NOVA Open Invitational 2016 Interviews!

by Phil Rodokanakis · August 22, 2016

Hey Guys I know its been a while since I’ve posted. School ending, job search, preparing for the NOVA Open and just life in general kind of catches up to you.

But this time I’ve come to you with a great article, it doesn’t involve me losing in a battle report or ranting about specific aspects of 40k. No this one is an interview! Five interviews to be exact!

So with that being said, I was able to ask the top 5 seeds of the NOVA Open 2016 Invitational some questions. If you don’t know what the NOVA Open Invitational is, well I’ll tell you. Its a 32 person 5 round single elimination tournament. The first 4 rounds are held on Thursday September 1st from 10:30am to 12am, round 5 will be held on Sunday September 4th at 7:30am (right before the final day of the Open!). That is a lot of gaming in one weekend for these guys!

If you’re curious you can see the seeds and pairings of round one already, and even make your own prediction of who will win, right here: http://challonge.com/NOVA2016

Though here are the seeds and factions they’re playing with:

Aaron Aleong – DA/SM/SW
Nick Nanavati – Eldar/Assassins
Brett Perkins – Renegades/Daemons
Matt Schuchman – Eldar
Frankie Giampapa – Space Marines
Tyler Devries – Necrons
Justin Curtis – Daemons
Jeremy Veysseire – Tau
Zach Pawlikowski – Eldar
Julio Rodriguez – Eldar
Werner Born – SM/SoB/Inquisition
James Watkins – Khorne Daemonkin
Brad Nichols – SM/DA/SW
John Parsons – Tyranids / Astra Mili
Jack Harpster – DA/SW/SM
Sascha Edelkraut – Space Marines
Aaron Towler – Warcon / SM / Ass.
Cameron Pineiro – Eldar
Evan Slagle – Tyranids/Necron
Michael Vagenos – Knights/SW/SM
Carlos Kaiser – Astra Militarum
Aidan Barkley – Daemons
Mike Taylor – SM/Inquisition/SoB
Charlie Craig – DA/SW/SM
Steve Gant – Corsairs/Eldar
Joshua Death – IK/SM/Astra Mil
Ben Cherwien – Eldar
Ron Smiley – Tyranids/Eldar/Daemons
Thomas Lanigan – Tyranids
Jared Freidman – Daemons/Inquisition
Frank Smith – Eldar/Daemons
Dallas Rapoport – Daemons

That is a tough crowed!

Now like I said I managed to ask the top 5 a few questions and they have been cool enough to respond. So we’ll go from lowest seed to highest seed. That means first up is Frankie from Frontline Gaming.

1.What are you plans in order to prepare for the Invite?

I will be getting in some practice games with the primer missions to prepare for the invitational. And will be practicing against bad match-ups mostly.

2. Now that you know your first round opponent what do you think you’re going to do to prepare?

Now that my opponent has changed I’m not sure what I can do to prepare. He is bringing Eldar/Tyranids/Daemons so I have no idea what will be in his list. I will just stick to my original plan of practicing against bad match-ups.

3. Who is the player you don’t want to see on the other side of the table?

I’m not worried about playing against anyone in particular. I would rather not play against a SW/DA/SM deathstar or Daemons but will put up a fight no matter what list I play against.

4. Other than yourself, who do you think has the best chance to win the event?

I believe Aaron Aleong is in it to win it. He has been having a really strong year and is defending champion.

5. Any advice to give to players in order to get better at the game?

My advice to new players is always play to the mission. Don’t lose sight of the mission no matter how the game is going. I’ve seen people win with one model on the table. Also make sure to have fun and try to help your opponent have a good time. It’s a game after all.

Our 4th seed is Matt Schuchman. Matt has been stepping up his game this past year and traveling to a bunch of events. Here are Matt’s responses:

1.What are you plans in order to prepare for the Invite?

I will be playing in an RTT at Huzzah Hobbies this coming weekend which will be using the NOVA missions and format. I will also likely play a few pickup games in the next week or so.

2. Now that you know your first round opponent what do you think you’re going to do to prepare?

Knowing my first round opponent does not really matter too much to me. I will honestly do nothing “extra” to prepare. I feel pretty good about how my army matches up against tyranids.

3. Who is the player you don’t want to see on the other side of the table?

I would really rather avoid playing Nick Nanavati. I know he has had a rough time the past few events, but if there is anyone who can just..make things happen on the tabletop it is him.

