WE'RE HEEEERRRRREEEEEE
We will be updating live from the Chicago qualifiers all day with mostly photos but also short text updates. Everything will stay on this post, to keep it contained.
(Pre registration line at about 8:40am)
(9:00am our first view of the room. )
They opened the doors and brought the pre reg line inside to check in. There maybe 100 pre regs!
(9:30am a better view of the room, as pre regs fill out their deck forms)
They just let in the onsite registrants. It seems to be an equal number to the pre regs.
9:40am: Forgot to mention earlier that word is that Canadian Vanguard Champion Brandon Smith is here today. Obviously, he can participate, however if he were to win today, the qualification for would go to the next place champion, since he is already qualified for the North American championship. We will keep an eye out for him and try to get a picture.
(Got my ID badge)
Score card and deck list are turned in. Matches are supposed to start in about 15 min but that probably won't start on time.
9:55am: found Brandon, got an autograph and photo. Getting ready to actually card fight!
10:26am: match seeds are happening. Matches will start momentarily.
10:35am (Dietrich, the marketing manager for Bushiroad, and JD, the head judge for today, officially getting things started. )
10:40am: really wishing I could mobile upload video, but photo will have to do...
(1,2,3...STAND UP THE VANGUARD!)
10:54am WON MY FIRST MATCH!
11:25am second match starts.
11:40am I won my second match, against a player I know from my hometown.
12noon: Third round is starting. This is the first round after people could be out if they lost the first two rounds.
(Here are photos of the two vendor tables just outside the match room.)
(Photo of round three play at a block A table)
I lost my third round match.
12:35pm: round four is announced. Blocks are being merged from four (A-D) to two (A/C and B/D).
1pm: open play registration is starting for those who didn't compete today, or have been eliminated.
2pm 32 people remain and the sixth round is about to begin.
4pm the final eight have been announced and their decks are being checked by judges now.
4:05: reports are coming in from fellow players that there are some fishy things going on with the top 8 choices. One player reports that a fellow player with the same record, but whom he beat, made it but he did not. Another player went undefeated until the seventh round and did not make the cut to the top 8. Judges are defending the decisions based upon the win-loss percentages, but those are largely made up from who your opponents are, and those were decided by the judges as well... The story is developing but we have reached out to contacts for more details.
