Metagame.com - Take Your Game to the Next Level

Vs. System is branching out. The game that we have been tending like a rosebush for three full years is blooming. Get ready for a few bumblebees and butterflies—we are going gardening.

We have a new plot of land in which to spread fertilizer and plant Vs. System seed. Instead of getting our hands dirty with actual physical cardboard, we will now be collecting and flipping our beloved myths in the land of virtual reality. It’s all electronic, and it’s amazing.

Konami has taken our cards and gone digital. We can buy packs, trade favorites, and build decks. We can erase the limits of geography and battle passionately from the comfort of our own homes. As you can see from that screenshot, we can also recreate the scenes of our greatest real-life triumphs. Huzzah!

Before I tell you the blissful tale of building a virtual Vomit deck, let me explain the unusually large number of cards that you see in the photograph. Do not try that at home. I will choose eight cards to place back in my collection before I actually play with the deck; it will be reduced to 60 cards eventually. I won’t decide which ones to cut until the last minute.

I filled all ten spots on that deckbuilding screen so it would look better when I took the picture. Those are the best options for this flavor of madness, and I always enjoy torturing myself over the final decisions. The basic function of the Wild Vomit archetype is provided by four cards: Longshot, Rebel Freedom Fighter; Wild Sentinel; Sentinel Mark IV; and Underground Sentinel Base. Reconstruction Program is almost always the first pick for additional inclusion, but then the choices get tough. Cover Fire is unequaled for defensive strength, but Combat Protocols will give you enough firepower to take down absolutely anything. Search and Destroy is perhaps the nuttiest card in the world against key smaller characters, but Senator Kelly can end a game in flame. Finally, for hand-filling thrills, Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters is in a class of its own, though the deck can easily win without it.

So what is a shiny, purple swarm-head to do? That is up to you. I will decide which plot twists make the grade as soon as I get the program installed to play online. I just got done trading for all the cards, and I had a blast.

Learning and maneuvering the trading system at Marveltcgonline.com is a bit tricky, sometimes challenging—and therefore extremely fun. It reminds me of the glory days of old-school Playstation RPGs such as Eternal Eyes or Saiyuki: Journey West.

When you get yourself set up with some online cards, you can offer them for exchange in the virtual community. Someone else chooses to honor your request, and the cards are switched between the respective collections with the click of a button. Any three cards can be offered or requested, and the swap is instant as soon as you find a willing partner. Before trading, make sure you are ready to live with the results. If you want full value for your powerful rares, you may have to wait a few days to see what the market will bear.

I jumped in with a mission. I really didn’t care about equity; I had to have a digital Wild Vomit deck, and I wanted it as fast as possible. In fact, I turned it into a quest. I have always enjoyed the creation of alternate win conditions when I play video games, and this was no exception. The new world record for building a full copy of the Longshot / Sentinel deck from only 30 packs of Marvel Origins is 48 hours and 24 minutes. I doubt anyone will ever beat my high score. You would have to be crazy to even try.

In other words, I had my work cut out for me. I had pulled a few strong rares for other archetypes, and some very desirable uncommons and commons that could fetch the shiny purple baubles I needed. The trading game was afoot. My legwork was meticulously recorded in my user profile on the website, and now I get to share the experience with you.

The first transaction saw WorthlessBum trade me his two Longshots for my two copies of Thing, Heavy Hitter.

With the full set of Longshots complete, I turned my focus to the other rare in the deck: Underground Sentinel Base. Atredes provided one, receiving a Signal Flare in return. Another was procured at the cost of one copy of It’s Clobberin’ Time!, but I don’t remember the name of the member who got it; the user profile only saves the trades that you initiate.

Zizaz took two copies of Lost City in exchange for the final Underground Sentinel Base that I so desperately needed. My rares were complete, and there was a huge sense of relief.

It was an amazing ride that I will not soon forget. As I was watching my trade list and keeping track of my remaining needs, I discovered another section of the community that is dedicated to sharing card combinations. It reminded me of the most exciting aspect of the game, especially for all the dreamers among us.

Marveltcgonline.com contains no DC Comics cards at all, so the environment presents a special challenge. We have been given a brand new metagame to master and discover together. The creation of combos is a great way to plant a few seeds, and before we leave the electronic garden today, I’d like to show you the green thumbs of a few real-life friends that are already fully flowering in the physical world of Vs. System cardboard craziness. Combos like this are what we live for. Let’s stop to smell the roses.

My favorite fun combo uses the Midnight Sons engine to team-up Avengers, Secret Six, Gotham Knights, Anti-Matter, and Revenge Squad.

The deck is full of team attacking. The first turns I build up as many team-ups as possible.

The deck went off so perfectly one time that I still remember the match. Entering turn 5's combat phase, I had a board of Quicksilver, Mutant Avenger; Dick Grayson ◊ Nightwing, High-Flying Acrobat; and Batman, Caped Crusader. I flipped Legendary Battles and swung into my opponent’s 4-drop with Dick Grayson and Quicksilver. I busted out the Playroom to burn him for 12 as his 4-drop stunned, and his freshly underdropped 4 also stunned. Quicksilver readied. I swung into his 3-drop with Quick and Batman to burn him badly, and Quicksilver readied again. I swung in for 5 with Quicksilver and passed to his stunned board. I got to sit back and admire the deck that lets me play my favorite 4-drop and always reminds me why I got into this game in the first place.

That single turn is one strong reason I love Vs. System. It was a masterpiece.