs. Grennan Stormspeaker
It was good old Ryan of the GBT. Haven't played with him in ages. I knew it was going to be a fun and quick game and I could see how his Shaman rush deck was like. "This is ridiculous," he complained, "We spent like 8 hours here today and 4th place is just gonna get ONE booster pack!" I actually agreed with him; the prizes kinda sucked when compared with the effort you have to put into winning them.
Round 1:
I saw Elder Moorf, Kagra and other 1-drops early. I traded my allies as usual. I played Searing Totem but he traded it with his own Searing Totem. We both had around 18-20 health when Barak the Shamed made an appearance. I bid 9 health for it, thinking that I may get it but he actually bid 13. I was quite shocked at his boldness. I managed to trade my Moko with his Barak. I managed to get the Draconian Deflector out which helped to blunt most of the damage and slowly attacking back for the win. "That Draconian Deflector came out of nowhere!" he laughed.
Round 2:
He boarded in some new cards. He started with Kagra, followed by 2 Gellrins. I had a very slow start and had to use Frost Shocks on each Gellrin on Turn 4. I got out Caydiem on turn 5, hoping to divert his attention to her but Karkas Deathhowl promptly cleared the way for more beatings. I was left with 6 health and he was over 15 when he recruited Barak again. I didn't dare to make any high bids (wrote down a 1) while he bid 7. LKY came by and teased Ryan, "Why did you bid a 7? Your opponent only has 6 life left; you could just bid 6." Then we all laughed. I was rushed to death following that.
Round 3:
The last round went by pretty well for me. I managed to trade my allies with him earlier and a Chain Lightning on turn 5 helped my board position a lot. Barak appeared again (which he bid for and won). There was one time when he played Kibler and I saw Elder Moorf and Karkas. He went for Moorf, much to my relief since I was holding Panax in my hand. I recruited Panax on my next turn and Frost-Shocked Barak when he tried to attack. I then blew Panax up the following turn to clear his board of 3 allies. He ran out of gas and following that, I got an assortment of allies out and managed to win. Overall, it was a fun game.
Result: 2-1
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Final Intermission
There was supposed to be a Finals but it was already 10 pm. No one wanted to play the last round or else it would last till 11 pm. My opponent was WayLong (sp) and he was playing Elendril. They suggested a prize split and we were all on our way. haha.
I enjoyed myself today except for that Priest guy. I was glad that I never ran into any Equipment decks. I learnt quite a lot and overall, it was a good experience. It was very tiring, though, since it was best 2 of 3 and some rounds lasted over 30 minutes. I was just kinda disappointed that I was not the only Shaman-lover around. hehe.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
It's November!
The past two weeks had been all about the WOW TCG. The game had been great so far and, with the local UDE staff behing it, I can expect some good tournament support for it come 2007.
I am happy to say that I got through another mobilization period earlier this month without being activated. When I was at home on Saturday and saw the call signs flashing on TV for other units, I told myself, "It's gonna be my turn tomorrow." I was pretty sure they would push the button this time. Even the Area I/C called me to brief me on what to do a week before, which no Area I/C had ever done before in the past year or so. I stayed home on Sunday, waiting for the ominous phone call but the day passed peacefully and, by the time it was 5 pm, it was clear that the NS men of Singapore had once again averted another mobilization.
I went for another job interview a few weeks back. This time, it was for Ken Air, a travel agency. The boss spoke to me for like an hour and at the end of it, I felt that I was not at all suited for the job. They wanted either a sales promoter or some IT guy. Plus, he mentioned that my colleagues are 'unfriendly' (they are afraid you'll take over their job) and during the on-the-job training, they are not obligated to help you in any way since they are busy with their own work. Now that's what I called being frank. Back to the part-time secretarial job for me.
Time has flown pretty fast this year and it is now November already. I wouldn't have realized it if it weren't for some of the stores selling Christmas Trees and whatnot.
I am happy to say that I got through another mobilization period earlier this month without being activated. When I was at home on Saturday and saw the call signs flashing on TV for other units, I told myself, "It's gonna be my turn tomorrow." I was pretty sure they would push the button this time. Even the Area I/C called me to brief me on what to do a week before, which no Area I/C had ever done before in the past year or so. I stayed home on Sunday, waiting for the ominous phone call but the day passed peacefully and, by the time it was 5 pm, it was clear that the NS men of Singapore had once again averted another mobilization.
