Eugene Harvey started out the Draft portion with a 7-3 record, so another PC Top 8 is still well within his reach. I had an opportunity to talk to Eugene about his draft strategy beforehand, and he told me that he was hoping to force a Squadron empty-hand deck. He also felt that the Faces of Evil archetype was a bad choice for him both because it would be overdrafted and because he wouldn’t select the correct cards, being less experienced drafting that archetype than the players around him.
Eugene started off the draft by taking Dallas Riordan ◊ Vantage out of a fairly weak pack that featured Faces of Evil as the only other notable card. Eugene was passed Squadron City, and he gladly snatched up the powerful Squadron rare. Then, Eugene was passed one of the best rares in the set third—Mt. Charteris—locking him into a Squadron Supreme/Thunderbolts deck. Next, Eugene selected Heroes in Reserve out of a shallow pack, and received one of the best Squadron commons next in Eldritch Power. Eugene was then given the choice between Joystick; Power Princess, Zarda; or Airskimmer, and Eugene went with the 4-drop. Next, he took Doctor Spectrum over Ape X. Eugene rounded out his last few playables from the first pack with Beetle ◊ Mach 4 and Hibernaculum, which he selected over Answer the Call.
Eugene’s second pack gave him Shrink, one of the most versatile plot twists in the set. Second, he took a much needed team-up, Behavior Modification Device. The rest of the pack was devoted to filling out his curve, with picks including two copies of Shape, a Joystick, Tom Thumb, Charcoal, and Golden Archer. Entering the third pack, Eugene needed to get a couple of 3-drops (of which he had none) and was also looking for another team-up or two.
Eugene opened Squadron City in pack three, certainly a powerful card but perhaps not the type of card he was looking for at this point. Paul Ebersol ◊ Techno, Gadgeteer was selected next, while another Eldritch Power waited for him third. Eugene then had the choice between a team-up (Two Worlds) or a 3-drop (Helmut Zemo ◊ Citizen V, Tactician), and he selected the character. Eugene got back to back Beetles in the next two packs (of the Mach I and II persuasions), and a solid empty-hand character, Whizzer, came his way after that. Eugene then took Joystick over Deadly Conspiracy, and Skymax and a last pick Hibernaculum rounded out his playables.
When I asked Eugene about his deck, he said he wished he had picked up more team-ups when he had the opportunity, and that he had taken characters more highly in general. The fact that Behavior Modification Device only teams up the board is also going to be a little rough, as it cuts down on the synergy with Mt. Charteris and also makes a very late Marvel’s Most Wanted pretty much unplayable. When I asked Eugene what his chances were, he said he thinks he’ll 2-1 if he hits his curve. From a player of Eugene’s caliber, I wouldn’t be surprised by a 3-0, even with his admittedly mediocre deck.