Well, well, well. I've been hearing, for months now, bad Rogues are. I've been trying, for months now, to quell those comments, as I think Rogues are, while not as powerful as I'd hope them to be at the moment, still playable. My Ji'lan, Sha'do, Thangal team is a blast. If you haven't tried it, I highly suggest it for a fun time.
That said, have you see the top 8 warbands? If not, look here and see if you can spot those stealthy little guys.
Two guys, Pozsgay and Hans Joachim Hoh, both piloted the Triple Zomm Hopeslayer team to a sapping top 8.
Now I know, you're going to say "but it's the scenario that makes them good." And yes, you are right. But that doesn't stop the fact that Zomm is a solid figure, and the Rogues making top 8 for once is a happy sight to those of us who have liked them so much.
On the side, myself and John Fiorillo have discussed the merits of potentially turning that team into a Double Zomm and Thrall (with Snowsong) team, as it seems good, but feel free to chime in with your thoughts as well on that.
One of the more interesting parties I see in the top 8, and got to watch being played before I had to start judging DMF, was Slander's (Mike Ayars) team of Double Amalar Ironhoof and Ona Skyshot. This is by far the most unique team in the mix, and one that didn't seem get much attention. There was a Double Amalar Kaleytha team in the world's Tournament as well, but this one seemed to add some more speed as needed, with a bit of range to mix it up. Mike's a great player and it shows in his creative party building and ability to make things work other think may not be top tier.
So onto the DMF. DMF started with 70 players, wowsa! Then, it got hit with another curveball, with Head Judge John Fiorillo announcing to all that players were registering and passing minis and cards, to then shock everyone by allowing them to play with what was opened! Judges spot checked players throughout the DMF to ensure accuracy, and with two boxes of spoils under their belts, players went about party building and started the sealed event.
There were 8 and a half cases opened. Do the math and that's a minimum of 16, potentially 20ish Epics, and they did not fail. One person even had Zoo! Jaina, Rhyno, and Kaustron! Several Velen's and Vashjs were out there, but none of the Vashj's seemed as productive or as scary as my daughter's own personal creation of Vashj, Morova, and Hulok! (She went 4-2 and finished 20th, I was very proud of her!)
In the end, we got through to the top 16, and the draft starts tomorrow promptly at 8:00, which according to Yong Tek from Singapore, is "Damn early!"
Day 3 photographs are located here: http://s515.photobucket.com/albums/t351/Steelwing73/2009%20WOW%20Worlds/Day%203/
Oh, and also, for all of you who liked the repaints from Nicolas, our friend from France, here are a few more. Tremendous Work! (These were taken in haste, so they aren't the best quality. If I can catch Nicolas tomorrow and have time, I'll try and get some better pics, but they are beautiful works!)
