And now we’ve come to the final preview article before the official release of the game. This won’t be a focused piece, but rather a catchall grouping of ideas, musings, and previews to herald the arrival of the first Vs. System TCG release. Enjoy the ride.


Do you feel lucky, punk?

Actually, yes, I feel very lucky to have worked on this project. I thought this card would be a fun one to go out on. In many ways, it best describes the collection of characters I’ve gotten to work with on this project. Just joking. Seriously though, the designers, developers and organized play staff that contributed to the Marvel TCG are the most dedicated and knowledgeable card-floppers currently working in the industry. It’s been and honor and privilege for me to learn from these folks. I’ve also learned a lot from the forum posts being made on the fan sites. I thank you for your insightful feedback and will continue to check on the direction that you want the game to take. For all you know, I could be posting among you even now . . . OK, that’s enough back-patting and sucking up . . .


Happy Easter!

So how many Easter Eggs have you caught so far? For anyone who doesn’t know what an ‘Easter Egg’ is, it’s hidden visual pun embedded into the card art. Some are very obvious, like Franklin Richards’s toys, but others range from subtle to the downright obscure. No doubt I’ll see a forum thread tomorrow with a listing of everyone’s guesses. Good luck. And no, the characters on Random Punks are not images of the designers. We don’t look nearly that good.


Spider-Man, Spider-Man, Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man

For the record, let’s go over the Vs. System releases through the end of this year. The next product to release is the preview starter decks from the Spider-Man expansion. Called Spider-Man Vs. Doc Ock, these decks are formatted nearly identically to the X-Men Vs. Brotherhood decks. You’ll get two 40-cards decks, an updated rulebook, and a play diagram. There will be no reprints from Marvel Origins in these decks, and they will feature rare foil versions of Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus.

From the beginning, it was always our intent to alternate the releases of the Marvel and DC sets. Spider-Man was planned as the third Vs. System release after the DC Origins set. If the game had launched in November, as originally planned, the full Spider-Man expansion would have hit right before the movie released. As you know, nothing ever works out as originally planned.

The full Spider-Man expansion, called The Web of Spider-Man, will be shipped after Spider-Man 2 (and The Punisher) has already hit the screens. We thought it would be a crime to let this opportunity pass us by, so the solution was to release preview starter decks of the set and give everyone the chance to do some web-slinging a little early. As with Marvel Origins, starter deck content can be found in the Spider-Man boosters. The Web of Spider-Man expansion will contain 165 new cards.

The next full set to release will be DC Origins. This set will also have a starter deck set, called Batman Vs. The Joker. This release will contain 165 new cards and will focus on four teams from the DC universe. The set size for DC Origins is smaller than Marvel Origins because this release focuses on four main teams instead of Marvel’s five. All cards in DC Origins will be completely compatible with the cards from the Marvel sets. DC Origins is also a core set, not an expansion for Marvel Origins, and contains a complete standalone card pool.

After DC Origins will come the full Spider-Man release. The last Vs. System game of 2005 (Year 1) will be the Superman set. Currently called Superman, the Man of Steel, this will be another 165 card expansion that will feature the starter deck set Superman Vs. Lex Luthor. Now that I’ve spoiled all that information, I’ll end this section with the all-too-familiar “All details subject to change at any time, for any reason.”


Open the pod bay doors, HAL!

Here are a few things you should be on the lookout for. Very soon, we’ll be launching our A.I. program. This web-accessible database will contain official rules clarifications, updates, and FAQs for all Vs. System releases. Look for this to be posted on the official UDE Marvel/DC pages and in our organized play section. The comprehensive rules noted in the opening pages of the rulebook will also be going live very shortly on the same pages. There will also be a flash tutorial program, designed to take new players through their first game. Lastly, the Beyond Creative page will provide additional background
on the characters featured in Marvel Origins.


That’s a wrap

My job here is done. I present for your approval the Marvel TCG. I can only dream of where you’ll take it. My team and I have enjoyed bringing you these daily articles. It’s our hope that you’ll take up the banner and continue to submit articles for all the fan sites. 

And don’t forget to keep coming back to Metagame.com for more articles. 

Excelsior!