To quote British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan, “The wind of change is blowing through this continent.”
In early April, an announcement was made on a German website stating that UDE Europe would no longer be running Pro Circuit Qualifiers or $10K tournaments, but in their place, a new OP structure would be introduced. Three new tournament formats were announced as Day of the Hero, Trial of the Finest, and the Master’s Challenge.
As I write this, the very first Trial of the Finest tournaments are taking place in the U.K., and a lot of the people I speak to still do not really know anything concrete about the new structure. So, I decided to go to the source and managed to get a few words with Ray Fong, the Organized Play manager for the U.K. branch of UDE Europe. Here are the details:
Q) There have been many rumors circulating the Internet about how the new tournaments will be structured. These things tend to get distorted the further along the chain they get. Can you give us a rundown of the new formats with a little information on potential prize support and tournament frequency?
A) Certainly! There are three brand new individual programs that together create the framework for the new European Vs. System Organized Play program.
The first is Day of the Hero. With the removal of the Vs. Hobby League program, we needed to keep casual players playing for what they liked best: Extended Art cards! Day of the Hero events take place at individual locations twice a month and award one EA card to the winner and one to a random participant. The program has been designed to make it very easy for both organizers and players alike to get involved. I can tell you exclusively that the EA card for June will be Jean Grey, Phoenix Force and the July card will be World’s Finest. DH events will have a C value of 10.
Trial of the Finest is probably the most anticipated program for the widest audience of current Vs. players. It is designed as a direct replacement for PCQs in Europe. Although the scale of PC points awarded to the top finishers is smaller than for PCQs (only 5 for the winner), the frequency of ToF events should more than make up for it. For example, in the U.K., ToF events will run each and every month in Dundee, London, and Manchester, with three more on rotation around the country. This averages more than one ToF per weekend! New EA cards will still be awarded to the Top 8 players at each ToF event, along with a deck tin and a play mat set to share between the winner and runner-up. ToF events will have a C Value of 30 and the format schedule will vary from European country to country.
And finally, there is the Master’s Challenge. The Master’s Challenge requires 5 PC points to enter, which is conveniently the amount you win at a ToF event. The winner and runner-up of each Master’s Challenge will receive a paid flight, hotel accommodation, and 10 PC points for the next Pro Circuit event. Prizes, EA cards, and PC points will still be awarded to the rest of the top finishers, but we fully understand that this prize structure should reflect the effort players have made to attend. Within Europe, there will be four Master’s Challenge events per year, held at (as yet undetermined) locations including the UK, Germany, and other regions in Europe. MC events will have a C Value of 40, with the format schedule to be determined.
With regard to current programs, as mentioned above the Vs. Hobby League is being discontinued in Europe, but Sneak Preview weekends are definitely staying. Vs. City Championships may also be revisited in the future.
Q) Ray, what exactly prompted UDE Europe to make these changes to the way Organized Play operates within Europe?
A) Speaking on behalf of the European office, we feel that the U.S. Organized Play model just did not fit the playing habits of European players and that a lot of the previous programs simply did not appeal to the casual player.
Q) As rumors of the forthcoming changes began to circulate, many players (myself included) voiced their disappointment on websites like VsRealms. Were you and UDE Europe aware of the general feeling of the community, and did this in any way affect any decisions?
A) Unofficial online forums are places where players can express all sorts of emotions toward a topic and not feel belittled. Often, debates can rage out of control and more often than not, “official statements” made for the sole purpose for addressing them add fuel rather than water to the fire. Even so, we do regularly read these threads and we would be lying if we said that we did not any take suggestions on board.
Q) The more I think about the new format, the more I see the potential of the new system. What are your expectations for the new OP structure within the UK?
A) Ah! My territory. I almost definitely see more casual players trying their hands (and pet decks!) at ToF events. The regularity of ToF events now means you don’t have to wait too long for one that you can attend, whereas missing a local PCQ usually meant a wait of three months or more for the next one. Specifically for the UK, organizers are now free to choose whatever format they feel appeals most to their player base, rather than be dictated either by the PCQ schedule or by the UK office. Play mats and deck tins are still definitely worth winning from the casual player’s point of view.
