What a cool summer this has been! In my little egocentric world, things couldn’t be better. I’ve gotten to see some of the coolest movies ever. I got a sweet new job writing about a game I love for all of you wonderful people out there who take time from your bustling lives to listen to what I have to say. I will get to attend Gen Con and see friends who live all over the globe. I even ran over a complete stranger while riding shotgun with Freddie Prinze, Jr.

Wait . . . that was last summer. Wow, I hope that nothing bad comes from that.

Moving on.

I got to attend the Sneak Peek tournament for Green Lantern and finish high enough to get product. I will even get to go to the Avengers Sneak Peek. You may be wondering why I’m making such a big deal about the Sneak Peek tournaments. The simple reason is that I love new sets. Really. The main thing I love about them is that the playing field is leveled. That’s the reason I’m such a big fan of Modern Age formats, too. You go into the events knowing only the cards that have been previewed. There isn’t any established tech or deck types. No one knows what cards are good or bad. It’s up to each player to analyze the cards for him or herself.

Vs. System is a difficult game to play casually. For now, the card pool is too limited for casual decks to proliferate. Tournaments on the higher level can get really competitive nowadays. The only real place to get that casual atmosphere is at the Sneak Peeks.

This is especially true around here. I’m friends with all of the players in the area. While preparing for tournaments, things can get kind of high strung here. Perfection is on everyone’s mind. At Sneak Peeks, everyone gets far more casual with their attitudes and things get really laid back. Players actually start having fun—Sneak Peeks aren’t work for them. And it’s like that worldwide. Sneak Peeks allow even the most honed, cutthroat tournament players to relax and have that most taboo of things—fun. Sneak Peeks are like miniature birthday parties. You get massive amounts of fun with your friends and some nifty presents. All that’s missing is the birthday cake.

Back to the presents, though. There are many constants in the universe. Things fall down. Air is good. Fire is hot. Everyone loves presents. I am no exception and I bet that anyone reading this isn’t, either. Presents satisfy one of the biggest urges we all have—the urge to get as much as we can. Sneak Peeks satisfy the present lover in all of us. The best part is that they’re new presents. It’s not like a normal Sealed Pack tournament. No sir, these presents have never before been seen by public eyes. Never will you hear so many cries of “What does that card do?” in your life. It’s like a day at the library. Everyone has their head down, reading the little bundles of joy just given to them. After they’re done examining the little presents they’ve just unwrapped, they get to play games.

Ah, games. Games are something else I hold near and dear to my heart. At different points in my life, I’ve played them either for fun or money, but one thing remains the same—the main reason I play is for the social aspect. I am a social gamer to a fault. I enjoy good times with my friends above all else. Games like this come packed full of socialization. Go to any $10K event or PC and you’ll soon know an extended family’s worth of friends. Go to another event and they’ll be there. Each event becomes like a family reunion. You get to see people you haven’t seen in months.

Sneak Peeks are like coming home for a Thanksgiving dinner. These are your local friends, people you see on a regular basis. You also get some of the extended family returning home for a night with the immediate family. These are the players from the more distant parts. You see them at the local PCQs, but their home stores aren’t the same as yours. Getting all of these gamers in the same place at the same time is an excuse for a good time. Sneak Peeks present the perfect atmosphere for good socializing, too. You should take advantage of this. Get to know some of the players in your area. You might make a new friend. You might even learn a thing or two. Most of all, you could have—gasp—fun.

Now for the preview.

I got the privilege of previewing one of my favorite of all the Avengers, Black Panther. One of the things I like the most about Black Panther is the vibe he gives. He is very much like the Batman of the Marvel world. His powers are simple—heightened senses, speed, and strength. He also has a really cool suit that is meant both to resemble his namesake and to strike fear into the hearts of his enemies. He is a master of martial arts as well as an expert tracker and detective. He primarily operates at night and roams the street looking to put an end to the evil and corruption around him. His alter ego is a smooth-operating king of a wealthy African nation.

Sound like anyone else you know?

