The Dean Sohnle Interview! Fantastic!

 

On a whim, and with no small amount of nostalgia with the upcoming VS event in February, I found myself perusing the archived Metagame content and once again stumbled onto one of my all-time favorite lists...    Fantastic Fun.

The original cool. The Fantastic Four monoteam under-curve concoction that proved to be a gift that kept on giving in the right hands. And in 2005 it gave in spades. The simplicity of the gameplan belies it's high degree of mastery to properly pilot, as only a handful of players ever saw any measurable success with it before Antarctic Research Base  took its place on the banlist when the Crisis set arrived later in 2006. And the ever-abusive fate artifacts with it, leaving the family with no fun to be had anymore... fantastic or not.

So as I proceeded to slip into the archives it occurred to me, "I wonder what Dean "the creator of Fantastic Fun"  has been up to?

A brief chat exchange later, I humbly present to you, the man himself, Pro Circuit finalist, multiple $10k-winner, former MechWarrior World Champion, former Star Trek CCG world player, and all around gaming lord, Dean Sohnle.

 

....and he's all outta bubblegum.

And before you tell me I'm embellishing, please consider:

He remains one of only a select few players to win multiple CONSECUTIVE Pro-level events, however he decided thebest time to do this, was while backpacking in europe, with no playgroup or draft team around him. Oh yes, through it all, he used the same deck. 

*ahem*
The same deck.

Then he took that same deck, made  a few meta-tweaks, and punted it at the pro circuit where he almost took that for himself too. Falling short in the finals for a second place finish.
The same deck.

You practiced? I went hiking.

Now, there's talent and then there's karma giving you the O-face. So without Further delay, this is how our conversation went.

    O- You are the only player in VS System history to ever win consecutive events with a virtually unchanged decklist. To what do you most attribute that kind of success?

    D- There are a number of reasons - there wasn't a lot of time between the wins, so the meta didn't change much,  the structure of the deck didn't really allow for a lot of changes without making it worse, it was a hard deck to play, which meant it was a hard deck to casually playtest against, and there simply wasn't a whole lot of options to actually counter it effectively.

    O- What kind of preparation did it take to win back then? Drafting by the case? A solid playgroup? all of the above?

    D-None of the above, I had just started traveling and got a working visa for the UK, but was still living on the cheap in London, looking for work at the time.  I'd joined a board game group in Sheppard's Bush and a fellow there (Ian Vincent) introduced me to the game, and I had the idea for the deck a little later.  I had time on my hands and so would solo play the deck repeatedly while watching tv at home.  I kept refining the card ratios to get the draw rates right, but had only playtested it against people a few times before Ian invited me along to the London 10k.  (I had played a lot of card games before this and was previously a world champion in another strategy game - mechwarrior, so I was quite confident it was a good deck and that it broke the usual "play the curve" mold that was pretty much the standard for other decks)

    O- So it wouldn't be a stretch to say you have an innate habit of winning then.
You mentioned not being a stranger to card games I assume Magic and some others are on that list?

    D- Yeah, I never liked the pro player pool for MTG much (Too much playing to screw the other guy as opposed to playing to have fun - rules lawyering, cheating, etc), but I had won some money at it previously. My friends back in Edmonton would pick up new card games every couple months just for fun (we'd buy boxes of dead games and make random decks etc..), so I'm sure I'd played 30-40 different card games by that point.

    O- So if you had to pick something, what was the best thing about high level play back through 04-06?

    D- The good part - The players - despite the cash prizes, everyone was friendly, many times if someone realized they had just mis-played their opponent would say they could take it back etc.  A lot of the top players would just hang out after the games and joke around.

    O- Can you tell me what was the worst?

    D- The worst part - The tournaments could end up being really long days, and if we were at a convention you just didn't get to see any of it.  Fantastic Fun was a little concentration/memory heavy too so it got exhausting to play - I had a friend (Richard Edbury) try FF for a tournament (he's the only person I've personally seen play the deck well - I think we actually ended up playing the only FF mirror match I remember).  But after playing it he said something along the lines of "I think I'm quitting VS for a while - this is the best deck out there and I don't think I could stand playing it for a whole day again".

