Along with a chance to make Top 8 and an opportunity to make some money, there’s a bit of history on the line in this match as well. Eric Wood has placed in the Top 8 of the first two $10K tournaments at Philly and Origins, and a win here could make him 3-for-3. Needless to say, that would be a remarkable feat that would establish Wood as the most consistent Vs. player in the world at the moment. Even if he wins and his tiebreakers keep him out of Sunday, Top 16 would be nothing to scoff at. His opponent, Kim Caton, could be the first woman to make the Top 8 of a major Vs. tournament if she can get one more win. Even if she misses out on tiebreakers, she will still hold the highest finish for a female thus far in top level Vs. competition. She is playing Doom, and Wood is with Sentinels.
Game 1
Wood opened with Wild Sentinel and played another on turn two along with Senator Kelly. Everyone attacked, and Caton took 5. Kelly activated on the following turn, was replaced by a new one that activated, and then a third. This made Caton lose 9 total endurance, and the attack did 3 more. Caton played Doom-Bot, but was way behind at this point. The Senator kept activating, and Caton played Dr. Doom, Diabolic Genius, using the chain to play and then flip back down Faces of Doom. Wood played Sentinel Mark IV, and continued to activate Kelly. Caton’s attacks weren’t doing much thanks to Wood’s reinforcement, and Longshot came out on turn 5 to give Wood two Mark IVs and two Wild Sentinels. Caton tried to stall things a little more with Robot Destroyer and Mystical Paralysis, but Kelly was making things uncomfortable. Caton finally drew into an answer in the form of Boris, which was threatening to get Flame Trap.
Another Longshot activation provided two Wild Sentinels and a Mark IV, and Sentinel Underground Base brought out yet another Mark IV. Caton now searched out Flame Trap and played it, but Wood’s Mark IVs remained on the table. Caton’s pair of Robot destroyers and Doom were able to stun the Mark IVs, leaving Wood with a decimated board. Longshot got back to work, getting two Mark IVs and a Wild Sentinel. A Mark and a Wild Sentinel came into play, and the Base spit out another Mark. Reign of Terror slowed down Wood’s rebuilding and cleared the way for Caton’s lethal attack.
Caton 1 – Wood 0
Game 2
Wood had three Wild Sentinels out by turn 3, and Caton’s Puppet Master was not very impressive. Senator Kelly emerged on turn 4, and Caton played Kristoff Von Doom. The Sentinels team attacked Kristoff, but he survived thanks to Acrobatic Dodge; another team attack finally stunned him. Faces of Doom searched up Dr. Doom, Diabolic Genius. He came into play and flipped the Faces back to being face down. Wood played a Mark IV, and without Longshot, it seemed he was having a hard time keeping up with Doom’s card advantage. Even Senator Kelly died to a Finishing Move, but Underground Sentinel base helped Wood recover a bit. He was able to use his Marks to stun three of Caton’s characters, leaving her with Doom and a Robot Destroyer. Faces of Doom searched up Victor Von Doom for an upgrade, and Wood continued the assault with another Mark IV, and the Senator. From this point, Caton conceded.
Caton 1 – Wood 1
Game 3
Wood started with a Sentinel, and Caton played Boris. Two more Sentinels followed, and Caton played Kristoff, searching out Flame Trap with Boris. Wood played a Sentinel and the Senator, while Caton had Doom-Bot. On turn 4, Flame Trap wiped out Wood’s side, and Dr. Doom came out to flip the Flame Trap face down, where it was ready to be used again if needed. Longshot came out and gave Wood two Marks and a Wild Sentinel, and he began to rebuild very quickly with the help of Underground Sentinel Base. Flame Trap wiped out the smaller Sentinels, making the two Marks less powerful. Robot Destroyer attacked to stun a Mark, and Doom took down the other Mark. Caton upgraded to Victor Von Doom, and had Doomstadt to make her defense even better. Robot Destroyer was activated to stun a Mark, and Doom attacked a Mark to win the game, with the help of Flying Kick.
Final Result: Kim Caton defeats Eric Wood 2–1