Black Panther has a cool little back story. Born T’Challa in the poor African nation of Wakanda, Black Panther was a young prince when his father was killed by a ruthless ivory hunter named Ulysses Klaw. Wakanda sat on a large deposit of a rare metal known as Vibranium, and Klaw wanted it. With his father’s death weighing heavily on his heart and mind, T’Challa swore revenge on Klaw. Ultimately, T’Challa got his revenge and thwarted Klaw’s raid on his homeland.

After his victory over Klaw, T’Challa was sent overseas to be educated at the finest schools Europe and America had to offer. After graduating with a physics degree, he returned home and readied himself to take his rightful place as the leader of Wakanda. It was not an easy task, though, as he needed to defeat Wakanda’s six greatest warriors in a test of hand-to-hand combat. He also needed to unlock the secret of the heart-shaped herb that is the source of the chieftains’ powers.

After completing these grueling tasks, T’Challa adopted the mantle of Black Panther, the totem of Wakanda’s people. Thanks to T’Challa, Wakanda prospered and became one of the most technically advanced nations on the planet. Eventually, Captain America came to Wakanda to ask Black Panther to join the Avengers. The rest, as they say, is history.

Unfortunately, Black Panther’s tenure on the Avengers roster couldn’t last forever. Despite being a member of one of the most effective and prestigious superhero teams ever to walk the planet, Black Panther was also T’Challa, king of Wakanda. He had a country to run, and those duties forced him to return to his homeland. But, being a good man and an invaluable tool against evil, he couldn’t completely stay away from the Avengers. As a member of the reserves, Black Panther is free to run his country and help the Avengers in their most desperate times of need.

Now you know enough about Black Panther to see him in all his glorious majesty. Allow me to introduce you to the one, the only, Black Panther.

 

 

Not too shabby.

Black Panther comes with a nice 4 ATK/3 DEF body attached to his 3-drop frame. Also, as a member of the Avengers Reserves, he has the reservist ability. Reservist allows you to recruit a character from your resource row and replace it with a card in your hand. It’s a nifty way of maintaining hand quality. If you don’t have any plot twists in your hand, you can simply place a reservist in your row and then recruit him and replace him with a plot twist on a later turn. Not a bad deal.

On top of having the reservist ability, Black Panther comes with a way to abuse a large number of reservists. Upon recruiting him, you can reveal any reservists waiting in your row, and he gets a +1 ATK/+1 DEF counter for each one revealed. If you have played all reservists up to that point and replace Black Panther with another reservist, he gets to come into play as a whopping 7 ATK/6 DEF.

Wow.

Wolverine, Logan was big at 6 ATK/6 DEF. Elektra, Elektra Natchios was huge at 6 ATK/3 DEF. But 7 ATK/6 DEF is just plain humongous. The only real downside to him is that he’s hidden. His more-than-acceptable frame would be really nice on the visible side of the road to absorb some damage. However, even his drawbacks come with blessings. Since he’s hidden, no one attacks him without his say so. He just gets to hide in the shadows and leap out on some unsuspecting 4-drop to pound its brains in. Then the dominoes fall, characters start attacking down, and all is well. For you, that is.

The only thing I’m worried about at this stage is whether or not there will be enough quality reservists in Avengers to support his ability to its fullest. I haven’t seen the whole list. Frowntown. However, after reading comic books for far too long, I know that there are enough reservists in the Marvel universe to fill an entire set. Hopefully the Avengers’ recruiters did their jobs well.

You know what they say about the Avengers Reserves, right? It’s not your everyday job. Wow, that’s true on so many levels.

Well, I’ve said my piece. On a serious note, though, please take time out of your schedule to head to the Sneak Peek tournament. I promise that they’re about the most fun you’ll ever have playing this game. I know that I’m counting down the days until I get to crack brand new packs and have a ball with my friends. I hope you guys are looking forward to this as much as I am. I’ll let you know how my Sneak Peek tournament went next week. Until then, try to have a little fun this weekend.

Or else.