Earlier in the day, we brought you an article looking at the top players in Sydney. As a followup, the logic went, it would be good to do a feature article on whichever member of Team VsParadise was dominating the field late in this, the construction portion of PCLA. There’s one small problem.

“Our best player is 4-2.”

Scott Smith, the tall talkative Aussie, was the bearer of bad news. At 22 years old, Smith is the #1 ranked Limited player in the world. He was among those at the top of the Down Under heap. “We didn’t expect to do much better than this. Our game plan is to get to Day 2 and dominate.”

Such words of confidence might seem cocky or brash, but Smith has earned the right to talk the talk, because he walks the walk. The winner of two PCQs and runner-up in two others, Smith is honest about his ranking, admitting that the sheer number of Australian tournaments is likely as responsible for his high standing as his skills. But when you listen to him speak, you know he’s a confident man who knows what he knows.

“I think (VsParadise) has done more drafting than anyone in the world . . . I think we must have done at least 200.” Gathering twice a week to do three drafts a night, the team has come as close as anyone to mastering the impossible-to-master task of Vs System Sealed Pack.

Smith, who will become a high school math teacher when he finishes school, knows that when it comes to understanding the subtleties of Sealed Pack, he has certain advantages. “Having a regular group of 8-9 guys to draft with is key. When the Sydney Games center opened, I started spending all my free time there. It gave us a gathering place. It’s really an amazing place for gaming. We’re all friends and able to learn from one another. I think that’s a big part of what’s made us work as a team.”

According to Smith, one of the keys to understanding Sealed Pack is the experience that comes with repetition. To make the transition from Constructed to Sealed Pack, it doesn’t just take a couple of new tries: It’s an entirely different game. The same can be said for each limited draft format that blossoms with the release of a new set.

“With Marvel Origins, there were very few common 6-drops, so if you saw one, you took it. DC Origins was all about the plot twists. The plot twists stayed important in Web of Spider-Man, but there were only two teams, so affiliation drafting wasn’t too important. Now, with Superman: Man of Steel, we’re getting used to drafting by affiliation again.” The point is that every set is different, and the cards provide different strengths in each case. Only through drafting repeatedly can one truly understand how to exploit those strengths.

There are obviously other keys as well. Smith insists that in Constructed one can deviate, but in Sealed Pack, drafting the curve is always correct. This is a lesson he learned from drafting Magic: the Gathering, the game he used to play. “I really like Magic, but I don’t have the time to play both it and Vs. System. I’m definitely quitting Magic.” Ironic in that it was Magic that led to his finding out about Vs System.

Four years ago, Smith was working in a comic store when he saw some customers playing Magic: The Gathering. The game interested him and he tried it with his father, but the elder Smith wasn’t interested in playing beyond that first time and soon Scott had found other players his age with whom he could game.

When the group heard about Vs System’s release, they immediately bought six boxes, tore them open and divided the cards by team affiliation. They were hooked immediately. The creation of www.vsparadise.com provided a forum in which they could discuss the game strategically.

As with Magic, Scott was finding he enjoyed the limited game more than the constructed one. While disappointed with his 27th place finish in the Sydney $10K, he knew that he wasn’t likely to thrive in the Constructed environment. However, that’s one of the things he truly appreciates about Vs System: Sealed Pack is given equal billing.

A hard core gamer, due to finances, Scott admits he’ll have to do well here in order to afford the long and expensive flights from Australia to future PCs. “Coming here wasn’t about making money . . . it was about friends.” he takes pride in Australia’s strong standing on the international scene, noting that even Australian head judge Paul Ross was brought out for the event.

“I love Vs.” he said as he completed his interview. Funny how a man so chatty can say so much by saying so little.