I went for another job interview a few weeks back. This time, it was for Ken Air, a travel agency. The boss spoke to me for like an hour and at the end of it, I felt that I was not at all suited for the job. They wanted either a sales promoter or some IT guy. Plus, he mentioned that my colleagues are 'unfriendly' (they are afraid you'll take over their job) and during the on-the-job training, they are not obligated to help you in any way since they are busy with their own work. Now that's what I called being frank. Back to the part-time secretarial job for me.
Time has flown pretty fast this year and it is now November already. I wouldn't have realized it if it weren't for some of the stores selling Christmas Trees and whatnot.
Monday, October 30, 2006
A WOW-derful Weekend
The past few days had been nothing but pure excitement for me as the WOW TCG was finally released. We shared a case of booster boxes and drafted over the weekend. I had some savings for a rainy day such as this but never expected a storm instead. I practically blew most of my month's expenses on this newfound hobby.
The release celebration held at FunZ Centre was pretty much a success as seen by the overwhelming turn-out (well, 22 participants seemed like a lot). Other than some slight complications and the fact that matches took waaay too long, it was a lot of fun. In addition to close friends, the crowd consisted of familiar VS System players and a few of the regular M:TG guys.
Having played the WOW TCG at last, I was quite delighted about its overall feel. UDE certainly has a winner on their hands. The Warcraft license is well-known and any gamer will at recognize it in one way or another. The gameplay is a mish-mash of various other TCGs and most importantly of all, the card effects have very good flavour. There are even official multiplayer formats for this game. My only complaint is that the game might be quite expensive due to its hard-to-get cards and rather extreme rarity ratios.
I can't wait for the Onyxia Raid Deck coming next.
The release celebration held at FunZ Centre was pretty much a success as seen by the overwhelming turn-out (well, 22 participants seemed like a lot). Other than some slight complications and the fact that matches took waaay too long, it was a lot of fun. In addition to close friends, the crowd consisted of familiar VS System players and a few of the regular M:TG guys.
Having played the WOW TCG at last, I was quite delighted about its overall feel. UDE certainly has a winner on their hands. The Warcraft license is well-known and any gamer will at recognize it in one way or another. The gameplay is a mish-mash of various other TCGs and most importantly of all, the card effects have very good flavour. There are even official multiplayer formats for this game. My only complaint is that the game might be quite expensive due to its hard-to-get cards and rather extreme rarity ratios.
I can't wait for the Onyxia Raid Deck coming next.
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
WOW @ ComicsMart
I was so anxious about this weekend's WOW release that I decided to write to ComicsMart to confirm the event. This is the reply:
I didn't like the sound of the last line. But it looks like I may want to make a trip to Orchard Cineleisure this Saturday before dropping by at FunZ. The earlier the better~ :)This Saturday, the WoW will be at our branch at Orchard Cineleisure (tel 68369069) beginning at 1 p.m. On Sunday, it'll start at 12 noon at Serene Centre (tel 64664213). (Complete address details may be found at www.comicsmart.com) The person in charge is Kevin Heng.
We have the kits, but are waiting for the cards proper to arrive for play. There is a slight chance that the goods may not reach here in time, so please call us on the day of the tournament so that we may confirm that the tourney is still on. Thank you very much!
Carol Tan
Comics Mart
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Waiting for Warcraft
The weekends have been fun. I watched Death Note with the rest. The series had always been popular amongst anime/manga fans so I am sure it needs no introduction. I didn't read the manga to the end so I was looking forward to the movie. The show was two hours long and was very enjoyable. There are little differences between the movie and that of the comic to keep things fresh. Watching 'L' was pretty amusing since his strange antics in the manga are a lot more funny in real life. Can't wait for the sequel.
Mondays and Tuesdays were holidays for most people (it's Hari Raya, right?). I stayed home on both days, eagerly awaiting my two favourite weekly shows (Scrubs and CSI Miami) but they were showing holiday night movies on the TV instead. *sigh*
Like most people, I can't wait for the World of Warcraft TCG release celebration this weekend. I don't even know how I am going to get through the next few days.
Mondays and Tuesdays were holidays for most people (it's Hari Raya, right?). I stayed home on both days, eagerly awaiting my two favourite weekly shows (Scrubs and CSI Miami) but they were showing holiday night movies on the TV instead. *sigh*
Like most people, I can't wait for the World of Warcraft TCG release celebration this weekend. I don't even know how I am going to get through the next few days.
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