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The Sentry™
Card# MTU-017

While his stats aren’t much bigger than those of the average 7-drop, Sentry’s “Pay ATK” power can drastically hinder an opponent’s attacking options in the late game.
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Anthony Justice: A Face in the Crowd

Nate Price

March 24, 2006

After nine grueling rounds of play, we have finally narrowed it down to a single undefeated player. Anthony Justice has piloted his “X-Faces” deck to a perfect 9-0 record thus far on Day 1. The deck is designed to abuse the interaction between Archangel, Angel, X-Corp: Amsterdam, and the various team-ups in the deck, most notably Faces of Evil. The addition of X-Men to the team roster also allows Blackbird Blue to make its way into the deck, which can be truly abusive in the final turns of the game. The deck was designed as a joint effort by some of the best minds in the game. Stand-outs such as Neil Reeves, Nick Little, Jason Hager, Doug Tice, Gabe Walls, Michael Jacob and "random other exceptional Vs. System Player" met over consecutive weeks leading up to the Pro Circuit at a couple of high profile venues. After a week of intense training at Casa Walls, the group headed into Tennessee to the humble abode of one Doug "Tico" Tice. They languished there in an attempt to break the format like a cracker, and eventually this nugget of goodness slipped into being. All was not well, though, as many players in the camp felt that Flying Kick was a better alternative to the Blackbird Blue that appears to me to be one of the main reasons that Anthony has been doing so well. It seems that his decision to stick with the private jet has served him with a first-class ticket to the top of the leader board.

Anthony isn't one to let his success go to his head, though. Enraptured by the thrill of his round 9 victory, he shouted at the top of his lungs, "That's right, yo! Twinkle, twinkle baby," when a spectator commented on his nearly all-foil deck. Always the humble man and always willing to lend his opinion to an eager reporter, he readily answered my questions about his deck after countless minutes of pestering. I'm just kidding. Anthony really is a stellar guy, and I couldn't be happier for him. He's a very meticulous (read: slow) player, and his nature is rewarded by a very low mistake count. This helps him get out of most of the bad situations he could find himself in. He also has a habit of playing toolbox decks that have a plethora of options that he must sift through. X-Faces certainly has the same type of feel to it, as the cards in the deck are incredibly versatile and able to answer just about any situation.

The real power behind this deck is its ability to build an amazing board incredibly fast. It is very reminiscent of the GLEE decks that stormed Pro Circuit in Indianapolis. The similarity to GLEE is also apparent if your opponent manages to somehow clear your board. Hard Sound Construct and Beetle, Armorsmith allow for a drastic turnaround. The deck has a seemingly never-ending string of characters that spew from its many search cards. For a deck that is so versatile, its many searchers make it incredibly consistent, as well.

Despite the deck's incredible strength, it still played second fiddle to the astounding turnout of the Squadron Supreme deck here at PC Atlanta. You can't argue with quality though, as the round 9 matchup featured Anthony and Brian Gates, both of whom were playing Faces of Evil. Anthony's stellar performance today has guaranteed him a solid chance to Top 8 his first PC.

The characters are a major part of this deck. The Angels are used to fetch either the Stormfront-1 or an X-Corp: Amsterdam. Beetle, Armorsmith and Yellowjacket fetch a variety of characters from the deck, as well as fueling the Hard Sound Constructs. Then there is the plethora of utility characters. Each character has a specific role to fill. Speed Demon, Second Chance Speedster and Melissa Gold ◊ Songbird are there for extra beats along with Joystick, for those times you're short on resources. Shocker, Vibro-Shock Villain is there for the mirror match. Melissa Gold ◊ Screaming Mimi is there for the times you need a bit of extra breakthrough. Ape X is important to get Blackbird Blue for the winning turn. In case you don't think you'll be able to kill your opponent on the turn you'd originally planned, or if you just need to prevent some breakthrough, you can grab Marcus Daniels ◊ Blackout. There's a whole lot more crammed in there as well. Take the time, study the decklist, and practice if you plan on playing this deck. It's a highly aggressive deck, but the possibilities are nearly endless. If you don't know what to do in a situation, there's a good chance you'll make a mistake. The key to this deck is to realize each card's role, and practice, practice, practice.