When the announcement about a DC Crisis set went up a few weeks ago, there was plenty of speculation and guessing on the message boards about how the set would deal with future plot twists in the storyline. I decided to sit down with Justin Gary, and get the details firsthand so that Metagame.com readers will have a better idea of what to expect from this exciting set.

Metagame: For those who don’t know, what is a DC Crisis storyline all about?

Justin Gary: Well, what I can say is that a DC Crisis means a huge, cataclysmic event that is going to significantly change the DC Universe. The current storyline is the Infinite Crisis, and that’s primarily what the new Vs. set is going to focus on.

Metagame: The forums are already buzzing about whether the set will only have characters and storylines from what’s currently happening, or if you’ll be incorporating future revelations that have not yet been made public.

Justin Gary: When I signed on to this project, I wanted to make sure we could do the job right. You can’t have an Infinite Crisis set without actually knowing what happens in the storyline. As a result, we’ve been working very closely with DC, and we have information about all the exciting things that will be happening over the course of the next year during the Infinite Crisis storyline.

Metagame: And that information will be incorporated into the set?

Justin Gary: Oh, yes! It’s presented a lot of unique challenges—for example, we have to try to incorporate the feel of a story that doesn’t quite exist yet. We’ve been informed of the plot points, but until you see it in the comic book, it’s hard to really feel what’s going on. As I’m something of a comic book fanboy myself, this has been a really cool experience, because now I get to know all of the secrets of the DC universe before the public does. I get to come up with cool ways for this set to reflect what’s happening in the Infinite Crisis storyline, both artistically and mechanically. On one hand, it’s really great, because I get to know all these neat things; but on the other hand, it’s kind of frustrating! I’m not allowed to talk about any of this, and no one is going to know about any of the cool stuff I’m doing now until next year.

Metagame: I heard you met with DC not too long ago.

Justin Gary: Yes. I met with them at Comic Con, where we had to be very hush-hush about what we were discussing. I’ve been in constant communication with DC representatives, showing them my ideas and telling them what we want to do for the set. Then, they’ll come back to us with what’s going on in the storyline and what they’d like to see. It’s such an interesting process to collaborate with them and get both of our visions out there.

Metagame: What would you say to Vs. players who really enjoy the flavor aspects of the game, and what would you say to players who are involved in the more competitive side of things? What can they expect from this set?

Justin Gary: Well, for people who are interested in flavor, we’re working very hard to ensure that the set represents the tumultuous nature of the Crisis storyline. Things are not as they were. There’s going to be a lot of darker imagery going on—there will be references to characters and the cataclysmic things happening to them. We’re going to work very hard to make that experience come alive in the game. For players interested in game mechanics, I feel that if we’re having a huge upheaval in the story with things that have never been done before, that upheaval should be reflected in the cards. I’ve been a competitive TCG player my whole life, and just because flavor and thematics are my number-one priority right now, it doesn’t mean that I’ll forget about the hardcore gamers out there. This set should have something for everyone.