David Leader is a 30-year-old webmaster from Atlanta, GA. Leader is part of Team FTN, who put an impressive three team members in the Top 8 here this weekend, and though he has some well-known teammates like Jason Dawson and Michael Dalton flanking him, this is Leader’s first major success in the Vs. System. Markus Kolb is a 19-year-old German who hails from Stuttgart and has one previous $10K Top 8 to his name. Peering over his shoulder for this semifinals match is teammates and mentor Hans Joachim Höh, whose German team members continue to make names for themselves in the Vs. System.
Both players mulliganed their opening hands after Leader won the roll and took initiative on the even turns. Both players opened up with a turn 1 Willworld, and Leader had old picklehead to provide a foil to Kolb’s first turn Arisia, getting on the board with a 50–49 lead. Leader recruited Tomar Tu for his second turn, while Kolb paused for a moment before recruiting Kyle Rayner, Last Green Lantern and grabbing a Light Armor from his deck, equipping Arisia. Salakk attacked Arisia, but both Kolb and Leader used The Ring Has Chosen to grab Dr. Light, Master of Holograms from their deck. Mutual stuns from all attacks made the endurance totals 47–45 in favor of Leader, with David keeping Tomar Tu on the board and Kolb keeping his equipped Arisia.
In a big shock to all the onlookers, both players tossed down Dr. Lights for turn 3 (where’s my sarcasm font when I need it?), Kolb also reviving Kyle and putting another Light Armor on him. Leader brought Kyle into play with the Doc, as well, getting a Helping Hand from his deck. He formed his men with Kyle Rayner behind Tomar Tu and Dr. Light in the back row. Kolb’s Rayner smacked down Dr. Light, Arisia stunned Tomar, and then Kolb passed to Leader, who used his Kyle and Shock Troops to smash Dr. Light and gain an early character advantage. Kolb now lead in the endurance race 39–36.
Leader had a very good turn 4, boosting Olapet to snag Salakk from his deck, recruiting Arisia and G’Nort, and then reviving Tomar Tu with Dr. Light, giving him six men (and women . . . err . . . and dogs, too) on the board. Kolb made a mistake on his turn, doing his resource math wrong and playing The Shark in place of G’Nort, and was not allowed to go back. That left his army just under power and one character smaller than Leader’s. David’s attacks were then heavily complicated by a team-up and Prison Planet on Kolb’s side of the board. Lanterns in Love from Kolb gave both players an equal number of stunned characters at the end of the turn, with Leader keeping Tomar Tu, Olapet, and Dr. Light.
Kyle Rayner grabbed a Chopping Block from Kolb’s deck, and The Ring Has Chosen brought forth Hector Hammond. A recruited G’Nort and a revived Olapet, plus the game’s most annoying dog, gave Kolb seven men (fine, five men plus a woman and a dog) with which to try to abuse the initiative this turn. Leader went big with Guy Gardner, Strong Arm of the Corps, and then revived Major Disaster to destroy Prison Planet. Kolb’s first Tomar Tu attack bounced as the Major did his job, and then Helping Hands stunned only Kolb’s attacker. Kyle Rayner rammed his face into Tomar Tu in the exact same fashion, though Kolb had to think that was going to happen because Leader had searched them out with Guy previously. Olapet attacked way up the curve to take down Guy Gardner. Hector Hammond then stunned Dr. Light, and G’Nort and Arisia teamed up to finally stun Tomar, ending Kolb’s attack. Leader’s counterattack again displayed more plot twist bullying, as he used Olapet to attack Dr. Light with a little help from Trial by Sword. The field was bloody at the end of this turn, with half of each team falling in battle. Leader kept Guy, the Major, and Olapet to Kolb’s Dr., Hector, and Arisia. Kolb had also stolen back the endurance lead, 19–13.
Dr. Light, Tomar Tu, and Kyle Rayner to fetch Light Armor were the reinforcements to Leader’s squad on turn 6. Kolb went big this turn himself, using a revived Kyle to grab a Light Brigade and put it in his hand before boosting Ch’P and leaving his entire team in the back row. Leader attacked the squirrel with Guy, earning a stun, but not before Ch’P helped put Light Brigade into play. Leader then paused to figure out his next move, commenting, “Wow, this is hard.” “Tomar into Light Brigade, Trial by Sword, Trial by Sword.” Kolb just shook his head, stating, “This is the third game I’ve had like this already; the earlier ones involved three ¡Ole!.” Leader’s further attacks left all but Dr. Light and Hector Hammond on Kolb’s side of the board, but the young German clung to a thin line of 3 endurance points of hope as Leader was unable to finish Kolb off and send the match into game 2. The Atlanta native was hardly in better shape, as he was sitting at a paltry 5 endurance himself.
