Contributing members began plotting and planning weeks out from the event. John Tatta wrote a tournament report citing the various trials and tribulations associated with combining teams, building a gauntlet, and trekking to our first major team event(s). Steve Utter outlined the Traitor Rogue deck that some of the team members piloted while J-Tatta delved into the theory and testing that motivated other members of the team to run the Traitor Druid.

While some players sided with the Alliance and some chose the Horde, a common theme pervaded our deck choices. Every member of Team East Coast marched into the Realm Championships with a Traitor-based deck. The new Traitor flip powers and card-specific pool has changed the game. There are treasures in each Traitor-spec class, and we tried to abuse and enjoy some of our favorites. Gut Shot and Form of the Serpent seemed like two cards that were simply too powerful to pass up. We abandoned most of the usual spec for our newly adopted treacherous ways and rolled in to the Realm Championships with a good deal of confidence. The decks had tested well and we knew that each build would give us a foothold in the evolving metagame.

Team East Coast secured all 4 top slots in the Azshara (Philadelphia) Championship, and we landed a couple of Top 8 slots in the Feralas (Atlanta) Championship. I played in the Atlanta contest and traveled to the event with my card flipping guru, Billy P., along with David Lane and Justin “Hoss” Hustutler. We sleeved up our decks, packed our cards, and trekked 7 hours to the North from sunny Florida in hopes of landing that Championship title. After a ton of work prior to the event, TEC had devised several theories on the potential metagame. I outlined some of my top predictions in last week’s article, and almost hit the proverbial nail on its proverbial head.

Priest was a big hit, landing Top 8 finishes in nearly every Realm. The Druid and Rogue decks proved very popular and a number of players tried out Warlock decks using Ripped Through the Portal. I have included our Top 8 deck lists for your viewing and net-decking pleasure. Thanks to Eric Mock from Unity Entertainment for typing up the lists and judging the championship.

1st Place
Marc Pacheco
Runetusk

Allies
4 Doshura Risestrider
4 Tatulla the Reclaimer
2 Jon Reaver

Abilities
4 Soul Rend
2 Mind Blast
4 Melt Face
4 Mind Spike
4 Mental Anguish
4 Touch of Darkness
4 Greater Heal

Equipment
4 The Bringer of Death
4 Voidfire Wand

Quests
4 Counterattack
3 Swift Discipline
4 Thwarting kolker Aggression
3 Information Gathering
2 The root of all evil

Side Deck
1 Shadala
3 Nyn’jah
1 Darkness
2 Mana-Sphere Shoulderguard
3 Absorb Magic

2nd Place
David Lane
Desecrator Stormclaw

Allies
4 Vexmaster Narjo
4 Rak Skyfury
4 Marksman Glous
4 Bloodsoul
2 Tatulla the Reclaimer
4 Waz’luk

Abilities
2 Innervate
4 Cyclone
4 The Natural Order
4 Form of the Serpent
4 Wrath

Equipment
2 Cobrascale Hood
4 Twig of the World Tree

Quests
4 Dr. Boom
2 Kodo Round-up
4 One Draenei’s Junk
2 Orders from Lady Vashj
2 Torek’s Assault

Side Deck
2 Tatulla the Reclaimer
2 Wastewalker Helm
4 Moonfire
2 Earth Mother’s Blessing

3rd Place
Ramon Carlisle
Mythen of the Fang

Allies
3 Korthas Greybeard
2 Antikron the Unyeilding
3 Xanata the Lightsword
3 Chipper Ironbane
2 Parvink
3 Myriam Starcaller
2 Weeble
2 Vindicator Kaldel
1 Razak Ironsides
1 Lady Vashj

Abilities
4 Cyclone
3 Innervate
4 The Natural Order
4 Form o the Serpent
3 Wrath
2 Moonfire

Equipment
2 Predatory Gloves
2 Cobrascale Hood
4 Twig of the World Tree

Quests
2 Forces of Jaedenar
1 Chasing A-me 01
2 Finkle Einhorn, at your service!
1 The Missing Diplomat
2 Corki’s Ransom
2 Crown of the Earth
2 One Draenei’s Junk

Side Deck
2 Barkskin
2 Swiftshift
1 The Abominable Greench
1 Ishanah, High Priestess of the Aldor
2 Wastewalker Heml
2 Chew Toy

4th Place
Brian Lindburg
Morn Salts-The-Land

Allies
4 Bloodsoul
4 Tatulla the Reclaimer
4 Retainer Khorbus
4 King Khan
3 Doshurn Risestrider
2 Vexmaster Nar’jo
2 Bogspike
2 Ras’tari Bloodfrenzy
2 Litemistress Janagra
1 Lady Vashj
1 Prince Kael’thas Sunstrider
1 Varimathras

Abilities
4 Snake Trap
4 Death Trap
2 Run to Ground

Equipment
4 Blastershot Launcher
1 Glaive of the Pit

Quests
4 Swift Discipline
4 Gahz’ridian
4 Counterattack
2 Chasing A-Me 01
2 Are We There, Yeti?

