The great philosophers and classically-trained musicians KMFDM once wrote a missive about the question “What Do You Know, Deutschland?” At Pro Circuit: Atlanta, the answer has finally been found: They know how to draft.
Teammates Andre Müller and Alexander Jersch went into the first draft with the same plan—to build a low-cost JLI–Injustice Gang deck that used the powerful pumps available to the JLI in combination with the Injustice Gang’s ability to put out monstrous numbers of Army characters.
“Batman, Hidden Crusader is really good in this deck,” Müller said. “You basically want to get hidden guys as much as possible so you don’t lose them on the off initiatives.” So far, the strategy has put up good results. Müller and Jersch have both chalked up 2-1 records.
“Someone else drafted the same deck, so mine wasn’t as good as it could be. I lost one game,” Müller said. “I mulliganed into nothing, then nothing on 4 and misdrop on 3—my opponent curved out, but I won the other two.”
The key cards for the deck are lots of 1-cost Army characters, Justice League Task Force, Zazzala ◊ Queen Bee, General Fabrikant, and Kimiyo Hoshi ◊ Dr. Light. If everything works out, Müller and his team plan to win on turn 6, with Dr. Light, Batman, the team-up, and Fabrikant working to make their army of 1-drops gigantic.
“Catherine Cobert is really good,” Jersch says. “If you have a few locations, she’ll give you a good attack.” Turns 1 and 2 are dedicated to playing as many characters as you can, putting them in the hidden area whenever possible.
“You basically don’t want to draft 3-drops unless they have good abilities,” Müller said, “unless it’s General Glory or Shadow-Thief. On turn 3, you will usually play another 2-drop and a 1-drop.”
Turn 4 is when the big guns come out: Batman, Dr. Light, and General Fabrikant are all good plays. By either intentionally missing a resource or not replacing a reservist, the deck will have fewer resources than the opponent, enabling Batman’s leader power. “There are very few characters with range that are also concealed, so they’re good cards to draft,” Müller says. “That way, you can form around Batman.”
With both Müller and Jersch still fighting in the upper echelons, there’s a good chance we’ll see this strategy having an impact over the day.
JLI–Injustice Gang Swarm
Alexander Jersch, PC: Atlanta, Draft 1
1 General Fabrikant
2 Batman, Hidden Crusader
1 Bluejay
2 Zazzala ◊ Queen Bee
2 Shadow-Thief
2 Infernal Minions
1 Illusionary Warriors
1 Catherine Cobert
1 Oberon
1 L-Ron
1 Insectoid Troopers
1 Creeping Doom
1 Copperhead
1 Kimiyo Hoshi ◊ Dr. Light
2 Secret Files
1 Infestation
1 Plasma Blast
1 JLI Embassy
2 The Castle
1 Lair of the Mastermind
1 Slaughter Swamp
1 UN Building
1 Satellite HQ
1 S.T.A.R. Labs Orbital Platform