There’s a reason why Jason Dawson’s name always appears on the top of the Day 1 list. An expert at the game, he’s claimed that Vs. is a “fairly simple game to master,” and he’s shown that he can take decks in just about any format and devastate the field with them.

But Day 2 has always been a problem for Jason. It’s not that he’s a bad drafter—he’s always shown a knack for knowing what he needs and what it takes to win. But the numbers just don’t add up. He usually ends up with an even record on Day 2, which turns a spectacular Day 1 record into a near miss for the Top 8. For example, a 4-5 record at PC: New York meant that he just missed the Top 8.

Today looks like it might be a different animal, however, as Jason opened the day with a 2-1 Avengers draft, and he’s traditionally done quite well with Green Lantern. Plus, he’s a member of FTN, the team that has ripped at Green Lantern Sealed and Draft in several events throughout the last few months.

Here’s Jason’s draft, with alternate choices in brackets:

Pack 1

1) Olapet (Kilowog, Anti-Matter Universe)

2) Uppercut (Sector 2814, In Remembrance)

3) John Stewart (The Shark, No Evil Shall Escape Our Sight)

4) Emerald Dawn (Hard-Traveling Heroes, Coast City, Jackhammer)

5) Olapet (Femme Fatality, In Remembrance, Coast City)

6) Alan Scott (Sonar, In Evil Star’s Evil Clutches)

7) Kilowog (Mosaic World, Ultraman)

8) Kreon (Guardians Reborn, Major Disaster, Ultraman)

9) Starlings (Xallarap, Anti-Matter Universe)

10) Sector 2814 (In the Hands of Qward)

11) Dead-Eye (Recharging the Ring, Battered and Broken)

12) Sonar (Shadow Creatures)

13-14) Manhunter Sniper, Power Surge

Pack 2

1) Hector Hammond (Apokoliptian Hospitality, Guy Gardner, Warrior, Kreon, John Stewart)

2) Guy Gardner, Strong Arm of the Corps (Helping Hand, Yellow Impurity)

3) Abin Sur (The Shark, No Evil Shall Escape Our Sight, Ultraman)

4) Hard-Traveling Heroes (Kreon, Catcher’s Mitt, Hal Jordan, Green Lantern of Sector 2814, Kilowog)

5) Guardians Reborn (Olapet)

6) The Shark (Alan Scott, Sector 2814)

7) Guardians Reborn (Yellow Power Ring)

8) Hector Hammond (Damsel in Distress)

9) Dr. Ebenezer Darrk (Anti-Green Lantern, Dimming of the Starheart, Apokoliptian Hospitality)

10) Central Power Battery (Battered and Broken)

11) In Evil Star’s Evil Clutches (Apokoliptian Hospitality, Ultraman)

12-14) Catcher’s Mitt, Emerald City, Manhunter Science

Pack 3

1) Helping Hand (Abin Sur, Olapet, Uppercut)

2) Katma Tui (Anti-Monitor, Pest Control, Olapet, Battle of Wills)

3) Myrwhydden (Guy Gardner, Warrior)

4) Millennium (Rot Lop Fan, Sonar, Ultraman)

5) Dr. Ub’X (Hal Jordan, Reborn, Ole)

6) Major Disaster (Kiman, Hard-Traveling Heroes)

7) Emerald Twilight (Ganthet)

8) Ganthet (Apokoliptian Hospitality, Yellow Power Ring)

9) Uppercut (Yellow Power Ring, Jackhammer)

10) Anti-Monitor (In Darkest Night, Jackhammer)

11-14) In Darkest Night, Battered and Broken, Qwardians, Mogo

The draft was uneventful except for a dropped card after the fifth pick in the second pack, which caused a minor panic and a rushed sixth card draft. Jason was the calmest, quickly drafting and saying, “Relax, we’re all pros here.”

In the end, Jason came away with a 30-card deck combining a solid Green Lantern and Emerald Enemies curve, with two team-ups to ease some of the team-stamping.

“I tend to aim for eighteen to twenty characters, normally with one 7-drop and a fair curve. I was hoping for a G’Nort or an Arisia, but I didn’t get one. Instead of playing down, I’ll have to curve more than I thought I would.”

I asked him about all of the Olapets he passed, wondering if having more than two copies would have been even better. He replied, “I thought two were probably enough, and I wanted to diversify a little bit in case I had to play down. With two Uppercuts, Olapet’s going to be beating some heads in, though.”

As for Apokoliptian Hospitality, which so many players swear by, Jason told me, “I’ve never played with the card, so it’s never won or lost a game for me. I’ve never even seen anyone in our drafts pick it with priority.”

Jason has an interesting curve, running one extra 7-drop (“For the willpower and potential endurance gain.”). He played Olapet as his 3-drop, ideally using the boost every game. “My goal is to drop a 2-drop Emerald Enemy, bring out Olapet on turn 3, and then flip a team-up in response and grab one of the Emerald Enemy 1-drops. I was hoping for a Dr. Light or some other good 3-drop, but it never came around or it was snatched up—if there ever were any in the draft.”

Jason was also thinking of the potential endurance gain and stall his deck could put up, playing the unorthodox Anti-Monitor 9-drop just in case. “I’m hoping he wins at least one game for me.”

Although Dawson aims to win on turn 6 with a boosted Guy Gardner, the possibility of stalling out will give him other options in a difficult game. “I can steal some attacks with Katma, Guardians Reborn, Sector 2814, and then Ganthet. I’m sure I’ll get a lot of flak for playing a 9-drop, but whatever. I think I can stall with this deck!”

After a last-minute decision to leave in Dead-Eye and remove Starlings for a last-second Central Power Battery, the deck was set. Anti-Monitor or no, he has some solid ATK and DEF help, along with many other tricks up his deck’s sleeve. The deck looks like it may help Jason grasp that Top 8 he’s come so close to tasting. This could be Jason Dawson’s day of glory.