I see life as a big conspiracy. All around us, there are unseen forces working together for good. The clues are everywhere; modern man is bombarded by a relentless mish-mash of mixed media messages. Finding patterns amidst the chaos is the key.

The timing of these hidden messages can often be uncanny. For example, I just took a short break from writing this column to check the sports news on another website. I saw that my second favorite hockey player of all time had signed once again with the Detroit Red Wings. The title of the article was eerily appropriate for our topic: “Becoming a Pattern,” it said.

“That means you are back in tune again,” replied my wife when she heard about the meaningful coincidence. Carl Jung coined the term “synchronicity” to describe such serendipitous events. It happens to me all the time.

I get most of my messages from pop culture—bumper stickers, random Internet babble, professional sports, and modern music. Today, I will try to sift the miasma for meaning about Vs. System using one of these common signals.

We will be looking for any connecting themes to answer these questions:

1. What will the metagame of Pro Circuit Indianapolis 2006 be like?
2. What final tech changes should I make to optimize my chances of success?
3. Who will be crowned our newest PC Champion when it’s all over?

We will use the Beastie Boys. They released a brand new concert video on the same day I started scheming about this article, and it has enough information to answer anything. The DVD can be played in six different formats, including the “grid squad.” The concert was at Madison Square Garden, and fifty regular fans were given camcorders to capture the action. The grid squad view shows all fifty angles at once. It is an amazing document to analyze for meaning.

It is also amazingly similar to a fabulous flowchart format for finding the underlying pattern of a Vs. System game. Brian “great tiger” Le created this masterpiece. Check it out:

It boggles the mind to realize that there are that many movements within each Vs. System game. When we apply it to Pro Circuit Indianapolis 2006, it tells us that there will be many matches won and lost on account of skillful timing. The metagame looks like it will consist of a solid showing of Good Guys, Checkmate, Injustice Gang, Fate Artifacts, and an unknown quantity. Whichever one can maximize its tricks within the appropriate phase-boxes will triumph. Maybe we can discover the winner by exploring some more coincidental connections.

Let’s go deep inside the offices of Upper Deck Entertainment.  When Mr. Mike Hummel saw Brian Le’s flowchart diagram, he said:

What would be interesting/funny is if we ran a comparison diagram of another game to show that most games, when broken down to a microscopic choice point diagram, can be equally complex. For example, I could create a similar flow chart for Candyland that would take up almost as many choice boxes if it walked you through the entire board.

Before I leave this section, I will drop a PC Indy clue in the form of a rap introduction for Mr. Mike Hummel, since he was so gracious to jump into my article like that. It goes a little something like . . .

M. to the K. to the Hummel,

It’s a shame.

Team attack to the face,

Infestation. Good game.

During the song “Shake Your Rump,” Mike D. goes into a trance while singing the words “puppet on a string.” The cinematography synchronizes his dance moves into a mirror-match symphony with a young lady in the audience. It looks like they are exhausting each other and it is my favorite part of the show. It might give a wink to any deck that can exhaust an opposing character or two.

The Beastie Boys are a New York City icon, and the show is in the Garden. Therefore, it is imperative to focus on the footage for any references to either the Mets or the Yankees. Blue and Orange, of course, are the Good Guys in that equation, and the ratio is staggering. If the Mets’ face-time in this video is any indication, JLA / JLI decks will dominate their evil counterparts all day.

Doug E. Fresh is a 9-drop that can win a concert by himself without any resource points whatsoever. This concert proves it. I have not yet heard of any way to drag a PC: Indy game into the later turns this year, but if there is one lurking out there, it will be strong. However, the World’s Greatest Entertainer only appears for one song in the show. Not many players will be running 9-drops this time.

There is a direct reference to a Vs. System card at the beginning of the “Big Hollywood Trailers” that are included in the extra features on the new Beastie Boys DVD. It gives me oceans of hope; it names a character card I will be playing in Indianapolis. I am not going to tell you any more, since you will be reading this three days before the tournament starts. We shall see how accurate that mismatched message turns out to be.

Before I get too hokey here, I’ll wrap up this part of the article. Here’s the pattern we found and the predictions it makes.  

1. Good Guys will be strong and will make up a large percentage of the field, but the deciding factor will be the skillful use of all phases of the game.
2. Exhausting opposing characters and recruiting 9-drops will provide a surprising alternative, but they will not be a big success.
3. I could have sworn that I saw TJ Holman dancing in the video. He, or someone who looks a lot like him, will be our new PC Champion on August 13.

Okay, time to change gears. To Canada!

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Random Constructed: Crime Lords

By G’daybloke

Ever a favorite of mine, I thoroughly enjoy the vengeful nature of the Crime Lords. Villains United may well be the first team to actually stock “vengeance” as a keyword, but the Crime Lords were about making your opponent’s attacks hurt them long before Alexander Luthor started recruiting. They may lack offensive oomph, but when it comes to defensive stunbacks and attack redirection, the Crime Lords are the experts in the field.

