Luis Eduardo is a relatively young player at twenty-one years of age. From Cancun, this is his first $10K event, but he’s been around the block a bit TCG-wise. When I asked him what TCGs he’d played in the past, he smiled before prattling off a pretty long list and eventually cutting himself off, saying, “I’ve played almost everything!” The moment you sit down with him you can feel the radiant energy coming off him. Like so many others, he was thrilled to be a part of Mexico’s first Vs. System $10K event.

Luis was one of two people playing Gotham Knights/Doom. It’s a deck that many scoff at, but I found him pretty close to table one on round three just after the completion of his third victory. Having gone up against a Teen Titans deck, a New Brotherhood deck, and a Wild Vomit deck, it was clear that he earned those three wins and had to change gears pretty fast.

Like most players, Eduardo attended the event alone, at least from a strategic point of view. While playtesting and helping people get cards they need is common in Mexico, it seems like actually formalizing teams is an idea that hasn’t been fully explored yet by the Mexican Vs. System community. “I’m here on my own,” says Luis with a genuine smile that he couldn’t seem to get rid of.

Naturally, I had to ask why he decided to team Gotham Knights and Doom. “The Gotham Knights alone are pretty weak, and the Doom affiliation powers up the Gotham Knights in a sense. Mystical Paralysis helps a lot. It’s an overall control [the deck as a whole] that is better than anything else.”

I asked him, out of the three decks he’d played against, which of the three was the hardest. “The Teen Titans!” he said, totally sure of the answer. There wasn’t a second’s hesitation for his reply.

“The deck is a little difficult to handle, because it has a lot of sacrifices and Control elements. It’s not a Beatdown. It’s far more complicated.” The deck did indeed appear complicated. It’s got a lot of elements that are played very subtly. When asked if he thought the deck could see more play if he does well, he replied honestly, “I don’t think so. People don’t believe in things like the Utility Belt’s power. Most decks just use Doom to control and Gotham to attack, most GK/Doom decks I have seen.”

“I’m here for the fun. It would be nice to do well, but I’m here to play.” I asked Luis if he’d go to So Cal if he placed high enough in the $10K to qualify. “I think so.” He paused a second, considering. “If I qualify!” Luis never seems to be interested in counting his chickens before they’ve hatched.

With Common Enemy being on everyone’s minds, it was inevitable that I’d ask about that matchup. “Common Enemy is a strong deck, but here, nobody quite knows how to control it. A lot of people are using it.” He went on to say that he’s won against Common Enemy. They didn’t seem to be a big concern to him, oddly enough. Did he think he could win? “There are strong players, but I think can do it.”

Luis’ unabashed enjoyment of gaming is the kind of presence Vs. System seems to thrive on. His deck is pretty original, despite the idea of GK/Doom having been tested and played before. Talking to him just briefly, one can tell he has an innate understanding of the underlying mechanics behind Vs. System— that is, what makes a strong deck other than just raw power. That kind of understanding, coupled with his positive attitude, could make him a force to be reckoned with in the near future.