Kolb then tried to ship the game on turn 7 by saying go before reviving anyone with Dr. Light, leaving both G’Nort and Arisia in his discard pile. He yelled at himself, “I am so bad!” giving Leader a glimmer of hope, as well. On Kolb’s attack, The Shark only stunned himself by once again ramming headlong into Tomar Tu plus a Helping Hand. Dr. Light then stunned the troublesome squid-like being, Hector Hammond stunned Kyle Rayner, and then a team-attack whacked Guy Gardner to finish off Leader. Kolb pulled that one out in spite of a couple of hefty mistakes, earning a friendly, “Don’t play like an idiot and you can win this” from a watching Hans Joachim Höh.
Kolb 1 – Leader 0
Leader kept his opener, while Kolb shipped his first hand back. Opening-turn Willworlds again squared off as Kolb put Arisia on the board and Leader played a puppy. Kyle Rayners squared off for turn 2, Leader getting a Helping Hand and Kolb grabbing a Light Armor. Stuns across the board again left both players at 46. On turn 3, Kolb had used Willworld three times and still had failed to find Dr. Light, meaning he missed out on the most important character in the format (and for a while, the game). He recruited Tomar Tu and G’Nort instead.
“I am so happy to see you, Tomar, you don’t even know,” quipped Leader.
David was at least a little ecstatic because he too whiffed on Dr. Light, playing down a Tomar of his own and The Shark. Kolb flipped up Oa on his attack to overcome a Helping Hands and stunned Leader’s board, making the totals 43–38 in favor of Kolb. Turn 4 was a little better for Leader, rebuilding to a board of Dr. Light, Tomar Tu, Kyle Rayner, and G’Nort. Kolb again missed out on the Light antics, playing Ch’P instead. Now it was Leader’s turn to stun his opponent’s board, leaving Kolb with only the squirrel and no Dr. Light to rebuild and making the endurance totals 35–33 in Kolb’s favor.
Turn 5 was practically do or die for Kolb. His lack of the Dr. Light/Kyle Rayner engine and some beatings from Leader left him low on cards and men. He was able to place Olapet, Kyle, and Arisia on the board with Ch’P for his initiative, but that had to contend with six men for Leader, including the engine on the American’s side. Ch’P had to work to take down Tomar Tu, needing help from Oa to overcome two plot twists. Another Hands from Leader left Kolb completely out of gas, giving Leader a chance to score big on the counterattack. He dropped Kolb to 22 endurance and again stunned Kolb’s board, and further play was a foregone conclusion. Leader had evened the match at one game apiece.
Kolb 1 – Leader 1
“Playing on odds is hell,” said Kolb. “I think if we both have a normal draw, odds can’t win.”
Leader mulliganed his opener and then led off with Roy Harper ◊ Speedy, while Kolb kept his first four and recruited G’Nort.
“Play The Shark, play Arisia, play Light Armor on The Shark, play Chopping Block on Arisia, KO your G’Nort.” That was the sequence of plays that Leader led off with, chopping Kolb’s initiative off at the knees and Major Disaster along with it. Even with the endurance totals at 47 each, it was clear that Leader had just made a huge step toward winning this game and the match. Leader recruited Dr. Light, Master of Holograms on his turn 3, reviving Olapet. Kolb hopped right back in the game by recruiting The Shark and G’Nort, and then used The Ring Has Chosen to grab his own Speedy from the deck, giving him three weenies against Leader’s four but also a chance to get rid of the deadly Chopping Block. Leader attacked G’Nort with his Olapet, earning a free stun. Then the Sharks tried to square off, but Speedy made sure that attack went awry, KO’ing Leader’s before the attack could get started. Leader passed things back to Kolb and then chopped out all but Kolb’s Shark, making the endurance totals 45–44 in favor of David.
Kolb’s play on turn 4 was to leave the Dr. Light in his hand alone and boost Olapet to grab G’Nort from his deck, and then to add Speedy to the squad, as well. Leader added Hector Hammond to his side and revived Kyle Rayner, grabbing a Helping Hands. Speedy led off combat by KO’ing Arisia, but then Leader stoned the rest of Kolb’s attacks with a series of Helping Hands and then stunned Kolb’s board back, leaving him with only a plant head to face Leader’s teeming hordes of GLEE. The score was Leader 43–Kolb 39.
Leader’s only recruit for turn 5 was Guy Gardner, adding The Shark from the discard pile. Markus finally put Dr. Light into play for the first time in two games, flanking him with Speedy and Arisia, and then revived Kyle to search out Light Brigade. Leader’s attacks decimated Kolb’s undersized squad, and the return attack from the Light Brigade proved irrelevant. Markus drew his last two cards and then extended his hand, congratulating Leader on his finals berth.
Leader 2 – Kolb 1