I’ve heard that Eric Hunter is playing something interesting, and apparently our managing editor heard the same, so I’ve been placed on this match to find out what all the commotion is about. His opponent, Neil Reeves, is no stranger to the Vs. System world, and if he’s sitting here this round, then he’s definitely got something good.

Both players shuffled up, and Neil, who had the odds, passed with no recruit. Eric recruited Sue Dibny in the front row and searched out Booster Gold with her effect. He attacked Neil directly for 1 endurance, and it was on to turn 2.

“Your move first,” Neil said, shuffling his hand. Eric recruited Maxwell Lord, Financier, prompting Neil to joke, “That’s not what you got last turn.” Eric searched out Funky’s Big Rat Code and then formed up with his characters in the front row. Neil recruited Blackbriar Thorn in the front row. Eric passed with no attacks, Neil attacked Sue Dibny with Blackbriar Thorn, and play moved to turn 3.

Neil recruited Zatanna, Magical Manipulator in the support row. Eric followed up by playing UN General Assembly, exhausting Maxwell Lord, Financier to search for Manhunter Clone and earning a, “Now I’m completely confused by what you’re doing,” from Neil. Eric recruited Manhunter Clone and then flipped two copies of Funky’s Big Rat Code, naming Secret Society and JLI for both and sending the top 6 cards of his deck to the KO’d pile. Eric equipped a Quadromobile onto Maxwell Lord and finished off his recruit with Deadshot, Floyd Lawton. He formed with Deadshot protecting Manhunter Clone and Maxwell Lord protecting Sue Dibny. Before passing to Neil’s attack, Eric evaded Manhunter Clone to send the top card of his deck to his KO’d pile, KO’d Quadromobile to return Booster Gold to his hand, and then removed Deadshot to KO Blackbriar Thorn. Neil sent Zatanna into Maxwell Lord, Eric reinforced with Sue Dibny, and that was all for the turn’s attacks. During the recovery, Neil flipped Chimp Detective Agency and pulled Detective Chimp, Shoeless Gumshoe. The score now sat at 44 to 39, with Eric starting to slip into the lead.

After contemplating his turn 4 moves, Eric recruited Booster Gold with boost and used the extra 2 resource points with the 1 that was left to recruit Captain Cold. Neil then recruited his second Blackbriar Thorn and his first Manitou Dawn. “Don’t go chasing waterfalls,” Neil sang to himself, forming with Manitou Dawn and Blackbriar Thorn in the front row and Zatanna, Magical Manipulator in the support row. Neil played two copies of Magical Lobotomy targeting Captain Cold, paying 3 endurance (but effectively only 1 endurance, due to Manitou Dawn) each time to draw cards with Zatanna. The score was sitting at 44 to 29 after Neil paid the 8 endurance to turn both copies of Magical Lobotomy face down. Eric declared a team attack with Maxwell Lord, Financier, Sue Dibny, and Captain Cold into Blackbriar Thorn, and then played Safety in Numbers on Captain Cold to ready him and keep him from being stunned. Neil played two copies of Collecting Souls, putting two +1 ATK/+1 DEF counters onto Blackbriar Thorn and giving him +2 ATK/+2 DEF for the turn. He also paid the endurance to draw two more cards. Another Magical Lobotomy targeting Captain Cold meant another card for Neil and another +1 ATK/+1 DEF counter on Blackbriar Thorn. Now the score had Neil at 25 endurance to Eric’s 44. Eric powered-up Maxwell Lord, and Neil responded by targeting him with Magical Lobotomy, putting another counter on Blackbriar and drawing another card with Zatanna. Eric played his second Safety in Numbers to ready Maxwell Lord and then passed, letting Sue Dibny stun. Neil played Magical Conduit for 0 to put another counter on Blackbriar and draw another card, leaving the endurance totals at 22 to 43, with Eric still leading. Eric used Captain Cold’s power to exhaust Blackbriar Thorn and then passed to Neil’s attacks. Neil sent Manitou Dawn into Manhunter Clone, and Eric lost the top card of his deck when the Clone stunned. Zatanna then swung into Maxwell Lord for the stun. Eric chose to keep Manhunter Clone over Maxwell Lord and Sue Dibny, and he was still leading 44 to 23 at the end of turn 4.

