Success – How I was beaten by a 12 year old Girl
by David Marks

Last weekend I played in the final qualifier for the Australian National Raw Deal Championships, itself a qualifier for the World Championships. I went undefeated in the swiss rounds and lost in the final…to a 12 year old girl. The story of my deck is one for another day but I thought I’d share a story that matters much more to me.

Two years ago a 17 or 18 year old Wrestling fan, Ramzey Fayad, walked into a video game store and asked about a card game called “Raw Deal”. As luck would have it, the man behind the counter was one of our regulars and told him about Melbourne’s tournaments.

In due course Ramzey met the players of Melbourne. I believe after the first tournament he could not carry the number of cards he had been given. Starting off by losing every match with the Hurricane, he learned quickly and introduced his sister Jihan (Jiji) to the game at age 10, as well as his cousins. I remember seeing his progress as I read Melbourne tournament reports from across the pond.

By April 2005 he’d made his first semi-finals with The Hurricane. By the time I returned to Australia in time for 2005 Australian Qualifier that October, Ramzey was in a position to make the top 16 with his beloved Hurricane.

In Melbourne, 2006 was the year of Ramzey. He won tournaments. He made the top 4 at every Australian Area Qualifier he attended (3 of the 4). And his sister, Jiji was starting to show what she could do. 2007 began with Jiji winning two consecutive All Axxess tournaments with Mr PPV, her first tournament wins at age 12. Jiji is my nemesis, beating me almost every time we play of late.

And so after being undefeated through 5 rounds of swiss, top 8 and semifinals, I faced Jiji in the final for the last of the 4 spots in the Australian Raw Deal National Championships. Jiji won and I have never been more proud of my city’s Raw Deal scene.

Two years ago, Ramzey and Jiji began with a Raw Deal Starter deck each. Through their own smarts, hundreds of donated cards, many more cards purchased or won since then, support from the best players in Melbourne and an education only practice against good players and hard work can bring, they’ve risen to the top. This is a testament not only to them but to a bunch of players willing to spend the time to encourage the new guy. Being a winning player isn’t enough - what’s more important is bringing others along with you. That is success.