When you’re a member of a three-person minority in a 125-player group, it isn’t too tough to stand out. Upon making initial contact with Daniella Grijalva, one can’t help but notice that, unlike most of the players here, she is in fact a woman. When it comes to Vs. System, however, she’s just one of the guys.

A native of Covina, California, Daniella’s story should ring familiar with the women gamers of the world. “I got into the game with my boyfriend,” reminisced the 22-year-old prospective bartender. “We used to play other games, so we knew we’d give Vs. System a try when it was released.”

Playing Heroes United today, Daniella explained with a smile that she made her choice because, “It’s the little deck that could.” Mixing the Fantastic Four with the X-Men, she shot off to a 3-0 start before running into the Patrick Yapjoco freight train.

“My boyfriend is definitely better than I am, but I played at PC LA, so I’m not too bad,” she remarked, clearly underselling herself. When asked how she did there, she demonstrated a maturity and logic not found in many players. “I scrubbed out. Boy, did I scrub out.”

Asked about being a woman in a man’s world, she said that male opponents often underestimated her, going so far as to explain the cards when playing them. While she will patiently wait those guys out, she doesn’t play up the “I’m just a girl” angle. Not that it matters—most of her opponent glue their eyes to the table in front of them, not wanting to be lured in by her feminine wiles or wound their male pride by losing to a woman.

“The game is awesome. I love the characters, inconsistent draws aren’t much of a problem . . . I love it!” Now, having proven she can compete with the big boys, Daniella’s ready to take the next step and finish big in a big event. This might be her day.