Tim and I decided to do a little head-to-head reporting, giving two different view points on the same match. I was sitting beside two-time $10K Champion Hans Joachim Hoeh, while Tim Willoughby was next to relative underdog Fabian Held. Each competitor needed to win to make it to Day 2. We each had impeccable vantage points of our respective player’s hand and resources, but would have no information about their opponents’. Tim implied we’d be “fighting for the readers’ love.”

I’m gonna loooooooose . . .

 . . . To a guy who looks like Vivisector, at that. Seriously, we need to do some photo coverage of Willoughby’s hair this weekend—it defies mere oratory description.

This being a Curve Sentinels mirror match, it would make an especially interesting bit of dual-coverage. While Curve mirrors have been done before, Tim and I were hopeful that we could present a dual perspective to show readers some more information than they’d usually get. We also hoped to rock out loud together. We’re kind of like the Wonder Twins like that.

Tim’s the girl Wonder Twin.

Anyways, the players rolled off, and Hans won, taking the initiative. His opening hand featured Boliver Trask and a Mark V, so he kept it. He played Nasty Surprise into his resource row and Bolivered on turn 1 to get a Hounds of Ahab. Fabian made the same move (though I wasn’t party to his set resource) and took a Mark II. Tim Willoughby’s hair became more disheveled with excitement.

Turn 2 hit, and Fabian recruited a Hounds of his own. So did Hoeh, whose hand was a mess of blue: two Reconstruction Programs, two Beatdowns, and a Mark V. Fabian’s Hounds slammed into Boliver, and Hoeh feigned a great deal of consideration. Eventually the attack went through, and Fabian’s Boliver swung directly. Hoeh had to consider his move carefully, because if Fabian could Nasty Surprise or power-up, Hoeh would take a minor loss. He had nothing, though, as was revealed when Hoeh’s aggressive nature took hold and he pressed the attack.

His next draw? Genosha and a Bastion—good news for the late game but not too helpful now. Fabian hit his drop with the Mark II he sought out with Boliver, and he formed up with Boliver in front of the purple. Hoeh was in a bind—he was going to lose Boliver for sure, and if he attacked with the Hounds into anything, including just Boliver, he risked losing it, as well. He sent his Boliver Trask into Fabian, and sure enough, Fabian produced a power-up—not a huge victory in the long run, since it basically meant that Fabian had ditched a card to save himself 1 endurance loss. Taking a risk, The Hounds swung into Boliver, taking him out—a nice play by Hoeh. The Mark II on Fabian’s side then swung directly, and the Hounds attacked directly to take out Boliver. “Did I already mention this card is stupid?” grinned Hoeh, pointing to Hounds.

Willoughby looked at me, as if evaluating my hair. I don’t think he found any weaknesses, but I felt like his follicles were making a mid-game rally. We exchanged glares.

Hoeh drew into a Magneto, Master of Magnetism and an Overload—his late game was really coming together. Both players recruited a Mark V, and Fabian sent his Mark II and Mark V into Hoeh’s. Hoeh played a Savage Beatdown on the Mark II and Overloaded it, passing priority. He then played an Acrobatic Dodge from his row, bouncing the attack—but no! The Nasty Surprise popped up in Hoeh’s resource row—such a commitment, but it seemed worth it. Hoeh said something witty, but I missed it—between gameplay and Willoughby’s dynamic hair style, my attention was completely absorbed. The opposing Mark V stunned.

Hoeh’s Mark V then attacked directly, and the Hounds attacked to take out Fabian’s Mark V. Hoeh kept his Mark V and Hounds, while Fabian kept his Mark II and his Hounds.

Hoeh’s draw was a pair of Bastions! He laughed a little—in the early, game he had too much late game power, but he played through it. Now that he was entering the late game, he still had too much late game power, and nothing to play for his 5. He played a Reconstruction Program from his hand, took back Boliver, recruited him to search out another Mark V, and recruited it, too, leaving Boliver sitting in the front of an L. “There . . . if you miss Nimrod, you can go for the Mark V,” stated Hoeh plainly. Fabian looked a bit annoyed as, indeed, he missed Nimrod and played a boosted Mark V.

With the initiative filling his sense of aggression like wind fills the sails of a very pointy schooner, Hoeh surged in on the offence. One of his Mark V’s went after the Mark II, and a Nasty Surprise from Fabian’s row forced a trade. The other Mark V and Boliver took off after the boosted Mark V, and one of Hoeh’s Beatdowns hit the field, this one coming from his hand, resulting in the double stun. Boliver attacked directly, and the Hounds did the same to take out the boosted Mark V. Fabian’s Hounds attacked into Boliver, and Hoeh had no response. It was a Hounds on each side with a Mark II on Fabian’s board and a Mark V on Hoeh’s at the end of the turn.

Fabian had the initiative on turn 6, but not the drop—his Nimrod hit the field one turn too late. Hoeh recruited one of his three Bastions from his hand. “I hit a drop!” he said in joking triumph. Wordlessly, Fabian leaned across the table and pressed the card around his neck against the table—it was a Bastion in a toploader. His play less than subtle, and laughs elicited from the audience, he removed Bastion from the field.

Hoeh made a comment about how much simpler the Hounds had made the match—normally there would be some crazy chains going on in this turn or next. I knew intimately what he meant—short on time-filling material, Tim Willoughby’s hair was actually functioning as my secret fallback. Wihle I reflected on this point and gazed into Willoughby’s hypnotic coif, Fabian passed his combat, unwilling to approach Bastion.

Bastion went after the Mark II, and two Cover Fires and an Acrobatic Dodge cushioned the blow. Mark V and Hounds attacked Nimrod to strip his counter, and that was all for the turn.

Hoeh had control of the initiative, and he also had Magneto, Master of Magnetism. He formed into an L formation, with Magneto protecting Bastion and the Mark V on the side at the back—no Hannover-style reverse L’s here, Hoeh was playing it smart. Fabian did the same, with Magneto protecting the Mark II and Nimrod in the support off to the side. Fabian popped a Genosha, and in response to the overt move, Hoeh shrugged and chained his. Each drew four cards, including an Overload for Hoeh. He leaned over the table and considered his move.

Hoeh’s Magneto attacked into the Mark II, and Nimrod reinforced. In response Hoeh popped Nasty Surprise on the defender and then Overloaded. He went to declare a second attack, but Fabian conceded, offering the handshake.

Match Win: Hans Joachim Hoeh

Check out Tim's side of this match by clicking here!