Matt Boccio’s Vs. System career has come full circle. After winning the first-ever $10K event in Philadelphia with a Brotherhood Burn deck, Matt went on to Top 8 PC Indy with a FF Cars deck. He failed to attend the second PC because he was too busy dealing with his freshman year of college—an education paid for with TCG winnings. It was unclear if Matt would continue to play, but when he saw many of his TOGIT friends do well at the last PC, he was inspired to come back to the game.
Matt was playing Brotherhood once again, although this version was not the burn variety he took to Philadelphia. Instead, it runs controlling cards such as Ka-Boom! and Foiled. Not only do they help him to keep curve decks off their game, but he can also keep his crucial New Brotherhoods turned on at all times.
Jose Barrero does not have Boccio’s experience, but the Mid-Atlantic player is piloting a deck that generated an audible buzz around the top tables all day yesterday. His Brave and the Bold concoction was a cause for much concern on Boccio’s part. Not only were there troublesome characters like Hawk, Dove, and Beast Boy, all of which can give TNB fits, but it also featured all of the annoying Plot Twists of the Gotham Knights decks (with a Flame Trap thrown in for good measure).
Game 1
The two players sized each other up and tried to avoid rolling a die. Jose nodded at Boccio and asked, “What do you like taking?”
Boccio wasn’t giving anything away without a gesture of good faith. “What do you like?”
Jose considered this and finally shrugged. “I like odds.”
Boccio smiled and said, “I think we can work this out . . . this game.”
Both players mulliganed their opening four and Jose ended up with the dreaded Alfred. “Go easy on me here.”
Boccio looked at his hand of Thornn and TNB, and could make no such promise. After Thornn was done smacking around the butler, Jose betrayed which card in Boccio’s deck he feared the most by asking, “Death in the Family?”
Boccio had no Death, but he did have two more 1-drops on the next turn—Phantazia and Mastermind. Jose reeled at the potential damage he might take. “I’m going to get smashed.”
Jose Bat-Signaled for the 2-drop Tim Drake and played him behind the Alfred. Mastermind smashed Alfred and Tim reinforced. Thornn attacked Tim Drake, and Phantazia came in unimpeded. The score was 48 to 40 in Boccio’s favor.
Beast Boy came down in front of Alfred to slow down Boccio, who had only Destiny to add to his weenie army. Boccio left Destiny up front along with Thornn. “No Prophecy?” asked Jose. “Hmmm . . . I am sensing double New Brotherhood.”
“It’s possible.”
Beast Boy attacked Destiny; nothing exciting happened and the blind woman was stunned. Boccio considered his return attacks and ultimately sent Thornn after Beast Boy and pitched a Ka-Boom!. Jose flipped up The Brave and the Bold. Boccio tried a Foiled in response, but Jose was able to Fizzle and counter that effect. Beast Boy stunned, and Phantazia got in for 3 directly. The score was 44 to 34 in Boccio’s favor.
Things were looking grim for the Long Island player—he had no 4-drop, while Jose played Arsenal and Alfred. Jose flipped up USS Argus and began sifting through his deck for the best cards. Boccio announced Thornn on Roy Harper, and Jose powered up. Boccio revealed a Savage Land and pumped his Feral Hunter. Jose had his lone Flame Trap tucked away in his resource row, and he flipped it to demolish Matt’s board.
There was nothing Matt could do, no matter how long he stared at the board. Jose smashed in directly for 10 and the momentum shifted in his direction, though he only had one card left in hand and would only get one new one a turn because of the Argus. Still, he was able to lay Terra and activate Alfred to go get Teen Titans Go. He even had the point left to replay Alfred.
Boccio had Magneto, Eric Lehnsherr and shoved both of his men up front. Jose announced that Roy and Terra would attack Magneto, and when the attack was legal, he used the Titans Go. In response, Boccio Ka-Boomed the Argus. Magneto and Terra stunned. Roy and Thornn traded, and then Beast Boy came in for 7 directly. The score was 26 to 19 in favor of Barrero.
Boccio did not play a resource—he wanted to keep his TNB online—and instead played Sabretooth, Feral Rage. Barrero flipped up another Argus and pleaded with his deck for something to be there, but seemed disappointed when he drew. He still had Alfred, and he used it to set off the Bat-Signal. Jose played Dick Grayson Nightwing, High-Flying Acrobat and the loyal manservant. He arranged his board so that Alfred was in front of Beast Boy and Dick Grayson was protecting Terra.
Boccio exhausted Beast Boy with Magneto’s ability, and Jose used Bat-Signal to search for Garth. Sabretooth came after Alfred with a boost from the Savage Land, and Dick made a Heroic Sacrifice. Jose went to 22. Magneto flew in and smashed Terra, and the score changed to 19 to 14 in favor of Boccio.
Jose played Garth and activated Alfred to find Dynamic Duo. He also replayed Alfred. Boccio had no play, and left both his guys in the back. Jose played the Dynamic Duo and announced a team attack with Terra and Beast Boy on Magneto. Teen Titans Go! meant they would also smash into Sabretooth. That left Garth to come over, with Boccio at 10 and one card in Jose’s hand . . .
Sure enough, it was a second copy of the elusive Garth for the power-up.
Matt Boccio - 0 Jose Barrero – 1
Game 2
Jose threw back his opening hand, but Boccio chose to keep his slow hand because it had A Death in the Family. Jose led off with Alfred. Boccio had nothing for turn 1, leading off with Toad on turn 2. Jose had a turn 2 Mirage. Then he activated and replayed Alfred. While he was debating which card to take, he left his deck sitting face-up on the table with an Overload glowing on top. He decided to get Fizzle. He put Alfred in front and Toad stunned him. Boccio played the Death in the Family and Jose Fizzled. Boccio had another and finally killed the Alfred. The score was 49 to 39 in favor of Jose.
