As lead designer for the Heralds of Galactus expansion, I have the unique privilege of bringing you the first preview for one of the most anticipated Vs. System sets ever released.

Wait a minute. . .

As lead designer for the Marvel Team-Up expansion, I have the unique privilege of bringing you the first preview for one of the most anticipated Vs. System sets ever released.

Much better. It doesn’t seem so long ago that I was working out the design for Heralds of Galactus, let alone writing articles for the Sneak Preview or even thinking about what was going down with Marvel Team-Up. In reality, the design process began more than eighteen months ago and has yet to finish, though currently the focus is on Marvel Legends, the next “most anticipated set ever.” (Question: What’s the most anticipated Vs. set of all time for R&D? Answer: The next one.) Because of the six month break between Marvel sets, it may be a while before you see the complete fruits of R&D’s efforts to bring you this series. But rest assured, you’re in for quite a ride. Those of you who were around for my freshman effort, Heralds of Galactus, will see more of what you’ve come to enjoy about Vs. System in Marvel Team-Up. It’s mixed in with a lot of new stuff, all processed and produced in a much more refined—dare I say, better—world. With the elimination of the universe-spanning threat named Galactus, the Marvel side of the Vs. world returns to its street-level roots and the accompanying “thug meets vigilante” flavor. I’m speaking, of course, of the original Marvel S-Man and his colorful crew of tagalongs and villains. Not to detract from said tagalongs, but we all know you’re really here for Spider-Man. Thankfully, Billy Zonos has thoroughly flooded you with the flavor and rosters of the various teams appearing in Marvel Team-Up, so we here in R&D can jump right to the good bits.

S-Man indeed! The Sensational Spider-Man exemplifies the “old meets new” flavor of Marvel Team-Up. That statement probably bears some additional explanation. To start with, the familiar: Spider-Man’s team affiliation, his name (already acknowledged to be more important than most), and what looks to be another web power. And the new? Let’s start with the simplest and move upward:

• New Image, New Attitude: This version of Spider-Man boasts the artistic interpretation of Alex Horley, the featured artist for Marvel Team-Up. You’ve already seen the Marvel Team-Up playmat featuring Alex’s amazing work, and Spider-Man is equally jaw-dropping. Look to the sides of the image for hints about his other art in this set, and look forward to future sets including even more pieces from different featured artists.
• Range: Spider-Man’s web shooters have received an upgrade for the set, exhibited both in his exhaust power and his new range kicks. You can expect Spider-Man to wield his web-shooters at a distance from now on, except in some, ah, unique circumstances.
• Substitute: In addition to other past mechanics that will be making an appearance in Marvel Team-Up, substitute has found it way onto the set’s marquee character. Like many mechanics, substitute can represent a variety of powers that don’t fall into a strict interpretation of the keyword. Spider-Man substitutes his way through various costumes and forms in Marvel Team-Up, including the previously previewed Spider-Man, The Amazing Bag-Man.
• Pay ATK: Pay ATK is a new mechanic, but it’s not too difficult to understand. In layman’s terms, when you pay ATK from a character, that character loses that much ATK immediately for the turn. Like other costs, you can’t pay more ATK than the character has; however, you can pay ATK using ATK bonuses from plot twist effects, equipment, and the like. For the technically savvy player, the boxtopper entry reads as follows:
  
  

Some character powers have a cost that requires you to pay an amount of ATK or DEF. To pay ATK or DEF is to lower that character’s stat until end of turn. You can pay X ATK or DEF only if a character has X or more of that stat.

All of these characteristics combine to form one mean character. Spider-Man’s agility and variety of tricks are represented across versions, with each one available at a moment’s notice. Even if you can only find space for one or two different versions of Spider-Man in your deck, the Sensational One oddly enough works best with a fresh copy of . . . himself. Play Spider-Man, exhaust an opponent’s character, and substitute for another character or to refresh Spider-Man’s ATK for the turn. Apparently, a new Red and Blue can work wonders in today’s rough city street fights.