Untitled? Perhaps.

I must open, my friends, with an apology - it is finals week here at the prestigious Ohio University, and I am swamped with meaningless papers. Sadly, since I am paying them for the privilege of turning these papers in (because I'm an idiot), these must be completed before I can spend much time on the far preferable Vs. and Comic Book related Shenanigans in which I engage.

However, all is not lost! I have some brief news, a report on the Birds of Prey/Injustice Gang deck I built. I also have this news, exciting in the highest degree: I'm going to Megaweekend Chicago! Later this week, I'm going to compile a list of potential decks for me to take to the Megaweekend, so that you know exactly how to kick the shit out of me, should we meet in a tournament. Enjoy!

Meanwhile, thoughts on the BoP/IG deck, after having taken it to the local hobby league.

1) More pumps - I could kill by 6 about 50% of the time. The rest of the time, I would just build a bigger and bigger board that just couldn't do much. I could still win, sometimes, on 7 or even 8...but, still. I'd rather not risk taking it that late.

2) More variety in character - I would often run out of unique characters pretty quickly, forcing myself to underdrop and wasting resource points. Maybe it was just bad luck shuffles, but it was still a definite problem.

3) One More 4 - Hitting Jemm or Vixen on 4 ended up being pretty crucial to my survival, most of the time. I'd add another Jemm, to wall and/or smash on turns 4 and 5. He's a beast.

That's all for now, sadly. I have to get back to examining what Shakespeare has to teach the modern reader about Elizabethan sexuality and gender norms. You can tell that college is teaching me many valuable life skills.

Enjoy your day.

Deck: Undercover

As some of you know, I rarely get into the Big Guys. I'm not a particular fan of characters like Superman, Spider-Man, Wolverine, or Batman. I just don't understand the appeal, I suppose. Only the JLA and the X-Men have ever really appealed to me as 'Big Team' books, and each time, it was only because Grant Morrison was writing them. The Big Names are too static for my taste, too unchanging. I know some people like the whole thing, saying it keeps them iconic, but for me, it just keeps em stagnant. Meanwhile, things like Birds of Prey and Doom Patrol and Checkmate and Marvel Boy and Runaways and Young Avengers happen. And I care about those.

As you've seen, I've had to jump through a few hoops, on occasions, to get my pet decks to work. Gotham Knights or Team Superman or X-Men fans can complain all they want - and they do...endlessly - but they've at least got a cardpool big enough to build a deck with. I, on the other hand, have to team my people up. Often, and in bizarre ways.

I didn't get much World's Finest. I would've loved to, but the sad truth of it is that I couldn't afford to buy boxes, and the comic shop that would've gotten the game in my area burned down, so...no DWF for Cal. All I have, I have in singles. Thankfully, that includes almost all the Birds of Prey cards.

DCL came out around Christmas, when I was back at home. 60 hour a week job + comic shop I could walk to on my lunch break = two boxes of DCL built. And that's when I saw the hidden Injustice Gang stuff. I didn't think it would be very powerful - I was of course very WRONG about this - but I started thinking about teaming them up with BoP. Unfortunately, my Birds stuff was still at school, and there was Doom Patrol, and, oh things were just busy. But I recently bought a couple DVDs, and as I watched my purchases, I built decks.

And so, that lengthy prologue out of the way, I present to you...Undercover, my first Birds of Prey deck.

Undercover

1
3x Lady Blackhawk, Zinda Blake
4x The Shade, Ageless Enigma
3x Catwoman, Cat O' Nine Tails

2
3x Superwoman, Earth 3
2x Gypsy, Illusionary Operative
2x Johnny Quick, Earth 3
1x Huntress, Vicious Vigilante

3
3x Barbara Gordon <> Oracle, Hacker Elite
3x Owlman, Earth 3
2x Catwoman, Feline Fatale

4
1x Jemm, Son of Saturn
1x Ted Grant <> Wildcat, Nine Lives
1x Vixen, Mari Jiwe McCabe

5
1x Cassandra Cain, Death's Daughter
1x White Martian, Earth 3

Equipment
4x Aerie One

Locations
4x Earth 3
3x Birthing Chamber

Plot Twists
4x The Hook-Up, Team-up
2x Truth and Justice, Team-Up
4x Path of Destruction
4x Pathetic Attempt
2x Crushing Blow
1x Transmutation
1x Bat Got Your Tongue?

The deck can put up a decent offense and defense. You aren't afraid of underdropping - I've played games where I blew up an Earth 3 to play another one and won because of it. On characters like Vixen, you can build up a pretty big barrier to swing through, one that gets bigger with cards like Owlman and White Martian. Path of Destruction, normally not that great a pump, becomes fairly solid in this, if only due to the card-drawing power you have. And thanks to the size of the Birds and the manipulation of the hidden area, Birthing Chamber comes online fast and never really leaves.

Ultimately, it's a simple deck. But, they made the Birds a simple team, so...not much to be done about that. Still, it is fun, and it can win you some games. Give it a shot - it's cheap as hell to build and pretty fun to play.

Recommended Reading: DC Legends

Many apologies for the long delay between posts. As the quarter winds down, I find that I am running out of time to get all my graduate school preparations in order, so I have been rushing about. The weather has screwed me at least once on this, but I persevere - and, eventually, return.

This list won't be quite as extensive. The JLA is comprised of some of the most well-known superheroes the world over. The Injustice Gang is comprised of some of the greatest villains the world has ever known. Great villains, however, rarely have solo-books. Still, I'm going to give you this brief intro the the Injustice Gang Legends - The Joker, and Lex Luthor.

The Joker

The Joker has been the core of many interesting stories. Done right, he's an absolute terror. Like Batman, he doesn't necessarily react well with the DC Universe as a whole, but in Gotham City, the Joker is one of the most terrifying faces evil wears.

Batman: The Killing Joke is alternately one of the most well-loved Batman stories around, and one of the most loathed. Written by comic legend Alan Moore, it is nonetheless a great look into the mind of a madman.


Batman: The Man Who Laughs is a retelling of Batman's first encounters with the Joker, as told by extremely respected author Ed Brubaker. Here are some 'Year One' style stories about the scariest guy around town.

Lex Luthor

Lex Luthor is Superman's most famous enemy, and he's played every role humanly possible. He's been the hero, he's been the mad scientist, the politician, the man of the people. He's been everyone, which can make it...difficult to get a handle on just who the hell he is. Still, here are a few books to check out.

Lex Luthor: Man of Steel is an examination of the rivalry between Lex and Superman. It shows a Lex Luthor enraged at what he believes Superman is doing to our society. It's a little darker than the normal superhero story - obviously, with Lex at the center - and a little slicker thanks to some nice art, and it's a great book to check out to see about the character.

In 52, we saw an absolutely monstrous side of Lex. There's a lot of other stuff going on, but 52 also has some of Lex at his most cold and calculating.

All-Star Superman has been talked about once before, but All-Star Superman #5, titled "The Gospel According To Luthor", is a crazy examination of both Superman AND Lex Luthor. While many A-SS issues have great Luthor moments, this one shines.


So, only two legends. Oh well, I'll be back by the end of the week with another post. Hope you all have an awesome day!