DH events should hopefully get organizers to do more scheduled Vs. events, rather than run spontaneous events out of habit whenever at least four Vs. players show up. In fact, DH events need to be pre-sanctioned in order to be eligible for the EA cards. I feel these scheduled events are more likely to allow a Vs. community to establish a stable player base such that any future event will always have enough interested players.
Q) Based on feedback I’ve heard from various players, the main issue people have is the way in which information about the new OP structure has been handled. Do you think that anything could have been done differently in that respect, or do you feel that everything that could have been done was done?
A) Put simply, any new OP program takes time to develop. It is a often a bad idea to offer an idea that is half baked because so much can change during development (the original MC event required 10 PC points to enter, for example). The original announcement could certainly have been phrased better, for which we apologize, but after that, we did not really want to make any further announcements until we were ready and the majority of these events had been scheduled by organizers. In hindsight, it perhaps took longer than we had anticipated to flesh out the programs fully: having a full month of downtime during May did not do anything to improve the situation. In answer to your original question, though, yes, we would have done things differently.
Q) Here you are with the proverbial mic in your hand. Is there anything you would like to say to the Vs. playing public?
A) Of course our congratulations go out to Ian Vincent for winning Pro Circuit San Francisco! As a fan of League of Assassins decks since DC Origins, I’m personally glad that these guys have contributed to a top deck that utilizes the power of having a resource row full of location cards!
So, thanks to Ray for taking the time to answer those questions. They have certainly cleared away some of the grey areas. As Ray mentioned, this change represents a shift in the strategy of Organized Play within Europe.
Let’s sum things up. Do theses changes have a negative impact on the game in Europe? Well, according to some, they do, but I don’t think it is because of the new structure itself; I think it’s more the Pro players’ reaction to the change. After all, the game of Vs. System has not changed in any way. We now have more opportunity than ever before to play the game in a structured environment. While some people view these changes as a backward step, I see potential for the game to be taken to new heights. The new tournaments are now more accessible than ever before, and the lack of prize money at the new PCQ alternative may make the event more appealing to the casual player. Whenever I have attended an event where money is on the line, I have noticed that things can often get a little . . . tense. I don’t mean the good kind of “is Jack Bauer going to be caught by the corrupt President’s henchmen” tension. There has at times been a noticeable “fun vacuum” surrounding some players who seem incapable of cracking a smile while they play.
Overall, I think the changes will be for the good of the game as long as the players and tournament organizers continue to support it. The game is still the same. No, actually, change that. The game is actually more fun now than ever before. There are a huge number of viable decks that can be played at the highest level, and deckbuilding has never been a more open and flexible practice. I won’t lie—I really think the loss of European $10K tournaments is a very hard pill to swallow, but the change from PCQ to Trial of the Finest is fantastic. If the Master’s Challenge is a well-produced event, I see it being incredibly popular. A mini Pro Circuit, if you like. Certainly, the top prize of air travel and accommodation is marvelous. If I ever won a $10K, my wife would be straight down to town buying a billion pairs of shoes. This way, I can say, “Sorry sweetheart, but I have to go to the Pro Circuit. It’s like . . . the law . . . or something.”
