Sang Jung is playing here today in spite of scheduling his flight for this afternoon. As he sits at the table, his friends are frantically trying to figure out a way to get him home to Texas via an alternate route. Hayward isn’t in any danger of missing a flight, but he definitely wants to have a little more money to think about on the much longer flight he has back to New Zealand.

Game 1

Sang won the roll and opted for odds, leading off with Kree Soldiers. Shaun easily trumped it with The Punishers. The next turn saw Morg, Slayer come out for the Kiwi, but Sang kept up the board parity with Quicksilver, Inhuman by Marriage and a free Valeria Von Doom, Heir to Latveria. Shaun discarded a card to bounce Valeria, gaining him some board advantage before attacks sent the players to the next turn.

On turn 3, Sang played Doom-Bot Corps, matched by Shaun’s Firelord, Pyreus Kril. After attacks stunned two characters for each player, Shaun lost his Punishers and Sang KO’d Doom-Bot Corps to return Technarx from his KO’d pile to play. Turn 4 started with Sang down 37-42 when Shaun played Dewoz. Sang replayed Valeria along with Clumsy Foulup and Lieutenant Kona Lor. Morg easily dealt with Valeria, and Firelord went after Kona Lor. The lieutenant revealed that she wanted Hala back, and Sang earned the mutual stun. Dewoz stunned a 4 ATK / 4 DEF Clumsy, and then moved both himself and the stunned Firelord to Shaun’s hidden area. Technarx was left with no choice but to go after Morg, stunning in the process but allowing Quicksilver to attack twice directly at Shaun.

With the initiative on turn 5, Sang’s deck sputtered out on him, producing only another Kona Lor (he noted that he had drafted four) and Moloids. Shaun took a moment to decide how to go through his recruit, eventually leading with Dr. Minerva, which found Ruul Warrior on the top of his deck. Commander Dylon Cir followed her into play, allowing Shaun to press Ruul Warrior, kicking and screaming, into play for a mere 1 resource point. Kona Lor attacked and stunned the 6 ATK / 3 DEF Warrior, who was reinforced by Dr. Minerva. Moloids let out a Hala and attacked Dylon Cir, followed immediately by Technarx stunning the doctor. Before Quicksilver could get any attacks off, Shaun brought Dewoz and Firelord back into the visible area, with Dewoz holding down the fort to shut down Quicksilver. Shaun got to attack Quicksilver, and Firelord took his game directly to Sang to put the score to 7-8 in Sang’s favor.

Shaun had the initiative on turn 6, and it looked like it was going to work out for him when he played a Shatterax that was only answered by Captain Att-Lass and Paibok. Act of Defiance allowed Shawn to team attack Sang’s Skrull with Firelord and Dylon Cir. With the outcome inevitable, Sang scooped it up and the players moved on to game 2.

Shaun 1-0 Sang

Game 2

Sang led game 2 off with Valeria, which was answered by Alpha Primitives on the other side of the board. Lieutenant Kona Lor came down for Sang, giving him a decent board until Morg showed his face again and sent Valeria packing. “You should keep the cards in your hand; they’re too valuable to be discarding just to bounce my 1-drops,” quipped Sang.

Firelord, Pyreus Kril came out wearing New Zealand’s colors and easily stunned the Ruul Warrior that Sang played that turn with some help from a discarded Maximus the Mad. Morg was on cleanup duty, and an attack from the Primitives left Sang at 35 before he had a shot at the initiative on turn 4. He took advantage of it by leading off with another Lieutenant Kona Lor, followed by Clumsy Foulup and Mar-Vell ◊ Captain Marvel, Soldier of the Empire. Shaun had Dewoz for the second game in a row, and after Sang stunned Firelord and Morg, the Inhuman took himself and Firelord into hiding. Sang went for the throat by flipping Hala to attack with his remaining two characters and put Shaun to 25. Dewoz fought back, though, putting the hurt on Clumsy Foulup to bring Sang down to 26.

Shaun looked to finish the game on turn 5 by playing Ruul Warrior and Commander Dylon Cir, but Sang kept the pressure on him by playing a Dewoz of his own and a Kree Soldiers, who were safe with Morg gone from the board the turn before. Dewoz took himself and Captain Marvel to Sang’s hidden area, and Shaun decided to stun Sang’s Ruul Warrior with Dewoz and Kona Lor with his own Ruul Warrior. Firelord went after Kree Soldiers to do some extra damage with a discarded Titannus. Unfortunately for Shaun, Alpha Primitives were sitting in his back row by accident, so when he put Sang to 5 and then stunned back Dewoz when Sang sent him into Shaun’s Ruul Warrior, Hayward had left his opponent at 1 endurance. If he hadn’t forgotten about the Primitives, he would have finished Sang off right then and there.

With his new lease on life, Sang played Admiral Galen Kor, Moloids, Valeria, and Kree Soldiers. Shaun played Maximus the Mad before the Moloids and Valeria took down Dylon Cir, clearing a path for a beefed-up Galen Kor to take care of the Ruul Warrior. Dewoz went directly at Shaun, who allowed the attack to be legal, but before damage, he moved Dewoz and Firelord to the visible area with Dewoz in front of the 3-drop. Barbaric Brawl helped Captain Marvel take down Dewoz, and the Kree Soldier went after Firelord with a Hala. It wasn’t enough, though, as Maximus the Mad dealt a healthy chunk of damage through the lonely Moloids sitting out in the line of fire, taking the game and possibly giving Sang a chance to make his flight.

Shaun Hayward moves on to the semifinals to face either Tim Batow or Alex Bykov.