4. Other than yourself, who do you think has the best chance to win the event?

I would have to put my money on Aaron Aleong. As much as I dislike thunderstar and all it’s various forms, he does keep winning.

5. Any advice to give to players in order to get better at the game?

I would suggest finding a list you like and play the hell out of it. Practice really does make perfect.

Our 3rd seed is Brett Perkins. Brett has been a strong player for a very long time and even got 5th place in the Invitational last year AND 2nd place in the Open.

1.What are you plans in order to prepare for the Invite?

I rarely preplan for [an] event. Time is always an issue for me. I often try out my list for the first time at the event. However, I will say I build and rebuild my list probably 50 times for accuracy to ensure I can handle likely list and mitigate hard counters.

2. Now that you know your first round opponent what do you think you’re going to do to prepare?

I’m playing against nids… haven’t faced them for a while. Tbh its a pretty good match up for my opponent. I should struggle against the majority of his army. Hopefully I can catch him while he is on the ground at some point during the match.

3. Who is the player you don’t want to see on the other side of the table?

Easily Aaron Aleong.. Not for fear of losing its just always a really serious game and I prefer to be a little more chill during matches.

4. Other than yourself, who do you think has the best chance to win the event?

Other then myself?… Sooo your saying, There’s a chance!!! Would have to go with one of the 4 DA SW SM players.. Either of them will likely have an unkillable army at any given point. 8-/

5. Any advice to give to players in order to get better at the game?

Understand what your opponent needs to do to win and why he needs to… If you know an armies strengths and weaknesses then you should never be surprised. Play the game like chess if your not playing at least two turns ahead then you have probably already lost. Good luck everyone. TK out…

Our 2nd seed is everyone’s favorite drunk 40k player, Nick Nanavati. He’s fresh from ETC and is hungry for the win.

1.What are you plans in order to prepare for the Invite?

It’s basically a flow chart. Think about potentially hard match ups or situations, then text Sean Nayden and ask him how to fix it. Also think about a potential list change I can make, then text Sean proposing the idea, to which he will reply “add a wraithlord or avatar instead” (sadly he’s serious about that). Immediately dismiss that advice, but then return to the idea secretly in your head but then keep dismissing it.

2. Now that you know your first round opponent what do you think you’re going to do to prepare?

My first round doesn’t require any tailoring or extra thought. No offense to Frank at all but the match up is fairly straight forward. Basically he’s going to run around with bikes and stuff and summon things while his fate weaver tries to kill my bikes. So I’m going to protect my bikes and use my spiders to kill his. My wk is a bully for his screamer star so that helps a lot

3. Who is the player you don’t want to see on the other side of the table?

Player wise I’m not afraid of anyone. I’m afraid of poor match ups played by a good player and rolling poorly.

4. Other than yourself, who do you think has the best chance to win the event?

Aaron Aleong or Matt Schuchman have a really good shot to win. They both know their army inside and out. They both have good armies. And they seem to not have too many bumps in the road on their path to victory.

5. Any advice to give to players in order to get better at the game?

Believe in the warp storm and stop sucking.

And our 1st place Seed, the man who has been on a winning streak since last year’s NOVA, winning both the GT AND Invitational Mr. Aaron Aleong himself!

1.What are you plans in order to prepare for the Invite?

Read the missions, read the FAQ, read the missions, play test a few missions, and read the missions.

2. Now that you know your first round opponent what do you think you’re going to do to prepare?

I feel building an all purpose list is best option. For me who I play is irrelevant to how I play that army on that mission.

3. Who is the player you don’t want to see on the other side of the table?

Nick “Brown” Nanavati.

4. Other than yourself, who do you think has the best chance to win the event?

In my opinion this event is the toughest tournament hands down. There are a lot of great players. I could not even begin to guess who will overcome all of their opponents. Experience will prevail in the end.

5. Any advice to give to players in order to get better at the game?

Play what you enjoy. Have a great time. Look for the hard match ups. Learn from your mistakes and try to never make the same one again.

There you have it folks! The Top 5 seeds of the NOVA Open Invitational! Who do you think will win? Make your prediction today at http://challonge.com/NOVA2016. And you can see my totally non-biased prediction here: http://challonge.com/tournaments/2784159/predictions/93926.