Dien Tran watches with an uneasy expression as Jason Deng attempts to pull off a kill combo during his Grand Finals match-up. [Scenes from Netrunner’s 2017 North American Championship at Gen Con]
Deng didn’t end up winning this one -- I know your pain, Jason -- but the NYC-based player should be commended for almost taking the event with a wild Near-Earth Hub, a corp long-presumed dead in the current meta. He also was responsible for making sure people could watch a livestream of the final cut for the tournament, driving 10+ hours to and back from Gen Con (instead of taking an easy flight) to transport his streaming equipment.
Unfortunately, Twitch did not archive the stream, so those matches are likely lost forever. I rounded up the list of Top 16 players, along with their runner and corp IDs, after the break, though:
Sam S (samrs) - Moons EtF / Inversificator Andy
Jason D (simpleton) - Boom NEH / Whizzard
Larry M (larro) - Moons EtF / Sifr Whizzard
Alec A - Sync / Whizzard
Josh W (josh01) - Moons IG / Inversificator Andy
Max W (whackedmaki) - IG / Whizzard
Zach C (webster) - Sweeps AgInfusion / DLR Maxx
Josiah O (aunthemod) - Trick of Light Titan / Inversificator Andy
Dien T (d1en) - Moons EtF / Inversificator Andy
John L - Moons EtF / Desperado Whizzard
Adam W (wesselal) - Biotic Titan / Desperado Whizzard
Ran C (crfluency) - Penguins CI / Inversificator Andy
Scott P (spags) - News Hound AgInfusion / Whizzard
Andrew W (wynalazca) - Sweeps AgInfusion / Sifr Whizzard
David W - SanSan Moons EtF / Alice
Travis Y (yeoda) - Sweeps AgInfusion / Desperado Whizzard
[In this motivational piece by guest contributor Dien Tran, the two-time Worlds Top 16 competitor reaches out to those who won, lost, laughed, and cried at this year’s premiere event for Android: Netrunner.]
7:00AM, the alarm on my phone fires off a light melody to gently stir me from a 4-hour slumber. The waking up part is never hard; it’s a quick reach to the left of my bed, and a soft touch to stop the sound. I want to be courteous, because it’s not just me in the room; Mikhail is in our hotel room’s other bed, and while he’s all cocooned up, he may need the sleep more than I do. I quickly turn on my laptop in bed, and it’s onto Jinteki.net to play a few games before the big event. I had great conversations with Jesse Vandover, Tomasz Fedorczyk, and David Cheng the previous night about decks they were set on for today’s Worlds tournament, and they convinced me to make a last-minute switch. Two hours go by, and I’m mixed about the results. Although they were very strong decks, they didn’t speak to me the way I expect from my personal deck builds.
The drive to win games is strong; I want to win just like everyone else. I want to prove to myself that I’m more than just a good player in my own local meta, that making Top 16 last year wasn’t a fluke. There’s something else buzzing in the back of my head that I can’t let go. It’s my internal values on why I play the game, and why I’m here at the World Championship. It’s this constant reminder that stops my previous line of thinking and brings me back on track. This is how I found my identity 30 minutes before Worlds.
Netrunner’s World Championship happens every year in the cold month of November. Roseville, Minnesota isn’t noted for much besides being the hub where international players come together to fight for the Throne, wage dog fights in the galaxy, or in our case, shuffle our decks 12 clicks in a row before David Saiya decides it’s time to run Archives.* Whatever the flavor that brings you to this city, it’s a great time to socialize and connect with others you wouldn’t otherwise meet in your lifetime. I’ve personally met some of the most outstanding people in the world that I would gladly go out and have dinner with, and I have. From GenCon Macaroni and Cheese with Josh Wilson and Peter McOwen, to Radisson Cheeseplates with Dan D’Argenio and Kyle James, it’s no wonder why I wish I had the ability to clone myself just for this event. Though Netrunner is the one hobby that brings us all to this city, it is truly the players that represent the experience in my eyes.
And it clearly shows at the event. I had the opportunity to meet with old opponents and new friends. Seeing Nick Soto represent FFG as a Judge this year was inspiring; having a kind individual who is super passionate about the game forgo his contention for the crown to ensure that our player experience is consistent echoes to my core. And watching Alexis Spicer, also a Judge this year, lead the charge for Women of Netrunner and connect with the community in such a positive light showcased to me that we truly are kind humans at the end of it all. If there was ever a question whether this community is toxic or positive, you would definitely know my answer.
No doubt, many competitors who came to Worlds this year left disappointed, sad, or even angry with their showing. I’m the first to admit that I would’ve felt the same. No one likes to lose, especially when they’ve committed so much of their life toward a goal, whether it’s making the Top 16 cut or Day 2 of the tournament. I heard stories from people committing in excess of four hours a day to the game, some spurning professional needs to reach a goal they set out for. Last year, I neglected time with close ones to get more games in. To those who made the commitment and missed your goal, I empathize with you.
In the last hour leading to Worlds, I came to a few realizations. First and foremost, this is a game of variance. There are just times when your back is against the corner and you have no logical way of escaping the alleyway. It’s far more important to recognize that it is happening and accept what is happening than to mull over the result. During round 8 against Ben Ni, I was matched up against DLR MaxX with my NEH BOOM!! deck. Ben played masterfully, and there was no way I could escape a loss. It would’ve been much easier to be tilted and frustrated with it all. But what I valued more was the player experience and respecting that Ben is also an individual with goals and a heart. It was in the moment that Ben thanked me for the game — and thanked me for my creative builds and contributions — that solidified my moral fiber. To Ben Ni, thank you for your contributions and being a good soul through it all.
Secondly, we’re here to play with other players. It is my personal initiative to ensure that my impact on the game is that of positivity and that I can feel connected to the players themselves. Whether I walk away a World Champion or not does not impact if I left the games knowing that my opponent felt that was a good experience. After all, the experience I provide can only be controlled by no one else but myself. To all those who I have played, laughed with, and cried with (Aaron Andries), thank you for all the fun. It is the friendships that I have made these past three years that make me want to come back again and again.
Whether or not you walk away with the result you desired, recognize the journey you made to get to this point. The reality of this game is, almost everyone will lose, and one individual will win it all. To base the entirety of your experience on your result is unfair, with betting odds that are severely skewed against yourself.
In the final hour that led to the eventual decision for my Worlds decks, I chose what I did because I recognized what clouded my judgement. If I had walked in with what was perceived as “the best decks” and lost, it would’ve been my just desserts — I wouldn’t play what spoke to my heart, and it wouldn’t be something I was proud of. Instead I opted to play what I worked on, and win or lose, I would walk away knowing I made my mark with the decks I enjoy. The journey of reaching my goal with what was my own made the journey well worth it.
Remember that at the end of it all, you need to be happy with what you’re doing, and most of all, happy with yourself. I’m happy to know that I’m playing a game that allows me to connect with friends that I’ve made over the past few years. Knowing I’ve left a mark on people internationally in such a positive light makes my journey worth it. I judge my time and self worth on your happiness. I hope I made you all smile and happy to play Game 1; you ready for Game 2?
*David Saiya ruined more than a few dreams that day with his False Echo/DDOS/Apoc Hayley deck.
