Both of these players have come a long way to get here, plowing through fourteen rounds of Heralds of Galactus Sealed Pack and Draft. Albert Wu is a Neutral Ground player from right here in New York, while Yoel Izsak is a Maryland native and a member of my own testing team. Albert has no $10K finishes to his name, and Yoel has only a single Top 8, so a win here would be big for both of them.
Game 1
Yoel won the die roll and selected the even initiatives. Both players kept their openers. Albert missed on 1, while Yoel recruited Shakti. On turn 2, Yoel continued the Doom thing with Lancer, and Albert hit Destroyer, Soulless Juggernaut. A team attack stunned the 2-drop and took care of his cosmic counter in the process. The players moved to turn 3, where Albert under-dropped with Lockjaw, Inhuman’s Best Friend in the hidden area. He searched for Franklin Richards, Creator of Counter-Earth, which Albert recruited. Yoel had the all-too-predictable Doom-Bot Corps equipped with Power Gem. He set up with the Corps protecting Lancer. In combat, Franklin went after Shakti, and Yoel played The Devil We Know. Albert flipped Himalayan Enclave for +1 DEF, and Yoel paid 3 endurance for Doom-Bot Corps. He stunned Lancer to activate his ability, and then KO’d Lancer to Doom Needs Only Doom to give Franklin -4 DEF. Shakti gave him an additional -2 DEF, and when combat resolved, both characters were stunned. Shakti gave Destroyer an additional -2 DEF on the way out. Albert flipped Extended Family to team-up Heralds and Inhumans and give Destroyer a counter. Albert team attacked, and every character in play was stunned. In recovery, Albert was left with only a Lockjaw against Yoel’s Doom-Bot Corps, but he led 42-39.
Turn 4 was Yoel’s initiative. He recruited Ronan the Accuser, Starforce in front of Doom Bot Corps. Albert played Nahrees. In combat, Yoel attacked directly with his characters, and Albert attacked back with Nahrees, trading 4-drop for 4-drop. In recovery, Yoel led 34-25. No characters were lost.
On turn 5, Albert played Black Bolt, King of the Inhumans in his hidden area, adjacent to both Lockjaw and Nahrees. Yoel played Dr. Doom, Richards’s Rival, searching out Armies of Doom. He recruited Moloids and KO’d them to replace a face-down resource, which happened to be Technarx. Dr. Doom was exhausted to bring the Moloids back into play, and Yoel announced that he was done recruiting. He set up with Ronan in front of the Corps and Dr. Doom in front of Moloids, and passed. Albert wasted no time in declaring Black Bolt into Doom-Bot Corps. Yoel reinforced and took 3, returning Power Gem to his hand. Nahrees stunned Ronan without resistance (he was 9 DEF from Himalayan Enclave and Black Bolt). Finally, Lockjaw attacked Dr. Doom with Relentless Onslaught. Both characters stunned. At the start of recovery, Yoel traded Doom for Technarx. He recovered Ronan and KO’d the Corps. Albert was ahead, 24-23.
Yoel began turn 6 by playing Armies of Doom to return Doom-Bot Corps to play. He recruited Doom-Bot ◊ Dr. Doom and equipped Technarx with Power Gem. Yoel passed to Albert, who recruited Frankie Raye ◊ Nova, Optimistic Youth with a resource point. He discarded a card to draw two and spent his remaining resource points on a 2-drop Destroyer and Wolverine, Skrunucklehead. He set up with Wolverine and Destroyer flanking Frankie in the visible area and Lockjaw protecting Nahrees in the hidden area. Black Adam was set next to Nahrees in the support row. In combat, Yoel sent Moloids into Frankie Raye. Albert reinforced. Next, Technarx went after Destroyer. Albert allowed it, and both characters stunned. Doom-Bot Corps attacked Wolverine, and Albert used Himalayan Enclave to move Black Bolt into the visible area. Since Wolverine now had 6 DEF, Yoel played Interstellar Offensive to force the mutual stun. The 13 ATK / 13 DEF Doom-Bot attacked Black Adam, and Albert had nothing to prevent the 5-drop from stunning. Ronan the Accuser attacked directly to clinch the win.
