This is a big match. Shaun is one of New Zealand’s top players. He is a dual $10K winner, went to Day 2 at PC San Fran this year, and is one of the only people in Vs history to lose to Arkham Inmates at a PC! Michael Lou is a top deck builder, popping into Sydney Games Centre each Friday night to play and test his latest constructed creation, which is always innovative and efficient. Michael, true to form, is playing an amazing Skrull build, and Shaun is playing a Lost in Space variant, that packs various row-stopping tech.
They roll, Michael wins and takes evens.
Turn 1
Michael keeps, Shaun dumps. And they're off! Shaun lays a resource and passes. Michael lays Lockjaw, Inhuman’s Best Friend, discarding Mutopia to get a Franklin Richards, Creator of Counter-Earth, and then swings Lockjaw for 2.
Shaun: 48
Michael: 50
Turn 2
Michael takes the initiative and plays Franklin Richards, Creator of Counter-Earth. Shaun plays Deadshot, Floyd Lawton. Lockjaw bashes him, and then Franklin bashes Shaun.
Shaun: 43
Michael: 49
Turn 3
Shaun plays Dr. Light, Master of Holograms, which is great in and of itself, but, so far, the fair doctor has nothing to go for yet. So, he plays an Amulet of Nabu on Dr. Light and passes. Michael plays Captain America, Skrull Impostor and then Act of Defiance, teaming Skrulls and Inhumans.
Everyone on Shaun’s side bashes Michael. Captain America swings in to Dr. Light, Lockjaw bashes Deadshot, Franklin Richards bashes Shaun, and we go to turn 4.
Shaun: 34
Michael: 42
Turn 4
Michael plays another Lockjaw, pitching Extended Family, finding Wolverine, Skrunucklehead (I thought he opened a store on George St., Sydney?) and plays the unshaven, yellow-suited crime fighter. Shaun plays Frankie Raye ◊ Nova, Optimistic Youth for free, ditching Blackheart and The Phantom Stranger, Wandering Hero to draw 2. Dr Light brings Deadshot back, and then plays Ronan the Accuser, Starforce, and drops a Helm of Nabu on him. He then plays another Helm on Dr. Light, pitching The Phantom Stranger and a Meltdown. He follows up with Fate Has Spoken, losing 3 endurance, and goes to formation. Once formed, he exhausts Dr. Light and Ronan to bring The Phantom Stranger back.
Michael checks some stats, and swings Lockjaw into Dr Light. He plays Blinding Rage from hand, but Shaun pitches the Mikado and Mosha, and Lockjaw eats a bone. Franklin then swings into Dr. Light, with Interstellar Offensive making the bash complete. They trade with a slightly better deal going to Lou.
Captain America and Wolvie team into Ronan, and Shaun passes gracefully. Michael then moves The Howler into the hidden area with Franklin, and surges the counter back again onto the little Earth-Creator during recovery.
Shaun: 22
Michael: 40
Turn 5
Shaun has the init, and things look grim, but being a fighter and a man who spent heaps of dollars on travel just to get here, Shaun keeps on trucking. He brings out Poison Ivy, Deadly Rose. He exhausts Ivy and Frankie Raye to bring back The Phantom Stranger, and plays a Straight to the Grave to dish up a Human Torch, the Invisible Man. A bit of Slaughter Swamp action later and the Torch is lighting up Shaun’s hand at the expense of Phantom Stranger, and then his side of the board. Ivy KO’s Frankie, grabs a Dr. Fate’s Tower, and Shaun forms up with Human Torch and Dr. Light in the back, Ivy and Deadshot in front.
Michael terraforms The Great Refuge, and plays another two Act of Defiance, teaming up everything there is, plus making up a few new teams just for fun. Paibok hits the table, as does Nenora for free (discarding Extended Family).
Human Torch bashes Paibok, Michael moves Frankie into the light to reinforce, and Human Torch and Paibok trade. Deadshot KO's Wolvie and Shaun passes. Nenora swings at Dr. Light with another Interstellar Offensive pumping her up. Lockjaw then bashes Ivy, and before the guys work out who is what, Shaun sportingly concedes and congratulates Michael on having a hot deck and playing it well.