    O- Richard was the other finalist in the other 10k! So clearly the deck had game! But I digress, since we routinely run online events (even now!), what advice would you give a new player looking to improve their VS gameplay?

    D- It's been so long it's hard to remember too much specific.  For most decks, I think it was about smoothing your card draw - make sure you had enough search etc to consistently get your mid game characters, and missing a low drop was no big deal, you could make it up. The pure card draw was really what made FF strong.
    Also being selective in the fights you need to win - sometimes it's better to lose a fight and a low drop and save your tricks for the fights that matter (especially if you'll only stun one character with it)

    O- What is your fondest VS related memory?

    D- Definitely the other players I met were the best part. In terms of a specific event, for most of the time I was playing, I was backpacking, so I didn't get a lot of practice in between tournaments, but I definitely remember the excitement of getting to the pro tour final (I don't remember if that was in New York or LA). *Onyx's note, It was NY*  I remember thinking that it was a good match up and the odds were heavily with me in that final and being really hopeful.  I seem to recall some unlucky draws meaning that I didn't win it, but just getting there was great and I remember celebrating with  a really good steak dinner with some other players!

    O- Have you stayed in touch with any of the people that were in your orbit from those days? London, Edmonton or otherwise?

    D- Not a lot.  Ian and I are still in the same orbits though, he did stop by when he came to Canada, and I'd visit him if I went back to London.  Oddly, we ended up having another mutual friend who we both talk to regularly.  I'm still Facebook friends with a few others but not sure that really counts (David Spears comes to mind). And my friends from Edmonton were pretty good too, so we went to tourneys together (and I'm still getting on with them - Olav Rokne and Mitchell Fujino)

    O- Do you presently play any other games? How does Dean Sohnle scratch his competitive itch over 15 years later?

    D- Mostly board games with friends. I do play some random phone games etc to pass the time but nothing overly competitive.  And it's been a while since I've been to a card tournament. (I) Still have the old FF deck, but it pretty much just sits on the shelf these days.

    O- In a place of honor no doubt! Or perhaps a basement drawer of honor if you are like me.

    Well, thanks so much for being so generous with your time today! I really appreciate it, I have to admit, I've been a longtime fan of yours, so it's really cool to get this opportunity and geek out a bit haha. One final question, Do you have a favorite VS card?

    D- No worries, it was nice to reminisce - gotta be either A Child Named Valeria or the sadly banned Antarctic Research Base - Those two cards let the little guys and equipment stand up to the curve. 

 

Just before the celebratory steak.

 

So with an upcoming nostalgia-themed original sets to JLA, (no banlist except overload) event in February, I'm thinking, perhaps I'll take a page from Sohnle himself and go for a hike, and then have myself some fun.
...Fantastic even!

Fantastic Fun

Characters
2 Ant Man
1 Franklin Richards
1 Frankie Raye
1 Wyatt Wingfoot
4 Invisible Woman, The Invisible Girl

4 Mr. Fantastic, Reed Richards
2 She-Thing

2 Thing, Ben Grimm

1 Human Torch, Hotshot
1 Invisible Woman, Sue Storm

2 Mr. Fantastic, Stretch


Plot Twists
3 Signal Flare
1 Salvage
1 Foiled
4 Cosmic Radiation
4 A Child Named Valeria
2 Thinking Outside the Box

Locations
1 Pier 4
1 Baxter Building
4 Antarctic Research Base

Equipment
4 Advanced Hardware
1 War Wagon
4 Unstable Molecules
2 The Pogo Plane
4 Flamethrower
1 Fantasticar
2 Personal Force Field

11- The Spider's Knight - Wesley Nichol

 

