The Springtime Smackdown 2 Conclusion: To the victor(s) go the spoils!

First and foremost: If you prefer no spoilers, you can jump directly to the
FINALS BATREP HERE

One Hundred and Nine blog posts ago, I had an itch. A tic in my mind. A compulsion that wouldn't subside. A nagging urge.

The VS System itch.

VS System has always latched onto me in a way I am unsure I will ever fully comprehend. I met my wife playing it. My daughter's first christmas ornament contribution was a lightly chewed Power-girl she found on the floor. At its best and worst, This game nurtured fond memories of a fantastic game, great sportsmanship, and long reaching coverage granting me close allies, lifelong collegues, and of course, some bitter farewells that I will carry with me to the end of my days.

It doesn't strike that often, to be honest, every 2 to 3 years maybe. But that itch, though.

God bless her, my wife doesn't understand it entirely. She patiently, perhaps even wisely allows it to run it's course. Every time I seek to "one-up" the previous one. Adding something to make it just a tad more convoluted or involved than the last time.

This is the origin story of the Springtime Smackdown.

 

And as long as there is a community to share it with, it will continue re-appearing every few seasons on your facebook feed asking a question, and doing its utmost to grant a good answer.

This year we asked: Which deck is king of the monster format we call "golden age"?

Well I have your answer for 2018:

Winning the best of 3 finals with a final match result of 2 to1, Touting a Game 3 score of an insane -32 to - 47 on turn 5... It was CAPTAIN ITALY, crushing its way to a victory over the Ever-deadly TNNB build. securing itself as the one true King of the Monsters!

...for now.

But that was not our only winner.

Concluding the springtime Smackdown 2: Kingmaker betting series, We have our final standings:

RESERVED FOR LUCA INVERNIZZI

Luca Invernizzi (spider-stall)
This Week- 50 pts
Total     -235 pts

Alessio Menzella (Spider-Stall)
This Week- 30 pts
Total     -231 pts

DJ Foley (Wolverine Direct)
This Week- 20 pts
Total      -219 pts

Aaron Atwood (Randomizer)
This Week-  0 pts
Total     -101 pts

Chad Jackson (Spider-Stall)
This Week-  0 pts
Total      - 50 pts

Joseph Corbett
This Week- 40 pts
Total     - 42 pts

Alessandro de Cossini (Spider-Stall)
This Week-  0 pts
Total     - 23 pts

Adam Miller (Just ONE)
This Week-  0 pts
Total     - 20 pts

Aaron Atwood
This week- 10 pts
Total     - 10 pts


It was Lucca's pick that shot him from 3rd place to 1st overall only missing the endurance total options in his picks!

The official results were as follows:

****FINAL RESULTS****

Series Winner - Captain Italy

Coin-toss - Captain Italy (Aaron)

First Blood - TNNB

Last turn - turn 5

Series result - 2 games to 1

life of winner - -32 endurance

life of loser - -47 endurance

I hope you readers out there had some measure of enjoyment reading these match reports and following along as a grown man skirted his duties to host a tournament of champions and share it with the world with as much detail as he could manage.
I'd like to thank my wife for her unwavering patience as we worked on this for what became 2 straight months, My playgroup, none of this happens without you. And the community. Still proving that Upper Deck was wrong all these years later.

So get building those Captain Italy variants folks! There's a new Big Nasty on the block.

And he is Italian.

The Goods: Week 8 - The Finals

So here we are: 

The finals.

And with it, one last chance for me to give you all...

So first of all, to you gamblers wanting to immortalize yourselves in the glory of Banner-hood for the VS system Collective We are going all out. So betters! Here is how you can score in this final week:

10 points: Call the series winner
10 points: Call who wins the opening coin-toss.
10 points: Call which team lands first blood damage in game 1.
10 points: Call what turn the game ends in the final game.
10 points: Call the series result (Example: TNNB wins 2 games to 1)
2x points: Call the endurance total of the winner in the final game within 5 points.
3x points: Call the exact endurance point total of the loser of the last game.

Now take note! to double your score you don't need to guess WHO wins, just the the general area the winner ends the game on for endurance. So if you picked, say 35, if the winner ends anywhere from 30 to 40 endurance at the end of the game, you DOUBLE your points! Not bad! thats 100 potential points!

HOWEVER, there is a dark horse pick! Pick the exact endurance of the LOSER of the last game. and your new total is tripled.
That is 300 points on a perfectly picked series! This means that there is a chance even a player that has never made a single pick yet could walk out as the pick-master supreme champion!


Now lets take a look at the finals match-up.

GRAND FINAL - TNNB(Steph) VS (Aaron)Captain Italy
This is it. We started with 32 of the biggest, baddest, most frustrating and the fastest builds out there that we could find. And these are the two that survived bad matchups and occasionally... bad play and they are still here.

In one corner stands a build that needs no introduction.
The New Next Brotherhood has long been a mainstay of winning culture since its inception. An example of the monsters that exist in a long-forgotten age where only the strong survive. It's simple consistency reigns supreme while its ease of use can be often mistaken for a lack of complexity and far-sighted deck-building.
Not so. Rather it is a shining example of advanced deck design boasting unique answers to many problematic builds it may cross paths with while keeping true to a merciless tempo.
The king of old has come to defend its crown.


In the other corner, we have some new blood.
Captain Italy is a newcomer to a formal top finish listing, but do not be fooled by its unique approach and campy style. It doesn't actually Play VS against its opponents, rather, it dares opponents to win within 4 turns. and plays virtually zero defenses. And then, if the opponent fails, it wins on an improbably explosive turn 5 with what I would describe as, the most efficient series of pumps, removal and answers a single turn could ever boast with a consistency that even the deck's pilot finds surprising.
See, the problem with older classics like TNNB being labelled as King of a monster format is, when a contest of monsters is started, you occasionally attract the attention of something undiscovered.
Something Unique, and unanswered. Something that doesn't seem to have an immediately observable weakness.
A new monster.

Favored to Win: No line.

Best of luck to those picking this week!

THIS LINKS YOU TO THE OFFICIAL PICKS THREAD ON THE VS SYSTEM COLLECTIVE

CHECK THE TOP 8 BEST OF THREE BRACKET HERE

Postgame Report: Seminfinals - Week 7

A 71 point swing in a single turn! A match determined by a single point in game 3!
Holy cow these decks deserve to be here! It`s time for...

Semifinals Match 5 - TNNB VS Anti-Matter

TNNB was business as usual in game 1, but Anti-Matter managed to claw a game 2 win leaving it all on the table for a game three that ended on TNNB playing meltdown to sneak in a completely reidiculous match by the skin of their teeth -8 to -9.

Final: TNNB  ELIMINATES  Anti-Matter

2 games to 1

Semifinals Match 6 - Fantastic Fun 2.0 VS Captain Italy 

This is one that could have legitimately gone either way. but in practice Null time zone into warp shards into Null time zone was just a bitter bitter pill for the fantastic four list to swallow.As things went decidedly in favor of Captain Italy.
In game one Italy drew the nuts and swung once for game on turn 4 reducing fantastic 4 from 50 endurance to -4 in a single swing.
In game 2 it was a bit more of a fight, as Italy overcame a 32 point lead favoring Fantastic Fun exiting turn 4 to hit back with a monster swing of 71 points of damage to lock game 2.
This deck is for real folks. What`s more, it`s in the finals.

Final: Fantastic Fun 2.0  ELIMINATED BY  Captain Italy

2 games to 0

CHECK THE TOP 8 BRACKET HERE

The Goods: Week 7 Semifinals

Only 4 teams remain! 2 rushes a combo build and... whatever Captain Italy is supposed to be! You need some insight into the matchups? Don't worry! I've got your medicine with...