As ever, I’ll close things up with the top five decks for our current deckbuilder challenge. This challenge was all about counters and how to use and abuse them. Once again, I’ve received dozens of submissions, and narrowing them down was tough. Quite predictably, many opted to go with the “Fearmonger” approach, and I had to whittle through lots of very similar decks. I had a bit of feedback from the previous challenge, and it seems that many of you would like to read a description of the decks by the authors, so here you go:
Alapai Michels: Pump it Up
Characters
3 Ogre, Weaponsmith
7 Infernal Minions, Army
4 Beetle ◊ Mach I, Reluctant Hero
4 Erik Josten ◊ Atlas, Kosmos Convict
4 Captain Boomerang, Digger
4 Scarecrow, Fearmonger
4 Ocean Master, Son of Atlan
Plot Twists
4 New Identity
4 Membership Drive
4 Counterstrike
4 Counterterrorism
3 Gang-Up, Team-Up
4 Tech Upgrade
Locations
3 Stormfront-1, Team-Up
4 Force Field Belts
Alapai’s Description:
Mulligan for Captain Boomerang or Erik. A Team-Up or Beetle won’t hurt. Get Erik and Cap Boomerang out as fast as possible. Use all sorts of tricks to get counters, including using Tech Upgrade to get Force Field Belts and New Identity to give them more each passing turn. Use Force Field Belts when using resource points, unless you need a Team-Up with Beetle or you get Ogre. Scarecrow and Ocean Master are there mainly for support in case you miss something. Don’t be afraid to take counters from other characters to put on these two. When the amount of counters on Cap Boomerang times two is greater than your opponent’s endurance total, burn the opponent by removing as many counters as necessary.
Nick Seaman: The Deck
Characters
4 Copperhead, Slithering Assassin
3 Beetle ◊ Mach 1, Reluctant Hero
4 Erik Josten ◊ Atlas, Kosmos Convict
2 Captain Boomerang, Digger
4 Captain Cold, Leonard Snart
1 Helmut Zemo ◊ Citizen V, Tactician
3 Karla Sofen ◊ Meteorite, Celestial Power
1 Lex Luthor, Criminal Genius
3 Scarecrow, Fearmonger
1 Hawkeye, Leader by Example
3 Gorilla Grodd, Simian Mastermind
2 Ultra-Humanite, Evolutionary Antecedent
Plot Twists
4 Straight to the Grave
4 Membership Drive
3 Forbidden Loyalties, Team-Up
2 New Identity
2 Deadly Conspiracy
2 Sorcerer’s Treasure
2 Mysterious Benefactor
Locations
4 Sinister Citadel
3 Slaughter Swamp
1 Stormfront-1, Team-Up
Equipment
2 Quadromobile
1 Atlantean Trident
Nick’s Description:
The most basic function of this deck is to team-up Thunderbolts and Secret Society. There are a lot of subtle synergies between the two teams, counters being one of the not-so-subtle ones. Copperhead is a nice little 1-drop that can act as a counter-bearing 2-drop should the need arise, and Beetle fetches my precious counter-bestowing Team-Up. The 2- and 3-drops come into play with counters. The primary 4-drop is Karla. Due to all the ongoing plot twists and locations in the deck, we can ensure that she is always big. Scarecrow on 5 is where things get a little counter crazy; he starts eating the counters of others while making his own by stunning people. Grodd on 6 and Ultra-Humanite on 7 should clench any close games. Erik Josten with a New Identity gets a little insane by turn 5. There is a strategically placed leader at every drop starting at 3 to ensure that if I don’t hit my curve with STTG and the Swamp, I should be able to still hit it with Mysterious Benefactor. The lower drops are stout enough that they can be under-dropped without much worry, and there’s always Atlantean Trident for Copperhead for some serious shenanigans. One of the most fun tricks this deck brings to the table, besides having to use a 20-sided die for counters, is the synergy between Gorilla Grodd and Deadly Conspiracy. Attack with Ultra-Humanite on 7, steal somebody with his effect if you can, and then ready him with Deadly Conspiracy and feed him to Grodd to steal someone else. Opposing characters devoured by Citadel make Grodd strong!
Zach “Bigdaddy” Luster: Crimson Counters
Characters
3 Mikado and Mosha, Angels of Destruction
3 Mr. Mxyzptlk, Troublesome Trickster
2 Crimson Commando, Freedom Force
3 Mendel Storm, Robot Master
2 Captain Boomerang, Digger
4 Dr. Light, Master of Holograms
3 Captain Cold, Leonard Snart
2 Poison Ivy, Deadly Rose
4 Scarecrow, Fearmonger
2 Ocean Master, Son of Atlan
2 The Phantom Stranger, Wandering Hero
2 Ogre, Weaponsmith
Plot Twists
4 Counterstrike
4 Counterterrorism
4 Enemy of My Enemy
4 Straight to the Grave
4 Mega-Blast
Locations
3 Slaughter Swamp
1 Avalon Space Station
2 Sinister Citadel
2 Birthing Chamber
Zach’s Description:
Basically, use Crimson Commando to give love to all of your other characters. Use Captain Cold to free your opponent’s plays, and then use Ocean Master for the “good game.”
