After the dust settled, prizes handed out, and top cut named, it was time to sort out the wheat from the chaff for the day. And there were some match ups in top cut that no one would envy having to play.

Top 8

Undefeated in Swiss, Juliano S. piloted his Black Krillin against a threat in Saiyan Turles run by Dylan M.. This could have proved a tough game for Krillin, but in the end he showed why he has been a dominant MP since set 1, shining through to win onto the next round.

Jono C. with his trusty Red Garlic was forced into a match up that could have also posed some problems, with skillful player Jesse M. and his Orange 20 looking to Tank Barrage his opponent into submission. But it was the damage modification created by Garlic, and some deft level control by Jono C. that pushed through the victory.

One of the Red Roshi’s in top cut, Callum S., also pushed out a hard fought win against a potentially oppressive match up against Josh C.’s Blue Ginyu. And rounding out top cut, Simon N. pushed National Champion Fahad R. and came through with a win for himself as well, as Piccolo Namekian showed Red Roshi that the meta wasn’t fully in his favour just yet.

Top 4

It was further pain for Red Roshi in top 4 as well. Callum came up against Simon in the round of 4, and after coming off just playing against Fahad, Simon must have thought he had the match up figured out. Simon pulled out the win in this round, and onto the finals. His Piccolo Namekian list really shows the value in even having “1 of” tech cards in your deck, but he is also a skillful player who knows how to maximise those cards to full effect as well.

The other match in top 4 was an epic battle for supremacy. Jumping to some of the last phases of the match, Jono showed some great foresight in some of his plays. Being on level 3, and pushing himself up to level 4 was always going to be a problem. And looking at Juliano’s hand he had the cards to maximise on Garlic’s somewhat unforgiving level 4 power, with Destructo Disk and Sinister Choke in hand.

But Juliano was in a slight pickle, as Jono being back on level 3, and having used a Red Destiny, wasn’t going to be able to push enough damage through to warrant their use just yet. After another turn, and pushing through some of those attacks, Juliano fell foul of Garlic’s potent Dragon Ball Victory threat, with Jono coming out with a win.

Finals

As the two friends squared off, it was hard to see many other outcomes other than Red Garlic coming out on top. The deck, if nothing else, creates far too many headaches for even it to endure.

Simon put up a valiant effort to try and push out a win in either game, with some close calls in game 2. However, Garlic and his Dragon Ball Victories won the game and the tournament, and showed that at least for now that it can be a thorn in the side of many tier 1 decks.

The decklists of the Top 4 are as follows;

Jono C. – Red Garlic

Simon N. – Piccolo Namekian

Juliano S. – Black Krillin

Callum S. – Red Roshi

We hope to see a lot of players turn out for the last two Local Championships. With Vengeance hitting shelves next week, the meta shifts again and poses a new problem to those wanting to compete in Regionals starting in August!

Game on!

– Trent (@TAKGames_Trent) and Kyp (@JustKyp).

The past weekend saw 27 players turn out for the TAK Games Local Championships at Good Games Gold Coast. And with Vengeance due for release in only a couple of weeks time, it was a good time to see some of the current meta decks shine before having to jostle for position with some of the new kids on the block.

We had players from all over South East Queensland, Northern NSW, and even a lone Victorian traveler in reigning National Champion and Worlds Top 4 player, Fahad Rahman.

Champion for the day was Jono C., expertly piloting his trusty Red

Garlic in some epic battles, beating out close friend and travel buddy Simon N. in the final.

Swiss Rounds Breakdown

The break down in styles, and most used MPs were;

Blue – 7
Namekian – 5
Orange – 5
Red – 5
Black – 4
Saiyan – 1

Piccolo rounded out with the most MP stacks with 5. Closely followed by Krillin and Turles with 4 each. Android 20 and Captain Ginyu were next up with 3 each.

All in all it was interesting to see the breakdown of the styles used. With Cell Restored taking a back seat, the Red style decks have come out in force to help claim a piece of the meta.

The day kicked off with some interesting match ups straight away. Fahad (Red Roshi) kicked off against Brisbane local Adam H. (Orange 20) with Fahad picking up his first win. Local favourites Juliano S. (winner of the Gathering of Worlds Local Championship) and Damian H. also picked up wins in the first round.

At the end of the round though, an exhausting battle was taking place with Michael L. (Piccolo Namekian) taking on Simon N. (Piccolo Namekian). The match was tense all the way, with both players showing their strength in piloting the deck since Set 1. The match ended a draw, after some deft play from Simon to keep the game going.