Wesley Nichol
Spider-Man & Wolverine

CHARACTERS
3x Aunt May, Golden Oldie

4x Black Cat, Nine Lives

1x Cardiac, Elias Wirtham
4x Spider-Man, Ultimates

4x Spider-Man, Zombie
1x Spider-Man, The Sensational Spider-Man

2x Spider-Man, Secret Avenger

4x Wolverine, Canucklehead
4x Scarlet Spider, Ben Reilly

1x Spider-Man, The Amazing Spider-Man
1x Spider-Man, Stark's Protégé

1x The Sentry, Mighty Avenger

1x Galactus, Devourer of Worlds

PLOT TWISTS

4x Indebted
4x Gift Wrapped
3x Have a Blast!
4x Adamantium Claws
3x Berserker Rage
1x Healing Factor
2x Carrying the Torch
1x Misappropriation
2x Unmasked
2x Only Human 

LOCATIONS
4x Empire State University
1x Slaughter Swamp
1x Avalon Space Station

VS 2: Everything is different now

And with a mighty wallop Danny Mandel has exploded the entirety of the VS related internet-universe with the long-awaited breakdown of the gameplay changes we'll be seeing with the July release of VS 2PCG. (I still think it should be VS2:PCG! but alas.)

I'll try to address my general thoughts as I go through his UPPER DECK POST.

He first tells us what we are keeping, and of course it all makes sense to me (Since I want to keep it all! haha!) The disclaimer tries to be cute but whatever, changes. get to the changes. Hit me already.
There is no going back now kids... Here we go:

NO MORE ENDURANCE: MAIN CHARACTERS

When it was first mentioned that we'd be seeing a new "hero character" approach I was quite happy about that. It certainly provides a fresh means to inject some changes into similar decks and how they play out.
Enter, the "Main Character". You start the game with a Main Character in play, each character card (Not just the Main Character) will have a new stat aside from ATK and DEF called WOUNDS. When a character is stunned it gains a wound. if the number of wounds is equal to the WOUND stat it is KOd. If your Main Character is ever KOd, you lose the game. Of course, Main Characters have a high amount of Wound levels. (most have 5-6 wounds)
Unlike Alter-Egos, Main Characters have ATK and DEF stats as well. they function as any other character would, but when certain conditions are met, they can level up, increasing their ATK/DEF and obtaining new hero powers.

WHAT IT MEANS

TOKENS! Tokens frikkin everywhere! I played WoW TCG,and I survived the ludicrous amounts of dice needed to track hero and ally health increases and decreases and I don't miss it. But back into the breech we go gentlemen. Was 3-5 dice enough before? HA! get 5 more. MINIMUM. That in addition to any specific ability tokens you may need. While you're at it maybe get some of those dice in a different color in case +1/+1 counters are a thing as well. We don't want to confuse our Main Character's wound counters with +1/+1 counters would we?

What about meta changes to a non life-point game? Burn decks are gone forever. Beyond that, entire playstyles are removed never to return. Endurance totals placed you into the game in a way that left you feeling like a participant. When Galactus came into play he didn't hurt your board... he hurt YOU personally. when you were pushed into the red zone, that's the moment when Shadowpact really turned up the heat to give you an advantage. By the same token, many a draft was turned on its head with an unexpected life-gain play. The VS revamp, for better or worse, has opted to remove this aspect for a more-combat-centric game. With so much riding on the back of your Main Character, you can bet our staple methods of dealing with characters has gone the way of the Dodo as well. All early-costed KO, RFP, and Spin effects are probably gone. Nobody will want to lose on turn 2 with a finishing move on a Main Character, after all. 

FULL RECOVERY: FIELD PRESENCE 101

Since wounds now completely dictate the ebb and flow of field presence, the recovery phase now recovers everything that stunned. A sensible adjustment. But costly in regards to cards becoming unable to compete with power creep as newer expansions add better quality characters.

WHAT IT MEANS

Expect to see whatever team with the best wound-cost ratios at the lowest costs to dominate early events. #thenewswarmdeck

PROTECTION, FLIGHT AND RANGE

Front row characters now protect ALL support row characters, Flight will still be able to attack the back row from the front row and range will still be able to attack from the back row but now, range is unstunnable against all defenders except those that also have range.

WHAT IT MEANS

Range in VS:2 is very similar to Long-range in the WoW TCG, I also expect to see s keyword applied to defend against this similar to MTG's interaction of Reach and Flight.

