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This is it, guys! The very last pre-preview article about the upcoming wonder set, Marvel Team-Up! Next week, we start the real card previews (kind of like the real Ghostbusters), and yes, we’re all excited for that, let me tell you. Andrew’s excitement reached its zenith a little before Christmas break, and now they tell me he can’t get any meaningful work done on the next set. He just spins around in his chair all day shouting “Weeeeee!” at the top of his diminutive lungs.

So, what’s left? Well, we’ve got some Wild Pack and we’ve got some Negative Zone, and . . .

Bored Billionaires and Saving the World*

Silver Sable is a mercenary hunter of war criminals, leader of the Wild Pack, and CEO of Silver Sable International. The profits from the operation of Silver Sable International drive the national economy of the small European state of Symkaria, which borders the Dr. Doom–ruled nation of Latveria. The friendship between these two states has deep roots, and dates back to World War II.

The Wild Pack was established as a group of battle-hardened mercenaries who aid in the apprehension of international criminals and the recovery of stolen property—for a price. Sable typically led the team of agents into the field, but on occasion, field commanders such as Powell or Battlestar would take control. While typically comprised of elite mercenary soldiers, Sable would sometimes hire freelance operatives such as Spider-Man, Sandman, Deadpool, or Paladin to work with the Pack. Sable later formed an elite sub-group of the Wild Pack comprised of superhuman agents called the Intruders.

Since there are only twelve characters on the team, you only get two spoiler guarantees. Deal with it.

Battlestar: Lemar Hoskins was once a wrestler who was given superhuman strength, endurance, agility, and reflexes by the Power Broker. When the federal Commission on Superhuman Activities selected John Walker to replace Steve Rogers as Captain

America

, Lemar took the identity of Bucky to fight crime by his side. When Steve Rogers eventually returned, Lemar was out of a job. He came up with a new identity, Battlestar, and developed a nearly indestructible adamantium shield patterned on the one Captain America originally carried during WWII. He later became a member of Silver Sable’s Wild Pack, and then eventually returned to the United States and joined the anti-registration movement.

Andrew Yip: Andrew Yip makes his Vs. System debut in Marvel Team-Up! I won’t tell you which card, but you’ll know it when you see it. Anyone questioning the accuracy of putting Yip in the Wild Pack roster should swing over to Wikipedia for confirmation and then eat some crow.

It’s come to my attention that I’ve been giving too much away about what the new teams can do. So I’m not supposed to tell you that some of the Wild Packers work better when you team them up. It sounds similar to the Skrulls, but slightly different—think of it as your main team hiring the Wild Pack to do a job for them. Then there’s the whole card drawing thing they’ve got going on. That’s kind of cool too.

“What the heck? Previews are starting soon, Sneak Preview tournaments are in a few weeks . . . what’s the harm?”

Patrick: “I’m going to punch you in the midget the next time you ‘BWAHAHA.’”

I told you there was Negative Zone, and I wasn’t lying. No more spoilers, though. Instead, here’s another list of characters (or references to related characters or themes) we may or may not have included within the generic and legacy content.

Annihilus: The Living Death that Walks is currently leading the Annihilation Wave, an enormous fleet of Negative Zone battleships, with the aim of conquering the Marvel universe. He claims that the Marvel universe is expanding into areas of the Negative Zone, which makes the Marvel universe rightfully his territory. His forces destroyed The Kyln and the planet Xandar, headquarters of the Nova Corps. He has since gained the aid of Thanos and two beings, Tenebrous and Aegis, who were trapped in the Kyln by Galactus. Upon being freed, Tenebrous and Aegis managed to defeat Galactus and the Silver Surfer, and the Maker and his herald were connected to a giant machine to harness their Power Cosmic. Eventually, Annihilus’s true goal was revealed: to create a massive Power Cosmic bomb with which to destroy the Marvel universe and the Negative Zone, leaving Annihilus the only survivor.

The Super Skrull: The Skrull Emperor Dorrek wanted revenge against the Fantastic Four, who thwarted the Empire’s attempt to invade Earth. Dorrek hand picked the warrior Kl’rt to be the instrument of his revenge. Kl’rt was artificially augmented and given the combined abilities of the Fantastic Four, which he has used to little effect over the years. His repeated failures sent him into an exile of humiliation. During the Annihilation storyline, seeing a chance to redeem himself, Kl’rt attempts to stop the destructive wave before it reaches the Skrull homeworld. After nearly being overwhelmed by the forces of Annihilus, he sacrifices himself by destroying the Harvester of Sorrow, the enormous organic warship that destroyed hundreds of Skrull worlds and wreaked havoc throughout the universe. Kl’rt’s body is later recovered and mysteriously revived.

. . . And someone we just couldn’t live without. Or, at least, Sullivan couldn’t live without:

Joe Fixit: The Hulk worked for a time as a Las Vegas enforcer called Joe Fixit. Joe is of average intelligence, is the smallest and weakest of the Hulk’s various incarnations, and prefers to wear tailored suits. Despite his lower strength, Joe Fixit is able to use cunning and strategy to gain the upper hand against foes expecting a more savage Hulk. Fixit has on occasion teamed-up with Patch, Wolverine’s alter ego, with hilarious results. Their adventures are legendary, and are some of my favorite Hulk/Wolverine stories of all time.

Last time, I said I would explain to you why we didn’t pick the New Warriors. It’s simple: the New Warriors couldn’t have an Army theme. When we started brainstorming ideas for the fifth team in Marvel Team-Up, one of the parameters was that the team had to have an Army theme. Another was that the team could only take up a maximum of ten cards in the set. These parameters were set up by Yip, and I’m not one to crush someone’s artistic vision.

Right away, that first parameter disqualified the New Warriors, as well as the Runaways and the Young Avengers. It’s better to wait until we have more room in a later set, because disappointing fans is something we try hard to avoid. Anyway, would you really want a ten-card New Warriors team?

One of the first ideas that fit the established parameters was a Sentinels re-feature. Yip hated the idea. The set already had three re-features, and he feared the player outrage at giving the Sentinels ten new legacy cards with which to re-enter and perhaps dominate the metagame. Sentinels were out. The next and probably coolest idea was finally to introduce those kings of espionage (sorry DC), S.H.I.E.L.D.! They fit the mold perfectly: an Army theme, and a roster that could easily be trimmed to ten cards or less. We both went all in for this . . . until we got word from the boss of bosses that he was saving S.H.I.E.L.D. for 2008. Yeah, that was a spoiler, by the way.

Deflated, we quickly searched for another team to fill the Army role in Marvel Team-Up that would still relate to Spider-Man, his amazing friends, and to a lesser degree the Heralds of Galactus set. Enter Silver Sable and her Wild Pack. The rest is history.