The first time Thing smashes Dr. Doom’s face in, you get a rush. It’s so cool to see that happen. "Where are you evil master plans now, you friggin’ Diabolical Genius? Take 9!"

My favorite thing about Marvel is how excited people get when they see it. People say things like "Oh, another Marvel game . . . grumble, grumble," but when they sit down and play it for the first time, you can actually see them change their minds. I remember showing a friend of mine the cards. He said, "Blob is broken. Do you realize how insane Blob is? He protects all your other guys. That’s amazing. First thing I do when I get the cards, I’m going to build the Blob deck. Then you’ll see." I smiled, anticipating the time when that would happen.

Now it’s time. Marvel Origins has released and is debuting in hobby stores nationwide. It’s out there, and we’re all building our first decks with real cards. It’s the most exciting thing I’ve seen in a long time.

As of today, Metagame.com steps out of "preview mode" and into full coverage of the Vs. System. That said, I am, if nothing else, aware of the irony of presenting you with this "preview" of what’s to come. Let’s just call today a transition period and leave it at that.

As you know, the Marvel TCG is the first game ever to launch with a $1,000,000 Pro Circuit. With that kind of money up for grabs, it’s important for us to take this game seriously-only good players will have a shot at winning the cash. Metagame.com’s goal is to provide you with the best strategy advice available to help you win that money. The game’s designers have been looking at individual cards and concepts, teaching the game as they showed it off. They did some great work. Now, we’re ready to move along and start talking about the metagame.

This is where things get exciting for us. We know that the average Marvel player is smart, good at TCGs, and raring to go. So, instead of doing "the basics of everything," we’re just going to throw you in the deep end. I’m betting that you can swim just fine.

Starting tomorrow, expect to see content from the some of the best writers in the industry on a wide variety of topics. Here are just a few of the things you can expect to see from us in the coming weeks:

Danny Mandel giving you an insider’s look at Upper Deck Research & Development. What goes on in the R&D room-with-a-top-secret-codename? What happens in the Danger Room and the Batcave? How do cards go from being Flying Leaps to Flying Kicks? Mandel’s the man.

A full card list for DC Origins, with playtest notes.

Dave Humpherys, one of the finest TCG players in the world, explaining the hows and whys of Marvel Limited, including Sealed Pack and Draft. Should you draft Finishing Move as a first pick? Thinking about splashing Negative Zone? Dave has a little advice for you. Listen up, because the man knows what he’s talking about—he has a PhD!

Jason Grabher-Meyer, one of Yu-Gi-Oh!’s finest writers, waxing poetic on all sorts of topics. Jason is one of my three favorite Canadians, and that’s saying a lot, because I know a lot of really cool folks from the Great White North.

Matt Hyra is Wicked Clever. In his series, Matt talks about getting the most out of your cards—and maximizing your life, in general. Matt is also the evil genius behind the Marvel Mulligan, which is known in some circles as the Hyra Mulligan.

We’re talking high-level strategy with more than one mystery guest. We’ve got some of the most famous writers in the industry on tap. We expect big things from these guys—and they’ve promised to deliver.

Occasionally, just every once in awhile, a little something from me. I play this Marvel game from time to time.

All right, one of those is probably an April Fool’s joke . . . but which one? If you ask me, it’s probably the last one; I probably couldn’t write my way out of a paper bag.

Tune in tomorrow for Danny’s first article. He says it’s going to have an anecdote in it, but he won’t tell me what it is. I’m pro-anecdote in general, so I’m excited but, at the same time, frightened.

If you need to get in touch with me, drop a line to editor@metagame.com. If you ask nicely, I may even tell you about a secret joke that’s hidden in the first set’s flavor text. The game’s designers don’t even know about it!

Take care.