As the day came to a close, I asked a number of people what decks they thought I should share with you, the Metagame.com readership. These three decks were named more than any other. Robert Kraftschik’s X-Stall deck is a straightforward update to the original TOGIT powerhouse, and he’s still at the top tables after nine rounds of play. I featured Brian Eugenio’s unique control deck earlier in the day, and he provides some insight into why he built the deck the way he did.

The final decklist I’m posting here is Michael Sewell’s Witching Hour deck. No less than half a dozen people pointed this creation out to me, and Adam Prosak contacted me from home to make sure that it got included in the coverage. This is probably the most interesting deck that I have seen in Vs. System, period. Another fan of the deck, Doug Tice, had this to say about it: “I considered playing the deck, but it’s really just too difficult. There are too many decisions to make.” Folks, that quote is from a very consistent, very experienced professional player. I was going to provide an analysis here on how the deck plays, but after a few minutes of staring at it, I decided that I wasn’t up to the task.

While each of these decks may or may not bring their creators a cash prize today, they certainly win the gold for innovation. Enjoy the decklists, and stay tuned for Top 8 decklists, which will be posted before the end of the day.

Robert Kraftschik’s updated X-Stall

Characters

1 Mikado and Mosha

1 Toad, Mortimer Toynbee

1 Commissioner Gordon

4 Puppet Master

4 Cardiac

1 Gambit

1 Jean Grey, Marvel Girl

4 Rogue, Power Absorption

4 Sunfire

1 Storm, Weather Witch

1 Mimic

1 Wolverine, Berserker Rage

3 Professor X, World’s Most Powerful Telepath

3 Jean Grey, Phoenix Force

1 Imperiex

1 Scarlet Witch, Wanda Maximoff

Locations

4 Avalon Space Station

2 Slaughter Swamp

4 X-Corporation

Plot Twists

4 Straight to the Grave

4 Secret Origins

4 Pleasant Distraction

3 Children of the Atom

3 Burn Rubber

Brian Eugenio’s Doom Society

Characters

1 Gorilla Grodd

1 Moonglow

1 Anton Hellgate

1 Mikado and Mosha

5 Robot Sentry

4 Dr. Doom, Diabolic Genius

1 Lex Luthor, Criminal Genius

1 Sinestro, Corrupted by the Ring

1 Scarecrow, Fearmonger

1 Robot Destroyer, Army

1 Scarecrow, Professor Jonathan Crane

1 Mark Desmond ◊ Blockbuster

3 Boris, Personal Servant of Dr. Doom

4 Floronic Man, Jason Woodrue

1 Psycho-Pirate

1 Apocalypse

1 Professor X, Mental Master

Locations

1 Stormfront-1

2 Metropolis

4 Slaughter Swamp

3 Doomstadt

Plot Twists

4 Straight to the Grave

4 Reign of Terror

4 Mystical Paralysis

2 Faces of Doom

1 Flame Trap

4 Savage Beatdown

1 Funky’s Big Rat Code

Equipment

1 Power Compressor

Michael Sewell’s Witching Hour

1 Dr. Light, Arthur Light

1 Lilith, Daughter of Dracula

1 Ray Palmer ◊ The Atom

1 Valeria Richards, Daughter of Doom

1 Poison Ivy, Deadly Rose

1 Beast, Dr. Henry McCoy

1 Rama-Tut

1 L-Ron

1 Steel Wind

1 Shimmer

1 Lacuna

1 Puppet Master

1 Robot Sentry

1 Commissioner Gordon

1 Scarlet Witch, Eldritch Enchantress

1 Captain Boomerang, Digger

1 Kristoff Von Doom, The Boy Who Would Be Doom

3 Boris, Personal Servant of Dr. Doom

2 Dallas Riordan, Mayoral Aide

3 Mortician

4 Beetle, Armorsmith

4 Dr. Light, Master of Holograms

Locations

1 Avalon Space Station

1 Slaughter Swamp

1 X-Corporation

1 Doomstadt

1 Latveria

1 Birthing Chamber

1 Monitor Womb Station

Plot Twists

4 Devil’s Due

4 Gone But Not Forgotten

2 Vicarious Living

2 Straight to the Grave

1 Press the Attack

3 Witching Hour

4 Hypnotic Charms