Round 5: vs. Dwayne Stupack (Tried)
Orog Warlord, Chraal x 3, Orc Berserker, Orc Savage, Goblin Skirmisher, Warrior Skeleton x 7

Well, I was sad when I looked at the matchup sheet for round five and saw Dwayne's name next to mine. Dwayne and I play at the same game store in SoCal, Dear Mr. Fantazy, and it's always a shame to face a friend in a big tournament where neither of you can really afford a loss. Looking back, I see that it was inevitable that some of us would face each other since so many of us were doing so well, but at the time I was pretty bummed.¹

I'm not going to give a very detailed recap of this match, and I'll tell you why: timed Chraal-on-Chraal matchups are incredibly boring to watch, and in my opinion, pretty boring to play as well. There just isn't any way to make a description of it dramatic or interesting; it's basically a fight over fodder and tile points. If both players are careful, (and at this point only careful players are still at the top tables) neither player will kill a Chraal. And with all the large bases and narrow corridors, neither player will get to the other's commander either.

It was the expectation of matchups like these that made me include the Green Dragon in the first place, and ol' scaly came through for me as planned. I got tile points every round, and used my Chraals to block Dwayne from getting them. I did have very good luck with my Skeletons, attacking and hitting his skeletons a whopping five times. But honestly, that was not as important to the final score as the tile points, and the additional points I got for killing his two Orcs. Dwayne played extremely well, but he didn't have a way to score points as fast as I could. 4-1

Round 6: vs. ?
Human Blackguard, Chraal x 2, Efreet, Kobold Sorcerer, ?

I'm embarrassed to say that I can't remember much about my opponent round six. I can't explain why, but for some reason this game has been almost completely wiped from my mind. I must not have been wearing my tinfoil hat tightly enough during this match. I'm really hoping that enough people read this so that somebody who knows the person I played will ask him to email me, and we'll end up getting an of account of the game from him.

In the meantime, I recall thinking long and hard over whether to move the Green Dragon to the library victory area in round one. I knew I'd be exposed to one attack from the Efreet first round, and another two attacks if my opponent won initiative. Knowing how important points would be in a Chraal mirror match, I took the risk and moved the dragon anyway. I did end up losing init, but the Green Dragon passed morale after getting hit twice more by the Efreet. The dragon then breathed on the Efreet and a weenie, I think, and ended up dying in round three after scoring his own cost in points. That's really all I remember about this game. Sorry everyone. 5-1

Round 7: vs. Sven Myrin
Large Silver Dragon, Couatl, Cleric of Yondalla, Lidda, Halfling Rogue, Man at Arms x 6

Sven is another friend of mine from Dear Mr. Fantazy in SoCal, and he was undefeated up to this point. He was smiling all game long, as he knew that win or lose, he'd be in the top 8. I was somewhat less comfortable, as I was not at all sure that a second loss for me would net me a spot in the finals. But, it was great to see another SoCal friend doing so well, and I knew that after this round I could finally relax after a long day. So, I refocused my attention and resolved to play as if it was the first match of the day.

I think Sven wasn't playing particularly carefully at the beginning of this match, as when I put the Green Dragon in the library victory area, he sent both the LSD and the Couatl after it! Needless to say, I was surprised by this strategy, but I took advantage of it by sending my Chraals deep into his backfield. I think I might have had a Chraal getting tile points in the blood rock area on round two, which is far more aggressive than I'd usually play against an LSD.

My dragon escaped from his larger silvery cousin with 5 hp remaining, only to be ignobly killed by a lowly Man at Arms. I retaliated by killing Yondalla and two Men at Arms with a Chraal breath weapon, and then based Sven's Couatl with all three Chraals. Noticing that the Blackguard had come out of his hole to keep everyone under command, Sven goes for broke and starts chasing him down with the LSD and Couatl, taking the AOOs neccessary to get off a sonic orb on the Blackguard.

Now it's getting really close, because the Blackguard and the Couatl are both very low on HP. I'm running out of Skeletons to throw in the way of the dragon, and Sven keeps positioning the dragon so that my Chraals can't fit through to block. I'm beating on the Couatl, which finally dies, but in killing it I've given Sven one last chance to win: if he wins the next initiative, he can base my Blackguard, who is one hit from dead. But without a commander, he can't overcome my +6 initiative advantage, and I am able to move the Blackguard to safety before he can activate the LSD. With a smile, Sven shakes my hand and says, "See you in the finals." 6-1