The rest of the crew takes a break this week, as Husband and Wife fight for supremacy to set-up our finals this weekend!

For The Gamblers, we are double points this week!
call the match winner - 16 points.
call the team dealing first blood in the matchup - 2 points.
call the match winner AND the series result? (TNNB beats Anti-Matter 2 games to 0) Double your points related to that match. (maximum 36 points per game!)
Call BOTH match winners - 8 point Bonus! (you dont need the series results of each match to be perfect only guess the winners correctly.)

That's 80 possible points you can score in 2 games. it may be a close leaderboard, but ANYONE can still win with the right picks, and a bit of luck!

Remember folks...

Who will become the face of the VS System Collective?

SF Match 5 - TNNB(Steph) VS (Aaron)Anti-Matter
There's something to be said about consistency when you are two matches away from an undefeated run. I don't think anyone here doubts the validity of TNNB's consideration as King of the Monsters. However, Anti-Matter, like a true middle child, has proven that it has a bone to pick with the "champ" And with a surprisingly similar resume including an undefeated run, and the title of the vaunted Spider-Stall killers. (Arguably one of TNNB's worst matchups) it gets harder and harder to count out the Simple-but-not-so-simple rush.
But let's be real here. a completely concealed list vs TNNB means hands-down: advantage TNNB.
Favored to Win: TNNB - 2 games to 1


SF Match 6 - Fantastic Fun 2.0(Aaron) VS (Steph)Captain Italy
Looking at this match-up, you can't assume anything. You'll just fall into the rabbit hole.
Here's an example of what I mean:
Captain Italy has no answer to Child.
Null Time Zone.
Oh yeah, I forgot about that.
You sure did.
Ok how about, reinforcement counters Captain Italy's win condition.
Warp Shards 3 drop Invisible Woman.
Huh. I suppose so. Fine then. Fantastic Fun has no answer to Captain Italy.
Ultimate Nullifier can negate The Captain's start of combat name changes.
Wow. This is harder than I thought to break down.
EXACTLY.
So here's the best breakdown I can give and still hopefully be reasonably accurate.
Captain Italy is not nearly as inconsistent as the potential "BAD" draws of Fantastic Fun. Because of that and only that, I'm calling the series to go...
Favored to Win: Captain Italy - 2 games to 1

CLICK HERE FOR OUR FINALS BRACKET 

 CLICK HERE TO HEAD TO THE VS SYSTEM COLLECTIVE

Postgame Report: Quarterfinals Week 6

Upsets! Upsets everywhere! Which favorite to win actually held on? Then read on! in this weeks...

CHECK OUT THE TOP 8 BRACKET HERE!

Quarterfinals Match 1: TNNB VS Rad Man

TNNB won the toss and that honestly counted for most of what it wanted to do right there. When Rad-Man held its preferred initiatives it managed to take a game but this was the TNNB show. 

First blood: Rad-Man.

Final: TNNB  ELIMINATES  Rad Man

  2 games to 1

Quarterfinals Match 2: Anti-Matter VS Spider-Stall

 Slipstream proves to be too much too soon as Anti-Matter uses this matchup as a resume demonstrating its consistency (or luck, depending on perspective) into a control matchup, refusing to drop a single game to the potent stall.

First Blood: Anti-Matter

Final: Anti-Matter  ELIMINATES  Spider-Stall
2 games to 0

Quarterfinals Match 3: Migga City VS Fantastic Fun 2.0

Migga City is one of those decks that just seems to give you everything you want. It bricks beautifully, and easily fields a nearly complete collection of meta answers to a myriad of matchups. With easy and relatively quick access to both Rogue on 4 and Scarlet Witch on 5, it might be easy to expect a fairly easy win here.
As it turns out however, Fantastic four swinging offensively under a Child lock can do some pretty decent damage. And Flamethrower is not an activated effect. These facts were ridden harder than baby's first trike to consecutive wins.

First Blood: Migga City

Final: Migga City  ELIMINATED BY  Fantastic Fun 2.0
2 games to 0

Quarterfinals Match 4: Wolverine Direct VS Captain Italy

With a fairly easy win in game 1 it looked like this one was going to go exactly as predicted, with a 2-0 advance. However, after an unlikely win on a game that stretched farther into turn 5 than Wolvie would have preferred, it turns out Captain Italy can win on 4 too! In an insane come-from behind series of miracle draws to end the deciding game with a score of -1 to 0. All riding on the back of a single Captain swing.

First Blood: Wolverine Direct

Final: Wolverine Direct  ELIMINATED BY  Captain Italy

2 games to 1

The Goods: Week 6 Quarterfinals

We started with 32 competitive lists. Now we have 8. Perhaps it strikes us as no surprise that both the #1 and #2 overall seeds made it through relatively unscathed as TNNB has yet to taste a loss and Migga City has managed to hang on. With 4 matches this week we are also going to see a Best of 3 approach, to eliminate "hard luck" losses and hopefully, remove all doubt to the deserved-ness of our ultimate victor. So lets get to...

SO gamblers calling these games will be faced with another challenge:

In addition to correctly selecting the winner that you believe will advance, you will also be asked to call the best of 3 round result. Doing so will double your points for that pick. And as a spoiler selecting the team you believe will deal first blood damage in game 1 of each matchup will yield bonus points too!

SEE THE KINGMAKER TOP 8 BRACKET HERE

QF Match 1 - TNNB(Steph) VS (Aaron)Rad Man
The defending "King of Golden Age" TNNB vs a relatively modern-styled Rad Man is not the one-sided matchup. I expect Rad man can actually take a win from the Golden age beast, but not much else. Rad man won't stop New brotherhoods that are already face up, after all. But if it can stretch beyond turn 5 it can run away with it.
Favored to Win: TNNB - 2 games to 1


QF Match 2 - Anti-Matter(Mark) VS (JS)Spider-Stall
Anti-matter has proved itself to be resilient in both early and the mid game, something difficult to achieve. But spider-stall's fast access to its options has me feeling that Anti-Matter's only hope is 2  turn 3 wins, and I just don't see that happening more than once.
Favored to Win: Spider-Stall - 2 games to 1


QF Match 3 - Migga City(Josh) VS (Aaron)Fantastic Fun 2.0
Migga has no true answer to Child Lock until turn 5, the ideal kill turn for Fantastic Fun. However Mad Hatter could toss a crowbar into the mix and create some troubling gamestates for The fantastic fun toolbox burn.
Favored to Win:  Fantastic Fun - 2 games to 1


QF Match 4 - Wolverine Direct(Lee) VS (Steph)Captain Italy
Wolverine wins on 4. Captain italy wins on 5 I literally cannot think of a way captain italy wins this outside of both selecting evens and having a super clutch warp shards play on a non BPRD'd wolverine to drag the game late Lots of IF's and I don't see it happening twice in this series. Hell. I honestly don't see it happening once.
Favored to Win: Wolverine Direct -2 games to 0

Agree with my assessments? Disagree? Feel free to comment on this blog or
you can always post your thoughts and musings on
THE VS SYSTEM COLLECTIVE FACEBOOK GROUP

Be well, and we will see you next week!

Postgame Report: Week 5

While most of this week's matchups seemed pretty cut and dry, it was Randomizer that refused to go quietly into the night closing the game with only a 2 point difference! What else happened?
Find out! In this week's...

Match 49: Randomizer VS Migga City

Randomizer was one naturally drawn pump away from a fast win. Thanks to Mad hatter mitigating character activation options early, Randomizer was forced to make do and take the game later than it would ever prefer to go. The counter-swing on turn 6 ended up being EXACTLY what Migga needed to do to seal it.

