Metagame.com - Take Your Game to the Next Level

This match has the unbridled originality of Jason Scudder’s Spider-Friends/Gotham Knights monstrosity, as well as the beginning of Ben Stoll’s renewed rise to the upper echelons of the Vs. community.

Stoll had nothing but good things to say when Jason arrived at the table. “Big props for originality. I tried it once, and it didn’t work out too well for me. At all.”

“I haven’t lost a match against Curve Sentinels all tournament,” Jason let Ben know. “Well, I haven’t lost a match against Spider Knights either, if you can believe it.”

Game 1

Stoll lead off with the requisite turn 1 Boliver Trask. At this point I am actually just copying and pasting that line into my match coverage. Jason matched him with an Alfred Pennyworth. Turn 2 saw Jason Bat-Signal for a Spoiler ◊ Robin. Ben picked it up and said, “I’ve, like, never even looked at this card.” He then dropped a Hounds of Ahab into play. The 2-drops traded and then Ben got to use a Finishing Move on Jason’s Spoiler.

After drawing his cards for turn 3, Ben looked up and sighed, “This game’s over. I have no 3-drop.” He wasn’t bluffing, folks. After Ben passed his recruit, Jason took the time to get everybody’s favorite card drawing engine—Barbara Gordon ◊ Oracle—into play.

Turn 4 saw Ben start to get back on track with a Sentinel Mark V to match Jason’s Cassandra Cain ◊ Batgirl. Cassandra picked on Boliver, which left Mark V free to bash Barbie. Ben flipped up a Total Anarchy to try to get her off the board completely, and Jason went into action. Before Barbara could stun, Jason played Flame Trap to KO Ben’s Hounds. He then activated Alfred to get a Have a Blast, which he promptly used to get rid of the troublesome Anarchy.

Ben didn’t look happy when he drew for turn 5 and Jason correctly guessed the problem. “Missing Nimrod?” Jason asked. “I am missing Nimrod, so I need to think.” Ben ultimately settled on playing a Reconstruction Program to get the recently killed Hounds of Ahab, which he played alongside his late Sentinel Mark II. This was not the best turn for Ben, but at least he kept himself in the game. Jason recruited Batman, Caped Crusader, and Stoll went into the tank. When he came out, he sent Mark II into Ms. Gordon. One Nasty Surprise later, both characters were stunned. Mark V continued the beats and smashed into Batman with the help of a Savage Beatdown. Jason then got to send his Cassandra Cain into Stoll’s Boliver. Before he stunned, though, he fired a Finishing Move off at Batman. He then used Hounds of Ahab to play another Finishing Move at Jason’s Barbara. That’s three, for those of you keeping track at home.

Turn 6 saw Jason starting with only a Cassandra Cain to his name, but at least he got to bring a Dick Grayson ◊ Nightwing to the show. Ben matched his 6-drop with a Bastion. This would prove most unfortunate for Jason, as Bastion’s utter ridiculousness allowed him to stun Nightwing without stunning himself, and also allowed him to help Nimrod stun Cassandra Cain with no stun.

On turn 7, Ben popped a Genosha in an attempt to find his Magneto, Master of Magnetism, but apparently he wasn’t magnetic enough. Ben deliberated for a long time before deciding to recruit a Boliver Trask, as well as a Nimrod. Jason got to recruit the Amazing One himself, Spiderman, The Amazing Spiderman. It looked like he might have been able to climb back into this one yet. Spiderman ended up exhausting all of Ben’s characters with a cost of 4 or more, thereby ending the turn.

Turn 8 saw Jason recruit big poppa Apocalypse. Ben had unfortunately had to blow a Genosha looking for a Magneto last turn, so he couldn’t match the Apocalypse. Ultimately, he settled on playing a Sentinel Mark V and a Sentinel Mark II as his recruits for the turn. Jason exhausted Ben’s back row and then slowly decimated his front row. After attacking Apocalypse into a Mark II for what would appear to be lethal, Jason extended his hand, expecting Stoll to scoop it up. However, Stoll wasn’t quite sure he was dead. When Jason showed him a Savage Beatdown, Stoll finally caved. “Alright, alright, you got me.”

Game 2

Stoll chose evens and the game began. Both players decided to play nothing on turn 1. Stoll managed to get a Hounds of Ahab into play, despite the fact that he’s only running one. Not too bad. Sadly for Jason, he was unable to make a character on turn 2 and was in danger of getting Hound-locked early.