On stream in Round 2 we had an epic battle of the Red Dragon Ball / MPPV decks, with Fahad taking on Jono C. (Red Garlic). Both players gave great accounts of themselves, with Fahad coming out on top via survival victory in the end to clinch the tough fought game.

With player posturing at a premium there were many hard fought games in round 2. Wins to Josh C., Dylan M., Juliano S., Lin H., and Callum S. left all these players with maximum points.

Through the middle rounds, the going got tough for a lot of players. Wins were harder to come by, and matches even more intense as everyone kept one eye on top cut. Arch nemesis decks Black Krillin and Blue Ginyu faced off with Juliano S. and Josh C. in Round 3 with Juliano taking the win.

Coming down the final stretch into Round 4 saw some defeats for some favourites who we pushing for top spots, and clutch victories for some looking to push those players out. Fahad had his first loss for the day at the hands of a mirror match in Callum S. which was a fantastic match to watch. Simon N. and Josh C. also were unlucky to drop games in this round, but with the calibre of play all day it was hard to begrudge any player some hard fought wins.

The final round was upon us, and Simon N. and Sam H. came up to the stream, with both players looking to take a win from the round to make sure they had a spot in top cut. A classic match up, with Simon’s Piccolo Namekian closely edging out Sam’s Black Krillin to move into a top 8 spot. Sam played some great games all day and it was hard to see her miss out on a spot in the top 8.

In the end our top 8 was rounded out by;

Juliano S. (Black Krillin)
Callum S. (Red Roshi)
Fahad R. (Red Roshi)
Jono C. (Red Garlic)
Jesse M. (Orange 20)
Simon N. (Namekian Piccolo)
Joshua C. (Blue Ginyu)
Dylan M. (Saiyan Turles)

Check back tomorrow for more details on how Top Cut played out.

Game on!

– Trent (@TAKGames_Trent) and Kyp (@JustKyp).

The first of our Dragon Ball Z Local Championships took place in Launceston with a small but mighty contingent of Z Warriors battling it out for state pride. Top Tassie players Grant, Kehnan, Cameron and Ryan were keen to claim the Local Championships title and keep it safe to celebrate Tasmania’s first large OP event, while Victorian interloper Nick plotted to unleash the pain on an unsuspecting meta.

With travel stipends and World Championship invite points on the line, as well as bragging rights, competition was fierce. With no Blue or Namekian decks to be seen, there was still a variety of styles and main personalities on offer.  Four players elected for Black Style, three Orange, two Saiyan and one Red while personalities observed in the field included Yamcha (x3), Cell, Tien, Krillin, Android 20, Trunks, Android 18 and Ginyu making up the remaining numbers.

With the recent announced changes to the Current Rulings Document and the short time period prior to the event, players were understandably wary of utilising Namekian Cell.

After two rounds and a lunch break, Grant (Orange Adaptive 20), Kehnan (Black Devious Ginyu) and Nick (Orange Adaptive Yamcha) were all undefeated.

Brutal third round matches saw both Kehnan and Nick drop games with only Grant undefeated, but all three players made it through to the Top 4 final cut.

The Top 4 players were:

1. Grant D. (Orange Adaptive 20)
2. Cameron D. (Black Devious Yamcha)
3. Nick S. (Orange Adaptive Yamcha)
4. Kehnan W. (Black Devious Ginyu)

At the conclusion of the Top Cut rounds, Grant stood victorious, sweeping the tournament with a clean sheet (7-0). More Local Championship events are scheduled to take place next weekend – will you be there?

If you have any questions regarding TAK Games organised play, please contact us at dbz@tak-games.com.au, via our Facebook page TAK Games or group Dragonball Z TCG Australia or via Twitter @TAKGames_au.

Game on!
– Trent (@TAKGames_Trent) and Kyp (@justkyp).

June turns up the heat on organised play competition in Australia with Local Championship events kicking off around Australia. Participation in these events will be well rewarded with the best performing player over the Local Championship and Regional events earning a paid invite to participate in the 2016 Dragon Ball Z World Championships event in the US. World Championship invite points will be awarded based on final placing and number of players present at each event. A player’s top three finishes in Local Championship and Regional events will count towards their final ranking.

Local Championship Tournaments

Local Championship events will be conducted with Swiss rounds and a top cut based on the number of participants. The Panini Dragon Ball Z TCG Tournament Guide will determine amount of rounds and top cut. Challonge will be used to run the Local Championship events.

In addition to the Current Rulings Document and Tournament Guide  found here, an updated TAK Games Tournament Guide will be in effect to help guide players on expected player behaviour.

