It’s crunch time. With Vidi Wijaya and Brian Gates each at 8-1, they’re the only players with a virtual lock on a spot in tomorrow’s Top 8. That leaves five matches pitting 7-2’s against one another, with the winners likely advancing and the losers likely sleeping in. Adam Prosak was looking great when he beat the then-undefeated Jeremy Borchardt, but a ninth round loss left him needing a win. Jesse Hill, meanwhile, was staging a memorable comeback, with four consecutive wins heading into this final conflict.
Hill went first, leading off with a Mastermind that Prosak matched with his own first turn Dawn Granger Dove. Mastermind attacked Hill, but Prosak had Tamaran waiting. One would assume that the conflict might end right there, but Hill made a more than merely questionable move, playing Flying Kick from his hand. Prosak couldn’t help but laugh to himself, adding “Okay, you’ve got it.” Whether it was the pressure of the match or just a miscalculation, the Kick was a harbinger of things to come.
Prosak’s second turn Hank Hall ◊ Hawk was met by Avalanche, a card so seldom seen that Prosak needed a reminder of what it did. Avalanche immediately KO’d Tamaran.
Both players began playing larger characters, Jesse dropping Mystique, Raven Darkholme, and Adam recruiting Roy Harper ◊ Arsenal. Characters began trading for one another right and left, but while Prosak kept them coming, Jesse and his depleted hand failed to keep up. Terra came out for Prosak and stunned Mystique, and Hank Hall beat up Avalanche. Soon, Jesse’s board was whittled down to a resource row, while Adam still had four characters in play. One more attack was all it took for the 23-year-old Prosak to finish the job, with Hill lamenting, “You can’t win without any characters.”
Prosak will advance to tomorrow’s Top 8, and will likely be the only Teen Titans player left in the tournament.