Final: Randomizer  ELIMINATED BY  Migga City

-2 to 0

 

 

Match 50: Doomsdays Boomday VS Captain Italy 

Boomday started with a very promising setup and there were concerns of reinforcement options and Captain America tricks favoring Boomday's defensive stance. but no. the kill turn of double warp shards and the mass obliteration of their entire resource row completely removed the stalls viability.

Final: Doomsdays Boomday  ELIMINATED BY  Captain Italy

-16 to 15

Match 51: Both Guns Blazing VS Spider-Stall

The guns had a nice early set up, but between Plot twist lockdown and some timely Omnipotence calls. Viable Options were removed, teamups KO'd and the game was lost.

Final: Both Guns Blazing  ELIMINATED BY  Spider-Stall

-2 to 37

Match 52: Sentinels 2.0 VS Fantastic Fun 2.0

things looked to take a bad turn with a micro sentinels on turn 3, but without seeing a duplicate on 4 the game ran away from them as Fantastic Fun managed to secure Four freedoms and with it the game.

Final: Sentinels 2.0  ELIMINATED BY  Fantastic Fun 2.0

-6 to 29

And with this our top 8 are confirmed!
in order of their seed, they are:

TNNB

Migga City

Wolverine Direct

Anti-Matter

Spider-Stall

Captain Italy

Fantastic Fun 2.0

Rad Man

KINGMAKER TOP 8 BRACKET

The Goods: Kingmaker Week 5

After 5 weeks, we will have our top 8. And for that, things are going to be changing up a bit so be prepared! This week we will cover the 4 teams in the losers bracket to give us our top 8 finalists. please note, once the top 8 have been established, we will move to a single elimination, best of three format. This means that our top 4 in the undefeated bracket already qualify, while among the 8 teams in the losers bracket remain to be determined. Fear not! I'm going to give you...

To the Victors, go the Spoils

With their undefeated placements, the following 4 teams automatically qualify for the top 8. In order of Seed, they are:

TNNB - Should we truly be surprised here? The overall number 1 seed proves itself with elegant simplicity in concept and ball-busting aggression. A deck who's reputation preceeds it in most Golden Age styled formats. TNNB seeks to remind those below it that there is only one true king.

Anti-Matter Rush - While this variant has a focus on a multiswinging 3 drop, the premise remains the same: Gain tempo with AGL's and Xallarap. Use Chomin to keep them around and swing for the fences. Seems to have worked just fine this far.

Wolverine Direct - Should we really be surprised that 3 of the 4 undefeated teams look to end the game no later than turn 5? Wolverine Direct doesn't hide its purpose either. Its name is literally what it does, after all.

Rad Man - While the potential Plot Twist Lockdown on a stick seems great on paper, it is worth noting that it's the beefiness of the build alongside the utility of Iron Man that allowed this build to land itself here. Not the PT negation. Turn 8 Onslaughts being a thing probably didn't hurt it any either.

Fighting to join these 4 decks to complete our top 8 lets review our final 4 matches:

Match 49 - Randomizer(Lee) VS (Josh)Migga City
The multi-swinging Randomizer seems to enjoy the idea of using it's veritable pumps to force multiple power-up situations that might fatigue the hand capacity of the popular Migga, But a focus on recursion resources with Ivy will go far to mitigate this. And of course... Avalon is still a thing. If Randomizer can't pull it out on turn 3-4 I remain doubtful it can win at all. Mad Hatter robbing essential low drops won't make things any easier either.
Favored to Win: Migga City


Match 50 - Doomsday's Boomday(Aaron) VS (Steph)Captain Italy
With Doomsday's unorthidox stall, Captain Italy gets to do basically do exactly what it wants. And while Initiative Matters, it is access to effect removal like Spider-Man, secret avenger that might actually prove most useful. Needing to wait until turn 5 for it isn't going to do Doomsday much to stem a possible turn 5 win.
Favored to Win: Captain Italy


Match 51 - Both Guns Blazing(JS) VS (Aaron)Spider-Stall
Historically, Both Guns eats Spider-Stall for breakfast. That said, This isn't your momma's Spider-Stall. Loads of access to target denial, with potential to go FAR above curve, This spider-Stall doesn't want the late game. It just wants control and counter-swings. Ironically, that is also exactly what Both Guns wants. If guns gets its early access to the Alfred engine, The sheer access to answers may become too much to overcome. Then again, a turn 5 Lex may be all it takes to secure the spider-men a trip to the top 8. I am unsure if any other matchup to date is a closer call. What's More, JS and I opted to trade our traditional picks playing this Matchup. And to me, it is the access to Plot Twist lockdown that has me leaning towards....
Favored to Win: Spider-Stall


Match 52 - Sentinels 2.0(JS) VS (Mark)Fantastic Fun 2.0
Two resurrected lists. Only one can advance. Thus far RNGesus has been kind to both builds but it is the access to micro sentinels and Political pressure that yet again, have me wanting to favor the angry robots, but as a disclaimer, this one is going to go to the one RNGesus loves more. So i'm gonna leave this one 50-50.
Favored to Win: Sentinels 2.0 (?)

As usual if you disagree with me, let me know!
Post a reply here or mention your thoughts on the
VS SYSTEM COLLECTIVE FACEBOOK GROUP

Postgame Report: Week 4

A winner determined by a single point! A consistent build chokes! An upset that didn't feel like an upset! And a 9 drop on turn 8?
All this and more, In this weeks:

UPDATED BRACKETS HERE

Match 41: Quickfate VS Spider-Stall

All Quickfate needed to do was fate up and do what it does before facing some problems in turn 4 and beyond. Completely wiffing the cloak though... made things... difficult.

Final: Quickfate  ELIMINATED BY  Spider-Stall

0 to 14

Match 42: Secret Society VS Fantastic Fun 2.0

Secret society was routinely hitting people in the face with 1-2 path of destructions for some pretty insane damage considering the numbers settled around 8 to 10 ATK and only sacrificing a 1 drop to do it. What's the answer to something like that? REINFORCEMENT. a turn 3 invisible woman ensured the rest fo the fantastic four members were reinforced. a turn that should have, by all rights been a blowout became Fantastic fun hanging on for dear life with a decently populated visible area completely reinforced. And even then... Secret Society STILL managed a complete board stun before sending a Riddler to the face at 12 ATK just to remind you that they are still scary as hell.

Final: Secret Society  ELIMINATED BY  Fantastic Fun 2.0

-16 to -8

Match 43: Bosom Buddies VS Migga City

 Turn 2 Caliban should have put this game into easy mode. Turns out Moonstar is still a thing and man she got work done. Still the inexorable advance of the Migga wall VS a build that doesn't run anything beyond a 4 drop prevented any surprise endings.

Final: Bosom Buddies  ELIMINATED BY  Migga City

-18 to 16

Match 44: Black Bamboo VS Captain Italy

A back and forth game turns sideways for Bamboo extremely quickly as a Flametrap annihilated the entire core of the low-drop engine before access to multiple resource wipes via Wave of destruction just Swept the Leg on the already hurting Bamboo. Followed by Warp Shards removing those silly curve defenders. You Can't let Captain Italy get to turn 5 man.

Final: Black Bamboo  ELIMINATED BY  Captain Italy 

-8 to 9

Match 45: TNNB VS Randomizer

I've said it before: When you are as fast as these decks the winner will ALMOST always be determined by initiative. Randomizer wants evens. It got odds and then lost on turn 4 to a TNNB opening hand I can't call anything other than GODLIKE. Consider this: TNNB's kill turn only featured 2 characters in play. And even that alone would not have won it. Anne-marie Cortez MVP.
A batrep worth a read.

