Both Joe and David are accomplished Vs. System players. Joseph has one $10K Top 8 to his name, while David has two, including $10K Orlando 2004 and the very recent $10K Atlanta. In addition, both of these players are consistent money winners on the Pro Circuit. Josh Wiitanen stopped by at the beginning of the round to offer his friend Joe some encouragement: “You are so going to lose!” That was nice of him. Before the clock started, the judging staff warned the players about playing slowly (the last match went twenty-three minutes past the end of the round). “If we go to time, it’s on you,” said Joe, nodding at David. He was met with a smile.
David won the die roll and kept his hand. Joe took a mulligan. David played Wild Ride from his resource row, fetching the predictable Micro-Chip. Joe had no play, and David attacked for 1. Joe had a play for turn 2, though, in the form of Scarlet Witch, Eldritch Enchantress. David matched him with Hounds of Ahab in the hidden area. Joe made the only attack he could. “To run away . . . or not to run away? That’s the question . . .” David contemplated whether or not he should use his Micro-Chip to flip down Wild Ride. Eventually, he opted to remove the little guy from the game, and Scarlet Witch readied and attacked David directly. David sent the Hounds in to Scarlet Witch for the mutual stun. He discarded Mikado and Mosha to Quick Kill the Witch, and that was the turn. 47–45 Joe.
Turn 3 was David’s initiative and he dropped a little bit of tech—his 3-drop was Kang, Kang Cobra. He put Kang behind the Hounds in the hidden area and then passed the recruit step to Joe. Darkoth was brought out, and that was sufficient to stop any attacks from David’s side of the board. Joe happily attacked for 4, bringing the endurance totals to 47–41.
Joe’s turn 4 initiative brought Sabretooth, Feral Rage into play, protecting Darkoth. David had Luke Cage, Street Enforcer, adding his third team to the board. Before Joe attacked, he used No Man Escapes the Manhunters to pull the Hounds out of the hidden area. Sabretooth rolled over the Hounds, and Darkoth attacked David directly. David began his attack step with Sucker Punch, assuring that his characters wouldn’t stun. He attacked Luke into Sabretooth and then used Crime and Punishment to help Kang take down Darkoth. Joe lost Darkoth in recovery. David was still down on endurance, 36–24, but this had been a surprisingly good turn for him.
David wasted no time in recruiting his optimal 5-drop. “Daredevil?” asked Joe. David nodded and played the giant Marvel Knight in the visible area next to his Hounds. Joe played Pyro and Mammomax. He left Mammomax in the front row and hid Pyro behind Sabretooth. David’s first attack brought Daredevil into Mammomax, and Joe didn’t have anything to stop him. His second attack sent Kang into Sabretooth, who was stunned with the help of a Savage Beatdown. Luke crushed Pyro, and the Hounds KO’d Sabretooth. David drew a card for Luke Cage in the process, and Joe could only shake his head. Joe was left with only Mammomax at the end of the turn and his endurance lead had disappeared—David now led 18 to 14.
Joe had the initiative on the sixth turn and brought out Darkoth, Toad, and Thornn. Each of his characters was put in the front row, with the exception of Darkoth, who was set behind Mammomax. David had Yelena Belova, Black Widow and a second Hounds. Joe’s first attack sent Darkoth into David’s visible Hounds. He used both Mega-Blast and Darkoth’s ability, dealing a crushing 15 points of endurance loss. Joe next declared Toad into Daredevil. “To run away, or not to run away . . .” David had only 3 endurance and went into the tank to consider whether using Daredevil’s ability was the right move. “How many Beatdowns do you have?” he asked Joe. “Six,” deadpanned Joe. David smiled and went back into the tank. Eventually, he decided to use Daredevil’s ability. Joe declared a team-attack of all of his remaining characters into David. He pumped Thornn with a discarded Unus, but David had the Mikado and Mosha. Joe used a Flying Kick, a Savage Beatdown, and a copy of The New Brotherhood to bring Mammomax’s and Toad’s combined ATK to 22. “Alright, I’m done . . . now kill me.”
David had 31 points of ATK on the table, but he needed to overcome a 35-point endurance deficit. He began by playing Sucker Punch, then thought for a while. His first attack sent Yelena into Mammomax, and he drew a card from Luke Cage. Next, he sent Luke into Darkoth. He used No Man Escapes the Manhunters on Toad—a card he should certainly have played on Darkoth—and then he attacked Kang into Toad. The endurance totals were at -22 to -3 at this point, and David didn’t have enough pump to win. He had to use his Hounds’ ability to attempt to draw a Savage Beatdown, but he got a Wild Ride, instead. Without enough ATK to overcome the endurance deficit, David extended the hand.
Joe Carey wins!