Game 2
Albert chose the even initiatives for the second game and mulliganed his opener. Yoel kept. On turn 2, Albert recruited Quicksilver, Inhuman by Marriage. Yoel played Elite Doom Guards. The characters traded in combat and play quickly moved to turn 3. It was Yoel’s initiative, and he apparently had options. He eventually chose to recruit Doom-Bot Corps in front of Elite Doom Guards. Albert played Colonel Yon-Rogg in his support row. Yoel sent his Doom-Bot Corps into Quicksilver, and the 2-drop stunned. Barbaric Brawl allowed Elite Doom Guards to take down Colonel Yon-Rogg. Quicksilver was lost in recovery.
On turn 4, Albert recruited Dewoz in front of the Colonel. Yoel played and used an Arsenal of Doom, putting Dr. Doom, Richards’s Rival into his KO’d pile. He recruited Sub-Mariner, Illuminati in front of his Corps and dropped a few more guys into his KO’d pile at the beginning of combat. Albert sent the Colonel into the Guards, and Yoel reinforced with his Corps. Next, Albert attacked Sub-Mariner with Dewoz. He paid 2 endurance to move his characters to the hidden area, and then flipped Himalayan Enclave to stop the stunback. Neither player had further attacks. In recovery, Yoel KO’d his Guards to Mask of Doom to get Dr. Doom, Sorcerous Savant. The endurance score at the end of turn 4 was 39-38 in Yoel’s favor.
At the beginning of turn 5, Yoel used Arsenal of Doom. He liked the card he found and drew it. He recruited Mr. Fantastic, Illuminati and passed. Albert under-dropped with Lockjaw, Inhuman’s Best Friend in the hidden area. He discarded to search for Thing, Rockhead, which he recruited. Albert set up with all of his characters in the front row. At the start of combat, Yoel got to dig and draw with Sub-Mariner and Mr. Fantastic. Among other things, Technarx hit his KO’d pile. With these shenanigans complete, Yoel went about the business of attacking. He sent Sub-Mariner and his Corps into Thing in a team attack. Albert flipped Extended Family, teaming-up Inhumans and Kree and putting a cosmic counter on Thing. Sub-Mariner and Thing traded stuns. Mr. Fantastic attacked directly, and Yoel passed. In his attack step, Albert used the Colonel’s ability to stun Mr. Fantastic. In recovery, Sub-Mariner was traded for Technarx. Yoel led, 30-25.
Albert had the lead on turn 6, but Yoel had the first action, chaining Arsenal of Doom to his draw. He liked what he saw. Albert laid a resource and under-dropped with Destroyer, Soulless Juggernaut and Nahrees. He set up with all six of his characters in the front row but only Thing and Destroyer in the visible area. He passed to Yoel, who recruited Dr. Doom, Sorcerous Savant. Yoel set up with Technarx protecting Doom and Mr. Fantastic protecting the Corps. Play moved to combat and Albert’s attack step. He chose not to attack; instead, he exhausted Lockjaw, Yon-Rogg, and Dewoz to stun Dr. Doom. Thing attacked Technarx, and Yoel had Live Kree . . . Or Die! for +5 ATK. Both characters stunned. Destroyer attacked Doom-Bot Corps, and Albert played Relentless Onslaught to push through some additional breakthrough. Yoel exhausted to use The Kyln on Thing and powered-up to save a point. Both characters stunned. Albert passed with Nahrees unexhausted. Yoel attacked directly with Mr. Fantastic, his only non-stunned character, and the players moved to recovery. At the beginning of recovery, Yoel played Doom Needs Only Doom to get Technarx out of play, and then put him right back into play. Albert had a Kyln of his own for Dr. Doom, and he used his Enclave to move Dewoz to the visible area. When the dust cleared, Yoel’s non-stunned characters were Mr. Fantastic and Technarx against Albert’s Dewoz, Yon-Roog, Lockjaw, and Nahrees. Yoel led, 41-10.
Turn 7 was Yoel’s initiative. He recruited Doom-Bot ◊ Dr. Doom and equipped Power Gem to Mr. Fantastic. Albert recruited Molecule Man, and moved to formation. He set up with Dewoz in front of Molecule Man and kept his hidden characters in his front row. Yoel attacked Dewoz with Mr. Fantastic, and Albert used Molecule Man to play two copies of Power Struggle. This made Mr. Fantastic 1 ATK / 13 DEF. Yoel played Interstellar Offensive for +2 ATK, though, and the attack went through. Doom-Bot and Technarx teamed-up on Molecule Man, and Albert conceded.
Congratulations to Yoel Izsak, winner of $10K New York!