In my humble opinion, there is only one Vs. System card that is as risky as Longshot. The card I choose is Anti-Life Equation and I hope to play it at Pro Circuit Indianapolis.

With DC Modern Age only two months away, even the Golden Age ban of Overload could not get my mind off of Anti-Life Equation. This card really seems like it could give a casual player like me the competitive edge to win my way into Day 2. Why? Simply because no true pro in their right mind would use it. It is just too risky.

Anti-Life Equation causes brain damage like no other card. It is especially difficult to think about for an opponent who is not expecting it. Although I might be squandering my competitive edge by sharing my theories with the community here, I would like my casual audience to be prepared. This card is a headache.

The controller of Anti-Life Equation chooses a number. Then the opponent chooses a number. The number can be 0, but it cannot be infinity. No negative numbers can be chosen. Whoever chooses the highest number loses that much endurance. Whoever is left with the lowest number gains that much endurance, but that player must also stun a non-stunned character he or she controls. Confusing? Good. I hope to win at least two Pro Circuit matches that way.

Let’s try to simplify the card into its intended advantage. Anti-Life Equation is designed to reward a player for having an early lead in endurance and a cheap, non-stunned character lying around. The card has a cost of 3, and the third turn is considered to be very early in the game. When Anti-Life Equation is flipped, its controller should be as far ahead in endurance totals as possible. That way, the opponent will hesitate to choose the higher number. Of course, there can be a problem if the opponent does not have a non-stunned character. In that case, the controller of Anti-Life Equation can choose 0 first, and then the opponent will be forced to choose 1. An endurance point of burn is never a bad thing. Multiple copies of Anti-Life Equation assure an endurance clock advantage like no other card.

The synergy that the designers provided with Green Lantern Corps is simply amazing. Check out some of the cards that seem custom tailored for Anti-Life Equation. Apokoliptian Hospitality is my favorite card in the set. It gives Darkseid’s Elite yet another reason to raise a weenie swarm. Its main ability is insanely strong and not team-stamped. When you throw in the burn, this card is frighteningly good. If the opponent cannot recover his or her 2-drop and you stun your opponent’s 3-drop with a straggling weenie left behind to exhaust, then Omega Beams becomes truly sick. That kind of combination could work on any later turn, of course, and as soon as the opponent sees in the presence of Anti-Life Equation, he or she will lose mental focus immediately.

Having a small character left to exhaust is a difficult feat to accomplish, even with the help of Hordes of Apokolips. So, let’s try to find characters that are both inexpensive and huge. Two candidates jump straight out of the spoiler—Anti-Green Lantern and Xallarap. Since we need a Darkseid’s Elite character to flip Anti-Life Equation, we now must focus on teaming up with Anti-Matter. Granny Goodness tells me she has much love for the big pink lug, and Armies of Qward seems like it was custom made to blend Parademons with an Anti-Green Lantern swarm. Add in the fact that Armies of Qward can return a few of the KO’d Anti-Green Lanterns, and this just might work. We seem to have a pretty strong base for our risky strategy.

One trick that is key to a successful Anti-Green Lantern deck is the ability to get characters stunned before recovery. While our Anti-Life Equation needs them to be unstunned for bidding leverage, it will not turn off their KO effect in time to save them. There are two cards that will help keep them around for another turn. Locked in Combat is obviously designed for this purpose. Run an Anti-Green Lantern into a defender that has at least 2 ATK and the stun will turn off the KO effect. Is there an even better card? Yes there is. Since we will be teaming with Darkseid’s Elite, we will need four copies of Blood Feud. With the additional breakthrough these pumps provide, this stuff might actually work. I won’t even go into the beatdown that Cosmic Conflict can bring.

You, the casual reader are my teammate, and I need you to help me test this strategy. If you get together a decklist that seems viable, send it to me at fullbodytransplant@hotmail.com. We can compare notes and get it tuned properly for Pro Circuit Indianapolis. I promise to give full credit to my deckbuilding partners in the casual community when we shock the world in Indiana. Here’s to Anti-Life Equation! Cheers.