Jonathan frequently performs well at tournaments, but has yet to reach the finals of a $10K event. Emmanuel is the sole player from the Philippines still in contention, and carries the weight of the hopes of an entire nation on his shoulders.

Game 1

Emmanuel won the die roll opted for the odd initiatives. Both players kept their opening hands.

Turn 1: Neither player had anything to play.

Turn 2: Jonathan recruited Maxwell Lord and searched for Justice League Task Force. Emmanuel failed to find a character. Endurance: Jonathan 50, Emmanuel 48.

Turn 3: Emmanuel still didn’t have anything while Jonathan recruited Zauriel. Endurance: Jonathan 50, Emmanuel 39.

Turn 4: Jonathan brought Katar Hol ◊ Hawkman into play and equipped him with Mobius Chair. He formed in an “L”, with Maxwell Lord protecting Zauriel. Emmanuel managed to find Henry King ◊ Brainwave, Sinister Psionic. Katar Hol attacked and stunned Henry, clearing the path for the rest of Jonathan’s characters. Endurance: Jonathan 50, Emmanuel 24.

Turn 5: Emmanuel recruited Scarecrow, Psycho Psychologist and formed with Henry King protected. Jonathan got Dinah Laurel Lance ◊ Black Canary, Blonde Bombshell out of his resource row and chose not to replace the resource. He formed in a square, with Dinah and Katar Hol protecting Zauriel and Maxell Lord. At beginning of combat, Emmanuel paid 3 endurance for Scarecrow’s ability. Scarecrow swung into Katar Hol and Jonathan played Shake It Off. Emmanuel had Resistance is Useless, which was countered by Jonathan flipping Disband the League, returning Maxwell Lord. Scarecrow stunned and Emmanuel scooped.

Jonathan 1 – Emmanuel 0

Game 2

Emmanuel took the odd initiatives, and both players kept their opening hands.

Turn 1: Emmanuel recruited Ted Kord ◊ Blue Beetle, and Jonathan had Catherine Cobert. Endurance: Jonathan 49, Emmanuel 49.

Turn 2: Jonathan recruited Booster Gold and formed him behind Catherine. Emmanuel had The Wizard. Booster attacked The Wizard, and Emmanuel exhausted Ted to mill the top of Jonathan’s deck before the double stun. Next, Catherine swung into Ted for another mutual stun. Jonathan flipped and used JLI Embassy to keep his characters, while Emmanuel lot Ted. Endurance: Jonathan 46, Emmanuel 46.

Turn 3: Emmanuel played Funky Flashman and Booster Gold, forming in an inverted “L” with Funky protecting Booster. Jonathan had Joseph Jones ◊ General Glory in an “L” with Catherine behind Joseph. Booster attacked Catherine and stunned her before Emmanuel exhausted Funky to mill the top card of his deck. The Wizard then ran into Jonathan’s Booster for a double stun. Emmanuel could do no more, and Jonathan ran Funky over with Joseph Jones. Emmanuel lost Funky while Jonathan used JLI Embassy. Endurance: Jonathan 41, Emmanuel 39.

Turn 4: Jonathan brought Kimiyo Hoshi ◊ Dr. Light out of his resource row and formed in a square with Catherine and Joseph protecting Booster Gold and Kimiyo Hoshi. Emmanuel recruited Queen of Fables and formed in an “L” with the Queen protecting her Wizard. Kimiyo attacked the Queen, to which Emmanuel responded by flipping Straight to The Grave and flipping and activating Lair of the Mastermind to reinforce her. Joseph then attacked The Wizard, who exhausted to mill Jonathan. A Booster on Booster attack ended in a double stun. Endurance: Jonathan 39, Emmanuel 28.

Turn 5: Emmanuel had nothing to play! Jonathan brought Dinah Laurel Lance ◊ Black Canary, Blonde Bombshell out of his resource row and declined to replace the resource. He formed with Joseph protecting Booster Gold and Dinah in front of Catherine. Kimiyo was unprotected in the support row. Queen of Fables attacked Joseph, which prompted Jonathan to flip Disband the League and return Booster. He forgot that the Queen was unaffiliated, which meant she got an additional +1 ATK/+1 DEF from Lair of the Mastermind. Joseph stunned and Emmanuel had no further attacks. Jonathan had Kimiyo stun the Queen of Fables obstructing the path to Emmanuel. Endurance: Jonathan 35, Emmanuel 13.

Turn 6: Jonathan replayed his Booster Gold with boost and added Silver Sorceress to his team. Emmanuel played Membership Drive for Charaxes, Killer Moth and recruited it. He formed with the Queen protected, and activated her to replace Disband the League before combat. At the beginning of combat, Jonathan moved Dinah into his hidden area for Silver Sorceress’s ability. Joseph, Catherine and Booster team attacked Charaxes, KO’ing it. Emmanuel chose to stun Joseph. A final attack of Silver Sorceress into Queen of Fables was all it took for Emmanuel to scoop.

Jonathan 2 – Emmanuel 0

Jonathan moves on to the semifinals!