Side Deck
2 Terror Pit Girdle
2 Shattering Blow
4 Trophy Kill
2 Jon Reaver

5th Place
Matthew Pace
Kil’Zin of the Bloodscalp

Allies
4 Blooodsoul
4 Waz’luk
3 Retainer Zian
3 Vezmaster Nar’jo
2 Broan Charges-The-Fight
4 Tatulla the Reclaimer
3 Shakar

Abilities
2 Earth Shock
4 Elements’ Fury
3 Lightning Bolt
3 Death Shock
4 Storm Shock
3 Purge
3 Frost Shock

Equipment
3 Perdition’s Blade

Quests
3 Orders from Lady Vashj
4 Falling to Corruption
3 Against the Legion
2 Torek’s Assault

Side Deck
2 Stoneclaw Totem
1 Death Shock
2 Chill
3 Gurzuk
2 Nyn’jah

6th Place
Chase Causey
Marlowe Christopher

Allies
4 Korthas Greybeard
4 Apprentice Merry
4 Antikron the Unyielding
4 Jeleane Nightbreeze
4 Chipper Ironbane
3 Thulthun
4 Parvink
4 Myriam Starcaller
2 King Magni Bronzebeard

Abilities
4 Eye of Kilrogg
4 Banish to the Nether
3 Drain Mana
2 Shadowfury

Quests
4 Manhunt
4 Finkle Einhorn, At Your Service
4 Orders from Lady Vashj
2 Corki’s Ransom

Side Deck
4 The Bringer of Death
2 Jindo’s Bag of Whammies
2 Shadowfury
1 Drain Mana
1 Thulthun

7th Place
Jeremy Blair
Desecrator Stormclaw

Allies
4 Vexmaster Narjo
4 Rak Skyfury
4 Marksman Glous
4 Bloodsoul
2 Tatulla the Reclaimer
4 Waz’luk

Abilites
2 Innervate
4 Cyclone
4 The Natural Order
4 Form of the Serpent
4 Wrath

Equipment
2 Cobrascale Hood
4 Twig of the World Tree

Quests
4 Dr. Boom
2 Kodo Round-up
4 One Draenei’s Junk
2 Orders from Lady Vashj
2 Torek’s Assault

Side Deck
2 Tatulla the Reclaimer
2 Wastewalker Helm
4 Moonfire
2 Earth Mother’s Blessing

8th Place
James McCoy
Runetusk

Allies
4 Sus’vayin
4 Tatulla the Reclaimer
2 Shadowfiend
1 Varimathras
2 The Abominable Greench

Abilities
4 Mental Anguish
4 Soul Rend
3 Mind Spike
4 Melt Face
4 Greater Heal
2 Mind Blast
4 Touch of Darkness

Equipment
3 Voidfire Wand
3 The Bringer of Death

Quests
4 Counterattack
4 Thwarting Kolkar Aggression
2 The root of All Evil
3 Swift Discipline
3 Forces of Jaedenar

Side Deck
1 Power Word: Shield
3 Dispel Magic
1 Mass Dispel
2 Jon Reaver
3 Doshura Risestrider

DMF Influence

It was no real surprise that many of the decks made popular at the Columbus DMF loot tournament (Druid) and the DMF Stuttgart (Priest and Druid) made a big splash at the follow-up Realm Championships. In our event we saw a balanced field with representation of nearly every class. Players ventured into Paladin, Mage, Warlock, and Rogue alongside Traitor Druid, Hunter, Priest, and Shaman builds.

The event was a blast and between our four players, we landed 4 Top 16 spots including my finish and Dave’s finals appearance. Overall, the games were typically very close. When the Druid deck wins the die roll, it can be a virtual beast. There were turns when I watched in disbelief as Billy P. dealt his opponents 34 damage in a single turn, swinging the game from a loss to a blowout. I watched Dave at the top tables throughout the day crafting victories with his Serpent Form and big tree branch. I ran the gauntlet with a single loss in the SWISS and eventually fell to the would-be champion in our Top 8 match.

If you get a chance, you should play some of the decks in this Top 8. There were some creative new twists on old ideas, some killer tech, and the power of a true classic in the Priest deck. While there are clear answers to the Priest, there are also a number of ways in which the Priest builds might be modified to remain a contender. I always like working through a deck list, reading through all of the tournament reports, and following along with the tales of adventure that pour onto the interwebs after a significant event. StarCityWoW.com has done a great job of bringing you recent reports and cutting edge lists. If other players have a different take on the game, or if a different type of deck dominated your region, then you should throw up some lists and try to move the format forward.

The Servants of the Betrayer set has changed the game. The Priest has almost warped the constructed tournament scene, and other players are scrambling to keep pace. Creativity and evolution will spur us onward, and new decks and championship titles will be our rewards. I hope that you guys enjoyed the weekend’s events as much as I did. I know that I had fun scratching loot, listening to my new iPod Nano, and watching as my teammates moved our dreams from internet postings to final standings!

Jeremy Blair is a member of the newly formed Team East Coast. He traveled to Atlanta for an eventual Top 8 finish in the Realm Championship and has plan to keep the victory train rolling all the way through Nationals and Worlds. He was honored to play with a bunch of awesome Southeastern players and hopes UDE will continue to the Realm Championship tournament circuit. Messages and notes to Tampakingpin@yahoo.com.