Subject: Team Houston Regionals response Date: Thu, 04 Jun 1998 13:30:52 PDT From: "Mason Peatross" To: fkusumot@ix.netcom.com I feel that after much time ruminating and discussion, it was time for Team Houston to venture forth and make its thoughts known on the Regionals team event. I will quote what has been said, and let you know what is true, false, and an opinion. The majority of my comments will be in response to what others have said, but I will add my two cents at the end. The responses are in order of the postings, except for Fischbeck's rebuttal, which follows his original statements. >From: Ryan Fischbeck >My team goes 5-0 quickly, so i go check up on houston. Mason and Leland >are done already so i go talk to them. They start talking about how >awesome their opponents ( Oklahoma A ) decks are, they have 4-5 Rolls 2 >Fan the flames, Crovax, Fevered, 3 capsize, 2 wisper, Tradewind, 4 >Endangered Don, ect. ect. ect. Mason goes to complain, and i sit down >for my second round. I watched the games next to me and those were the cards that I saw. The top deck was mono-black with: Fevered Convulsions, Bellowing Fiend, Crovax the Cursed, Helm of Possession, Flowstone Sculpture, and one other rare (it wasa while ago.) The person I was playing had multiple Rolling Thunders, Fanning the Flames and a Shard Phoenix. The person to my right had an Endangered Armodon deck with Invasion Plans and at least one Roll, one person had a Mox Diamond, and the "control" player had multiple capsize, whispers and a Tradewind. We suspected that maybe their decks had been aided slightly, though How can you tell? There were no multiples of rares, and it "could" have been just a great draw for them. We will never know. When Fischbeck said I went to complain - here is what I said: Do deck checks. I explained why, and deck checks werent done at that time. Moving on. > In my earlier report certain accusations were made towards team >Oklahoma. I have just recently read the report from Edward Fox and after >some serious thought and soul searching I have decided to retract my >earlier statements and offer my sincere appoligies to team Oklahoma. be a man. >From: "Fletcher Peatross" >BIG team tournament (NOT). Its supposed to be 20 bucks a head for 5 >person teams. They can barely scrounge up enough for 4 teams, but they >finally get it when team oklahoma splits up into 2 teams. Team houston >gets some decent decks, and then plays Team oklahoma first round (roudn >robin). Team oklahoma has SOOOOOOOO many good rares its not even funny. >They go 3-0 in the tourney. Team oklahoma b goes 0-3. hrm, >and they have sucky rares. I wonder. Team Houston complains as does >the other team (that eventually snagged second place). The judges >basically say dont owrry about it, cause you're just upset cause you >lost. no deck checks, no counting of rares. nothing. Flecther did not participate in the tournament but made a couple of valid points. Di we register decks? No. Did Team Oklahoma sit near Team Oklahoma B? yes. Appearance is Nine-tenths of conviction. >From: Shane Lindstrom >THIS IS WHERE I LOST ALL RESPECT FOR THE MEMBERS OF THESE TWO CLASSLESS >GROUPS OF PEOPLE. I wait to lose respect for people until they start calling people names. I guess you qualify. >The way they were whining made me wonder if they have any capacity for >rational thought or sense of what is important. Any rational person who believes that cheating is occuring should go to a judge and have them look into it. Only classless people would not stand up for themselves. >FIRST: Lack of judges looking into the decks >Two previous posts, (F. Peatross & R. Fischbeck) claimed that the judges >blew them off and didn't count their decks...that is not true. After >the final match each team OK A member layed out their decks and >sideboards and the rares were counted. Nothing was out of order. A deck check AFTER the tounament? After Team OK had gone 3-0? Why not after the first round when it was still relevant? Why not DURING a match, which is the appropriate way? >SECOND: Collusion between the team OK members >These same two "sportsmen" claimed that both team OK teams got together >and loaded one set up while depleting the other. Considering our decks >contained rares and uncommons considered strong in sealed (Rathi, strong >shadow and flyers), if we did combine sets, we did a poor job. Can you read? Did you read their posts? They never claimed that directly. I guess A guilty conscience could bring that to the forefront though. >When I overheard their whining, I blew it off as venting steam of less >than stellar preformances in the qualifer, but when I read their posts >to the dojo, I took offense that these poor sports have tried to tarnish >the reputations of players from an entire state. Sealed tournaments are >the most suspicious, but once the decks were cleared by the