REMOVAL OF THE INITIATIVE

Initiative is gone.
The turn sequence is now:

• Draw Phase: Draw two cards.
• Recovery Phase: Recover and Ready all of your Characters.
• Build Phase: Play a Resource, Recruit Characters, Rearrange your Formation.
• Main Phase: Start any number of Combats, one at a time. 

WHAT IT MEANS

The game of cat and mouse is over. And honestly with it, a page ripped out of the identity of Versus System. The nuances of mastermind VS mastermind now make way for a combat-centric beatdown. Now, don't get me wrong, the latter is fine, but a combat-centric battle engine often doesn't leave much room for interesting out-of-the-box builds. The phase order changes seem odd but i'd guess Upper Deck got sick of the infamous "start of" phase triggers. Especially around recovery.

PLOT TWIST AND LOCATION CHANGES: ...WHY?

Plot twists can no longer be played from the row, while Locations are now fuel for Hero Powers with no other lasting effects. Locations are flipped face-down (WoW quest style) upon use.

WHAT IT MEANS

 Conventional Team-ups are gone forever. Seriously. Team-ing up is now only viable as either:
-A hero effect
-A character effect.
-An equipment effect. (although equipment hasn't been confirmed to return)
Yeaaaah... can't lie. I hate this.We may see new rules allow for universal mixing, however, but as it currently stands, it is safe to assume crossovers are gone. Back are the days of WoW TCG, where players sit for an eternity trying to decide which ability to toss to the row, never to be seen again. The value and motility of any discard cost plot twist, will fall from grace quickly making way for the more atypical rush builds focusing solely on "who draws the most +1's?"

FLATTER STAT CURVES: LESS PRESSURE TO HIT YOUR TURN DROP

Since the turn player is always ahead in resources, it forces a nerf-bat approach regarding ATK and DEF values, minimalizing the spike in later drops vs early drops.

WHAT IT MEANS

No chance for any of us to play "New VS" against "Old VS". Casual VS players everywhere, are shrugging and sighing.

OVERALL GAME CHANGES: MUSTANGS VS MUSTANGS

So we have a design team overhauling the VS Game Engine as if they were installing a Rocket into a Moped. Everything changed for the sake of Speed and Combat. Now as much as I sound like an old man sitting on his porch wailing about the fall of mankind, I can really, (I'm serious!) REALLY get kind-of exited about this game!

So what's the problem Then? Well, for the most part, none. and for another part, EVERYTHING.
With this radical new speedy approach we very well may see things done that no VS player has ever had to do before. For starters?
A best of 3 format.
How about something else integral to a best-of format?
Sideboards.
It only makes sense, really.
Vs System, with these changes, goes from a high utility game engine where players build a 60-card all-encompassing deck that can attack, defend and answer tough matchups with skill and planning. To another game decided by the quality of your side-deck.

Now I should digress.

Upper Deck hasn't actually revealed a best of 3 format or side-deck utility. But it certainly isn't a reach to assume it is coming either.

Those that have a problem with the changes unfortunately face a problem of the heart.
Versus System 2PCG is NOT Versus System TCG any more than a Ford Mustang is a P51 Mustang.
The problem is: no matter which group you find yourself falling in line with, the community divide is entirely on personal preference. If I love the new game, I'm right! If I hate it, I'm still right!

Superior technology in every way, and still doesn't fly.

Perhaps it is something as simple as the familiarity of a name to cause many of us to defend the game we enjoy so much, and rue the day VS changed. Adversely, the name really shouldn't matter at all, should it? Should I be grumpy that a company promised me a Mustang and gave me a car instead of the plane I expected? No matter what your answer, you are correct.

BUT FIRST I MUST RANT

I just have to say it.
I mean, come-one guys, COME ON. Teasing VS 2PCG as the return of VS was an outright lie. Glad you sold those 10,000 worthless LCG packs last year at $50 a pop? You're welcome. The old VS community literally paid a smooth half mill in startup capital for this new Marvel Comics Card Game venture. And don't think I forgot that time UDE posted on april fools day 4-5 years ago "gauging" interest about VS returning either. Not Funny. The pessimist in me was right. God help me. CaptainSpud was right. /endrant

WRAPPING THINGS UP

While I helped carry the VS TCG community in many ways, I can honestly say I love that game. While I was a part of it it was a humbling roller-coasting earth-shattering uplifting challenging and rewarding experience that has rewarded me with stories, experiences and friendships that in many ways I still have not seen the depth of it's effects in my life. I met my lovely wife and mother of my child playing away at this game. (Love you Stephie and lil Schala!) So certainly it holds a lot of meaning for me. I am not ashamed to say I am disappointed our game... MY game didn't remain intact.