Things started to look up when Jason managed to draw Barbara Gordon ◊ Oracle on turn 3, literally off the deck and into play. Ben’s Sentinel Mark II made quick work of it, though, and the Hounds got another meal. This lead to another stellar topdeck by Jason, as he ripped his Will O’ the Wisp off the top ropes to once again stave off having to under-drop. Ben continued the near perfect curve by playing Sentinel Mark V. This let him stun Willy and munch him away with Hounds.

The effects of Hounds lock were definitely being felt by Jason here. He had to use Avalon Space Station to return his Will O’ the Wisp from his KO’d pile in order to have anything close to a drop for turn 5. Ben managed to get his ideal Nimrod. When Ben revealed the Bastion he had lined up for next turn, Jason scooped.

Game 3

When drawing up for the next game, Jason took a look at his first card and immediately said “I keep.” Turns out he had an Alfred Pennyworth for turn 1. Ben’s curve woes from game 1 appeared to continue, as he had nothing for turn 1 or even for turn 2, where Jason played Spoiler ◊ Robin. Getting some of his working-class frustration out on Ben, Alfred took his silver tray and went to the dome for 1.

Turn 3 saw Ben finally find a Sentinel he could play in Sentinel Mark II. Jason matched this with an impressive sixth straight Barbara Gordon ◊ Oracle on turn 3. Ben attacked in and Jason got to Alfred for Bat-Signal, which he then played to go get Cassandra Cain ◊ Batgirl. She came down next turn, much to Ben’s chagrin. “Biggest 4-drop ever,” Ben complained. She was more than a match for the Sentinel Mark V Ben had just recruited and, with only one pump, she managed to stun him without getting stunned herself.

Turn 5 found Ben unfortunately having to recruit Boliver Trask to get another Mark V. “I think I’ve dropped worse against you than anyone else in the tournament,” Ben said. From what I’ve seen so far, that has to be unfortunately true. Jason continued his perfect curve, however, and dropped a Lady Shiva on to the table. “What does that N.F. on your hand stand for?” Jason asked while Ben was thinking. “No 5-drop,” Ben cleverly replied. Mark 5.1 attacked into Spoiler and stunned her, while Mark 5.2 attacked into Cassandra Cain. Once the path was cleared, Boliver and Mark II went into Barbara Gordon, stunning her.

Turn 6 started with Ben having a slight board advantage, but a 2 point deficit in endurance. Jason started off by recruiting Iceman, Cool Customer which prompted Ben, the judge, and myself to all read the card. Nick Little, watching from the peanut gallery, shouted, “We’ve got a reader, boys!” After sort of figuring out what Iceman did, Ben recruited Bastion. Iceman battled it out with Mark II, knocking Stoll down a bit more. However, Jason chose to spend the remainder of the turn using his characters to team up Spider-Friends and Gotham Knights with Millennium, and then Bat-Signaling for the Ace of Spades, Spiderman, The Amazing Spiderman. “I love how you never attack me when it’s your initiative, Stoll quipped as Jason searched through his deck. When Jason revealed Spidey, Ben realized, “Oh, with that guy, I guess you don’t need to.” Bastion decided to take advantage of a lull in Jason’s combat by going after Iceman. He pumped himself once, and Jason flipped over the Nasty Surprise Ben was fearing. “Wow, you are so much luckier than me. Oh well.” Undeterred by the loss of its leader, Mark V decided to head into Cassandra Cain, resulting in a mutual stun.

Going into turn 7, Jason yelled, “Yes!” He revealed the Avalon Space Station he just drew to go with the Spiderman, The Amazing Spiderman he got last turn. Doesn’t seem fair, does it? Ben finally managed to get a Magneto, Master of Magnetism into play on his side, though it looked like it might not be enough. Jason used Spiderman to exhaust Ben’s entire team. He then sent his entire team into Magneto.

On turn 8, both players managed to get the mercenary Apocalypse. This was the first time all match that Ben got to play the upper end of his turn, but since it was Jason’s initiative, it appeared that it might not matter. Jason used Spidey to exhaust Ben’s Mark V, and then bashed into him with Mr. En Sabah Nur. Ben reinforced, and then Jason sent his entire team into Magneto. Once he realized he was dead, Ben conceded.

Jason moves on to the finals!