Both these players have six losses, so they must 3-0 this pod to be in contention for Top 8. Billy Postlethwait is coming off a win at the recent $10K Charlotte and is also known as the player who has won the most money at Pro Circuits while never making a PC Top 8. His name is also rather awkward to type, and he will therefore be referred to as Billy for the remainder of this match report. His opponent, Justin Desai, plays with Team YMG and has attended every Pro Circuit since the first one in this very location two years ago. Thus far bereft of a PC Top 8, he is looking to change that fact this weekend.
Justin and Billy shuffled up and got started at a brisk pace, with Justin winning the initiative and selecting odds. Both players laid a resource, and each dropped Chay-Ara ◊ Hawkgirl. Justin attacked to trade 1 endurance for 2.
End of turn 1: Justin Desai 49, Billy Postlethwait 48
Turn 2 was a wash for Billy as he laid his resource and passed, while Justin played Lois Lane, Earth 2 and searched out Wonder Woman, Earth 2. Billy attacked Justin’s Chay-Ara with his own and then took 1 endurance loss from Lois’s attack.
End of turn 2: Justin Desai 47, Billy Postlethwait 46
On turn 3, Justin showed why his Chay-Ara had not yet been KO’d as he played Kendra Saunders ◊ Hawkgirl, who was matched by Ted Grant ◊ Wildcat from Billy. Wildcat and Chay-Ara were set up in the support row, and Billy passed.
Justin began by sending his liability 1-drop Lois Lane into Billy’s Chay-Ara, and both were stunned. Billy opted to reinforce with Ted Grant so he would be exhausted and gain +3 ATK. Justin sent his Hawkgirl into the large 3-drop for a mutual stun and then hit Billy for 2 endurance with Chay-Ara.
End of turn 3: Justin Desai 43, Billy Postlethwait 39
Billy stepped the game up a notch on turn 4 with Richard Tyler ◊ Hourman, while Justin showed off his Katar Hol ◊ Hawkman, Eternal Hero that is normally the cornerstone of JSA identity Draft decks. He formed up with Chay-Ara in his front row protecting Katar Hol and Kendra Saunders next to him.
Billy sent his Hourman into Chay-Ara and declined to use his ability. Justin reinforced with Katar Hol and KO’d Chay-Ara with her vengeance ability, finding himself another copy of 3-drop Hawkgirl. Billy then had his Wildcat maul Justin’s Hawkgirl, with both characters stunning.
End of turn 4: Justin Desai 36, Billy Postlethwait 36
Turn 5 saw the arrival of Mr. Freeze, Brutal Blizzard for Justin. Though his deck was based around JSA’s identity theme, the powerful 5-drop is rarely out of place in any draft deck that looks to stay on curve. Billy played the equally impressive Hourman III ◊ Hourman and formed up carefully with Richard Tyler protecting 5-drop Hourman and Wildcat next to him in the support row.
Justin opted to send Mr. Freeze into Richard Tyler, which resulted in Billy doing much checking of his resource row and vigorous thumbing of the cards in his hand as he did the math contemplated his best play. In the end he decided to use Hourman’s ability to add +4 ATK / +4 DEF and let Justin gain 3 endurance, then played Taking Up the Mantle and removed Chay-Ara from his KO’d pile to add a +1 ATK / +1 DEF counter to his defender. Faced with being stunned and his attack bouncing, Justin played Epic Battle to insure both characters would stun. Freeze then locked down Billy’s 5-drop Hourman with his vengeance ability.
Justin’s 3- and 4-drops were now both +2 ATK thanks to Epic Battle, but he was either lacking in pumps or playing it safe when he used both of them to attack Billy’s 5-drop Hourman (looking to stun and exhaust him so that Freeze’s text would render him impotent next turn). Faced with 17 ATK, Billy obviously did not bother using his Hourman’s text, and he took Katar Hol down with him. At the end of the turn, both characters were chosen to be KO’d by their owners.
End of turn 5: Justin Desai 30, Billy Postlethwait 26
Billy recruited his namesake on turn 6—Billy Batson, otherwise known as Captain Marvel, Earth’s Mightiest Mortal. He added a T-Spheres to his remaining 4-drop Hourman and shoved all his characters to the front row.