judges, the> >case needs to be dropped and these incrdible cry babies need to get on >with their pathetic lives. If you check, the two people that posted did well at the qualifier, though they were never in contention. Define poor sportsmanship: Winners who taunt, losers that whine. I also tend to include those that cheat. Incredible Cry babies? Is that a cry baby exposed to Gamma rays or something? Pathetic lives? Do you know me or anyone from Team Houston? IF my life is pathetic than your life must be so grand. Oh wait, you live in Oklahoma. Best known for: oh, yeah, best known for nothing. >To conclude, I and the rest of the players from Oklahoma are extremely >offended by the alligations of cheating by those two very poor sports. .I warn anyone who plays against these two juveniles in the future that >you should let them win less face the likely possibility that your name >and reputation will be smeared since R. Fischbeck and F. Peatross have >proved that they have no class or sense of good sportsmenship. Offended? I'm offended that you chose to be so rude. Also, Ryan Fischbeck is a juvenile, but F. Peatross is an adult, and he didn't even have a stake in the thing - he saw cheating and responded. >To whining loosers who need to GET A LIFE. Well, at least we can spell "losers". O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A >From: "Edward Fox" >G'day ,I would appreciate the opportunity to respond to the accusations of >cheating during the NON-SANCTIONED team event, and complaints of the cost >of the event. Why wasn't this event sanctioned? Why were most side tournaments NOT sanctioned? This was regionals right? I played in Three tournaments, and only Regionals was sanctioned. >They don't know what went on behind the scenes . 1) a judge conference was >called in the staff room >so in conclusion: (quit a bit cut here) >I concurred , not having played against them as much but having made >rulings against them as a judge they had never reacted in any way other >then with a great attitude so we just had nothing to go on that could lead >us to make any other decision then we did. So if you think people are OK, than they can get away with cheating? Well, remind me to buy you a few Foster's th next time I see you, which hopefully won't be soon. >I'm sorry that the other players thought that team OK was cheating but >there was nothing to substantiate that accusation If you had done deck checks at an appropriate time, or had someone watch deck construction, I would not have been concerned but you didn't. >P.S: I didn't "cough up" a second place prize it was always going to be >handed out. As the third and final round was underway, you came back and announced that the prize, listed for months on your flyers to be a Box of Legends and 2 Boxes of Stronghold, would instead be 3 Boxes of current product between 1st and 2nd. According to truth in advertising law, that was ILLEGAL. >Lets deal with the cost. >Long form= >5 player team cost $20 per player - $15 of which was product and $5 for >tourney fee >1 TE starter 8.95 2 SH boosters $2.95ea =$14.85 retail >so we have $5.15 left per player for prize fund. >we had 20 players so we had a fund of $103.oo >and we gave away 37 starters of tempest worth $331.15 , 25 to winning team >12 to losing team. Needless to say I expected more players for the event >then i got. Ahhh, HORSEHIT. BLAH BLAH BLAH! Tournament directors are soooo full of shit! TE starter 8.95 my ass! You get your stuff, prize support, directly from Wizards, at a discount of around 35%. SO heres the real long form Mr Fox. 5 player team x 20$ per person. 4 Teams. 400$. 20 Tempest starters, 40 Stronghold boosters- retail 297. your cost 193. That leaves 207 dollars for profit and fees. You gave away 3 boxes of Tempest. Your cost around 150. So dont come crying about how unprofitable it is. Additional comments: Ed Fox ran a fairly quick tournament. However, there are a few caveats to his performance. For example, no deck checks until the final eight. Never should TWO players make the final eight with illegal decks. Also, another final eight player, Tai Phu, was given a first round BYE because he was late. The computer scored him with one point. The last I heard, YOU CANNOT GIVE SOMEONE A DRAW! He either was late and lost the first round, or he got a bye and three points. Explain that MR. Fox. Also, because of this, Tai rode the funny bracket to the final eight. So don't pretend tht you run a perfect tournament that you hardly make money on. And how hard is it to do deck checks in a sealed event? Count rares, during the match. Easy enough? ----------------------------------------------------------- Mason Peatross - Spokesmodel, Team Houston "Of *course* I won. I copied this deck off Usenet yesterday and you copied yours a week ago." -Alex Shvartsman ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com