Final: TNNB  DEFEATS  Randomizer
4 to -1


Match 46: Doomsdays Boomday VS Rad Man

 Doomsday wants evens so bad it hurts. In a twisted sense of justice it faces one of the only other decks in the tournament that can do turn 8 just as good. Rad Man won the flip, and the rest is History. The only match I've ever featured with a Captain that just wanted to be a pretty redhead.

Final: Doomsdays Boomday  DEFEATED BY  Rad Man
-3 to 8


Match 47: Both Guns Blazing VS Wolverine Direct

 Both Guns made a judgment call about the dmg output Wolverine could do if it were stuck on only a single attack... ever. This tunnel vision thinking forgot that pumps work just fine on other characters too. It was over before the lockdown deck could get its act together.

Final: Both Guns Blazing  DEFEATED BY  Wolverine Direct
-7 to 33


Match 48: Sentinels 2.0 VS Anti-Matter Rush

 Fan favorites since round 2, Sentinels have proved that the right tech in a flexible curve can really ut in work. This match is a good example of a good deck missing its good tech... and STILL almost winning anyway. The final few minutes of this game looked like it was going to go either way and a clutch emerald dawn of all things locked it.

Final: Sentinels 2.0  DEFEATED BY  Anti-Matter Rush
-7 to -6 

The Goods: Kingmaker Week 4

Week 4 has finally arrived! And hooo-boy we are going to break down some good fights this week in:

Last week we kissed goodbye to Ultimates, Highest Voltage, Invisible tOUCH, Just ONE, SHIELD Burn, Exiles, Chess Press and COMBEX. The latter having been my pick to go all the way. (For those of you interested) So to say we saw some upsets would be... well... one hell of an understatement. Still, we offer the fallen builds our gratitude for their noble sacrifices.

But lets get to it, shall we? Once again this week our pilots are playing the builds they are more comfortable with.

LOSERS BRACKET: ROUND 3

Match 41 - Quickfate(Steph) VS (Mark)Spider-Stall
If Quickfate does what it does around turn 3 instead of turn 4 or later, it, it is doubtful any deck that remains can stop it from going ham all over the place. But I'm not sure I'd call this matchup unfavorable either. One death of the dream replacing them into a non reservist character, or an equipment and those super sized swings become single swings. That's assuming spider-stall doesn't mulligan agressively for a bad press either. Initiatives may matter here, (as always) but I feel like Spider-Stall hitting or missing their mulligan condition will decide the game.
Favored to Win: Quickfate


Match 42 - Secret Society(JS) VS (Aaron)Fantastic Fun 2.0
It's the deck that surprised all comers against the deck that lived. Unless Secret society has some outplay that carries it to victory, The consistency of this Fantastic Fun 2.0 list may finally do what Hulk and Doom both failed to do.
Favored to Win: Fantastic Fun 2.0


Match 43 - Bosom Buddies(Lee) VS (Josh)Migga City
I won't spend too much time here. Bosom buddies has all the tools it needs to run away with this one. Migga isn't without hope, though. A Mad hatter theft at an opportune moment could steal the win.
Favored to Win: Bosom Buddies


Match 44 - Black Bamboo(Josh) VS (Lee)Captain Italy
Whoever gets the odd initiative essentially wins. But a random cointoss aside, I feel that Black Bamboo's unique roster of silver bullets may just manage to fish for the answer they need to pull it out. if they set up as early as last game and actually hit a Tarnax IV, they easily have the ability to end by 4. Something I don't see Captain Italy managing.
Favored to Win: Black Bamboo


WINNERS BRACKET: ROUND 3

Match 45 - TNNB(Steph) VS (Lee)Randomizer
A basic question of Red pill or Blue pill? Both builds hold a heavy preference to win on turn 4+ but the TNNB Godhand is a virtual autowin. Or is it? Remember... Randomizer is the reason Quickfate is currently in the losers bracket. And that counts for something BIG. Initiatives will matter in a big way here. We may see TNNB with an unsightly loss here.
Favored to Win: Randomizer


Match 46 - Doomsday's Boomday(JS) VS (Mark)Rad Man
In the battle of late-games, Doomsday's Boomday is pretty insane. But if Rad Man can interfere with Doomsday's ongoing Plot Twist set-up Boomday may never see its win condition. You know... IF.
Favored to Win: Rad Man


Match 47 - Both Guns Blazing(Aaron) VS (Steph)Wolverine Direct
Combo control VS the only other build in this event Steph seems to enjoy as much as TNNB. If both guns cannot answer Wolverine before it gets BPRD'd. This will wind up being a very short game.
Favored to Win: Wolverine Direct


Match 48 - Sentinels 2.0(JS) VS (Josh)Anti-Matter Rush
Getting here almost entirely on the back of Political Pressure, the Sentinels have certainly surprised all expectations outlasting decks like Exiles, SHIELD Burn, COMBEX and Invisible tOUCH in this event and managing to snag the path of least reistance while it did so. This may be a rude awakening, for them however, as this anti-matter build likes to win on turn 3 ALMOST as often as Quickfate itself. And it doesn't need multiple recruits to manage it.
Favored to Win: Anti-Matter Rush


That's your weekly breakdown guys! Think i'm on point this week? Let me know by posting a reply here or by posting up in the VS SYSTEM COLLECTIVE FACEBOOK GROUP!

The Goods: Kingmaker Week 3

Week 3 is here! Lets take a quick look at our KINGMAKER match-ups as we go over:

With week 2 behind us lets take a brief moment to remember the fallen. So please, a moment of silence for Sniper Shot, Moloid Burn, Secret Avengers, Crisis Doom, Hulk Smash, Xbox, Neutron Stall and Horsemen Stall...

While some eliminations were rightly so, others seemed to fall victim to improbably difficult matchups, twice in a row. Regardless, to those that have passed on, WE SALUTE YOU.


LOSERS BRACKET - ROUND 2
So this week we split our brackets to equalize our results. We will only be playing the 8 Loser bracket games this week, to allow the loser bracket to catch-up with the winners bracket. This means we will have 8 matches this week and 8 more matches next week. This also helps equalize content and gives me a much needed break from writing these out a SLEW incredibly time consuming reports, deck-lists and bat-reps. I don't care WHO you are: over 70 articles within a three week period deserves a light week. That said, So lets review the lists fighting to stay in the hunt, shall we? While the pilot pairings are still mostly balanced, you'll notice some pilots gravitating towards personal favorites and comfort picks as they apply.


Match 33: Spider-Stall(Lee) VS (Aaron)Ultimates
Spider-Stall has the tools it needs to put this one to bed. Between Lex on 5, Human Torch on 6, and a couple of potential Omnis, Stall may be the best equipped to run away in this match-up. If Ultimates can land a timely stun on a key character however, They are suddenly a clint away from turning the tide. A combo deck hidden in a curve designed to be as consistent as Curve Sentinels, the key will be controlling them right into the Koriand'r win condition.
- Favored to win: Spider-Stall

Match 34: Quickfate(Steph) VS (Mark)Highest Voltage
This one will go fast. With Highest Voltage's reliance on quicksilver to attack to compliment its substantial burn damage, my impression is that it will always be facing a stunback from a fated opposing quicksilver, limiting its effectiveness, and by extension, the value of its for-the-turn attack pumps. Quickfate on the other hand does 1 thing exceedingly well. Almost shockingly so. When any VS System deck hits this kind of consistency and speed few other things tend to matter. For me personally, Highest Voltage's lack of reinforcement from their mixed roster locks my pick to win.
- Favored to win: Quickfate

Match 35: Invisible tOUCH(JS) VS (Aaron)Fantastic Fun 2.0
Fantastic fun with an amazing draw can go off as early as turn 4. With a GOD draw, they can technically go off on 3. Short of that, I expect the ladies to get together and vote out the combo deck.
- Favored to win: Invisible tOUCH