“Youngace”: Step to the Counter
Characters:
3 Absorbing Man, Carl Creel
4 Beetle, Armorsmith
2 Colossus, Organic Steel
4 Crimson Commando, Freedom Force
4 Man-Bull, William Taurens
4 Ogre, Weaponsmith
3 Scarecrow, Fearmonger
3 Tinkerer, Phineas Mason
2 Will O’ the Wisp, Jackson Arvad
3 Yellowjacket, Rita DeMara
Equipment:
2 Atlantean Trident
2 Force Field Belt
2 Mindtrap Mechanism
Plot Twists:
3 Counterterrorism
4 Forced Allegiance
3 Membership Drive
4 Mystic Summons
4 Sinister Salvo
4 Stolen Power
Youngace’s Description:
It leans toward a Team-Up with Masters of Evil (Forced Allegiance) so that you can use Mystic Summons and Stolen Power. But before that, since almost no one has range, I decided to get some Sinister Syndicates in there along with Sinister Salvo to fix that. Then, once everything’s underway, pure beatdown begins. It doesn’t always necessarily happen that way, but I see it as the best way if that tactics starts off your game. And it’s also best to take evens for the Crimson, Absorbing Man, and Colossus.
George Shafer: Jank Virus (medical name LeamarknightmateD-6)
Characters:
3 Fiddler, Isaac Bowin
4 Micro-Chip, Linus Lieberman
3 Talia, Beloved Betrayer
2 Hannibal King, Occult Investigator
3 Catman, Thomas Blake
1 Hook, Hired Killer
2 Dr. Doom, Diabolical Genius
2 Ra’s Al Ghul, Eternal Nemesis
2 Luke Cage, Street Enforcer
3 Roy Harper ◊ Arsenal, Knight
1 Talia, Daughter of Madness
4 Scandal, Savage Spawn
Plot Twists:
4 Clench Virus
4 Poisoned
4 Enemy of My Enemy
3 It’s Not Over Yet
3 Savage Beatdown
3 Nasty Surprise
2 Press the Attack
2 Revitalize
2 Tech Upgrade
Equipment:
2 War Wagon
1 Wheel of Plagues
George’s Description:
LeamarknitanD-6 represents successful attempts to increase the potency of the otherwise fairly benign Clench Virus. While the delivery mechanisms (Clench Virus, Poisoned, and Wheel of Plagues) remain the same, their efficacy has been greatly improved. Scandal searches for Clench Virus every turn you have a Secret Six character in play, an event that Fiddler, Talia, Catman, and Revitalize keep likely. Micro-Chip can reuse Poisoned on turn 2 or any turn you underdrop and play him. Doom will also flip one back down again if you need it on turn 4. Wheel of Plagues is unimproved and is the least preferred means of distribution.
Any opponent who survives the initial assault of the Clench Virus counters will more than likely fall prey to breakthrough from Ra’s al Ghul. The Savage Beatdowns help Ra’s and the Nasty Surprises can stun a few more characters to be War Wagon'ed. Hannibal King and Luke Cage provide additional damage to the opponent and benefit to you respectively. Enemy of My Enemy provides consistency as well as the ability to choose the most effective infection vector. The virus remains fragile, but under proper conditions, it can be quite deadly. Its chimerical nature and inconsistent rate of infection earned it the nickname Jank Virus.
Once again, you can vote by emailing me at kamiza989@gmail.com or by popping along to my website and voting on the poll posted here.
Support the game¾support your store.
Steve Garrett