Everyone plays favorites. Even when you side with the unsupported underdog, you choose the one that strikes your fancy. Only the utterly random response is free from personal preference. We are what we like.
I like to make lists in my head for things such as: Freakiest Play of All Time, Coolest Character Under Pressure, or Most Amazing Comeback. I choose my favorites in the fields of music, sports, art, film, and Vs. System.
The eleven expansion sets that have blessed our kitchen tables and Pro Circuit halls over the past two and a half years provide fertile soil for list making. We could determine our personal picks for Most Powerful Character, Strongest Location, or Top Plot Twist. We could choose according to competitive, casual, or chaotic guidelines. I would rather boil it down to its final essence: Favorite Card from Each Set.
This activity is as subjective as it can be. You like what you like, and no external judgment can change your private taste. A card may be chosen for its artwork. You might have beaten someone in a most embarrassing manner with a rarely-played character. Perhaps large sums of cash are connected to a certain piece of cardboard, causing a financial fondness in your bank account. Whatever you prefer, it is yours and no one can take it away.
I have mine, but this is not about me—this is about the game itself. We are going to focus on eleven fan favorites from the illustrious catalog of Vs. System expansion sets, culled from the VsRealms.com message boards. We will include quotes for flavor from the particular poster that picked them. I will fill in my own twisted take on each card and heap on some history while we are at it. Remember folks—all these cards are eligible for the next $40,000 champion’s share at Pro Circuit Los Angeles 2006. Check out these funky favorites.
“This is the card I've probably played with the most from Marvel Origins. I love the art, the effect, and just everything.”
- Ziggy
Readying characters is fun. It is also one of the most powerful methods of victory in all of Vs. System. Press the Attack has always held its amazing art aloft with true competitive edge. While we were playing with Marvel Origins alone, the card enabled some sick tricks with Wild Sentinels and Tibetan Monks. When Roy Harper ◊ Arsenal, Sharpshooter burst onto the scene with his boisterous Teen Titan buddies, the card became a concrete classic.
“Come on, that rhyming card text is boss.”
- chdb
I actually saw The Demon, Etrigan make Top 8 and duke it out for 10 PC points back in November of 2004. Joey Carey was experimenting with a Curve Sentinel build that used this 8-drop monster to finish things with flair in our South Florida PCQ. That was also the day we first saw Genosha and Magneto, Master of Magnetism making a deal with Bastion to create the single most dominant deck ever constructed. Dorian Cuellar infected the entire competitive community with that one, and the rest is history. At least we got to hear the golden poetry of The Demon’s ability at least once in a premier event. Once is enough to make the list.
“My favorite piece of Vs. System art and an effect that devastates an opponent; it's the total package.”
- the puritan
Leave it to Magneto to destroy the same Sentinels that he helped carry to victory. Insignificant Threat is absolutely beautiful unless you are on the receiving end of it. The name itself makes for a wicked taunt, and the successful use of this plot twist is as deflating as any other. I can still feel it being used against me at Pro Circuit Los Angeles 2004, by Joey Carey again. This is one of the cards that will be admired forever, especially since the Brotherhood team affiliation will always be such a competitive force. Prepare for this threat or suffer your own insignificance.
“Now that there is so much more cosmic love, maybe he can be used for an even greater cause.”
- GhostRiderGo
The azure version of the Man of Steel was the stunning centerpiece in one of the most impressive feats in Pro Circuit history. At PC: Indy 2005, Michael Jacob was not yet a Donkey, but he was nonetheless a force to be reckoned with. MJ shared his tech with the whole world and called his shot by walking us all through his strategy for the Blue Abuse deck on the forums prior to the first DC Modern Age event. GLEE was supposed to be the only way to go, but his cast of crazy cosmic characters created an interesting alternative. The deck was right up my alley, and he told me it would work, but I personally had fallen in love with a pile of Anti-Green Lanterns instead. Michael Jacob took Superman, Blue to the Top 8 on the backs of a whole mess of 1-cost Army characters. The deck is still one of my favorites; see if you can find any ways to improve it with all the new cosmic counter tricks in the Heralds of Galactus set. Imagine Extended Family in this:
Michael Jacob
Blue Abuse
5th place
Pro Circuit Indianapolis 2005
Characters
18 Soldiers of New Genesis
4 Lois Lane
4 Superman, Red
3 Superman, Blue
2 Cir-El ◊ Supergirl
Plot Twists
3 Man of Tomorrow
2 Millennium
4 Lanterns in Love
4 Trial by Sword
4 Shock Troops
4 Royal Decree
Locations
2 The Source
2 Birthing Chamber
Equipment
“My favorite card ever. And always. For all time. The card is just amazing!!!”
- Phelan Kell
“She guards my binder . . . she looks so scary as a foil.”