With the Brotherhood deck on the endurance ropes, Jose went for the Hawk and Dove plan. He then flipped up an Argus and shoved all three characters up front. Boccio’s third turn yielded a single Mystique, and she got out in front of Toad.
Hank came after the shape changer and they traded stuns. Dove and Mirage teamed up on Toad, and Boccio returned it to hand. He Ka-Boomed the Argus before the end of combat. Jose recovered Hank.
Boccio replayed his Toad and added Destiny to his roster. Jose brightened when he was able to play another Alfred. Jose put Mirage in front of Hank and left Alfred in the back. Boccio bashed the two ready characters, and the score shifted to 36-35 in Boccio’s favor.
Turn 4 saw Cassandra Cain Batgirl facing off against Sabretooth, Feral Rage in the battle of the amazing 4-drops. Both players left all their men (and women) up front, except for Destiny, who hung back predicting dark things for Hank’s future. Jose flipped up Metropolis after announcing a team attack on Sabretooth. Boccio attempted to Ka-Boom!, but Alfred dashed off to find a Fizzle. The attack was legal, and Jose flipped up Dynamic Duo and then Flame Trapped. Jose attempted Teen Titans Go!, and Matt Foiled the Dynamic Duo. Cassandra bashed Mystique, and Hank got exhausted for a Bat-Signal that found a Terra.
Matt led off turn 6 with Sauron, and Jose played Terra. All of Boccio’s characters were up front, while Jose’s squad was in the back. Sabretooth went after Terra, and Jose had no reinforcement. Sauron went after Cassandra, and Matt flipped up a TNB. They both stunned, and the score was 23 to 24 in favor of Boccio.
Jose emptied his hand to play Arsenal and Mirage. Hank protected Roy, and Cassandra protected Mirage. Matt locked in five resources and flipped a Genosha for two more cards. There was twenty minutes left in the round, and Magneto came down for Boccio after a brief internal debate. “I’m not sure it’s the right play.”
Magneto hung behind Sabretooth, who was up front with Sauron. Roy came after Sabretooth with a boost from Mirage and Hank. Cassandra came after Sauron and they traded. The score was 16 to 15 in favor of Jose when the initiative swung back to Boccio and his Magneto. Two Flying Kicks to the glass jaw of Miriam Delgado ensured a game 3.
Matt Boccio - 1 Jose Barrero - 1
Game 3
There were ten minutes left, and Boccio was longing for the days of Brotherhood Burn. There was no turn 1 Alfred from Jose, while Boccio had TNB and Mastermind. Boccio followed with Pyro, while Jose had Tim Drake <> Robin. Mastermind bashed the Boy Wonder and Pyro came over for 4.
Jose had Beast Boy for turn 3, while Boccio had Rogue. Beast Boy bashed Mastermind, and Boccio activated his ability to lock Beast Boy down for the next turn. Rogue smashed the Boy Wonder, and Pyro set a small fire. The score was 45 to 31 in favor of Boccio.
Turn 4 saw Boccio keep to his perfect curve with a Sabretooth, Feral Rage. Jose flipped Argus and made no play. He announced, “Over to you”
Rogue came after Robin, and Sabretooth attacked Beast Boy. Jose had to activate Flame Trap to take out Mastermind and Pyro. When the dust from the turn settled, the score was 42 to 11 in favor of Jose.
Garth showed up on turn 5, and nothing less than Magneto was to be expected from Boccio’s draw this game. Beast Boy and Garth announced a team attack on Rogue. Boccio flipped and activated Genosha to turn on TNB. Beast Boy and Rogue both stunned. Jose flipped The Brave and the Bold and found a Teen Titans Go!. Garth came after Pyro, and Boccio activated it to drop Jose to 5.
Jose considered his options and realized that he still had Magneto to contend with, and no chance of not taking the final, fatal 5 points of endurance loss. He extended the hand and congratulated Boccio on his advancement to the semifinals, where he would face off with $10K winner Robert Leander.
Final Result: Matt Boccio - 2 Jose Barrero - 1
Matt Boccio
The New Brotherhood
Characters
2 Phantazia
2 Destiny
2 Mastermind
2 Lorelei
2 Thornn
3 Toad
3 Pyro
1 Avalanche
1 Mystique, Raven Darkholme
1 Quicksilver, Pietro Maximoff
3 Rogue, Anna Raven
4 Sabretooth, Feral Rage
2 Sauron
4 Magneto, Eric Lehnsherr
Plot Twists
3 Ka-Boom!
3 Foiled
3 Flying Kick
4 The New Brotherhood
4 A Death in the Family
4 Savage Beatdown
Locations
3 Genosha
4 Savage Land
Jose Barreros
The Brave and the Bold
Characters
4 Alfred Pennyworth
4 Mirage
2 Tim Drake ◊ Robin, The Boy Wonder
1 Hank Hall ◊ Hawk
1 Dawn Granger ◊ Dove
3 Beast Boy
2 Roy Harper ◊ Arsenal
2 Terra
1 Cassandra Cain ◊ Batgirl
1 Dick Grayson ◊ Nightwing, Defender of Bludhaven
4 Garth ◊ Tempest
1 Batman, Caped Crusader
1 Connor Kent ◊ Superboy, Tactile Telekinetic
1 Raven
Plot Twists
4 The Brave and the Bold
4 Teen Titans Go!
2 Heroic Sacrifice
4 Fizzle
1 Ka-Boom!
2 Overload
3 Dynamic Duo
3 Bat-Signal
1 Flame Trap
Locations
4 USS Argus
2 Optitron
1 Metropolis
Equipment
1 Utility Belt