Ian Vincent has been flying the British colors over the Vs. System Pro Circuit since its inception. None of us who remember the first PC will ever be able to erase from our memory the sound of an English accent saying, “Home Surgery, chained to Heroic Sacrifice.” Tim Willoughby won the inaugural PC $10K with that, and two years later at Pro Circuit San Francisco, Ian Vincent won $40,000 in one sitting. As the first non-American Pro Circuit Champion in history, Ian will live forever. And now you get a chance to wing over the Atlantic for tea and crumpets with a PC monarch.

Where do you live and what do you do for a living?

I live in London at the moment, working as a civil servant. London’s a good place to be for my hobbies but I’d much rather be designing games for a living, even if that meant living somewhere with a very different climate.

How did you get started playing cards in the first place? Do you have childhood memories of little pieces of cardboard?

My brother still refers to any card game I play as “top trumps.” I guess I spent too much time with them as a kid.

I was introduced to trading card games by an American football teammate at university. He had to miss a match because he’d won the regional Star Trek TCG championship and took a trip to Vegas to play in the World Championship. Fifteen months after that, I took his regional title, but I paid him back a few years later when we won the World Team Championship.

What did you think of super heroes and villains before you began playing Vs. System?

I’m quite a fan of some of the Marvel cartoons; Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, and X-Men especially. I never got into the comics.

Please give us a bird’s-eye view of what it takes to win a match of Vs. System.

Preparation, concentration, and good draws. I’d say about a third of all games are won before you even sit down to play, a third by good play, and the other third by luck.

What are some things that make Vs. System different from other trading card games?

The way characters choose who they’re going to fight is massive. It brings a whole extra level of skill into the game with formations, attack order, etc.

Care to share any bad beats, on either side of the table?

Not really. :-P

What is your favorite travel memory from the first three years of Pro Circuit competition?

Pro Circuit Los Angeles last year. I scrubbed out but got to spend a lot of time with some friends who I don’t get to see often enough. This year we’re staying for an extra day just in case one of us makes Top 8 and cuts into the fun time.

If you could be one of the super heroes or villains that we already have printed on a card, which one and why?

It’d have to be a good guy; I just don’t enjoy being mean all the time. I’d probably go for one of the versions of Robin. He seems to have a lot more fun than Batman and we all need an excuse to say “Kapow!” now and then.

If you were given the chance to design your own card, what would it be like?

It would have to be a location for Ahmed Samsarra to fetch (I can be very sentimental at times), but it’d probably be subtle rather than outright powerful. A new version of Bad Press would be nice.

What would be the name of a new plot twist fashioned after your real life?

Lucky in Cards.

What existing plot twist would you like to be able to use on real people at work?

Flame Trap, get them all in one go.

If you could create the perfect Draft set, what would it be like?

For starters I’d want two extra cards in each pack and twice as many different commons in the set so that you can switch later in the draft and get more variety of decks. Ideally I’d want every team to be viable either on their own or as part of two different team-ups. A few sets have come close to this and they’ve been a lot of fun.

What is the key to your competitive success?

Preparation technique. It’s not just about how much time you spend, it’s about spending that time on the right things.

Remembering the time you won the whole thing, what was different in all the other tournaments that kept you from the Championship?

I had a very strong team around me and we started the day after the Sneak Preview. With only a month to prepare and a completely blank slate (it was the first major Silver Age tournament) it was always going to be a struggle to be ready in time.

I should mention the Ivy League deck leak too; there’s no way I’d have won without putting Sage, Xavier’s Secret Weapon in the night before the PC.

Any final words for your adoring fans?

Adoring fans? Can’t say I’ve met any yet.