Stu Wins Strangely!
The Barn Door Challenge Returns!
Longshot Cuts His Hair!

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Stu Wins Strangely!

I finished third in the Sealed Pack PCQ in Orlando on January 29th. In the Swiss rounds, I managed to beat Billy Postlethwait, one of the top players in the world. (He finished 12th at PCLA, $5000.) I won the match as soundly as any of my career, and I won it with Firepits of Apokolips. Yes, you heard me correctly. Firepits of Apokolips. This card has intrigued me since the Man of Steel previews, and I was thrilled to allow it to win at that level of competition… at least once in its life.



Here is my Sealed Pack deck:

2 Firepits of Apokolips
2 Metropolis

1 Hordes of Apokolips
1 Royal Decree
1 Super Strength
1 Female Furies
1 Stopped Cold

1 Hunger Dogs
1 Desaad
1 Shaligo
1 Serifan

1 Slig
1 Superman Red
1 Big Bear
1 Mark Moorider

1 Trok
1 Izaya
1 Metallo
1 Bernadeth

2 Devilance
2 Cir-El<>Supergirl

1 Big Barda
1 Darkseid<>Uxas
1 Superman<>Ka-El

2 Eradicator


(Notice the groupings of character costs if you are unfamiliar with the basic blueprint for a Sealed deck.)

I really wanted to get the Firepits off, so I threw in the Hunger Dogs, taking out Narrow Escape. Don’t worry, I had no other decent plot twists. Firepits of Apokolips was actually my only hope. Nice packs, eh?

In the only match that it worked, I had one of those games that we all dream about. I laid the first Pits on turn one, and recruited Desaad on turn two. Billy missed the drop and picked up his pencil to take 2 but I said “Wait.”, and flipped the Firepits targeting the first resource he played. (The second might have been a better bet, but I had a hunch.) Since these flames stoke during the recovery phase, attack modifiers cannot be flipped to prevent their relocation. I stole his Super Strength and the burn was on. On his initiative turn 3, Billy dropped a Granny and I dropped a Bear. Ouch for him, bliss for me. Desaad got to burn each turn, and before we knew it the score was 50 to 27. I actually got to pin the second Pits on him on turn 4, after attacking with Superman Red and Big Bear, burning with Desaad, and exhausting the Hunger Dogs to feed the flames. It was blazing fun. It also inspired the moment we have all been waiting for…

Barn Door Challenge Number Seven!

What happened to Number Six, you ask? It burnt down. Yes, Firepits fans… this one is hot. Here’s your new mission: How much direct endurance loss (burn) can you cause by turn four without using character abilities other than Longshot’s... and without using Brotherhood or Surprise Attack?

No, your opponent cannot help you. In fact, I am introducing a new class of livestock to the farm. Goldfish. For those of you unfamiliar with the term, “goldfishing” is testing a deck against no opponent to see how it draws. Your opponent for Barn Door Challenge Number Seven is such a creature.

So, here’s the rules.

1. Don’t give answers in the forums. We have always had lively exchanges in respect to the current totals the Realms has reached, but don’t spoil anything for others please. Send as many entries as you wish to Stu. Click the email button at the bottom of his posts to enter.
2. On February 14 (hehe) the contest will be closed. Stu will judge the winner and Typhon will send some fabulous prizes.
3. Cause as much burn damage as you can, up to and including turn four, with these restrictions: Your opponent does nothing. No Brotherhood. Only cards from the pre-Marvel Knights sets. No character abilities except Longshot. And… stay on the curve. You must recruit one character of each cost each turn. Four characters total.
4. Have fun.
5. Learn something new about the game.
6. But, before you start…


Longshot Cuts His Hair!

Okay, best part for last. I have an announcement to make that will shake our game to its very core. Longshot is no longer Mulletman. You heard it here first. Profparm alerted me to the developing story, we can talk about it if you want, but you really need to check it out for yourself. In the Ultimate X-men #54 comic book… Longshot got a make-over. Get yours today, he really looks great.

Later,

Stu

Im going to be all over this competition, Stu, your looking at the winner right now:cool:

First extended ruling. (I forgot how much fun this is.)

Your opponent can have any four resources, but no characters.

Firepits needs something to burn.

Here are the old challenges, such good times:

http://www.vsrealms.com/forum/search...by=&sortorder=

hehe i caused the 1st extended ruling woot!

Can you not use all characters abilities, or just no payment abilities?

Woot again then, here's Number Two.

Character abilities cannot be activated (except Longshot), and they cannot cause burn.

Dr. Doom, Diabolic Genius is legal.

Ratcatcher is not.

In your paragraphs you mentioned no surprise attack, but it wasn't in the rules. Can we use it?

Typo. No Surprise Attack.

This also means equipment like Advanced Hardware is not legal, and your opponent has no characters to Beta Club anyway.

Since you just said how much burn damage can you do, I'll ask this question. Does this include burn damage that you inflict on yourself?

Nope. Not including your own losses.

Direct endurance loss to the opponent. Not from attacking.

What's up with longshot what did he get queer eye for the alien guy? :p

Can you please explain how you should properly use firepits?

When do you flip it and exchange it with your opponent?

Thanx

You gotta check out the book. There is nothing queer about Longshot anymore. He is born-again cool now. Really. Check it out.

As for the Firepits... you only use it if you have no other good tricks. You need a Darkseid character to exhaust during recovery, and if the opponent can flip the resource you target... then you are stuck with the burn.

Attention, innocent, unsuspecting non-comic readers. Stu means well, but it is my obligation to inform you that he is being very haphazard with his advice here. Just to make it perfectly clear:

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD YOU EVER BUY AN X-MEN OR X-MEN RELATED COMIC BOOK.

If you do, the only things you will find within are needlessly complicated writing, poor over-all quality, and the most tragically watered down characters to ever be assimilated by their own uber-marketing.

This has been Bizarro #98, keeping you safe from bad comics everywhere.