But lets be real here, I will quietly (and sometimes not-so-quietly) pine for the days of old where your skill won your games, and your VS deck was a metaphor for yourself as you took on all-comers in a quest for perfection. It is a game I will continue play it for as long as I am fortunate enough to have a skilled opponent at my disposal.

That doesn't mean I'm not going all-in on this rebooted game either! I'm still going to take Danny Mandel at his word and let the new game speak for itself. I hope you all do too. Legendary seems well run. VS2: the questionable sequel is a go for 10k support as well. And yes, I'll give it a shot. in the meantime.... I'll still throwdown some old school VS with any old pilot that wants a game.

I don't see no Goddamn sunset!

The return of VS, thoughts musings and whatever.

The triumphant return of VS has been announced and I just have to say this out loud...
the new name sucks. No really. It blows.

I can only imagine a scenario like this:

UD rep #1 - So we're bringing VS back?

UD rep #2 - Yep, but the original designer is going to change a few things first.

UD rep #1 - Ahh I see, that could be cool, but if we're changing it, what's the new name going to be? We can't use LCG. Oh god i don't want to remember that. Maybe something like PCG?

UD rep #2 - PCG?

UD rep #1 - Yeah! Stands for Player Card Game. It could have a nice ring to it!
*dramatic voice* Versus System 2: the Player Card Game.  Simple, to the point. It has a ring to it though. VS 2: PCG... yeah I like it! write that down will ya?

UD rep #2 - Yeah got it. (quickly writes down VS 2PCG) Ill send this one up.

So look, if somewhere out there, UDE rep #1 sees this, I feel you man. and i just want you to know...
I know what you meant, man.

So anyways the first FAQ was released today, not much was revealed, but lets clarify what we know:
- the 400 card set is complete playsets, this leaves around 25 cards per team. Not the largest margin of diversity, but i'm hoping generic team-ups will add options. I'm also hoping if army cards are reintroduced we see more than 4. or else army lists ared gonna get HELLA expensive.

- The game is reworked to use hero characters. This actually could be good. in the past we've had some quirky fun with alter-egos. you remember them, right?

See? I knew you would! This could be a very successful page right out of the WOW tcg and i am actually diggin it. Not sure how similar they will be, but hey, not a bad idea.

-The release will include 4 teams, given UD's preference to work closely with scheduled releases, I'm guessing the recent Marvel franchise movies will all be covered to some extent. Guardians, Avengers, Fan 4, and Spider-man maybe? It seems as logical a guess as any, after-all, nobody specified it would only be the Disney marvel universe included, after-all.

Did our nagging questions of the nature of the change to VS get addressed?
Not really. I'm certainly waiting with held breath as we have been promised a more detailed run-down from the game's original design lead when hopefully, we learn the answers to questions like:
-We were told initiatives were done away with. Is this in name only? How can you balance such a striking removal of what made VS System so unique to begin with?
-Can a tabletop player play old content vs new content?


Until those questions are answered for a start, most of us old VS dogs will probably just keep baying at the moon.

In the meantime, check out the original FAQ for yourself  HERE!!

BEHOLD! THE SPRINGTIME SMACKDOWN!

With the long-since foretold advent of VS System's triumphant return this fall, I have decided to completely annihilate all hope of free time with:

THE SPRINGTIME SMACKDOWN

It's kind of like Thunder-dome except instead of 2, we have 32 entering! Of course, at the end, there can be only one champion! All 32 decks were built through the same premise:

- Each deckbuilder recieves two random teams
- Each deck must contain at LEAST 15 cards specifically referencing each of their teams (no double dipping dual affiliated characters either!
- While generic plot twists are fine, deck builders can never run any plot twist, location, or equipment that references a team they were not assigned. (characters are the exception to this rule.)
- The submitted decks will be played strictly by my team.
- Unaffiliated characters and characters not within assigned teams are banned.
- The coming of Galactus box is banned. (No PA or Omni!)
- The council banned list is observed.

