This week, Lappy2 and I were very well-travelled. As I write, I’m sitting in a train station waiting room, with Lappy2 in its allotted place and the two of us sharing bodily warmth as I put my thoughts into words. It is chilly enough in England now that the balmy winter weekend that was Pro Circuit Los Angeles seems like an all-too-distant memory. But what a memory it was.

I find myself running short of superlatives with which to amply express just how positive the last Pro Circuit was for me. Even if I start to branch into other languages, things don’t get significantly easier. While having a friendly little mongrel of a language that took words from all over the place is great for learning additional tongues, I find that using the words “magnificent” and “magnifique” is a little bit of a cop-out. If I start venturing into even less native tongues than those European lingoes with which I am familiar, then I run the double risk of embarrassing myself and incurring some sort of bizarre typing injury from trying to apply all of the appropriate accents over the tops of letters.

Let us just be content in the understanding that PC LA was very good for a variety of reasons.

The Constructed format was open and varied and featured powerful aggro, control, and combo strategies to suit every palate. The Sealed Pack play left me feeling that it’s unfortunate that more super-teams don’t employ a selection of reservists. That mechanic, along with the overall synergy-based format that is Avengers Draft, is possibly my favourite thus far on the Pro Circuit.

There were also plenty of interesting stories away from the gaming tables. This reporter got his first taste of pumpkin pie, in spite of his Scrooge-like insistence that Thanksgiving doesn’t exist. He also took a trip to a beach in November. I have a sneaking suspicion that I will be California dreaming for some time.

It seemed that one way or another, everyone had a ball at the PC. It’s going to take a while for me to shake the hilarious image of Jason Dawson in a full Run DMC tracksuit, trying to convince his teammate Chris Price that the best way to prepare for the Day 2 drafting was in fact to get some sleep rather than indulge in drinks named after obnoxious ladies. Despite just missing out on Top 8, Josh Wiitanen appeared to have a ball zipping about like a Duracell bunny that had just discovered caffeine. I sat in trepidation at the thought of the oft-threatened but never thus far realized “I Heart Tim Willoughby” T-shirts at the Pro Circuit. Us Englishmen are supposed to be modest, don’t you know?

On occasion, the offstage hijinks and coverage collided. Try re-reading the Top 8 coverage and play “spot the Sprewells.” Apparently, the patented Sprewell spinning rims graduated to being fitted on trainers, where the laws of physics were temporarily suspended to ensure that the rims never stopped spinning. As the nights drew on, they set an example to us all about hard work, consistency, and remaining bling.

My only regret from the sixth Pro Circuit was that I rather let people down with the lack of a Willoughby Invitational. After Indianapolis, where the premiere of the “little side event that could” was a rip-roaring success, it seemed that follow-ups should not only have been inevitable, but also better than the original. Alas, something went wrong for LA, but fear not—the Willoughby Invitational will be back in force for the Thursday afternoon/evening before Pro Circuit Atlanta, and hopefully, it will be in the feature match area of the PC so that those who aren’t busy playing in Last Chance Qualifiers can catch the show.

Of course, Pro Circuit Atlanta is still an age away (Golden to Modern Age, as it happens), and if the next Willoughby Invitational were the only thing we had to set our sights on, then those of us who are naturally short-sighted (like myself) would find themselves squinting. This is a quite undignified contortion to hold for any length of time, which I’m sure causes one to look old before one really deserves to. It is lucky, then, that the action never seems to stop with Vs. System.

This very weekend, $10K Bremen in Germany sees the debut of JLA in Golden Age. Much like Avengers before it, the set seems to have definite Constructed potential, and I am expecting big things from the new teams; already I have had three different, entirely independent, and excellent players talk to me about one deck type that seems certain to make an appearance in Germany. In order not to betray any trusts and do a little bit of unabashed self-aggrandizement, I’m not going to let on just now which deck I am talking about, but I do promise to feature it early on in the $10K coverage. Holy teaserooo!

JLA offers some interesting leg-ups for existing teams and whole new varieties of affiliation for inventive players. The set seems to have been put together with legacy teams in mind, and I hope to see a few old faces along with the new at the top tables this weekend.

One team that I’m rather looking forward to seeing reinterpreted is that tournament mainstay, the Brotherhood. With a mind to self promotion and world domination, the Brotherhood cunningly left their full affiliation name off their cards. “Brotherhood of Evil Mutants” sounds a little concerning when introducing yourself to, for example, hot ladies on planes, whereas “the Brotherhood” could just be some cool fraternity. This particular cool fraternity finds some nifty new options with JLA before they even start girding their loins in anticipation of the X-Men set.

Nth Metal, if it can be fitted into Big Brotherhood, seems like an ideal equipment at all stages of the game. Lost City immediately turns it into the most cost-efficient equipment in Vs. System. I like to think that the word “Nth” is pronounced rather like “Mmmph!”—which is approximately the sound one makes when being hit in the chest by a blunt object.

This isn’t the only trick for Big Brotherhood, though. Alex Shvartsman was kind enough to help out every deck running Avalon Space Station with his creation of Straight to the Grave. Being able to fetch key drops as and when necessary is pretty hot for Big Brotherhood, as it is for any deck. It opens up the potential to run a few more splash characters that are very strong against particularly troublesome matchups. Scarlet Witch, Wanda Maximoff seems very good in general against a field full of control decks right now, but in other circumstances, there are all sorts of naughty inclusions that could help out. The big issues will be whether or not Big Brotherhood can find space for all these new tricks, and whether the cost of emptying your hand faster will prove too much of a threat to its ultimate win condition (going loopy with power-ups). I have always been a fan of beating Big Brotherhood by forcing its player to empty his or her hand before the deck is ready. Will these new cards help against such a strategy? Only time will tell.

For Big Brotherhood’s little brother, there are a few options too. I have been a really big fan of Scarlet Witch, Eldritch Enchantress since she first showed up on the scene, and the concept of making her even better with T.O. Morrow just makes me all tingly. New Brotherhood decks could also do well to look at JLI cards and handy reservists as nifty ways of filling out their curve while remaining at the crucial four or less resources. Trial by Fire seems like a pretty nifty start for TNB.

Squadron Supreme has lately been making a bit of a name for itself as “the more consistent TNB.” Nobody is the new The New Brotherhood but the old Brotherhood, and it’s time for some mutants to clean house.

At the absolute opposite end of the spectrum, there are the Green Lantern stall decks that have not thus far received quite as much love as I for one had expected. The addition of both Mogo, The Living Planet and Guy Gardner, Egomaniac might well give this deck enough of a boost to make it competitive. Stall can turn to a big Zero Hour, but Onslaught and Imperiex are much more straightforward when a deck needs to find a way to beat up on a planet sporting both a bad attitude and a Green Lantern ring across its equator.

In terms of teams that haven’t yet received a lot of love but might see an upswing, my vote has to go with the Arkham Inmates. If you aren’t from Australia, where the loonies are apparently quite popular, it is pretty unlikely that you have seen a lot in the way of Arkham decks wrecking house. The inmates have received a lot of juicy additions in the new set, and with Two-Face, Split Personality having already broken onto the scene in various Sentinels decks, it will be great to see him lead a gang of reprobates on the edge for some crazy good times.

Crazy good times in Vs. System . . . I rather like that plan. My train just arrived. What with all this reporting, I rather like travel, also.

Have fun and be lucky!

Tim “Writer in Training” Willoughby

timwilloughby@hotmail.com