Match 36: Just ONE(Mark) VS (Josh)Secret Society Control
Secret Society is fast becoming a bit of a fan favorite with its assumed bad match-ups turned into combo'd SUPERPUMPS. Riding some big swings to some surprising victories. It has a few things going for it in this match:
-Easy and consistent access to Chemo through Ivy.
-A searcher that only costs 2.
-Consistent recursion that does not rely on plot twists.
Watch out for Just ONE though. This is a deck it LOVES to be matched against. And Ivy is a perfect Reign target.
- Favored to win: Just ONE

Match 37: Migga City(Josh) VS (Mark)SHIELD Burn
After a heartbreaking loss to Both Guns, Migga City is out for revenge and wielded by the same Pilot. Finally able to prioritize an early game beatdown approach in one of its matchups.
SHIELD however is notorious for its ability to not need Wolverine to seal the deal. While this puts it as a favorite to win, I am unconvinced we've seen the last of Migga City and will not be surprised to see the upset here.
- Favored to win: SHIELD Burn

Match 38: Exiles(Lee) VS (Steph)Bosom Buddies
Well here we are.
MEV giant vs MEV giant.
Winner stays and loser hangs up their hat.
While both can win on turn 4, it is worth noting, that when Exiles combo out, they can easily put so many bodies into play that Bosom Buddies may never get those coveted face shots. With that said, on paper, with an ideal situation, Bosom Buddies can team attack over 17 times. That's 6 EXTRA face shots MORE than the most characters in play Exiles has ever ended the game with so far in this event. That is just BONKERS damage output.
Favored to win: Bosom Buddies

Match 39: Chess Press(Lee) VS (Steph)Captain Italy
Captain Italy is an inspired build. But the lack of reinforcement removal may be its end. On turn 5 we typically see Chess Press fielding 7 characters. that many reinforcement options may prove to be too much. Beyond that, lets not forget mitigating damage via a playset of cover fires.
Favored to win: Chess Press

Match 40: COMBEX(JS) VS (Aaron)Black Bamboo
the fact the COMBEX exists outside of the undefeated bracket speaks to the effectiveness of a fast win vs the combo build. Now we've already seen some supremely unlikely victories, so I'm not saying it is IMPOSSIBLE for Black Bamboo to pull out the win it needs... But with its simple engine components and the consistency of Checkmate's ability to set the table, Dinner may be served early. And tonights menu calls for steamed Bamboo, with a side of deep fried Black Bolts.
Favored to win: COMBEX

Agree with my thoughts this week?
Think I'm on crack with my logic?
Let me know either by replying to this post or in the 

VS SYSTEM COLLECTIVE FACEBOOK GROUP

Postgame Report: Week 2!

This week we wave goodbye to 8 of our teams as the first eliminations are secured in the loser's bracket, and several completely unexpected results! Join me as we chew the fat on this week's...

Before we get into things, remember! The actual Match reports on on my Blog post history on the right (view in web browser mode)
You can take a look at the tournament bracket as it takes shape

 BY CLICKING HERE

Match 17: Sniper Shot VS Black Bamboo

Despite receiving a brutal early game beating, Sniper shot managed to take things to the late game, but couldn't quite secure the win with a huge wiff on turn 7, forcing an underdrop.

Final: Sniper Shot  ELIMINATED BY  Black Bamboo

-3  to  27

Match 18: Captain Italy VS Moloid Burn 

Games like this have be questioning why on earth Moloid burn was here instead of War Paint. Begone.

Final: Captain Italy  ELIMINATES  Moloid burn

0  to  -32

Match 19: Secret Avengers VS Bosom Buddies

Nothing about this was close... or short. Secret Avengers Proved to be victims here, Never finding their favorable matchup. Bosom buddies might be registered sex offenders after this one.

Final: Secret Avengers  ELIMINATED BY  Bosom Buddies

-143 to -1 

Match 20: SHIELD Burn VS Crisis Doom 

 Doom puts things back into the players hand for board control and runs a hard counter to Wolverine direct. The answer? Don't play Wolverine, and profit hard.

Final: SHIELD Burn  ELIMINATES  Crisis Doom

7 to -1

Match 21: Secret Society VS Hulk Smash

One of these two teams Managed a swing for 20 on turn 4 and then again for 21 on turn 6. Dealing some shocking pumps to some pretty surprising characters...
Oh yeah, the plot twist? It wasn't Hulk.

Final: Secret Society  ELIMINATES  Hulk Smash

12 to -13

Match 22: Fantastic Fun 2.0 VS Xbox

One of the closest games of the week! Fantastic Fun squeaks to another round by the skin of its teeth.

Final: Fantastic Fun 2.0  ELIMINATES  Xbox

-12 to -16

Match 23: Highest Voltage VS Neutron Spider-Stall

A victim of two horrible match-ups, Neutron fought valliantly, but could not stretch an opening into a viable endgame.

Final: Highest Voltage  ELIMINATES  Neutron Spider-Stall

23 to -18

Match 24: Ultimates VS Horsemen Stall

Our final "fight or die" match, shows the Ultimates do something they don't often do.
A turn 6 win via War Machine Armor instead of trying to go off with Thor.

Final: Ultimates  ELIMINATE  Horsemen Stall

40 to -4

Match 25: TNNB VS Spider-Stall

God hands were drawn. Spider-stall did what it could.

Final: TNNB  DEFEATS  Spider-Stall

35 to -28

Match 26: Quickfate VS Randomizer

Randomizer bet EVERYTHING that quickfate wouldn't end them on turn 3.

They bet right. then swung for the fences. Hail to the new speed king?

Final: Quickfate  DEFEATED BY  Randomizer

-24 to -4

Match 27: Doomsdays Boomday VS Invisible tOUCH

This was supposed to be a pick everyone got right. This was supposed to be the one you could bet the farm on. Invisible tOUCH fails to dig deep enough to land the final Cosmic Radiation with only 2 cards remaining in their deck. This means they can't quite end on turn 4 with 24 out of 25 Ballot counters on rigged elections. With their only arkham character shifted at the top of 5, Omnipotence secures it. (calling rigged elections to prevent use of its payment power) Rather than face 2 to 3 more turns of losing in slow motion. Lee (the invisible tOUCH player) embraces Quicksilver, house of M's auto-lose condition.

Final: Doomsdays Boomday  DEFEATS  Invisible tOUCH

Quicksilver, House of M Auto-Loss.

Match 28: Rad Man VS Just ONE

With two builds perpetually denying plot twists, the winner was determined by who can naturally draw their cards and hit harder. This was one to watch coming right down to the wire.

Final: Rad Man  DEFEATS  Just ONE

0 to -5

Match 29: Migga City VS Both Guns Blazing

This nail-biter was determined by the combination of luck and a reckless formation step on turn 8.
Yep. Turn 8. but Both Guns manages to put down a Migga field consisting of Human Torch, Joker, headline stealer and a Scarlet Witch. Curious how the hell that even happens? Short version: Human Torch in the front row with a huge roy harper attack leading into a wiped board and a faceshot.

Final: Migga City  DEFEATED BY  Both Guns Blazing

-6 to 0

Match 30: Wolvie Direct VS Exiles

Want to know just how good a great Exiles draw can be in a post-Blink3 meta? How about insanely good? How about ending within 3 endurance of a full combo'd Wolverine direct kill turn on turn 4?
Exiles lose the game but win some serious respect.

Final: Wolvie Direct  DEFEATS  Exiles

-4 to -7

Match 31: Sentinels 2.0 VS Chess Press

This match-up was hyped as another easy pick and expected to be pretty one-sided but Chess Press did not go quietly into the night.

