Team Alternate Win Condition (TAWC) has been rising in the Vs. System echelon of competitive teams. With back-to-back PC Top 8 finishes, TAWC has quickly gone from an unknown to a force to be reckoned with. And the most fearsome face on the team also happens to be one of the smallest players at the PC—Tim “Aqualad” Batow.

Already a respected player due to his victory at $10K Las Vegas in 2005, Batow gained even more prominence following his Top 8 appearance at Pro Circuit San Francisco. The deck he piloted then—Checkmate/Villains United—gained quite a following in the Silver Age of the Vs. System. For DC Modern, Batow once again broke the mold with his creative deck building skills. The result was the deck that his teammates affectionately refer to as “The Peacemaker”.

The deck initially plays like a doppelganger of the Checkmate/Villains United deck that TAWC took to the last PC. But instead of leaning on Ahmed Samsarra (as most of the Checkmate decks are this weekend), the deck attempts to capitalize on the synergy between Christopher Smith ◊ Peacemaker and Fatality, Flawless Victory. With even initiatives, the player can activate Peacemaker, targeting Fatality, and then send Fatality into an opponent’s smaller drop (usually a 2-drop). After securing the inevitable stun, Peacemaker’s effect triggers and an opponent’s 3-drop stuns as well. Finally, assuming that Fatality does not become stunned, the opponent is forced to lose his or her 2- and 3-drops. For decks that rely heavily on their 3-drops, like Good Guys and Checkmate/Villains United, the result can be devastating.