Mix one part curiosity and one part boredom at work, and you get questions for the masses.


1) Do you play regularly in a hobby league or some other "unofficial" gaming group?

2) Are the numbers you play with growing? shrinking? maintaining their level. Why?

3) Do you believe that the bloom is off the rose? That is, is Vs still as exciting as it was when you first got into it?

4) What's the best thing about Vs?

5) What's the worst thing about Vs?

6) Do you see yourself playing Vs in 2 years?

#4 and #5 don't necessarily have to be game mechanics. It can be things that UDE has/hasn't done. Facets of the game that you do/don't like. Impressions that the game has/doesn't have in the industry.

Just curious. I appreciate anyone taking the time to respond.

1) I play with myself, with my wife, and with my friends. Mostly I play on tour.

2) My students love the game, and they have shifted completely from Yu-gi-oh and magic to Vs. I know I had a hand in the shift, but they seem to love the game and don't seem to be slowing down. They love it with their money and with their time.

3) The game is shinier than ever for me, for two reasons. The mad perfection of Superman in Sealed and Draft... and X-statix.

4) Answering questions like this, while getting paid from another job.

5) Takes up too much of my bed time.

6) I see myself playing this game on my deathbed, that's at least 50 years away. (My grandfather passed recently... at 96.)

Great idea, thanks Scam.

1) Do you play regularly in a hobby league or some other "unofficial" gaming group?
i play in hobby league, unofficial store tournies for credit, and casual playtesting

2) Are the numbers you play with growing? shrinking? maintaining their level. Why?
growing as many players from various other store in the areas meet and play each at different stores.

3) Do you believe that the bloom is off the rose? That is, is Vs still as exciting as it was when you first got into it?
each new set is just as exciting as the last, and each new game is always fun to play

4) What's the best thing about Vs? the engine itself, it is so streamlined and yet complex enough for tremendous tactical strategy

5) What's the worst thing about Vs? some of the distribution was off this year, but they have made great improvements in fixing that area

6) Do you see yourself playing Vs in 2 years? i see myself playing this game for a long, long while.

1) I should hopeful play more this year then last. I mean if I don't play over 4 games this year I shouldn't really be playing the game.

2) It does seem to be growing in my area as I now know 4 people who play the game.

3) Yes and no. It's hard to explain so I won't go in to it.

4) The characters, the art and the skill needed to play.

5)...........not having the cards I need :(...........

6) Yes, if I have the money and still know how to play the game.

1) Do you play regularly in a hobby league or some other "unofficial" gaming group?

No. I used to until the only local store that had Vs. tournaments closed down. Now there's no where to play.

2) Are the numbers you play with growing? shrinking? maintaining their level. Why?

The numbers started high and and are now pathetically low in my area.

3) Do you believe that the bloom is off the rose? That is, is Vs still as exciting as it was when you first got into it?

Not really. At first everything was crazy and people had a great time figuring out all the cards and stuff, but now it's like:

"Does it beat Titans?"

"No."

"Common Enemy?"

"Nope."

"Oh, well then forget about it."

Darksied is one of my favorites, but it seems pointless to build a deck using his team if it will never amount to anything.

Also, I have NEVER seen tech-hording like I have in Vs. It's really, really sad to see. Which yall will hear about more later on.

4) What's the best thing about Vs?

All of the super heroes have finally been given a game that fits their awesomeness.

5) What's the worst thing about Vs?

I don't think it's being advertised as much as it should be. I see it in a few gaming magazines and comics, but I think if they broadcasted it more then there would be a ton more players.

I also don't like it when they screw over a potentially good team and then glorify another one with outstanding effects.

6) Do you see yourself playing Vs in 2 years?

Sadly, no. The closest place to play is over an hour away, and that's much too far of a drive to make each week. Local PCQ's are the only play I get, which I reguarly bomb due to lack of experience.

I think my answers are that of a dying Vs. player. :ermm:

Answer time!

1. Yup! Yup to both!
2. Growing. Honestly...three reasons in this area. First, it's a great game. Second, John Viola (Torch) is bringing took iniative to start a contact list of players in the area so it makes it easier to hook up with fellow players or stay in contact. people see players intrested, then they become intrested. Third, John Rich is making a big push in the area to get people together for tourneys, and to get more people intrested.
3. Yup...there are still tactics and deck types, uses for cards, and such...that amaze me after a year.
4. My wife likes to play it with me!
5. My wife likes to play it with me!
6. Sure...why not?

You lucky dog. I own a card store (for a whole month now), and my wife just wants to put in a Dance Dance Revolution Machine.

1. I've tried. Explained in #2.

2. Shrinking. When I first got into Vs a few months ago, two comic book shops were starting tournaments for Vs. The one closest to me has since stopped to do very poor turnout. The other one at first had a good turn out, but now struggles to meet the minimum 8 requirement. Last Sunday there were only about 2-3 that were interested in playing in a tournament.

3. Web of Spiderman was terrible, as it has led a lot of new players to desparately put together decks that are either underpowered (Spider Friends) or completely disfunctional (Syndicate). This on top of the most popular affiliation, X-Men, being terrible! (And no, TOGIT Stall does NOT count).

So the WoS factor definitely hampers the game as it currently stands, but Man of Steel has revitalized it to some extent. Its fun, much more powerful, and better in Draft. However, none of the teams beat the top decks out there. And they all have weaknesses much greater than most teams out there.