Final: Sentinels 2.0  DEFEATS  Chess Press

19 to 0

Match 32: Anti-Matter VS COMBEX

Anti-Matter had one hope: Win on turn 3.
Scoring a fortunate early hand, they did.

Final: Anti-Matter  DEFEATS  COMBEX

35 to -2

So what have we learned? You know, aside from the fact that "favorites" seem to be pretty loose suggestions rather than informed fact. I still can't get over that Doomsday game.

Tune in later this weekend as we breakdown the matchups of week 3!

The Goods: Kingmaker Week 2

A few upsets but nobody is out of it yet! This week, we will see 8 decks eliminated this week though in our quest for the Golden Age King of the Monsters in our 8 Loser bracket matchups! while the contenders in round 2 of the undefeated bracket vie for supremacy and a coveted perfect run! Here we are going to talk about matchups and what needs to happen in:

So lets start this thing off right, shall we? Starting with the Decks fighting for their lives.

LOSERS BRACKET - ROUND 1
Having lost last week the rest of the tourney for these guys will be a "Win or Die" mentality. That said a few serious contenders await here in the seedy underbelly of the Springtime Smackdown. With a few already having faced their bad matchups it may be smoother sailing than anticipated for some favorites that took a week 1 hit.

Match 17 - Sniper Shot(Mark) VS (Josh)Black Bamboo
Who hits their "answer" card first? That's will very likely be your winner. Sniper Shot has some really streamlined search and black bamboo is a list almost entirely of concealed answers sprinkled with popular tech.
I feel like Bambo has alot of favorable interactions to stand on, but then again, a few well placed Sniper Shots will ruin everything if they over-commit resources into their beefier tech options. The later the game stretches the better Sniper-Shot will fare. I suspect this game may rest on the back of a timely Pathetic Attempt.
Favored to Win: Black Bamboo


Match 18 - Captain Italy(Steph) VS (JS)Moloid Burn
I need to be honest here. Moloid Burn hasn't impressed me one bit. With an all-in that doesn't happen until turn 5 I feel like Captain Italy will get far too much time to prep for a ridiculous swing. Initiatives matter in this one. BIG TIME.
Favored to Win: Captain Italy


Match 19 -Secret Avenger Rush(Aaron) VS (Lee)Bosom Buddies
Two decks desperate to outperform the other, they both feature weak defensive turns and remarkable potent offensive ones. However, Natasha Romanoffs ability threatening hidden deadpools may be just enough to stem the counterswings from Bosom Buddies. I may be wishful here, but i think Avengers have the edge.
Favored to Win: Secret Avenger Rush


Match 20 - SHIELD Burn(Mark) VS (Josh)Crisis Doom
Another recipient of the "Worst Two Consecutive Matches" award, Crisis Doom plays into a deck that doesn't tend to care about well... ANY of his removal.
Favored to Win: SHIELD Burn


Match 21 - Secret Society Control(Steph) VS (Lee)Hulk Smash
Both sides feature teams that are insanely potent on their initiatives, but hulk's defensive plays, search options and draw engine are far and away superior. Expect Hulk to make a big green mess all over Secret Society in this one.
Favored to win: Hulk Smash


Match 22 - Fantastic Fun 2.0(Aaron) VS (Steph)Xbox
Fantastic fun likes to set up an effective defense before searching out its literal guns for the wombo. However Xbox likes to lean on silver bullet cards like Sage, xaviers secret weapon exactly for these kinds of matchups. No child lock until turn 5 may be problematic. And Xbox has an extremely consistent tendancy to end the game on , while a mediocre Fantastic Fun draw has been seen to end on 6. Xbox may have an easy win here.
MAY.
Fantastic fun also easily plays as a potent rush swarm of large bodies complimented by some seriously effective equpment for defensive damage. And Child chained to a Sage recruit will only leave Fantastic fun 1 turn without the Lock.
But real talk: Fantastic Fun 2.0 needs to DRAW into most of its tricks or at the very least "see" them with a Mr. Fantastic activation to have a hope to play them via thinking outside or using The 100 Ideas. Sometimes those key cards clump in a bad way while Xbox may be wielding one of the most consistent  search-able builds in this event.
Favored to Win: Xbox


Match 23 - Highest Voltage(Lee) VS (JS)Neutron Spider-Stall
Welp. This is it. one of the few teams that faced two consecutive difficult matchups, Neutron Spider-Stall was designed to gut builds looking to go past 5 for their win. Neither of its two matchups so far, are doing it many favors. But all is not lost. Highest Voltage has no protection and leans heavily on Quicksilver swings to complement its extremely efficient damage engine. Between Web counters and a timely Gift-Wrapped, Neutron may yet progress. That said however...
Favored to Win: Highest Voltage


Match 24 - Ultimates(Aaron) VS (Mark)Horsemen Stall
Finally, Ultimates gets to face a matchup it was designed to be strong into. But Horsemen Stall get to claim a very similar prospect. Concussive Blast does not differentiate between hidden or visible characters and some early Sunfire's can really add insult to injury once they hit 3+ counters. The Ultimates, however, boast a turn 7 win condition during their build phase if all things line-up properly. This means that the Horsemen will need to bank on a Mr. Sinister activation to negate one Thor burn, and anything else they can muster to prep for a potent counterswing considering the crazy amounts of damage multiple Thor activations this ultimates build tends to showcase.
Favored to Win: Ultimates


MAIN BRACKET - ROUND 2
Ahh yes the victors of round 1. None of these teams will be eliminated this week. So a few bad matchups can be forgiven here. The question however, remains:
Who will drop to the Losers bracket?

Match 25 - TNNB(Steph) VS (Josh)Spider-Stall
Spider-Stall has all the tools for this one. All it needs to do is survive the early game... and pray TNNB doesn't draw the nuts on turn 1. The discerning gentlemen gambler will go with Spider-Stall. The fanboy will cheer on a TNNB God-draw.
Favored to Win: Spider-Stall


Match 26 - Quickfate(Mark) VS (JS)Randomizer
I feel like these teams are meeting far too early. If quickfate can't put it to bed with odd initiatives on 3, it will become anybody's game. Roll the dice if you need to, because this can go either way. The edge favors Quickfate for this one.
Favored to Win: Quickfate


Match 27 - Doomsday's Boomday(Mark) VS (Lee)Invisible tOUCH
Combat redux meets a non-combat alternate win condition.
barring horrendous draws from Invisible tOUCH, this is EASILY the mismatch of the week.
Favored to Win: Invisible tOUCH


Match 28 - Rad Man(JS) VS (Josh)Just ONE
Both builds really enjoy locking out plot twists on turn 3-4, This one will be determined by whether or not Rad-Man draws the BPRD signal device early enough to deny Just ONE's Field Control. If rad man gets exhausted or stunned a timely Reign can force an honest match for Rad Man.
Favored to Win: Just ONE


Match 29 - Migga City(Josh) VS (Aaron)Both Guns Blazing
Migga City mains no resource hate, does not run Lex Luthor its most viable defensive tech at first glance, is Human Torch on turn 6. If both Guns get an even inititive it could be effectively over before human torch can ever be played. Guns' inherent weakness however is a bad draw, (just as often as a good one) can seal the game.
But looking closer we see a bit more versatility in MIgga's ability to disrupt the Gun show.
Between The Joker on 4 and Scarlet Witch on 5, Things for guns could become a little bit... lets say problematic For guns to be able to do its thing without reprisal, and the signifigance of a playset of Pathetic Attempts is not lost on me either.
Favored to Win: Migga City


Match 30 - Wolverine Direct(Steph) VS (Mark)Exiles
This one is all about consistency.
Exiles consistently win on an explosive 5.
Wolverine Direct consistently wins on a multi-swinging turn 4.
Favored to Win: Wolverine Direct


Match 31 - Sentinels 2.0(Lee) VS (Josh)Chess Press
Now, I'm not going to say that Political Pressure is an Autowin here, but Jumpin snot this is a helluva favorable match for Sentinels 2.0 (as long as they hit it.) And I honestly didn't think I'd say that at all about the Sentinels in this event.
Favored to Win: Sentinels 2.0


Match 32 - Anti-Matter(Aaron) VS (JS)COMBEX
Speed vs a deck with a single-minded purpose of setting up an infinite loop by turn 4. (technically a perfect hand allows this on turn 3) The crux of analyzing this game is simple: "Can Anti-Matter push that kind of damage fast enough?" Turn 3 wins aren't necessarily RARE in a golden age format like this, but in my opinion. Anti-Matter needs to end on three, or hope COMBEX draws badly to fail to go infinite on 4 to secure a win here. Given the consistency in COMBEX, I have to give it the edge here.
Favored to Win: COMBEX

Agree with my breakdowns? Disagree? let me know and contact me either by replying to this post or by messaging me on the VS SYSTEM Facebook Group!