- Morpheus1981
The day I opened two pairs of those haunting peepers at the Marvel Knights Sneak Preview tournament will never fade in my memory. One of my copies was indeed foil. Spooky stuff that is totally unforgettable, this killer kid commanded some fairly frightening hype when she first arrived on the scene. Little Valeria was immediately hailed as the cherry on top of the Common Enemy sundae. This, of course, never materialized in the actual metagame, but we still can’t erase her eyes. They guard our binders to this day.
“Kyle's a blast to play, and his flavor is captured perfectly by his ability. Seriously, he's a putz in the comics, so it makes sense to have him keep coming back with different constructs, only to get knocked out, then come back with a New Crazy Thing to help win, only to get knocked out again.”
- Danceparty
Here we have a card with serious competitive strength. The version Construct expanded our game and brought with it this fetching fetcher. Kyle was a beast in Sealed Pack and Draft formats, and he will always be best buddies with Dr. Light, Master of Holograms. The last Green Lantern was the first to do what he does, and he does it well. He brings a toolbox effect that often ends in a Rain of Acorns. The flora of Vs. System flourishes in response.
“‘Yes, you heard me right . . . Wasp into Doctor Doom.’ The only +7 ATK pump, with minimal drawback. I don't care who you are, that’s hot.”
- JohnnyMono
Especially as an Extended Art prize card, this bruiser caused quite a commotion. It signaled a new wave of ultra-powerful effects that are so strong that they must be the only trick played on that turn. Combined with ever-increasing jaw-dropping character abilities, the Avengers set started a trend toward even greater reliance on red cards only. Still, the stackable nature of the more traditional plot twists has continued to keep many players away from this mightiest of pumps. That does not make it any less hot.
“As much as I would have liked to pick one of my beloved Secret Society characters, I went with the Stone for the grief it can cause in a Midnight Toy Store deck. Black Panther, King of Wakanda just abuses this card so nicely once Midnight Sons is up and running.”
- gdaybloke
We tried, in vain, to get this beauty into the “War Paint” deck. It has one of the most insane abilities in the game. As long as you know your opponent’s deck, you can hamstring it mercilessly and deny it the win condition it is counting on. Philosopher’s Stone also displays one of the most magnificent paintings ever printed in a trading card game. This is a rare gem that deserves much more attention than it gets.
“Man oh man. She made me dust off the old Crime Lords/Underworld deck and give it another whirl. Out goes Centurious, in goes this big fat 7 ATK / 8 DEF with a potentially very annoying ability. Good times.”
- Throatini
I remember laughing for five minutes straight with my opponent when he pulled off this witch’s trick at the Sneak Preview. Scorching art and the chance to revisit a favorite team can combine to forge favorites with each new release, especially when it includes a circle made of candles. We all have our favorite team affiliations, and legacy content like this can juice them up beyond our wildest dreams.
“It’s so nice to swing with the same character twice.”
- stewuseless
Turning anyone into Dr. Fate is perhaps the coolest thing ever. Helm of Nabu allows a masquerade effect that raises the bar for all time. Then we listen intently as Fate Has Spoken defies the laws of exhaustion. Wow. All you need to do is scroll up this article and find Superman, Blue, give him his cosmic counter back with Extended Family, and hear what Fate Has Spoken for the second stun.
“The last piece of the puzzle. This ensures the ability to clear boards, regardless of initiative. I don’t know how often opponents have refused to attack, knowing they couldn't gain board presence. Now they won’t be able to refuse.”
- WalterKovacs
I must agree with my dear friend from the A-Team for our final favorite. O-Force is very, very cool. It brings a brand new sort of control to Vs. System. Imagine a scenario where your opponent has a board full of weenies and you have a few defensive pumps or an extremely big butt on the board. Unless they can team attack to take out your wall, they will all fall down. That possibility is almost as keen as the characters themselves. I’d like to end this frolic through the faves by introducing you to the crazies on the card. Say hello to O-Force!
Born in the pages of X-Statix #1, these fame-hogs were literally dying for attention just like everyone else in that mixed-up myth of media madness. A contest was conducted across the continents for superheroes who wanted the spotlight. On live television, costumed crusaders of all shapes and sizes shot for the chance to be a member of O-Force. There was only one obligation: their names had to start with the letter “O”.
The wackos that wound up on our card are mostly the losers. Only Overkill, the guy with the red shoulders, made the team. Optoman and Ozone couldn’t cut it. Orchid is my favorite of the rejects, mostly because of her purple-and-green color scheme. Her vine-shooting ability was weird but weak, and she fell rather quickly on the show. Luckily for us, Vs. System breathes new life into the wounded and the wonderful. O-Force is back in the public eye, fishing for favor. We like it so much that it may live forever on our lists.
Rian Fike is also known as stubarnes, and Monday is his favorite day of the week since he gets to share it with you. Send your personal list, in any category you wish, to: rianfike@hattch.com