Unfortunately, this game never happened. Nick asked if it was okay if he dropped after failing his grimiore 3 turns in a row against Aaron. He needed a couple of drinks. I wasnt going to hold him for a game that held no significance so on paper I got the win but the match was never played. So officially I was 4-1 at the invitational when in fact I was 3-1 and one bye. Though I liked my chances against the daemons for the very reason they lost in his last match up. Imho they are just no consistent enough to survive a GT.

Well since I didnt give you the 5th round. Here is the finals as recorded by 11th company. Aaron is the Taudar and Jesse is the farsight tau. http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/38123637

It was kind of a running joke that if he won I would buy him a sangria!

Tournament Champion: Aaron Aleong
Renaissance Man: Matt DeFranza
Ironically I outscored the opponent I lost to on battle points so theoretically beat him in the rankings with the same record and more BP. Final record 4-1
I didn't escape without a prize though. I won the hotel raffle receiving $250 which is like winning a GT.

Also as promised:

I had to buy him his sangria or equivalent for avenging my defeat.

Location: (A+) I loved the hotel. Had an amazing deal on rooms and was located in a good area with shuttles both to the airport and the metro. This allowed me and the wife to go sight seeing a lot in the days running up to the event. In addition, the service from the hotel was great. One negative is the 4th floor ice machine didnt work . But other then that it was good. The only other thing was I guess the elevators were sometimes hard to come by especially during the event when so many people needed to go up or down to their respective rooms. I would stay at the Hyatt Regency again next year and recommend it to anyone that is attending.

Staff/Judging: (A+) Had no issues with the staff. Everyone was professional and on point with any situation that arose. The judges made decisions and they were final and both players moved on. There wasnt any instances that I saw where judges made decisions and then had that decision be changed several times as it was debated. If it was in question they looked up the rules in both the rulebook and the faq before making the quick decision. The system Torrent of Fire managed the event well and the staff was readily available to answer any and all questions that you had.

Prize Support: (A+) Their prize support is second to none. The only downside is with so many prizes comes a lengthy ceremony to hand it all out. I dont think people complain too much especially if they win. On top of this they had random give a ways in which just about everyone remaining at the end of the event got free prizes.

Vendors: (B+) The vendors were pretty good and had a couple of deals. I believe they are currently building up the amount of vendors in the years to come.

Jetbike Farseer: (A) A fast moving denial unit that can score in some games. The only issue I had with him is he was stuck with my broadsides. If they died then my warlord is out in the open and/or dead already. He kind of just sat around most games and cast his buffs.

Tau Commander: (A+) Still an auto include for any competitive tau list. This guy killed a wraithknight with an onager gauntlet. His ability to give tank hunter/monster hunter and ignore cover just make the shooting phase that much better.

Troops:
Guardians: (B) They are nice but if they get out of their transport then its a rough day fast. GEQ with better rules essentially.

Dire Avengers: (A-) Having only 5 hurts their effectiveness but they are cheap and are a necessary tax for the ride they fly around in. The 4+ save is decent but their leadership 9 is why I like them so much more then the guardians.

Wave Serpent (A+) This vehicle is stupid good. I felt kind of bad at times playing with them. They ignore basic rules mechanics like cover. They can move 12" and still fire two weapons. They have a 5+ jink save. They have a shield that if not fired can turn all the pens into glances. Oh and BTW its a transport. GW!

Kroot: (B) They could outflank and were cheap. Need I say more?

Heavy:
Broadsides: (A+) Keeping with these guys despite everyone knocking me for them. I love the railgun even if it isnt what it used to be its still S8 AP1 60" range, ignores cover, and TH/MH. They can kill troops off of back objectives pretty easy as well. I like this units versatility.

Lance Warwalkers: (A) These guys were nice but I felt the lance didnt really do as well as I had hoped in some cases and it almost required a psychic power to get twin linked to make them real effective. Either way they can outflank and cause some havoc. Not to mention a 5+ invul save makes them durable.

Scatter Warwalkers: (A+) I loved these guys. 24 shots of pure dakka that could and would be hitting any rear armor you gave me. In addition, they can really kill off some troops. You have a 3+ save. Take it I have 24 shots heading your way that wound most things on a 2+. Also they are decent against MC's. This unit gives my army the punch the army kind of lacks.

Overall List: (A+) I really like this list and it seemed to flow pretty well. I was originally weary of taking a list with no templates but it handled itself well game after game. I felt I could win any match with this list and often missed having it while playing the open. I would run this list again in the current meta in a heartbeat. Matter of fact a variation of it is going to the feast of blades tournament. Hope you all enjoyed the report and I will try harder to get more pictures next time. Also at any event I will wear a shirt with Tomb King on the back. Swing by and say Hi and talk tactics or list and I am usually more then willing to offer my advice or opinion on the matter. Plus its always nice to meet some of the online aliases.