Insane.

Picture it . . . you’re planning to dive into the cauldron of $10K competition, where every deck has been fine-tuned to take advantage of the expected metagame and every strategy has been tempered with countless hours of playtesting.

What person in their right mind would play with a starter deck?

It’s crazy.

Or is it?

Tom Finlayson from Lismore, in New South Wales (which is much closer to Brisbane than the NSW capital, Sydney), has registered a deck comprised of cards exclusively from the Spider-Man vs. Doc Ock starter and three additional booster packs.

His deck:

Characters
1 Dr. Octopus, Doc Ock
3 Venom, Eddie Brock
2 Dr. Octopus, Otto Octavius
4 Electro
4 Green Goblin, Norman Osborn
3 Lizard
1 Green Goblin, Altered Ego
1 Sandman
1 Hobgoblin
1 Kaine
3 Kraven the Hunter
2 Rhino
1 Beetle
1 Jackal
1 Alistair Smythe
1 Hammerhead
3 Vulture
2 Speed Demon
1 Shocker

Plot Twists
3 Alley-Oop!
2 Sinister Salvo
2 Sadistic Choice
3 Crushing Blow
3 No Fear
1 Fight to the Finish
1 Crowd Control
1 Pleasant Distraction
1 Hired Goons
1 Surrounded

Equipment
1 Smoke Screen
1 Jetpack

Locations
2 Doc Ock’s Lab
2 Osborn Industries
1 Lion’s Den
1 ESU Science Lab

It was originally envisioned as part of a wider competition within a competition at $10K Brisbane, with plenty of prizes at stake. The Online Games Centre in Brisbane (http://brisbaneonline.com.au/), Upper Deck Entertainment, Vs Paradise (http://www.vsparadise.com) and the wider Australian Vs. community got behind the initiative.

The highest placed finisher would win $80 of store credit (at the Online Games Centre), as well as a t-shirt or playmat, while second would receive $50 of store credit and either a t-shirt or playmat. Third would receive $30 of store credit.

With his fellow Lismore players “chickening” out of the challenge, Tom was the lone ranger with his starter deck (he who dares . . . wins).

Auckland $10K champion Alex Brown further upped the stakes.
“If someone beats me at the $10K with a starter deck, I will give them a Savage Beatdown,” he said.

Ray Isais offered up his signature quote—“If I lose to a starter deck in a $10K, I will quit the game!” Hopefully he doesn’t live to regret all the time he has been spending playing Worlds of Warcraft instead of honing his Vs. skills lately.

After Round 2, Tom Finlayson was still looking for his first $10K victory, but if you’re a fan of the underdog, be sure to follow Tom’s name in the standings throughout the day.