Darwin Kastle is a true dinosaur of card games. He has been finishing way ahead of the pack since well into the last millennium. He’s 4-2, also known as “on the edge,” playing Marvel Knights/Underworld.

Although he is surely a widely known player, he is not the reason I was prepared to come to blows with reporters much heavier than me to get this match.

The reason is really João Bento. He’s the first Portuguese player ever to get a feature match in a PC, so I really had to be here. He is also 4-2, packing Marvel Knights/Spider-Friends.

Things did not kick off well for Bento, who had to take a mulligan. Still, his second four gave him a first turn Dagger, Child of Light. Kastle fetched his first character with Wild Ride. He got himself a second turn Iron Fist, and João answered with Blade, Eric Brooks.

A second Dagger gave the Portuguese player Midnight Sons, and on turn 3 he played Elektra, Elektra Natchios revealing Luke Cage, Power Man. Kastle came back with Mr. Mulligan himself, Brother Voodoo. Blade chased down Brother Voodoo with a vengeance, and Kastle traded his hand before both characters got stunned.

On turn 4, Darwin dropped his own Elektra, Elektra Natchios with boost, and João Bento had no play. “Well, that seems bad for you,” mused Kastle while checking his characters. Sure enough, he crashed through Bento’s characters like there was no tomorrow.

Turn 5 meant Daredevil, Matt Murdock for . . . both players, actually. Bento’s Daredevil went after Brother Voodoo, and the Portuguese got tricky. He teamed up Marvel Knights and Spider-Friends to reveal Daily Bugle.

Darwin also teamed up (Underworld and Marvel Knights) and traded in two cards before letting his character stun. Daily Bugle allowed Bento to flip back one of his Wild Rides.

Iron Fist struck back with the help of Black Magic to drive through Blade and drop Bento to 22. A flurry of plot twists later, Kastle’s Elektra seemed big enough to bring down João’s Daredevil. Still, the Portuguese had teamed up with Spider-Friends so he could have Spider Senses. And he did.

The American smiled and used Wild Ride to find Blade, The Daywalker for turn 6 (that’s with Boost, obviously). João dropped the Luke Cage, Power Man we had seen earlier.

Kastle’s Daredevil traded with Luke Cage, bringing the endurance totals to Darwin 19, João 16. The towering American redid his math one more time and sent Elektra, along with Crime and Punishment, into her lover-boy Daredevil.

Bento looked at the endurance totals and figured he couldn’t survive the turn. Darwin Kastle’s remaining army would finish him off. So, he quickly conceded.

Kastle reduced the game to a single sentence. “When you missed the turn 4 drop, that’s crucial.”