Gabriel Nassif has been heralded as one of the most talented TCG players and deckbuilders in the world over the last year or so. His opponent, Rob Dougherty, has spent the last few months extolling the DC Origins Booster Draft format. He’s reportedly been tearing up the competition on the local level and has to be one of the best-prepared players for today’s format.

Game 1

Nassif played GCPD Officer on turn 1, and Dougherty had a great play in Pantha. Since it was Nassif’s initiative, Pantha was stunned on Nassif’s attack. Dougherty played Tim Drake ◊ Robin on turn 2, and Nassif put Escrima Sticks on his Officer. Tim Drake attacked and stunned him, then Pantha got through for 3. Nassif got back in the game by getting Hawk and Dove into play on turn 3 thanks to boost, but Dougherty had the same play on turn 3 to pull ahead once more. Nassif had the initiative, and the Sticks went on Dove. He sent his copy of Dove after Dougherty’s, and Pantha was exhausted to reinforce. Then, thanks to Total Anarchy and Tag Team, Nassif’s entire side was decimated. Nassif was left with no characters in play, while Dougherty had three. If this wasn’t enough, Dougherty had the initiative on the following turn, when he played Vic Stone ◊ Cyborg. The next attack brought Nassif down to 29, and he tried to put up some sort of defense with Cassandra Cain ◊ Batgirl on turn 5, along with a GCPD Officer. Dougherty played Thunder and continued to push through against Nassif. Both players matched Connor Kent ◊ Superboys on turn 6, but Dougherty had strength in numbers. Gone But Not Forgotten ensured that if Nassif ever managed to get on offense, it would be an uphill battle.

Nassif looked to fight back, playing Tim Drake ◊ Robin, Young Detective with boost, along with Hawk. This allowed Nassif to stun Dougherty’s Bart Allen ◊ Kid Flash and Vic Stone without taking any endurance loss. If that wasn’t enough, Teen Titans Go! readied them, and they charged once more, leaving Dougherty’s whole side stunned. Dougherty kept Superboy on recovery, losing everyone else. He tried to rebuild with Mr. Freeze and Escrima Sticks, and Nassif played Azrael with boost. It was Dougherty’s initiative, and Superboy attacked Hawk, which was reinforced by Tim Drake. Mr. Freeze attacked Batgirl, bringing Nassif down to 8. Nassif clearly had the dominant board at this point in the game, but Dougherty’s incredible start combined with Gone But Not Forgotten meant that catching up in time would be the hard part. The counterattack brought Dougherty down to 12, and he was left with Mr. Freeze after recovery. Nassif played Koriand’r, and Dougherty had Cassie Sandsmark ◊ Wonder Girl. Nassif brought Dougherty down to 8 but had to make sure to work around Mr. Freeze since he was at a dangerous 6 endurance, and reinforcement was important.

Dougherty played Tim Drake ◊ Robin, Young Detective with boost, and Nassif played Cassie Sandsmarrk. A team attack on Azrael caused a stun, bringing Nassif down to 0. Teen Titans Go! readied everyone, and the following team attack was enough for Nassif to scoop.

Dougherty: “That was the craziest game of draft I’ve ever played.”

Gabriel Nassif 0, Rob Dougherty 1

Game 2

Nassif opened with GCPD Officer, and Dougherty played Dove. They clashed, and each player lost a point of endurance. Dougherty thus far had a perfect draw, playing Hawk on turn 2. Nassif played Tim Drake ◊ Robin, Young Detective, along with The Bold and the Brave. Dougherty’s team would have stunned both of Nassif’s characters, if not for Home Surgery. Nassif played Hawk with boost on turn 3, getting his own copies of the duo in play. Dougherty played Pantha on turn 3, along with Escrima Sticks on Hawk. Nassif’s attack was handled thanks to Circle Defense, and it became Dougherty’s initiative. He played Bart Allen ◊ Kid Flash and put all his characters in the front row. Nassif shook his head, as all he had on turn 4 was Mirage. On the defensive, he put everyone in the back row. Dougherty’s Dove attacked Mirage, who was reinforced. Tag Team turned combat in Nassif’s favor, and Dove was stunned. The rest of Dougherty’s characters assaulted Nassif’s side, stunning Dove, Mirage and Hawk. Nassif played Lady Shiva, and Dougherty had Tim Drake ◊ Robin with boost. This allowed Dougherty to KO multiple characters, and with only a few minutes left in the round, it became apparent that Nassif was losing, and if he could make a comeback, he wouldn’t be able to do so in time.

Final Result: Rob Dougherty defeats Gabriel Nassif, 2-0