Metagame.com - Take Your Game to the Next Level

(6-1 at time of interview)

What was the most important factor in your winning record yesterday?
Die roll—I went first a lot, which is important since the format is so speedy. Most matches ended on turn 7. The match I lost, my opponent went first. That’s what this Sealed Peck format is like.

How were your sealed decks yesterday?
I had good cards for both decks. My opponents’ decks were usually better—they had better plot twists, characters, etc.

In the draft, was there cooperation, or fighting over teams?
For most people, myself included, this was their first eight-man draft, so it was impossible to cooperate. I picked everything but Thunderbolts characters—basically whatever fit my curve. I picked plot twists, but wasn’t sure if I had made good choices.

What is the most important thing to do in Avengers sealed or draft?
Making a good curve. I am playing four 1-drops and five 2-drops. I’m happy with even more 2-drops.

What turn do you think is the pivotal turn for your matches?
Usually the fourth or fifth turn. If you play first, the fifth turn; if you play second, the fourth turn. That’s the turn when you must make sure you have more characters than your opponent. In the first three turns, you have to really protect your characters from being KO’d without wasting too much endurance in the process. In my last match, I skipped attacking one time just to prevent the chance of losing a character, even though I could have caused a lot of endurance loss to my opponent.

What do you like most about Vs. System?
The tempo of the game is good. There is no boring time during the matches. From turn 1, you can make lots of decisions.

What would you change about Vs. System?
Re-evaluate the power of going first. Going first is so strong. Look at some options to balance that out.

Have you played constructed deck?
Not much. We [Japanese players] don’t have so many cards yet, so we have to share decks. Constructed is easier than limited, though—and going first seems like less of a factor, from the matches we have played.

How will you prepare for Gen Con So Cal?
First, we’ll have to make a testing team for draft. We have six for testing right now, so we need two more good drafters. We’ll need to teach more players the game, too, so we have more good players to test against for Constructed. It’s going to be a little hard for us to prepare for Golden Age, since we don’t have all the cards yet in Japan.