November 18, 2005. Today is the beginning of the end for complacent Vs. players. The Japanese have arrived. Three players from Japan have come to California for a chance to show the Americans what real gaming is.

With the recent launch of Japanese-language Vs., some of the world’s greatest gamers are finally getting a glance at our favorite game. Some Japanese players have recently become powerhouses in other TCGs, putting the rest of the world to shame with their innovative decks and incredible play skill. Is Vs. next on their list? I spoke with $10K Tokyo quarterfinalist Masami Ibamoto to find out.

Masami started playing Vs. seriously with the release of Avengers. He tried to play the game earlier with a Web of Spider-Man starter, but he found it difficult to play without being able to read any of the cards. Now, Masami is very excited about the game and writes a regular article for a gaming magazine about Vs. in Japan.

Masami has remarkably good English for a non-native speaker, and most importantly, he knows the lingo. When I asked him what he likes most about Vs., he responded with a grin, “No land screw!”

Teammate Kenta Ogata chose to go with a traditional Sentinels deck and is off to an 0-3 start. Masami and teammate Ko Okada, however, chose to play Squadron Supreme decks because of their experience with the new Avengers cards. It seems to be working out well for them, as they are 2-1 and 3-0 respectively. This truly is a brand new Golden Age.

What can we expect from Japanese players in the near future? Masami expects Vs. to take off in Japan. $10K Tokyo was a great starting point, but Masami thinks that the next Japanese $10K will have over 100 people, and he expects that a lot more will travel to the Pro Circuit. Let this be your fair warning!