Matthew Tatar used to be an unknown factor. He wasn't on a big team, he didn't make Top 8 in the opening PC, and he wasn't a top-ranked TCG player from another game. He started playing well, but he didn't make waves, even after a 10th-place finish at PC So Cal.
Then came Amsterdam, 19th place, and recognition from Tim Willoughby as a player to look out for. No more flying under the radar for Tatar.
So what did Tatar do? Aside from threatening to maim Tim for ruining his cloud cover, he decided to come to New York without testing too heavily. “It was just too close after Amsterdam. I tested like crazy for Amsterdam, but I'm a bit unprepared for today.” Apparently “unprepared” is a code-word for “ready to kill everything,” as he's gone 4-0 thus far. Matthew was certainly confident, knowing that his draft skills are solid, and he told me he'll be satisfied with a Top 20. If he keeps this up, he'll be the first undefeated PC champion.
He decided to play
Common Enemy, his reasoning being that the vast majority of the field will be Curve Sentinels, and
Common Enemy matches up really well against it. It was either that or Gamma Doom, and he figured
Common Enemy was slightly faster and more reliable. “My only bad matchup is Teen Titans and
The New Brotherhood, and I don't expect to see much TNB today, so I only really have to worry about Titans.”
But for Matthew, it's all about the draft. Echoing the mantra that every major player has put forth this weekend so far, he said that a great deck will only get you so far, and without drafting skills, you'll end up going 2-7 and bombing out of the tourney on Day 2. “At SoCal, I hadn't drafted
Web of Spider-Man. I went from 4th place on Day 1, to 1st place after a 3-0 Superman draft on Day 2, to a 2-4 record in the Spider-Man pods and tenth place overall.” A lack of draft familiarity with the set cost him Top 8. He tells me of a similar plight experienced by another player, an unnamed opponent of his in the Superman draft. “I got a 14th pick
Phantom Zone Projector. I couldn't believe my eyes. I already had one, and had passed it on pick eight for a needed drop. I never expected to see it back. Then, I faced the guy who had the 13th pick in the first game, and I almost immediately locked him down with it. He took a look at the card and said, ‘Oh. This card is pretty good . . .' Not knowing the cards and what to draft ended up costing him Day 2.”
Tatar picked it up in Amsterdam, and better draft skills salvaged an under-par Day 1 for 19th place. “It was $3,500. Between that and SoCal, I've made around ten thousand.” And believe me, he's not complaining.
So he powers forward, nearly assured of a spot in Day 2 already (he'll need a 7-5 record), and he's hoping for a tenth pick
Chopping Block. “That and
Lanterns in Love are definitely strong. And
Arisia. Great cards, and underrated.”
If Matthew, hailing from Washington, D.C., has only one regret, it is that he doesn't have a real team to practice with. “Being on a team gives you a great advantage. Testing and drafting with a solid team can make the difference.” He plays at Dream Wizards, which he says is a nice place but not very good for Vs. “We have one solid sealed player—Michael Walewski, who unfortunately won't be here—and the St.Clair brothers (Roy and Brian from Baltimore, MD) are the only other pros there. If I lived in Indy, California, or Florida, I'd have a lower Sealed Pack ranking, but I'd be a better Sealed Pack player.”
Rather than dwell on what-ifs, Matthew is looking forward and ignoring the past. He's focused on another strong tournament and hoping that his draft skills, which are certainly solid, will carry him to a good position. “I'll miss my favorite character, though.
Gog is personally responsible for at least 80-100 Sealed Pack points for me.”