“There's a small chance, but there's a chance.”

That sums up the story for each of these gentlemen. Adam Fears and Jason Hager are sitting on five losses a piece with only a few rounds to go. To have a chance at the Top 8 and the big money, both need to win out. Obviously, you don't have to be a Swiss pairing wizard to know that only one of them is going to get out of here with this chance intact.

There's no choice but to come out firing and hold the throttle until it burns your hand.

Both players kept their opening hands, and the first action took place on turn 2, when an off-initiative Hager recruited Werewolf by Night and attacked. Werewolf moved the 6-drop Dracula into Hager's KO'd pile. With the initiative on turn 3, and already rumbling the table with a mammoth case of “sewing-machine leg,” Jason recruited Suicide. Adam's recruit was Death-Stalker, and he used the character's ability to move him to the visible area. Death-Stalker's stats were large enough to provoke a team attack out of Jason.

Adam busted out on turn 4 with Masked Marauder, one of the best 4-drops in the environment.

“That's a good one,” Hager remarked.

Jason popped back with Centurious, and Adam had to tip his cap.

“That's not too shabby either.”

Masked Marauder attacked Suicide, and Hager pondered briefly before taking it on the chin. Adam passed, and Jason had no attacks that were worthwhile. They went to turn 5, and Jason got back into the saddle with Jigsaw, while Adam brought out The Russian. There were no missed drops for either player so far in this crucial game.

Jason had to think hard about his attacks. He had the initiative and a powered-up Werewolf, but how would he exploit the situation? Finally, Centurious crashed into Death-Stalker, and Adam, who was content to play defense, reinforced with Masked Marauder, who was cooling his heels in the back row.

Then, Jigsaw went after the Marauder, and Adam powered him up. Surprisingly, Jason had no cards that he wished to discard to Jigsaw, so he passed back. Adam, seeing that the coast was clear, powered-up again. At that point, Jason saw fit to get rid of Lacuna to ensure the double stun. His last attack was to send Werewolf and Suicide into The Russian, adding Evil Awakens to the chain to get back Dracula, Lord of the Damned (his pivotal 6-drop!) and fuel his characters with the necessary offense.

Success! With that sequence of attacks, Adam's board was completely stunned, and the turn had been quite a coup for Jason. After discarding two characters to bring Suicide back, he found himself with a four-to-one character advantage.

Adam had the initiative on turn 6, and he recruited Jaime Ortiz ◊ Damage. Of course, Jason brought out the aforementioned Dracula. Damage went after Jigsaw, but Jason had Blown to Pieces, which facilitated a double-stun and replaced itself. Undaunted, Adam sent The Russian after Suicide for 10 endurance loss. Adam passed with the endurance totals at 24-17 in his favor, but Jason's Dracula unleashed a quick pounding of The Russian that evened the totals, and Centurious powered-up once and bashed Adam's dome. Aided by Crime and Punishment and Strength of the Grave, the direct attack was enough to get the job done.

Jason Hager wins and keeps his hopes alive.