@Bucky really needs to get in on the action! Thx for the report
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This is a belated reply, but thanks for the exciting write up Bucky!
Also apologies to Hobusu about the Training Day take-back. 
I didn’t realize there was a rule against that (of course I see it now in the rulebook, now that I’m looking for it).
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No worries! I made the same mistake once in a previous tournament, so I didn’t mind.
qauz is exactly who I expected to face in the finals
also, wow, I just saw that Lum triggered jackpot’s big payoff twice in one set this tournament. I’ve literally never seen that happen even once before.
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you were exactly who I thought I would face too (…although you were predetermined so its not as impressive as a guess)
Quaz (coming from Loser Bracket) vs SirHandsome (Winners bracket)
Reset
I welcome @SirHandsome to add any commentary!
Mostly the games were all good and close, the banks felt very bad for Persephone, not a lot of possiblities for domination, Sirhandsome randomized the banks but there wasn’t a lot of opportunities. In the 4th game I upgraded my crash gem and just got blown up for not having it or really anything sufficiently good enough to compensate not having one. I had the opportunity to double crash two 
with Jaina in the 6th game.
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GG, nah a lot of the banks were OK I got outplayed! Knew you’d be a tough opponent, I remember playing your Jaina way back in the day when it was on whatever website 
only comment ill add is that the reset games are wrong, my perspeohne beat BBB game 1, then switch to jaina (wins), then my switch to Gwen (lose) then my switch to Vendetta
Pre-reset commentary!
Starting Bank:
Just a Scratch
It’s a Trap
Money for Nothing
Now or Later
Combinatorics
Improvisation
Mix-Master
Stolen Purples
Option Select
It’s Combo Time
I disagree with Quaz on the bank being particularly bad for Persephone. With the strong red enders and relatively weak blues, her immunity 
and innate 
chain count for a lot. However, it also has a lot of 2-cost Upgrade options for BBB to play with. So I think the overall bank-matchup is still very BBB favored, but less severe than an average random bank.
Game 1
SirHandsome took a fundamentals focused opening with cash and a combine over any puzzle chips. Quaz took an Upgrade ladder to 
s through Money for Nothing, which discouraged the initial P&P, and bought a Mix Master for defense.
During the midgame, SirHandsome began buying up Option Selects, and Quaz pressured him into using them for direct pile control rather than attacks. Quaz therefore managed to hold a mix-master sourced 4-gem without getting it mix-mastered in return, which proved to be a knockout.
CP Random bank:
Now or Later
Blues are Good
Button Mashing
Color Panic
Gems to Gemonade
Mix Master
Axe Kick
Custom Combo
Degenerate Trasher
Master Puzzler
This looks like a particularly bad bank for Perse in the matchup; BBB can pig Blues are Good all day with Cog Engine to frustrate Perse’s main plan, while pursuing any of several puzzle chip endgames (e.g. Axe Kick engine, Master Puzzler)
Game 2:
SirHandsome used an early 
to attempt a heavy Color Panic strategy. Quaz took a slow start, Upgrade-laddered her starting 
s through Now or Later to keep the wounds under control and trashing Button Mashings to keep her deck small.
Both players entered the midgame at the same time by buying Custom Combo. However, Quaz, who had been turtling with Rocket Punch to stay below 6, was ahead on pile and delivered the knockout the following cycle before any Custom Combo engines kicked in.
CP Random Bank:
Safe Keeping
Knockdown
Money for Nothing
Now or Later
Button Mashing
Recklessness
Chips for Free
Combinatorics
Ouch!
Combos are Hard
This is a low impact bank overall, but has a lot of things BBB wants to see (Combos are Hard, 2-cost options) and not much for Perse (just Knockdown and Ouch!)
Game 3:
Quaz declined the Combos are Hard opening to develop Cog Engine, and bought a first-turn Chips for Free. SirHandsome opened with a 2-gem and Ouch, and drew into the money for a second cycle Combos are Hard himself. But SirHandsome ran two s into Money for Nothings on the same turn, so Quaz got her own quick DCG anyway!
Quaz used several multi-buys and Upgrades to quickly transform into a Combinatorics deck, while SirHandsome lacked the base buying power to improve his but had wounding. Thereafter, both decks bloated and degraded, but the cash-starved Perse deck degraded quicker even after a fairly effective MC hit.
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Post-reset games:
Starting bank:
It’s a Trap
Money for Noting
Now or Later
Sale Prices
Gem Essence
Ouch!
One of Each
Option Select
Punch, Punch, Kick
Custom Combo
Game 1:
Quaz upgraded her starting crash into a Punch, Punch, Kick! and both players traded Ouches. SirHandsome got combines and rushed her down before she got around to buying it back. Combines beat no combines, especially if there aren’t any crash gems either.
CP BBB -> Jaina
Game 2:
Quaz chose a slow opening with One of Each, while SirHandsome chose a defensive Combine-Ouch! start and followed up with an early Crash buy. Quaz kept up with the wound-cleaning, and the game ended abruptly when on her 5th turn Quaz threw a Burning Vigor-Unstable Power combo at a freshly cycled hand, catching SirHandsome with neither of his two crashes. (3/8 chance)
CP Persephone -> Gwen
Game 3:
SirHandsome bought a couple of Punch, Punch, Kicks to go with Gwen’s innate engine, but the payload was just a pair of combines. Quaz bought four combines in a row, and quickly built up to the doomsday Burning Vigor into Unstable 8-crash that ended the game on the spot.
CP Gwen -> Vendetta
Game 4:
Quaz was not shy about spamming offensive Unstable Powers this game, using it three times by turn 6. SirHandsome didn’t have a Crash in place to counter any of them, and didn’t even buy a combine until turn 5. Thus, his only chance to survive the onslaught was to topbag his crash in both his turn 6 and 7 hands due to pile height bonus. He was not nearly so lucky.
Quaz appeared to be attempting to go over the top economically at the same time. The massive wound load would’ve hindered that. But SirHandsome’s combines were so late in the face of Quaz’s character chips that they did not beat the no-combine deck.
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Yep, this was a major bummer for me at the time (letting qauz catch up to my DCG with the money for nothings), got distracted by something IRL and wasn’t paying attention on that turn, but with how badly I lost the next set anyway don’t think it mattered overall which made me feel better about the huge mistake
The - matchup is pretty easy for BBB even before BBB starts making chip counterpicks; where Persephone punishes a lot of characters if they lean on their long-game strengths without trying to pressure her, BBB’s character chips counter her typical late game. So BBB has a lot of flexibility on how to approach the matchup. Not to the extent of winning with no 
s, see game 4, but enough that Persephone needs an uncommon level of bank help for an even matchup.
Give BBB the ability to swap out Perse’s two favorite puzzle chips and, yeah, game 5 could be nigh-impossible.
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