In a metagame that was expected to be dominated by Teen Titans and Curve Sentinels, Sydney Vs. player Randall Hughes opted for Gotham Knights Curve for the Melbourne $10K.

Characters

4 Alfred Pennyworth

4 Spoiler ◊ Robin

2 Barbara Gordon ◊ Oracle

3 Jason Todd ◊ Robin

2 Huntress

4 Cassandra Cain ◊ Batgirl

2 Dick Grayson ◊ Nightwing, High-Flying Acrobat

3 Batman, Caped Crusader

2 Lady Shiva, Sandra Woosan

2 Dick Grayson ◊ Nightwing, Defender of Bludhaven

1 Azrael

3 Magneto, Master of Magnetism

2 Apocalypse

Equipment

3 Utility Belt

Plot Twists

4 Savage Beatdown

4 Bat-Signal

4 Acrobatic Dodge

4 Fizzle

3 Have a Blast!

2 Detective Work

2 Overload

2 Total Anarchy

1 Flame Trap

1 Unmasked

Randall, a 27-year-old IT professional who was originally from Brisbane in Australia’s northern state of Queensland, named his GK deck the “Real Utility Deck.” Another GK Curve deck that made the semifinals of the Sydney $10K became widely known by that name, despite the fact it contained no actual Utility Belts.

“The main point of the deck is touse lots of plot twist control and bash with Gotham’s efficient guys,” Randall said.

“I normally play Teen Titans, but I love GK, so when I was on the plane from Sydney to Melbourne this morning, I made up this deck.”

“I asked judge and fellow GK-fan Ryan Dare for feedback when I arrived and changed the deck a bit. I only just started playing it this morning.” For those of you keeping track at home, that means zero playtesting.

Despite the unfamiliarity, Randall still managed a twelfth place finish in the Swiss rounds with 6 wins. He would have had a good chance of making Top 8 if he’d won his round 9 match against Curve Sentinels.

The way Randall saw it, his deck had an edge on Curve Sentinels thanks to Dick Grayson ◊ Nightwing, High-Flying Acrobat, while Overload and Flame Trap helped in the Titans matchup. He could also disrupt the powerful plot twists of Common Enemy with Fizzle, usually aimed at Signal Flare, and attack their resource row with Have a Blast!.

“So, I got game against the tier one decks,” he said.

The major weakness of the deck was its reliance on good draws, but it still had all the answers. “Batman is the best,” Randall concluded.