The Goods: Kingmaker Edition - Week 1 matchups and breakdowns

So after the original seating fiasco has been finally resolved, our week 1 matchups are nowhere near as clumpy as the original was. The pilots planned for the matchups are listed too! So lets walk through the matchups and review...

1 - TNNB (Steph) vs Sniper Shot (Mark)

Sniper shot has some pretty unique survival techniques but the issue is going to be breakthrough, Stupid large quantities of breakthrough. Once The Captain hits play, a well placed Tempo removes his ability to contribute to Sniping ideal targets. This is a pretty bad mismatch heavily favoring TNNB right up until Turn 5. IF somehow Sniper Shot can manage beyond 5, it's survivability begins to skyrocket with air walker on 5 and spider-man on 6 to subsidize key attackers. Sure, it's a big IF but it's there.
Favored to win: TNNB


2 - Black Bamboo(Lee) vs Spider-Stall(Josh)

At first glance, it would seem that the advantage belongs to spider stall. After all, they won't even need to invest many web counters to keep Black Bamboo on ice. Again however, the tide turns on turn 5 if bamboo can drop lex with a reasonable amount of endurance in tow, we could see an interesting back and forth here. bamboo can serve up surprise attackers fueled by Tarnak IV for some pretty insane damg swings. Spider-Stall's real salvation in this will more likely be from an early game bad press into Black cat to try to restrict Bamboo's access to hypnotic charms. This is one to watch.
Favored to win: Spider-Stall


3 - Quickfate(Steph) vs Captain Italy(Josh)

I still believe Captain Italy has some really good play potential, but I'm just not convinced it can do it into one of the fastest rushes to date. Getting to turn 5 will be a serious chore, barring all but the WORST possible starting hands for Quickfate, and some amazing Null Time Zone calls from Captain Italy.
Favored to win: Quickfate


4 - Moloid Burn(Josh) vs Randomizer(Mark)

The random abuse is for real folks, on top of that, I've yet to see Moloid Burn really show methat "wow" factor. I might be going against the grain here a bit but I actually feel pretty good about a randomizer pick this week. I just don't see Moloids closing it out before Random has a chance to cut loose.
Favored to win: Randomizer


5 - Secret Avengers(JS) vs Doomsday's Boomday(Aaron)

Ok so hear me out here. Boomday was literally DESIGNED for this kind of matchup. Lots of little characters working together with decent pumps. Not saying secret Avengers can't put this one to bed but if Boomday has its way... that's EXACTLY what could happen. A potential -4 ATK across the board with an even larger penalty on characters played that turn, makes over half of the Avenger roster useless in combat without pumps. Having said that, there's alot of utility behind Natasha in any curve matchup and between her and Carol Danvers, the Avengers have some options. But looking at both lists leaves me trying to come up with reasons the avengers can push through and not the other way around, which is telling. Look. Worst case scenario, I am just horribly wrong.
Favored to win: Doomsday's Boomday


6 - Invisible tOUCH(JS) vs Bosom Buddies(Josh)

Alt win condition vs TONS of damage? I feel like this one is going to be decided by initiative. If invisible tOUCH gets early tempo the Buddies will not be able to swing without being invisibility-countered. The race against the election clock might be rough with only a single copy of HaB.
Favored to win: Invisible tOUCH


7 - S.H.I.E.L.D. Burn(Lee) vs Rad Man(Aaron)

The burn doesn't need plot twists to kill things, I'm slotting Rad Man at a big disadvantage, but if it can crawl to turn 6 with enough Endurance to survive a wolverine shot, Human torch can save the day and keep things interesting. Thats quite the qualifier, I know. but technically possible, given the burn's lack of combat prowess.
Favored to win: S.H.I.E.L.D. Burn


8 - Just ONE(Mark) vs Crisis Doom(Aaron)

Doom finds your lock of plot twists, disturbing.
If we assume Just ONE does what it always does, I don't see Doom fighting its way out. The running joke here with this deck is that with an odd initiative you can hypothetically get "just ONE" turn to play a plot twist against it. And it's on turn 2. And it's 1 costs only. Mot looking so good for Crisis, paralysis and Reigns being played. At all.
Favored to win: Just ONE


9 - Migga City(JS) vs Secret Society Control(Mark)

This one is going to be interesting. Migga city can get huge swings, But Secret Society can spam a Chemo play every turn starting on 2. If migga protects it's row, I see it winning fairly handily. But a case can be made for a Secret Society Upset.
Favored to win: Migga City 


10 - Both Guns Blazing(Mark) vs Hulk Smash(Lee)

Hulk Embodies everything Both Guns was designed to be able to beat. riiight up until you remove reinforcement. Then things get bad for the Guns child-lock control toolbox. Only human can help staunch the bleeding on a big swing with a timely reinforcement play, but the edge here, clearly goes to Hulk.
Favored to win: Hulk Smash


11 - Wolverine Direct(Aaron) vs Fantastic Fun 2.0(Josh)

Fantastic fun toolboxed for many things. However, it did not plan for direct attacks. This pick feels like a sure bet at first glance, and, honestly, at second glance too.
Favored to win: Wolverine Direct


12 - Exiles(JS) vs Xbox(Lee)

The X-teams go head to head in what feels like the most volatile matchup of the week. Xbox hits like an angry momma after being disrespected. While Exiles look to prove they are just as scary as before, thanks to some imaginative cable support added to the mix. Doubt will remain until the exiles deomonstrate they can do what they do while under the gun from an established rush.
Favored to win: Xbox


13 - Highest Voltage(JS) vs Sentinels 2.0(Aaron)

A blowout at first glance favoring Highest Voltage, The sentinels aren't without hope. With one of the largest tech pools in the tournament, a playset of Political Pressures early could help stem the burn long enough to see micro-sentinels turn things around. Without ongoing search, however... The sents will have to make their offerings to RNGsus and wear those lucky socks for a valid shot.
Favored to win: Highest Voltage


14 - Neutron Spider-Stall(Mark) vs Chess Press(Lee)

Neutron stall locks things at turn 5. Chess press likes to recruit 2-2-3-4-5 on turn 5 Something i can see taxing web counter abuse to its very limit considering turn 6 will look identical, and 7... The Kree hammer delivery service looks to run away with this, but Neutron keeps surprising me.
Favored to win: Chess Press


15 - Anti-Matter Rush(Josh) vs Ultimates(Steph)

Two of my golden age favorites face off in the mis-match of the century. Ultimates like to start mostly hidden. until turn 3 Anti-matter likes to hit face with extreme prejudice. I don't see any realistic means ultimates walks away without a trip to the losers bracket here.
Favored to win: Anti-Matter rush


16 - COMBEX(JS) vs Horsemen Stall(Aaron)

Horsemen Stall fields a veritable toolbox of NOPE while COMBEX is an infinite burn loop tucked neatly into a late game power curve, you know... just in case something goes wrong. IF Horsemen can interrupt the combo and say... Abyss Siryn on turn 4, maybe it can send things late. however it is entirely possible that strong guy will be bigger than Apoc by the time the late game gets under way. Mr Sinister will be integral to the Horsemen Stall's shot at a win here and and absolutley MUST to get in play turn 3 with odd initiatives, to be able to interrupt Ahmed's set-up efforts along with Blackthorne's loop. If that happens they still need Abyss to be an mvp Lategame for Horsemen to pull it off. Sound like alot of "if"s? It is.
Favored to win: COMBEX

BEHOLD! THE SPRINGTIME SMACKDOWN 2: KINGMAKER!

