One table, two Pro Circuit champions. David Leader and Ryan Jones are not new to the Vs. PC — each has won the whole thing. As I walked over, David informed me that it might not be the best match to cover since it’s a mirror match, but I think a showdown between two of the game’s best players still warrants attention. Both players were playing decks based on Dr. Doom and Crisis on Infinite Earths.

As they shuffled, there were some chats about how they only needed two more wins to clinch an appearance in Day 2. One of them will only need one after this match is over, though. They wished each other luck and drew their hands.

David mulliganed, while Ryan thought for a second and kept. Both players led off with Boris, Personal Servant of Dr. Doom.

“I took odds—I guess that makes me the beatdown here,” Leader said as he attacked Jones’s Boris with his own. Both players took 1.

For turn 2, both players played a resource and failed to recruit a character. More Boris-on-Boris hate ensued, as they bashed into and stunned each other again.

On turn 3 David had the initiative and recruited Dr. Doom, Richards’s Rival, and with his ability on the stack, he activated Boris to get an Enemy of My Enemy. He then let Dr. Doom’s ability resolve, putting a Crisis on Infinite Earths on top of his deck.

Ryan played his resource and played Enemy of My Enemy, discarding a Human Torch, The Invisible Man to find his own copy of Dr. Doom, Richards’s Rival, which he then recruited. He did not choose to use his Boris, and he revealed a Reign of Terror, which went on top of his deck.

Dave attacked his Dr. Doom into Ryan’s and flipped Doomstadt.

“That’s not fair,” Ryan said as he reinforced with Boris and took 3. Leader decided to KO his Dr. Doom to replace into Crisis, since Richards’s Rival was going to get returned to his hand by Reign of Terror anyway. This was a good play because it left Ryan with a Reign of Terror in his hand which was now dead, and David effectively drew an extra card.

Turn 4 was Ryan’s initiative, and he recruited Dr. Doom, Diabolic Genius, electing to turn Crisis on Infinite Earths face down. He put the Diabolic Genius behind the 3-drop and put Boris in the support row next to his old pal from Marvel Origins. David started his recruit step with an Enemy of My Enemy, discarding Supermanhunter to find Dr. Doom, Sorcerous Savant. He recruited his own Diabolic Genius and turned down his Enemy.

Ryan elected to pass his attacks. David attacked Dr. Doom, Richards’s Rival with his Dr. Doom, Diabolic Genius. Ryan reinforced and took 3.

Jones 42, Leader 48

On turn 5, David again led off with an Enemy of My Enemy, this time discarding Garth ◊ Tempest, Atlantean Sorcerer to search for Kristoff Von Doom, Pretender to the Throne. Ryan played Crisis on Infinite Earths in response to Kristoff. David then put Kristoff in front of Dr. Doom and passed. Ryan started by activating Boris to find a Mystical Paralysis and then recruited his own Kristoff. Mirror match, indeed.

David went on the offensive by declaring an attack with his Diabolic Genius against Ryan’s Richards’s Rival and playing Savage Beatdown. Ryan responded by exhausting Dr. Doom, Richards’s Rival to exhaust David’s Kristoff. David—with no more characters left with which to attack—passed to Ryan, who thought for a minute before moving to recovery.

Jones 39, Leader 48

On turn 6, Ryan led with Dr. Doom, Sorcerous Savant, which was, of course, matched by David’s own Dr. Doom, Sorcerous Savant. The boards were identical except for Ryan’s Dr. Doom, Richards’s Rival still hanging around.

Ryan attacked Kristoff with his Dr. Doom, Sorcerous Savant. David allowed the attack and played two copies of Cover Fire, giving his Kristoff +8 DEF. Ryan thought for a bit and let the attack resolve with neither character becoming stunned. Ryan then declared a team attack with Kristoff and Dr. Doom, Diabolic Genius, against David’s Dr. Doom, Sorcerous Savant. The attack was legal, but before it resolved, David played Reign of Terror on Ryan’s Dr. Doom, Richards’s Rival. The attack then resolved, and David chose to stun Ryan’s Kristoff.

David then attacked Dr. Doom, Sorcerous Savant with his Dr. Doom, Diabolic Genius and played Savage Beatdown. Ryan then flipped up his own Doomstadt from the resource row, and the attack failed. David’s Dr. Doom, Diabolic Genius became stunned, and he chose not to recover it during his recovery phase.

On turn 7, Leader played another Diabolic Genius and a Richards’s Rival. Ryan recruited Aquaman, King of the Seven Seas. At the beginning of the combat phase, Ryan returned a Mystical Paralysis and a Dr. Doom, Richards’s Rival to his hand from his KO’d pile. David declared an attack with his Dr. Doom, Sorcerous Savant, to which Ryan responded with Mystical Paralysis, exhausting his Dr. Doom, Diabolic Genius.

“This stinks,” said Leader.

He thought for a while and team attacked Aquaman with his 4- and 5-drops. Ryan took a second and then said that it was fine and decided to stun Kristoff. David then declared an attack with his 3-drop, which was met with another Mystical Paralysis by Ryan, who exhausted his 6-drop to play it. Ryan attacked David’s 4-drop with his Kristoff. The attack was legal, and David decided to KO his Dr. Doom to flip down a copy of Savage Beatdown. Ryan played Enemy of My Enemy before the turn ended and got a Carnage, Symbiote Surfer so that he wouldn’t draw it on the next turn.

Turn 8 was Ryan’s initiative. He recruited Carnage and Boris and put his biggest characters up front. David recruited Ra’s Al Ghul, The Demon’s Head, and Ryan responded by activating Boris to get a Savage Beatdown. At the start of combat, Aquaman brought back three cards, one of which was that same Mystical Paralysis from before. Are we seeing a pattern here?

Ryan started his attacks by declaring Carnage on Kristoff, which was successful. David, realizing he had no chance, decided to concede.

Ryan Jones defeats David Leader.