So what's the deal? Players build decks they can't play?

Sort-of. This is, at its heart, a betting game!

What?! How will that even work?

Alright so once I post up the 32 competing decklists, I'm going to follow a first-come first serve opportunity for interested gamblers to pick the deck they think will go all the way. Be wary! Each participant can only choose two decks! ***NOTE - DECKBUILDERS CAN NOT CHOOSE THEIR OWN ENTRIES***
But here's the thing, Once any given deck is selected by two different people it will be removed from the selection table.

Once either all decks have been selected twice, OR once all interested participants have finished their picks, the tournament will begin! Each deck that makes the finals will earn SWAG for both the original deckbuilder AND the players cheering for that particular entry! And of course the deck that takes -it all will land even more!

As an added means to win stuff each week the VS System Collective Facebook Group  will allow players a chance to try to predict the winners for that particular week. with a rotating pinned post that will apply to each week in question. There is no limit here: Try to call a single game, OR try to call them all! At the end of the event top picks will get some sweet LOOT as well!

That seems pretty involved! But how will you keep each match fair?

 That's sort-of the twist. I'm not. I have 6 players of varying skill levels that will randomly pilot these decks. 

Interesting.... so who ARE these crazy people?

I thought you'd never ask! I organized 6 members of our group into their power rankings:

-Lee-
A casual player most known for his all-foil decks. He can make unpredictable plays to surprising success.

-Strengths:     Tenacious play, always seems to have that one last pump
-Weakness:     Can sometimes get tunnel vision on unimportant objectives
-Deck Pref:    Curve - Undercurve - Stall - Rush

Overall skill rating: 5/10

-Josh-
A strictly casual player with a love for quirky decks, He manages to find ways to win with off-beat and seldom-played cards.

-Strengths:     undercurve play
-Weakness:     Unfamiliarity with cardpool
-Deck Pref:    Swarm - Undercurve - Stall

Overall skill rating: 5/10

-Mark-
A casual player turned veteran. He holds a love affair with teen titans and Superman-Batman robots that defies logic and sensibility.

-Strengths:     Combo play.
-Weakness:     Often overthinks a situation.
-Deck Pref:     Out of combat tricks - Undercurve - all teen titans and team supes

Overall skill rating: 6/10

-Steph-
A veteran Worlds player with reasonable skill, she now finds herself conscripted into duty by her husband. (MWAHAHAHA)

-Strengths:     Favorable trades
-Weakness:     Resolving complex chains
-Deck Pref:     Power curve - Rush

Overall skill rating: 6/10

-Aaron-
A worlds calibur player best known for his archive of deckbuilding guantlets and creator of the vs system collective facebook page. He enjoys challenging himself against the best of the best. And occasionally tooting his own horn.

-Strengths:     Using gamestate triggers. Chain Resolution. Denial Gameplay.
-Weakness:    Can play un-necessarily high risk/high reward.
-Deck pref:     Combo - Toolbox

Overall skill rating: 9/10

-JS-
A worlds calibur player with a first place finish under his belt in golden age at Origins 2008. he most often enjoys challenging himself to succeed with lower-quality decks. Do not be fooled, he practically wins at will.

-Strengths:     Baiting unfavorable plays. Amazing at playing around opposing strategies.
-Weakness:     A bit out of practice.
-Deck Pref:     Insanity - Combo - Power Curve

Overall skill rating: 9/10

Gamblers! Be sure to take note each week of the scheduled PILOT for each matchup. Sometimes it will be favorable, and others, not so much. Me? I'm just an agent of anarchy in all this. Don't look for fairness here!

Can your deck survive a bad pilot? A bad draw? A bad matchup?

YOU WILL FIND ALL 32 DECKS IN THE BLOG HISTORY TO YOUR RIGHT!

GOOD LUCK!