This match features Pro Circuit Atlanta Top 8 competitor Brian Gates against an unknown player from Minneapolis, Brett de Jesus. Brian is piloting a deck based around The Rock of Eternity and was the only player sporting the deck this weekend. Whether or not the newcomer with his quirky build of Checkmate / Villains United will be able to overcome the more experienced pro remains to be seen.
The players and spectators began the match by joking with Brett over the Chomin he included in the deck. Brian chose odds, but whiffed on the first turn. Brett answered with the very same Chomin he had been chastised for playing before the match. Turn 2 saw a Connie Webb from Brett and another whiff from Gates.
Before his draw on turn 3, Brett used Connie Webb to find Ahmed Samsarra. Brian used his initiative turn to play his own Ahmed in the visible area. A flipped Dr. Fate’s Tower found a Cloak of Nabu for Brian’s King, and Brett played his Ahmed in the concealed area. Brian attacked directly with Ahmed, but Brett returned fire by flipping his resource row—a Brother Eye, a Satellite HQ, and a Checkmate Safe House—to attack Brian’s Ahmed. That and some Chomin beats brought the totals down to 37-40 in Brett’s favor.
A Fatality, Flawless Victory with Helm of Nabu for Brett on his initiative turn 4 looked to put Brian into a threatening corner. Brian played Charles McNider ◊ Dr. Mid-Nite before Fatality declared on Ahmed, but Brian used Dr. Mid-Nite to move it to his hidden area. A Satellite HQ made the attack legal. Brett used the Brother Eye, to which Brian answered with an Advance Warning after Ahmed searched up Checkmate Safe House. A power-up from The Phantom Stranger, Wandering Hero looked like it might save Ahmed, but Brett searched out another Brother Eye. Without anymore defensive pumps or a Threat Neutralized, Brian suffered the first King loss in a feature match this weekend when Fatality’s effect KO’d him.
Brett 1-0
Brian started off game 2 with nothing on turn 1 again, which hurts a deck that relies on the power of cards like Connie Webb, Atom Smasher, and Surveillance Pawn. Brett, on the other hand, again had a random 1-drop, this time in the form of Mr. Mxyzptlk, Troublesome Trickster. Turn 2 saw a whiff from Brett, while Brian found a Black Thorn to play.
Ahmed Samsarras from both players came out on time, visible again for Brian and concealed again for Brett. With attacks all around, the score was 48-38 in Brian’s favor at the beginning of turn 4 when Brett once again led off with the dreaded Fatality, Flawless Victory. Brian again mirrored the last game with Charles McNider ◊ Dr. Mid-Nite. A flipped Checkmate Safe House was used and then readied with Black Thorn. Brett’s Ahmed found Satellite HQ, and Fatality was sent flying into Black Thorn. A second Checkmate Safe House (both face-up Safe Houses being used), a Secret Checkmate HQ, a Knightmare Scenario, and two power-ups earned the stun back on Fatality, even with a Knightmare Scenario from Brett and a Brother Eye for extra breakthrough. Black Thorn was KO’d, but Brian was able to swing back for 17, bringing Brett to 17 to his 43.
With momentum in his favor this game, Brian used his turn 5 initiative to play Annihilation Protocol ◊ OMAC Robot. Brett brought down a Maxwell Lord, Black King, the second King in play for Brian’s Annihilation Protocol to go after without a Threat Neutralized flipped up at that point. The OMAC Robot attacked Fatality, and a Threat Neutralized from Brett allowed the stunback and prevented any King losses after Maxwell Lord stripped the OMAC Robot’s team affiliation to stop a Threat Neutralized. A team attack from Ahmed and Dr. Mid-Nite stunned Maxwell, putting Brett to 7. During recovery, Ahmed searched up The Science Spire and returned Fatality before losing her. Brian let his Ahmed go, and they moved on to turn 6.
Brett led off with Hunter Zolomon ◊ Professor Zoom with a Helm of Nabu. Maxwell Lord got suited up with Knight Armor, and it looked like Brett might still be able to grab control of the game, even with Brian sitting at a lofty 35. Brian played a fresh Ahmed (concealed) and then dropped an Atom Smasher . . . about six turns too late. Without The Rock of Eternity or anything similar, it looked like Brian might not be able to hold on to a game that had looked to be firmly in his grasp. Satellite HQ allowed Brett to send Maxwell Lord into Charles McNider, who activated to move Ahmed back into the visible area before stunning. Brett sent his Ahmed into Atom Smasher, who exhausted for a counter to minimize the breakthrough Brian would be taking. Hunter Zolomon easily stunned Brian’s Ahmed, and Advance Warning sucked up 2 points of breakthrough, leaving Brian at 15. Brett walked away from the turn completely unscathed, but still at a dangerous endurance total of 7.
Brian had the initiative on turn 7 and hoped to put Brett down for the count with The Phantom Stranger, Wandering Hero. Brett decided against that idea with Deathstroke the Terminator, Ultimate Assassin. He used Dr. Fate’s Tower to search out Amulet of Nabu. The Amulet came down on Maxwell Lord after the Armor was moved to Deathstroke via Dr. Fate’s Tower. The Amulet was joined by a Cloak of Nabu. The Phantom Stranger was launched into Maxwell Lord with the help of a power-up to overcome the two Checkmate Safe Houses in Brett’s row. Brother Eye was used in an attempt to dish out more endurance loss to Brett, but The Science Spire returned Maxwell, who stripped the OMAC Robot of its affiliation first, allowing The Phantom Stranger to ready and try again but wasting the Brother Eye for Brian. He managed to stun Hunter Zolomon with The Phantom Stranger, but with no way to reinforce his Ahmed when Deathstroke swung in with two Brother Eye activations, Brian scooped up his cards and congratulated Brett on advancing to the semifinals!