JF Grondin from Montreal played in the PC on Friday, but scrubbed out and chose to spend his Saturday playing with Super Heroes. He teaches high school kids with learning disabilities, but enjoys spending his free time gaming. Tony Tsai, also known as The Shark, is a long-time Neutral Ground pro TCG player who now runs ttsaiscards, an eBay store. Tony is friends with many legendary TCG pros, and has always posted solid performances over the years.

Game 1

Tony Tsai started off fast with She-Thing plus Thing, Ben Grimm on turns 2 and 3. Grondin used Signal Flare to search out She-Hulk, Jennifer Walters from his deck and put her into play on his own turn 3. A team attack from Tsai team-attacked She-Hulk with his male and female walking rocks, and the endurance race had begun. A second Signal Flare from Grondin fished out Wolverine, New Fantastic Four. Tsai played Invisible Woman, Sue Storm, putting she and Thing in her front row, supported by She-Thing in the back row. Wolverine attacked Sue Storm, enhanced by It’s Clobberin’ Time. Tsai used an Acrobatic Dodge and a power-up to let Invisible Woman survive and swing back at She-Hulk.

A Signal Flare from Tsai this time fetched Mr. Fantastic, Stretch from his deck and put el Stretcho into play along with a Personal Force Field for Sue Storm. Grondin matched Stretch and added a Force Field to his Wolverine. Tsai thought a long time before his attack, saying, “Sorry, this is pretty. . . interesting.” He finally decided to team-attack Grondin’s Mr. Fantastic with his Invisible Woman and Mr. Fantastic, stunning Grondin’s Stretch. A second team attack of Thing and She-Thing on Wolverine stunned him as well, and Grondin sent him to the KO’d pile on recovery.

Turn 6 brought matching Hulks on both sides of the board, as Grondin placed Hulk and She-Hulk in his front row, supported by Mr. Fantastic behind Hulk. Tsai’s formation was a bit different, with Hulk and Thing in his front row, supported by Invisible Woman, She-Thing, and Mr. Fantastic.

“Is this how you would have made your formation?” asked Tsai. “I don’t know,” was Grondin’s quiet reply. “Oh come on, you can tell me. . . I want to learn. Help me learn this game – it’s so hard.”

Grondin’s Stretch and She-Hulk team attacked Hulk with the help of two Savage Beatdowns to try and overcome Tsai’s Acrobatic Dodge and Personal Force Field. Two Overloads were eventually countered by multiple moves of Personal Force Field. The eventual result was to stun Hulk and Grondin’s Stretch and then Tsai’s Stretch and Grondin’s She-Hulk, making the endurance totals Tsai 31, Grondin 11, Grondin’s Force Field moves resulting in a truly disastrous attack

Wolverine, Berserker Rage joined the squad for Tsai, as Grondin recruited Thing, The Ever-Lovin’ Blue-Eyed’ Thing to do his bidding. Tsai used Hulk and Invisible Woman to team attack The Thing, and then Wolverine ran over Stretch, giving Tsai game 1.

Tsai 1, Grondin 0

Game 2

“I never did so much damage with one Overload. I didn’t even notice that extra four in there from chained moves… that was sweet.”

Grondin had the turn 2 and 3 drops this game with Mr. and Mrs. Manos de Piedros (Things) to Tsai’s lone Thing, Ben Grimm. Dueling Sue Storms were the turn 4 plays from each player. Tsai attacked the 4-drops into each other, using Savage Beatdown to increase her ATK, and then Thing ran over She-Thing, sending her to the KO’d pile during the recovery phase.

Grondin went tech for turn 5, adding a Fantasticar to his new Mr. Fantastic, Stretch, and then a Personal Force Field to Invisible Woman. Tsai did the same, except instead of a Force Field, he had two Fantasticars to equip Stretch and Invisible Woman. Grondin’s Mr. Fantastic stunned his opposing doppleganger. He then used Thing and Invisible Woman to team attack Invisible Woman, sending her to the KO’d pile. Tsai 32, Grondin 36.

On turn 6, it was time for Hulks to square off (hello, mirror match!), though Grondin one-upped Tsai again by adding a Fantasticar to his. Tsai’s Hulk attacked Mr. Fantastic, stunning him as Grondin moved some equipment around, losing six endurance in the process. Thing and Mr. Fantastic team-attacked Hulk, taking him down with some help from It’s Clobberin’ Time and a power-up. Endurance totals at the end of the turn were Tsai 21, Grondin 19. Time was called as the next turn began.

Grondin had no recruit for turn 7, and when Tsai used Signal Flare to dig for Thing, The Ever-Lovin’ Blue-Eyed Thing, it was all over.

Tsai 2, Grondin 0