 

1. When defending while reinforced, they get boosts all over the place.

2. Through characters, equipment, and plot twists, they can redirect attacks wherever they like.

The Crime Lords also have the added advantage of being able to introduce a good number of other Vs. System game play elements without straying into another team.

As such, I present for the reading pleasure of budding mobsters everywhere an introductory Crime Lords deck for the Random Constructed format.

Characters

3 Carbone’s Assassins

2 Roscoe Sweeny

1 Vanessa Fisk

3 Cobra

3 The Rose

3 Kingpin, Wilson Fisk

2 Mr. Hyde

3 Masked Marauder

2 Saracen

1 Deadpool, Wade Wilson

2 Hitman

2 Mr. Fear

2 Jaime Ortiz ◊ Damage

2 Kirigi

1 Bullseye, Master of Murder

Plot Twists

2 Watch the Birdie!

2 I Still Hate Magic!

2 No Rest for the Wicked

2 Counterstrike

2 Marked for Death

2 Face the Master

4 Burn Rubber

1 The Family

1 Hired Hit

2 Made Men

Locations

3 Hand Dojo

3 Geraci Family Estate

Equipment

2 Armed Escort

2 rares: 3%

19 uncommons: 32%

39 commons: 65%

Who introduces/emphasizes which mechanics?

Carbone’s Assassins: Non-unique Army characters

Roscoe Sweeny: Character search

Vanessa Fisk: Concealed characters, discardable characters

Cobra: Character search, formation

The Rose: Plot twist search, concealed, movement between zones

Kingpin: Boost, static abilities

Mr. Hyde: Formation, static abilities

Masked Marauder: Payment effects, redirection

Saracen: Static abilities

Deadpool: Concealed, curve jumping
Hitman: Conditional payment effects, stunning out of combat
Mr. Fear: Payment effects, redirection
Damage: Redirection
Kirigi: Triggered effects

Bullseye: Static effects, a little payback for daring to attack the Lords!

The deck is pretty evenly balanced between reinforcement and combat, with an obvious emphasis on the defending.

When you’re on the attack:

Watch The Birdie! – Reduce opponent’s ATK

I Still Hate Magic! – Reduce opponent’s DEF 

No Rest for the Wicked – Boost your DEF 

Made Men — Flight

When you’re on the defense:

Counterstrike – Boost your ATK 

Hand Dojo – Boost your ATK 

Marked for Death – Reduce opponent’s DEF 

Face the Master – Boost your ATK or DEF 

Armed Escort – Attack redirection

Hired Hit – Attack redirection

And the reinforcers:

Geraci Family Estate - Reinforcement

Burn Rubber - Reinforcement

The Family - Reinforcement

So in the end, you get a somewhat “typical” Crime Lords deck; although you have some effects to help you out when you’re on the attack, pretty much the majority of the deck is dedicated to making it just plain painful when your opponent attacks you. With only two rares and almost two thirds of the deck made up of commons, it shouldn’t be too difficult to assemble from your leftovers. Use it to help your local new enthusiasts get a handle on the game.

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That was a wonderful example of the Random Constructed format, and last week I promised you a report about Two Pack Sealed. Nina and I played a seven game series using that format, and we decided to see what happens when Green Lantern Corps does battle with Infinite Crisis. It was an extremely educational way to play Vs. System. It showed the amazing strength of the newer set, and the fun we had was simply terrific.

We opened two packs each, shuffled without looking at the cards, and played. I was overjoyed to see Starlings and Soldiers of New Genesis in my two packs, although they didn’t do much to help me win. My rares were Dr. Bedlam (who had problems with the ability of Infinite Crisis to get its resources flipped up quickly) and Sinestro, Green Lantern of Korugar, who won the only game I triumphed in. Nina took the series in devastating fashion, as Terry Sloane ◊ Mr. Terrific easily combined with Michael Holt ◊ Mr. Terrific to over-pump the willpower defense theme of the Green Lantern Corps tricks. Overall, it was a fascinating format that forces its players to revisit cards that are often overlooked. Grab two packs apiece and try it today.

Ten days from when I am writing this and three days from when you are reading it, Pro Circuit Indianapolis 2006 will be underway. Whether you are mining for messages or measuring the metagame to win mad money, this DC Modern Age promises to be a bonanza in many ways. I will be playing something near and dear to my heart, and I can’t wait to tell you all about it when it’s over. For now, I will leave you with a tease. The next time we talk, it will be about Heralds of Galactus, and green will never mean the same thing again. See you then!

Rian Fike is also known as stubarnes, whatever that represents to you. If you have uncovered the hidden messages in this article or would like to encode some in the next, send the signal to rianfike@hattch.com.