Once again, I have opted to annihilate all reasonable hope of free time to prove to this community that even though VS System's 10 year anniversary of its final set release is approaching, The old game AINT DEAD YET! And so, I formally welcome you all to:

Similar to our previous version, this is, at its heart a betting game. Players only get to choose 1 deck, but unlike last time, any number of people may choose the same deck. Depending on that deck's performance, You will receive escalating points for each round it progresses. So choose WISELY. Simple right?

Sure, but that isn't much of a betting game, honestly.

The deck you pick is just stage 1: The real challenge is the weekly pick-ems. For week 1 it will be a simple task of trying to pick the winners. However, for week 2 onwards it will be picks against the spread. We will explain spread picks later on as they become relevant. For now:

YOU WILL WANT TO CHECK THE PINNED POST ON THE VSSYSTEM COLLECTIVE FACEBOOK GROUP TO REPORT YOUR PICKS FOR WEEK 1 AND THE DECK YOU PICK TO GO ALL THE WAY!

The collective Link is HERE

Now first, you're going to want to check out the right side of this blog. You'll see all 32 contenders have a blog post dedicated to the decklist being used for this throwdown, with a brief write-up about them. Once you've done that, you are also going to want to check out the link below to view:

THE SPRINGTIME SMACKDOWN 2: KINGMAKER BRACKET

Here, you can scope out the possible paths for your selected deck options before you finalize your pick! So take a peek at the pending matchups! Once you do, you will immediately notice...

It's a double elimination Tourney!

Yer darn-tootin skippy it is.

All we need now is a set of unbiased players with equal skill to...

Nope. you get me and whoever lives immediately closest to me. However I can vouch that all players will be competent and familiar with the build before they pilot them, and they will be familiar with the opposing deck as well. That's all I can promise.

Interesting.... same group as last time?

Yep! Same 6 players with the possible exception of an online feature match with guest players and myself. (If timelines permit.)

-Lee-

A competent player in all respects on the outside. The living embodiment of SPITE on the inside. Most likely to tell someone he wishes them to perish in some extravagant method.

-Strengths:     Tenacious play, always seems to have that one last pump
-Weakness:    Sometimes ignores things like "sound logic" and "win conditions" to enact his revenge.
-Deck Pref:    Curve - Kree - Stall - Rush

Overall skill rating:7.5/10

-Josh-

A strictly casual player that manages to find ways to win with off-beat and seldom-played cards. Like FROM THE GODDAMNED SHADOWS. Seriously though. %#$@ that card. Most likely to crack a sexual comment that nobody can mentally unsee.

-Strengths:     undercurve play and swarms
-Weakness:     Will make strange plays purely because "it's funny".
-Deck Pref:    Swarm - Undercurve - Stall

Overall skill rating: 7.5/10

-Mark-

A casual player turned Vet. Don't get between him and his Superman-Batman robots. Loves to make everyone hate him in multiplayer. Most likely to say "worth".

-Strengths:     Combo play. Shit disturbing like it's his JOB..
-Weakness:     Often overthinks a situation.
-Deck Pref:     Out of combat tricks - Undercurve - all teen titans and team supes

Overall skill rating: 8.5/10

-Steph-

A veteran Worlds player with solid skill, she once again now finds herself conscripted into duty by her husband. (MWAHAHAHA) Most likely to say ... absolutely nothing crass and Aaron is lucky to have her in his life he absolutely does not deserve her and is going to do the dishes like... right NOW.
(I love you Steph!)

-Strengths:     Foresight for executing favorable trades
-Weakness:     Resolving complex chains
-Deck Pref:     Power curve - Rush - ALL the Jean Greys

Overall skill rating: 8/10

-Aaron-

Very good at what he does. But it's been a while. Most likely to say he's "probably not going to win" right before winning HARD.

-Strengths:     Using gamestate triggers. Chain Resolution. Denial Gameplay.
-Weakness:     Known to actually misplay on purpose to "keep things balanced".
-Deck pref:     YES

Overall skill rating: 9/10

-JS-

A worlds veteran turned medical heart specialist with no life. He plays insanity because after going to Med-school for 14 years, 2 years LONGER than the time he spent IN high-school, it is entirely possible he actually IS insane. He likes anyone that calls him "Mr. J". And burning down insane asylums.

-Strengths:     Baiting mistakes. Dank Memes. Quantum physics.
-Weakness:     A bit out of practice. Occasionally gets lost in "the tank".
-Deck Pref:     Insanity - Combo - Anti-Meta - just yes to all, really.

Overall skill rating: 9/10



Gamblers! Be sure to take note each week of the scheduled PILOT for each matchup in case you feel that is relevant. Personally I think these decks are in good hands no matter who runs them.

Can the deck you picked survive a pilot you don't like? A bad draw? A bad matchup?

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

GOOD LUCK! 

Wait a sec, what's the big prize again?

The winner dictates the Group banner for the VS System Collective until Spring (march 20th!)

Spring time Smackdown 2: Hail to the King

So back in February 2015 I set up a huge project where 2 random teams were assigned to eager deckbuilders and the result was 32 decks fighting for supremacy amidst a horde of ravenous gamblers betting on the results. Sort-of like a VS System cockfight. I tentatively called it the springtime smackdown even though it was february and it sort-of stuck.

This time it's not even February yet! But unlike our last foray into smak-downeyness, now, it is time for those elusive monster builds to reveal themselves. The chained up creations that forced entire metas to bow to their will. The decks people unleash to make a singular statement:

"This aint your kitchen-table VS System anymore, friend."

I want 32 of the meanest, most ridiculous, finely tuned winning machines ever concocted. Then I'm going to unleash them in a 32 pod arena until only one remains. That's right folks, it's time for...

Well that's swell Aaron, but what's in it for me?

Well similar to last time the main premise is that it will be a gambling game. Try to pick the deck you think will go all the way for HUGE points! Beyond that, select your pick-ems each week and watch the carnage unfold. And this time, The overall winner will have a custom banner dedicated to them and their awesomeness at the top of the vssystem collective facebook group until the first day of spring. (march 20th) Immortalized for nearly 2 entire months!

So for just under 2 months I'd be Immortalized?

IMMORTALITY!

I don't think Immortality means what you think it means.

PSEUDO-IMMORTALITY!

I suppose it would be pretty nifty. but what if I don't want my personal image immortalized?

Look whoever wins, can essentially dictate the custom banner that I make for the page until spring. Sure, I'd prefer something giving props to the winner directly, but it'll be their rodeo, I just work here.
(No nasty imagery or anything though)

So if I won, what if I ask for a banner of a pony playing VS System while burning WOW tcg cards?

Then that's what I'd make.

Ohhh, I'm going to need to think about this.

Well you need to win first.

More details to come soon! So stay tuned!