On turn 5, Neil considered the mountain of cards in his hand. “I’ll Chimp,” he said, removing Detective Chimp, Shoeless Gumshoe from his hand and searching out June Moon ◊ Enchantress, Good Witch. Neil then played Help Wanted and pulled Manitou Dawn out of the top six cards. After recruiting June Moon and placing her behind Blackbriar Thorn, Neil passed to Eric’s build. Eric recruited Sue Dibny, searched for a copy of Deadshot, Floyd Lawton, and recruited him as well. Eric then recruited Ted Kord ◊ Blue Beetle and activated him, discarding Mr. Mxyzptlk, Troublesome Trickster, to grab another Quadromobile. Eric formed with most of his characters in the support row and only Ted Kord ◊ Blue Beetle and Booster Gold in the front. Neil activated June Moon targeting Deadshot to stun him before the start of combat and then paid 8 endurance to turn down both copies of Magical Lobotomy, which placed him at 14 endurance to Eric’s 44.

Neil declared Zatanna, Magical Manipulator into Blue Beetle, and Eric reinforced with Sue Dibny. Neil then declared Manitou Dawn into Sue Dibny, and once again, Eric reinforced, this time with Manhunter Clone. Neil played Stepping Between Worlds targeting Booster Gold, drawing a card with Zatanna and putting a counter on Blackbriar Thorn. He then played three Magical Lobotomies targeting Captain Cold, gaining three cards and three counters. A Scandal from his hand fetched Collecting Souls, and that and another copy targeted Blackbriar, giving him two more counters and netting Neil even more cards. Now Blackbriar Thorn had thirteen counters plus an extra +2 ATK/+2 DEF for the turn, and the score sat with Eric winning 36 to 4, “If you could consider that winning,” as he put it. Neil sent Blackbriar Thorn into Captain Cold for a total of 19 endurance loss, bringing Eric down to 17. During recovery, Neil removed Lex Luthor ◊ Mockingbird to play a second copy of Manitou Dawn, and play moved to turn 6.

Eric returned Mr. Mxyzptlk, Troublesome Trickster from his KO’d pile to his hand. He recruited Quadromobile onto Deadshot, immediately KO’ing it to return Charaxes, Killer Moth from his KO’d pile to his hand. Charaxes came down in the front row protecting Manhunter Clone, and then it was Neil’s build. Neil led off by playing yet another Magical Lobotomy, this time targeting Charaxes, Killer Moth. Blackbriar Thorn gained another counter, and Neil gained 4 endurance from his two copies of Manitou Dawn, bringing him to 8. Neil then played two copies of Divination, netting him two cards of his top six and 2 endurance. This left him at 10 and Blackbriar Thorn with sixteen counters—keep in mind that this Blackbriar Thorn came down on turn 4 this game. Neil removed Detective Chimp, Shoeless Gumshoe from the game to fetch Scandal and then activated June Moon ◊ Enchantress, Good Witch targeting Deadshot. He recruited Scandal into his front row, protecting Zatanna, and then paid 8 endurance to turn two copies of Magical Lobotomy face down before the start of combat.

“I’ll team attack with Charaxes and Booster Gold into Scandal,” Eric said, announcing his first attack. “I forgot all about that guy over there,” Neil responded, as he pointed over at Eric’s hidden Booster Gold. Eric used another Safety in Numbers to ready Charaxes and make sure he couldn’t be stunned back. Once the attack had resolved, with Booster Gold and Scandal both becoming stunned, Eric removed three cards from his KO’d pile to KO Scandal. Eric then sent Charaxes and Manhunter Clone into Zatanna, KO’ing her with Charaxes’s effect as well. Neil used both of the Magical Lobotomies he had turned face down to gain 8 endurance (from his two copies of Manitou Dawn) and two more Blackbriar Thorn counters. When the 20 ATK/20 DEF 2-drop came across at Charaxes, Eric had no effects, extending the hand in concession to Neil’s game-ending breakthrough.

Neil Reeves looks to be on his way to yet another good placing here on the Vs. System Pro Circuit!

Winner: Neil Reeves