4. The extreme diversity and playstyles. Playing my favorite superheroes and villains! (Even when they do suck. *Sigh*, my favorites are Spiderman, his villains *double sigh*, and the X-Men *cry, double cry, triple cry*.

5. The people. The single most reason I would want to stop playing Vs is the socially challenged, rude, mean spirited people that flood CCGs everywhere. I'm playing online more often as i think the people are more enjoyable, and even if they aren't, its easier to deal with.

Close second is the hosing of the most popular teams (Superman, SF, SS, X-Men, Arkham, Gotham Knights) in favor of much less popular, much less known, much less cool wannabes (Fantastic Four(!!!) and Titans).

6. Love the game, but probably wouldn't be able to tolerate it for that long. And don't get me wrong, I'm a good player.


Sorry to sound so pessimistic. Just had to get some stuff off my chest. Terrific game system though, really love playing it.

And I echo the tech-hording comments made earlier. Almost no casual environment whatsoever.

ÖrümcekAdam: where in socal do you live?

1) Do you play regularly in a hobby league or some other "unofficial" gaming group?

I play the extremes, when Im at home I play in an unofficial very casual gaming group with friends/when I travel for VS is all PCQ/10K/PC

2) Are the numbers you play with growing? shrinking? maintaining their level. Why?

About the same, some have dropped off and others have taken there place

3) Do you believe that the bloom is off the rose? That is, is Vs still as exciting as it was when you first got into it?

Every expansion has brought something to the game, be it for causal or competative play. I hear everybody slamming SS and SP and some of the new teams in superman. Play some casual games and you can feel how they play. Spider friends have grown into there own and Im playing a Revenge Squad deck and trying to reach its full potential.

4) What's the best thing about Vs?

Play and meeting new people in my tourney experiences. I actually like the travelling and meeting up with my cross country VS friends then actually playing =)

5) What's the worst thing about Vs?

The amount of money one spends when trapped in the black whole which is VS

6) Do you see yourself playing Vs in 2 years?

Yes, but more casually then anything else

Captaincarl

I love the responses thus far, please keep them coming.

Regardless of the hobby/activity, I've always found it quite beneficial to stop occasionally and see where I and the hobby are at. It's all too easy to develop blinders. Especially since, I would assume, the goal of most everyone here is the perpetuated sucess of this CCG. Otherwise, why particpate?

Many play this for the money and competition, many more for the friendship and commeraderie. But some want to enjoy it, want to play it, want it to be better and are coming away disappointed. Nothing is 100% perfect and everything is a work in progress.

Please, the responses are very insightful and I appreciate the time being taken to respond.

I am not surprised at all with the Fantastic Four being one of the best decks.

They are Marvel's Oldest lasting superhero team, and every single character in the Marvel Universe respects the FF and follows their lead.

During Onslaught, Jean was thinking about how every single superhero team pales in comparison to the FF.

And the Titans have a fairly long and good legacy. I wouldn't exactly call them wannabees.

After all, you know what they say.

They aren't a bunch of sidekicks, they're the Titans.

1) I recently took first in our local hobby league; however, I doubt I logged more than 5 games. I do play at least once a weekend, but I live in a different town than where I play, so gaming isn't the easiest thing in the world for me.

2) The numbers are being maintained at 4-8 tournament players, with a lot more that don't show up to tournaments and only play huge multiplayer games, and a slight increase in size recently coming in from Yu-Gi-Oh players that heard this game was done by the same company. Sadly, the players are the more...annoying of the Yu-Gi-Oh type (which is all that exist at my store, sadly), so I don't know how much fun they will be in this game. Hopefully they'll be good opponents, but so far they get angry when a deck they're borrowing from someone doesn't work, so hope is being lost, quickly.

3) For me, the VS sets have lost their excitement. That's because in both of the last two sets, I haven't wanted to play any team from the set or had the money to buy cards from those two sets. I'm not too excited about Marvel Knights either, but Green Lantern and Justice League will both be awesome. Sadly, in the first two sets there were 6 teams I had an interest in playing, and later F4, TT, and F5 all got added to that list, so the decks I play are still mostly Origins.

4) Honestly, the combination of vsrealms and the fact that almost everyone I play with is a friend makes the game just awesome. That when I play this game not in a tournament, it's a time filler while I have cool conversations with my friends, and that while it's technically a conversation piece while I crack jokes and laugh at others (or is it with others? My bad). This site being just the absolute awesomest ever is a big factor for me loving the game.

Also, somewhere, somehow, there will be a Green Arrow card. And, when there is, I will run through the streets naked in rejoice. Or, if it would convince UDE to release the card sooner, I will not do that.

5) Hard to say what the worst thing is. The financial investment, I guess, but I really feel that's more my own problem instead of UDE's. Oh well, it'll have to work.

6) If I am still a nerd in 2 years, I will be playing VS.

On the off chance that I am actually tempted by coolness and shed these ways of nerddom, I might quit the game.

But, seeing as I use words like nerddom, I'd have to say my nerd factor is pretty high

In fact, using the word "nerd factor" rates you at a nerd factor of at least 7, which means quitting the habits in less than a two year span can be fatal.

So, in summary, yes.