A couple of weeks ago, I wrote an article in Two Turns Ahead relating to resource management. Ultimately, whoever gets the most bang for their buck in terms of using all their resources as efficiently as possible tends to win the majority of games in the Vs. System.
I managed to miss one key resource in that article. Here at Pro Circuit San Francisco, more than ever before, the KO’d pile is no longer just the place that heroes go to die. Like many a confusing X-Men plotline, characters have been returning from the grave without issue, both to play (thanks to Dr. Light) and to hand, either with help from Slaughter Swamp or of their own volition (in the cases of Mr. Mxyzptlk, Troublesome Trickster and The Phantom Stranger, Wandering Hero).
This doesn’t seem entirely fair, and one man has made a stand. That one man is Curtis Brown. His innovative Secret Society deck is more than happy to put a few extra cards into opponents’ KO’d piles, but at the same time it makes sure that if they go anywhere from there, the movement is out of the game entirely. Combined with persistent beats and plenty of ways to stun characters on board, it looks to be a lethal concoction that might perform very well against the variety of off-curve control/combo decks around the field.
In round 3 against Tillman Bragg’s Killing Joke deck, Brown caused a few serious headaches for his opponent with a turn 1 Manhunter Clone followed by a turn 2 Ragman, Patchmonger, who started eating key characters in Bragg’s KO’d pile. Throw in Absolute Dominance and Cardiac and all of a sudden the combo deck had a significantly harder time than usual putting together its pieces to go off. This is not an atypical story for Brown’s deck. While regular KO effects might be devastating against the Checkmate Kings, against recursion strategies they are less spicy. Removed from Continuity and Absolute Dominance can put a hurting on decks looking to abuse key characters again and again, and when Absolute Dominance is backed up by Hawkeye, Clinton Barton and Roy Harper ◊ Arsenal, Knight suddenly the off-curve decks really start to sweat.
Meanwhile, the laid-back Brown, a lifelong Black Panther fan, can just relax and keep swinging in with his favorite character – who fetches Medallion of Power to protect his own men. With the “other” dark knight, Batman, Hidden Crusader, helping out on the beats to go along with the control, Brown has every right to relax. His metagame call might be just the right one to compete today.
2 Mikado and Mosha
2 Ragman, Patchmonger
4 Adam Strange
1 Black Panther, King of Wakanda
1 Manhunter Engineer
3 Cardiac
4 Batman, Hidden Crusader
4 Sleeper Agent
1 Oliver Queen ◊ Green Arrow, Emerald Archer
1 Hawkeye, Clinton Barton
1 Manhunter Excavator
2 Mordru
2 Dinah Laurel Lance ◊ Black Canary, Blonde Bombshell
1 Roy Harper ◊ Arsenal, Knight
1 Skinner
3 No Man Escapes the Manhunters
3 Removed from Continuity
3 Enemy of My Enemy
2 Trial by Fire
2 Flying Kick
2 Absolute Dominance
2 Die for Darkseid
1 Vicarious Living
2 Meltdown
1 Birthing Chamber
Equipment
3 Medallion of Power