It wouldn’t be a European $10K without a feature match on Hans Joachim Höh. With his Top 8 finish at PC New York, he positioned himself firmly as the game’s European money leader . . . as if it were in much doubt before then. Today, Hans has me at something of a disadvantage, playing against a fellow German with whom he can make cheeky comments, with only a little smile giving him away. What he doesn’t know, though, is that I speak German.
Alex is another member of Hans’s testing group, but he elected to play something a little different than his opponent. He flipped an Optitron on turn 1 to fetch Hank Hall ◊ Hawk, signaling Teen Titans. Hans had G’Nort, and his dog got to bite at Alex’s ankles. On turn 2 it was Kyle Rayner, Last Green Lantern for Höh, and it came ready with its toolbox. A Light Armor proved the weapon of choice, and Kyle put it on himself. Wally West ◊ Kid Flash was Jersch’s play, but he was a little on the back foot after Höh’s start.
Hawk and Dove joined Wally, and Alex further improved the quality of his hand with USS Argus. Hans seemed to like this idea, flipping Willworld, and hitting Dr. Light, Master of Holograms with it, and being forced to discard Chopping Block. While the doctor is no longer winning the game on turn 3, he is still a real threat in a deck with as many strong, small, utility characters as The GLEE Club. When the doctor was given some Light Armor of his own to match Kyle’s, Alex’s board seemed a little outclassed. Dawn Granger had to take out G’Nort while Wally West went for Kyle Rayner. Hank Hall and Dr. Light also traded, and Jersch temporarily held superior board position (something that Light had a few plans about remedying).
Ch’p was what Hans chose to spend his resource points on, but it was far from his last recruit. Dr. Light fetched Kyle Rayner back from the grave, and he in turn found a third Light Armor to give the squirrel. Terra was Jersch’s recruit, and quite a threatening one given her ability to stun most members of Hans’s board at a moment’s notice. Ch’p beat up Hank Hall without incident, and when Kyle Rayner went for Dawn Granger, things looked bleak for her with Emerald Twilight getting rid of her friend. A Tamaran and a natural power-up were enough to spoil that plan, though, and Kyle lost out in the fight.
“He knows how to do it,” remarked Hans with a smile.
Terra stunned Dr. Light to get rid of USS Argus, and the turn was over.
Turn 5 saw a new USS Argus from Jersch, which got a little bit of a chuckle. Garth was enough to wipe that smile away, though, and Hans went to the tank to find the right recruit. Dr. Light would do nothing this turn, as Terra stunned him before he could get active. Remoni-Notra ◊ Star Sapphire was the recruit from the long haired Höh, and he gave her his final Light Armor.
Dawn Granger made a daring attack into Ch’p with the aid of a Titans Tower activation, discarding another Garth. The complete set of Titans locations was enough to put Hans in pretty rough shape. Garth fetched back a USS Argus and attacked into Remoni-Notra with a Tamaran power-up for the extra damage. His board stunned, there were no attacks back from Höh.
Turn 6 saw both Olapet and Ch’p from Höh, and Alex appeared to like the under-dropping plan enough that he also pursued it, right after shooting Olapet with Terra so that he could get two USS Argus activations that turn. When he boosted out Hawk and Dove and had Roy Harper ◊ Arsenal as well, it was enough to elicit the shake from Höh.
Alex Jersch wins.