It was another all-international matchup (which is becoming more and more common, isn’t it?), as an overseas battle hit the PC like an earthquake.
Maik Stich is from southwest Germany. He’s one of the few Germans not under the banner of the Big Team (with Hans Hoh and Andre Müller). No, this Vs. veteran is a force in his own right, and he’s in the spotlight for his sixth feature match in two days.
Benoit Chaurette is from my hometown, Montreal, in that far-off country called “Canuckistan,” where we have beavers and maple syrup and hockey and stuff. He’s been rolling steadily toward a PC Top 8 for a while now. He had a solid Day 1 at PC: New York, where he finished in the money, and he’s at top table status here.
It was a French Canadian versus a German. Germany won the roll, choosing the even initiatives. Stich kept his hand, while Chaurette opted to mulligan.
After a double pass on turn 1, the action headed into . . .
Turn 2
Maik passed, missing his drop again. Benoit recruited Hector Hammond and attacked directly.
Turn 3
Benoit flipped up Book of Oa and got a card, discarding Catcher’s Mitt. He then recruited Qwardian Watchdog and placed it in front of Hector Hammond.
Maik recruited Manhunter Guardsman. Both players passed on attacks, and the turn ended.
Turn 4
Maik had the initiative. He used his Guardsman to bring out Manhunter Engineer for only 2 resource points, and then he recruited Gnaxos and formed everyone in the front row. Benoit recruited Malvolio and put him behind the Watchdog. Hector Hammond was also in support.
Maik sent Gnaxos after Hector Hammond. He then sent the Guardsman into the Watchdog, flipping Ole to get the stun and send the dog to the hidden area. His next move was to throw his Engineer at Malvolio, flipping two copies of Locked In Combat and then flipping Qwardian Pincer. Benoit flipped Pest Control in response, and then Maik flipped Manhunter Transphere. Benoit responded with Fire Support. The Engineer stunned, and Malvolio survived. The endurance totals were tied at 45 each.
At the start of the recovery phase, the Engineer was KO’d, while Benoit recovered Hector Hammond.
Turn 5
Benoit used Book of Oa for two cards before discarding Manhunter Protector. He recruited Element Man in his hidden area, and he put Hector Hammond behind Malvolio.
Maik recruited Manhunter Excavator with boost, bringing the Engineer back from the KO’d pile. He put Gnaxos behind Manhunter Excavator and the Engineer behind the Guardsman.
Benoit flipped Hard-Traveling Heroes for a card, teaming-up Emerald Enemies and Anti-Matter. He then moved Element Man to the visible area to replace a resource.
Benoit sent Element Man into the Manhunter Excavator. He then sent Hector Hammond into the Guardsman. Maik flipped Lanterns in Love to recover the Excavator, exhausting the defending Guardsman and Gnaxos. At the end of the turn, the endurance totals were 37 to 45 in Benoit’s favor.
Turn 6
Maik recruited Guy Gardner, Strong Arm of the Corps with boost for an ATK pump on everybody. He chained the Engineer’s ability to it, putting a resource row Manhunter Giant into play so that he would gain the effect as well. He put the Engineer behind Gnaxos, the Giant behind the Excavator, and Guy behind the Guardsman.
Benoit used Book of Oa for two cards, discarding another copy of Manhunter Protector. He recruited Fiero into his visible area along with Governor Tozad. He placed Fiero in front of Element Man, Malvolio in front of Hector Hammond, and Tozad in support
At the beginning of combat, Benoit activated Tozad, and Maik exhausted Gnaxos as a result. Maik sent his Guy into Element Man, and Hector Hammond reinforced. Both characters were stunned. Next up was the (not so friendly) Giant planting his meaty fists into Malvolio. After that, the Guardsman stepped up to the plate with Hector Hammond in his sights. Maik powered-up the Guardsman to ensure the stun. Finally, he sent his Engineer into Fiero, who burned Maik in retaliation before stunning.
When the dust from battle had settled, the endurance totals were 29 to 28 in Stich’s favor. Benoit recovered Element Man, and the next turn loomed.
Turn 7
Benoit recruited Alan Scott and placed him in front of Tozad, with Element Man in support. Maik, who was down to 6 resource points because of his Giant play, recruited a boosted Mark Shaw. Gnaxos was behind Guy, Shaw was behind the Guardsman, the Giant was behind the Engineer, and the Excavator was in the front row.
Benoit sent Element Man into Guy, adding a power-up. Maik flipped Ole in response, forcing the double stun. Alan Scott was next, enshrouding the Giant in green energy for a big 10-point reduction in endurance. Tozad couldn’t attack, so he activated to exhaust Gnaxos again.
Maik team attacked Alan Scott with Manhunter Excavator, the Guardsman, and Mark Shaw. He discarded Manhunter Infiltrator to give +2 ATK to Shaw. Benoit revealed In Remembrance and replaced a character for a DEF boost. Maik then discarded a Guardsman for another +2 ATK. Alan Scott stunned Shaw in return to eliminate that threat for the next turn.
Maik then sent the Engineer into Tozad, making the endurance totals 8 to 13 in Chaurette’s favor. Benoit recovered Alan Scott, and Maik recovered Guy Gardner.
Turn 8
Maik recruited Highmaster. He put Guy behind the Engineer, while all of his other characters were in front for the big push. Benoit used Book of Oa and discarded Mark Shaw. He then recruited Ganthet, placing both of his characters in front.
Maik sent Highmaster and the Guardsman after Ganthet, and the Guardsman was stunned back. Maik paused, realizing that he couldn’t use Guy in a team attack. He wondered aloud why the heck he’d recovered Guy.
“I screwed up! A stupid, stupid mistake on my part—and it cost me the game!”
He shook his head, shook Benoit’s hand, and scooped.