Wow, it's actually been three years since I last did a qualifying tournament, and the 2001 series ended up not culminating in a World Championship due to travel concerns after September 11th. Since then we have added another Minnesota player to the ranks of the world's best, and I got lucky enough to play both current and former wold champions back to back.
First off, never forget to print out a deck list ahead of time. I built my deck after I got home for spring break, and typing up a list on the old computer was not a good idea. Without getting the official list until I arrived, my first two rounds ended with me writing down my deck at a frantic pace. Aside from that, things went well in the first half of the tournament. I won two of three matches with my standard issue Federation deck, though the skill set I aimed for was more scientific then diplomatic, which was something a few people hadn't thought much about trying before. One person, in regards to personnel like Norah Satie, Kathryn Janeway, and Beverly Crusher, referred to my deck as having a retirement home theme (lots of old women).
The second half of play put me up against former world champion Mike Harrington first, who played a very good match and had good things to say about my deck idea. He played a much better game than I, but it wasn't a total blowout like my next match against reigning world champ Matthew Frid. Matt locked me out solidly. I couldn't even get through a mission before he finished me off with a deck type I've been interested in playing for a while. I learned a lot as usual though and had a great time.
Good luck to this years world championship contenders and hopefully Minnesota can bring home a third title!
-Summary by Fleet Admiral Razor
to the outpost.