Justin stayed on his steady curve with Power Girl, Earth 2 and formed up with Mr. Freeze protecting Hawkgirl, with Power Girl in the support row beside her. Billy discarded a card and pronounced (without much feeling, it must be said) “Shazam!” to turn his 1 ATK / 1 DEF kid into a 14 ATK / 14 DEF powerhouse. He spent some time considering his options, ultimately deciding to send his 4-drop Hourman into Mr. Freeze and use his time-warping ability. He was now a 13 ATK / 13 DEF, and Mr. Freeze took the stun.
Billy then attacked Justin’s Power Girl with his Captain Marvel. Justin exhausted his character to play Living Legacy and found a power-up for his Power Girl, playing it to push the stun. Billy chained a Magical Lobotomy from his resource row, but Justin responded to that with A Moment of Crisis, giving all his characters the identity of Huntress. He then discarded Huntress, Earth 2 using Hawkgirl’s text to power-up his character again before Lobotomy resolved. The effects resolved and both characters stunned.
With his remaining character, Wildcat, Billy attacked into Hawkgirl—perhaps wishing he had made this attack before the one on Captain Marvel. Both characters stunned and at the end of the turn, Justin had Power Girl and Billy had 4-drop Hourman (with T-Spheres) and a miniature Captain Marvel again.
End of turn 6: Justin Desai 13, Billy Postlethwait 17
For his turn 7 play, Justin flipped a Help Wanted and discarded Catman to try to find a suitable drop. He was rewarded with the choice of six characters from the top of his deck and happily selected Superman, Earth 2. The character was played with boost and both he and Justin’s Power Girl would get two +1 ATK / +1 DEF counters. Wishing to physically note the changes, Justin rummaged around in his pockets and discovered two dimes and a penny to use as counters. Absent a fourth coin, he opened his wallet and tossed his MasterCard onto Power Girl, generating muted titters from spectators on the rail.
Deeming the prospect of Power Girl attacking into his 7-drop Sasha Bordeaux, Autonomous Prototype as a 19 ATK / 18 DEF decidedly non-exciting, Billy instead chose to play the 5-drop Wonder Woman, Earth 2, who at the very least would reinforce herself and not be a liability. He formed up with the still-tiny Captain Marvel in front of Wonder Woman, with Hourman adjacent.
Justin chose to send his Power Girl into Wonder Woman, aiming for the free 5 stun endurance loss. Billy, however, had other ideas. He flipped Brothers in Arms and exhausted Captain Marvel, discarding a card to return the his cosmic counter with a more passionate “SHAZAM!” than last turn’s rather meek effort. Justin, unable to pump Power Girl beyond the +14 ATK that Wonder Woman suddenly found herself imbued with, was forced to accept the stunback.
Justin then sent his 15 ATK / 14 DEF Superman into Billy’s Hourman, who used his ability for a net gain of 1 endurance advantage after the stun and breakthrough were calculated. Billy kept his Hourman, and play moved to the final turn.
End of turn 7: Justin Desai 10, Billy Postlethwait 6
Now able to attack around Power Girl, Billy played his Sasha Bordeaux and fingered the team-up in his resource row—though like an experienced player he waited to play it until Justin had made his recruits. Justin played a second Help Wanted and flipped all five cards left in his deck onto the table. He chose The Phantom Stranger, Wandering Hero and recruited him, forming up with Power Girl in front of the Stranger and Superman next to him. Billy flipped his Checkmate Safe House and teamed-up JSA and Checkmate before turning on Sasha’s ability at the start of the combat phase.
Billy’s first attack was with Sasha into Justin’s Superman. Justin flipped Rann and used it to make Superman a 16 ATK. Both characters stunned, taking Billy into the negatives and Justin to the borderline.
Billy then sent his second 16 ATK / 16 DEF character, Captain Marvel, into Justin’s Power Girl. Once again Justin had the trick, flipping Forbidden Loyalties and discarding a card to give Power Girl the +1 ATK / +1 DEF counter she needed to achieve stunback. He glanced around for a counter and ultimately dropped his cell phone on the character as a short-term solution.
Billy simply shook his head at the play in a cross between disbelief and acknowledgement that he was simply not meant to win this game. Both characters stunned, and Billy inspected the board. At -7 to -5 and with no way to have his Hourman break through The Phantom Stranger’s defenses, he gave up the ghost and shook Justin’s hand.
Justin Desai wins!