Entry Fee:

• $25 (pre-registration), or:
• $30 (on-site registration).

Prizes:

• Winner: $400 travel stipend to 2016 Nationals, trophy and exclusive playmat.
• 2nd: $200 travel stipend to 2016 Nationals.
• 3rd – 4th: $50 travel stipend to 2016 Nationals
• 5th – 8th: $25 travel stipend to 2016 Nationals
• Participation: minimum 2 booster packs

Below you will find the dates and store locations hosting the Local Championship events.

SATURDAY JUNE 4th, 2016

TASMANIA

GUF Launceston, Launceston, TAS – Event Details – Pre-Registration – Tournament Report

SATURDAY JUNE 11th, 2016

NEW SOUTH WALES

Gathering of Worlds, Grafton, NSW – Event Details – Pre-Registration

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

The Hobby Matrix, Adelaide, SA – Event Details – Pre-Registration

VICTORIA

Next Level Games Ringwood, VIC – Event Details – Pre-Registration

SATURDAY JUNE 18th, 2016

QUEENSLAND

Good Games Gold Coast, Southport, QLD – Event Details – Pre-Registration

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Good Games Joondalup, Joondalup, WA – Event Details – Pre-Registration

SATURDAY JUNE 25th, 2016

VICTORIA

Guf Ballarat, VIC – Event Details – Pre-Registration

SUNDAY JUNE 26th, 2016

NEW SOUTH WALES

Good Games Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW – Event Details – Pre-Registration

How to accumulate points

Points will be issued to players in the similar fashion as TAK Games League Seasons. Each player’s top three (3) results over the TAK Games Local Championships and Regionals will track towards their final ranking, with the top ranked player at the conclusion of the Organised Play season to receive a paid invite to the 2016 Dragon Ball Z World Championships.

If there is a tie for the top rank, the following formula will be used to determine the winner.

• First Tie Breaker – Highest Win Percentage
• Second Tie Breaker – Highest Total Number of Wins
• Third Tie Breaker – Lowest Total Number of Losses
• Fourth Tie Breaker – Highest Total Number of Players at Events Contributing to Rank

The Leaderboard

Progress will be tracked on a leaderboard located on this page. Results will be updated on the Friday following each event.

TAK Games are thrilled to bring organised play events to Australian players throughout the 2016 season and look forward to seeing as many participants as possible. If you have any questions regarding organised play, please contact us at dbz@tak-games.com.au, via our Facebook page TAK Games or group Dragonball Z TCG Australia or via Twitter @TAKGames_au.

Game on!
– Trent (@TAKGames_Trent) and Kyp (@justkyp).

Strap yourselves in! Starting in June and finishing in October with our Australian Nationals event, large scale organised play events are back.

Three World Championships invites are up for grabs for Australian players with two different ways to earn the invites this year. Similar to last year, the top 2 finishers at the Australian Nationals will earn a paid invite to the Dragon Ball Z World Championships. In addition to that, this year the best performing player over the Local Championship and Regional events will also earn a paid invite.

In June, eight Local Championship events will be held across Australia, hosted by current TAK league organised play stores. These events will offer support to players travelling to Nationals in October. The prizes will include:

1st Place – $400 travel stipend to Nationals, trophy and exclusive playmat
2nd Place – $200 travel stipend to Nationals
3rd / 4th Place – $50 travel stipend to Nationals
5th – 8th Place – $25 travel stipend to Nationals

World Championship invite points will be awarded based on final placing and number of players present at each event. A player’s three top finishes in Local Championship and Regional events will count towards their final ranking.

Travel stipends will be payable to players on presentation of evidence of booked travel (flights / accommodation) to Melbourne for the Australian Nationals weekend. Travel stipends are cumulative.

Regional Championships will again be held around Australia through August, September and October. You can expect trophies, exclusive promos and points towards the World Championship invite to be on offer for prizes.

The organised play season will culminate in the 2016 Australian Nationals event to be held in Melbourne on the weekend of the 15th and 16th October. The event will be hosted at the Celtic Club, and the Top 2 finishers will earn themselves a paid invite to the Dragon Ball Z World Championships.

TAK Games are thrilled to bring organised play events to Australian players throughout the 2016 season and look forward to seeing as many participants as possible. If you have any questions regarding organised play, please contact us at dbz@tak-games.com.au, via our Facebook page TAK Games or group Dragonball Z TCG Australia or via Twitter @TAKGames_au.

Game on!
– Trent (@TAKGames_Trent) and Kyp (@justkyp).