Far at the end of the Festival Pavilion hall, the newly created Pro Players’ Lounge was home to bad-beat stories throughout the day, Ian Vincent’s unfortunate suicide by King re-recruit being the most recent. Players enjoyed beverages, the occasional chocolate donut, board games, and movies, all within plain sight of the San Francisco waters. As players passed through, I got a chance to chat with some of the more successful ones.
Player Profile: Quang Nguyen
Hot off of his recent PC: Atlanta Top 4, Quang was 5-4 and at the brink of elimination with one round left in the day. His deck of the moment is a Checkmate Rock build sporting Rock of Eternity and backup characters aplenty. When asked why he chose to play the Rock deck, Quang simply said, “I couldn’t decide between the two decks I had, Chess (Hellfire / Checkmate), and G’Lock, so I created a third deck I hoped was better than both . . . It’s fun to play, but it wasn’t the right deck for today.” Quang is playing under the Team Edgeworld banner, an informal group of SoCal players that seems to have finally gone public, with all members sporting sharp team shirts and records that can make Day 2. Quang has enjoyed the new format, counting out viable decks on each of his hands and running to his toes. He especially looked forward to being greeted by new decks and unexpected challenges heading into the PC. If his impromptu switch to the Rock deck is any indication, he himself brought a novel challenge to opponents all day long.
Previous Accomplishments: 2 $10K T8, Winner $10K San Diego, T4 PC: ATL
Team: Edgeworld
Deck Played: Checkmate Rock
Vs. Card He Would Design:
Batman Wielding a Green Lantern Ring
Cost 8
17 ATK / 17 DEF
Willpower 6. When Batman comes into play, search your deck for a card for each card in your hand, put them into your hand, and shuffle your deck.