Game: Vs. System

Thread: Re: How many cards necessary to enjoy?

Trump — 2008-09-03T15:30:34+00:00

I think's that where I last bought cards...

OK, one option would be to get all of the various starter sets. I'd vote against that though because you may eventually find it unsatisfying. It's sort of like the decks were made for a 'basic' game and you have to get more cards for an 'advanced' game. They ARE starter sets, so it's easier to teach if you avoid using certain cards, right?

Another thing to keep in mind is that many of the sets introduced one or two minor rules. Finding the rules for these sets is very easy, but just keep in mind that the more sets you throw together, the more odds and ends rules you'll have to learn. For example, the Spiderman set introduced a power called Evasion. Superman introduced Cosmic. Assuming you know the regular rules, it's really hard to add these extra bits.

I'd dodge the lots where you get a mixed assortment of boxes. I think you'll have a harder time making consistent decks.

OK, here are your least expensive sets :

15 : DC Origins (Teen Titans, League of Assassins, Gotham Knights, Fearsome Five, Arkham Inmates)
15 : Marvel Origins (X-Men, Brotherhood, Fantasic Four, Doom, Sentinels)
12 : Marvel Knights (X-Statix, Underworld, Marvel Knights, Crime Lords)
10 : Superman (Team Superman, Revenge Squad, New Gods, Darkseid's Elite)
9 : Spiderman (Spider-Friends, Sinister Syndicate)

I recently bought two or three boxes of Superman and I think I made 8 decks out of them. You need to see which teams are in these different sets so you can figure out who'll be fun for you. I didn't buy any Marvel Knights, for example, because none of the teams in that set interested me. The two Origins sets are your two 'base' sets. I believe they have more different cards in the set. And Spiderman was a smaller set. So to make decks you'd probably buy more of Origins and less of Spidey. ALL of these boxes are less expensive because they've rotated out of the tourney scene for the most part. *I* couldn't care less about that, but some people might.

Do you have any favorite teams or characters? Do you have any that you just hate? I could tell you which sets they're in.

Also, I'd again point to the Lackey CCG Platform as a useful tool. I would be happy to play with you and teach you how to play VS. You can even test drive some pre-built decks to see how the teams vary. My only requirement for teaching is that you have to have either AIM or MSN so I can make an audio connection to you and you need speakers so you can hear me.

Thread: Re: How many cards necessary to enjoy?

NetSapiens — 2008-09-03T08:51:53+00:00

Thank you both very much.

I'm in the process of ordering other games from Hill's Wholesale, and I notice they have several deals on VS cards.
Could I persuade someone to check out http://www.wholesalegaming.biz/vssystem/ and give recommendations on what would make a good one-time purchase, which would be sufficient to play the game as it should be played?

Thanks in advance

Thread: Re: How many cards necessary to enjoy?

Trump — 2008-08-29T19:34:38+00:00

First of all, understand that for the most part the cards from one set don't do a lot to help cards from another set. If you plan to only get a certain number of boxes, you're probably best off focussing on one set. I'd choose Justice League simply because I'm more personally interested in the teams represented in that set. Those other two sets though can be purchased very cheaply (because they are less popular, mostly due to them being older and the teams within them have been re-done) so if $$$ is an issue, you might consider them. Then again, maybe Justice League prices have dropped since last I checked.

As an aside, I'd invite you to to set up the Lackey CCG Platform which is totally free. With it, you can play many CCGs online, including VS. Even if you don't think you and your friends would be interested in playing online, you can still use the software to see exactly what's included in every set.

Thread: Re: How many cards necessary to enjoy?

wdgrant — 2008-08-29T13:51:04+00:00

Vs. is a great game and I do recommend it. If you are just playing casually, a booster box of a set will give you a good number of commons, and a fair number of uncommons. You could get an overpowered rare or two and you might not want to use them for competitive balance. Two boxes of a set and I think you would be good to go. You can always fill in random rares you want online, and pretty cheaply also.

As far as the sets are concerned, I recommend you don't buy Web of Spiderman. This set was by far the worst they produced, and unless you are a big webhead, skip it. (This coming from a guy that play a Spiderman deck at a Pro Circuit Championship in Amsterdam. It was okay, but not fun). Justice League is my personal favorite of the three you list, and Superman Man of Steel is a distant second. I would recommend buying multiple Justice League if possible, and then if you feel you lack variety, look to add another set. By then, perhaps you can get one of the other later sets that were much stronger. (Web and Steel were the 3rd and 4th sets, and lacked the dynamic play aspects of the later sets.)

Hope this helps.

Thread: How many cards necessary to enjoy?

NetSapiens — 2008-08-29T13:25:04+00:00

I thought I'd try my hand at playing some VS.
I found a place where I could get a booster display (each) of
Justice league, Web of Spiderman and Superman Man of Steel.

How many of these should I get?
Would it be sufficient to build enough decks for two/three people to enjoy both playing and building decks with?
Is one or the other "better"?
In order of "fun", which of these would you recommend?

Thanks for your input.

Thread: Re: Review from a player with little CCG experience

grimbergen — 2008-08-27T17:16:34+00:00

Good to know about the sets/teams! Thanks for sharing!

Thread: Re: Review from a player with little CCG experience

Trump — 2008-08-27T00:26:47+00:00

A good review, but as someone with a lot more CCG experience (especially with VS) I feel compelled to add a few comments.

grimbergen wrote:
From what I can see in these forums and other players it seems this product is dying... quite unfortunate as I always happen to pick up CCG's right when they are in their impending demise (see the 3 above)!

You most definitely don't want to judge a CCGs 'legs' from these boards. This is primarily a boardgamers site and there really aren't a lot of CCG players here anyway.

My one complaint is I wish they would have gone a little deeper with victory conditions. True, some cards allow you to win under certain situations that don't require you to eliminate your opponent's endurance, but that's not the norm and also not a "standard" victory conditions. I would liked to see something like the LOTR CCG where you have the option to complete an "adventure" as an alternate to just killing your opponent outright.

There are a few cards that do this, but they were never very popular. The intricancies of combat really are compelling enough here. One of the key elements of VS that you didn't mention is the formation. Creating the formation... and trying to break through the other player's formation is what I think makes this game really thoughtful. This isn't like Magic where the two armies just plow into one another. VS is far more precise when it comes to combat.

Naturally, the comic themes are the other aspect of the game I enjoy. As I mentioned initially, I do feel that it represents the comic franchises quite well, and many characters are designed appropriately with powers matching that from the storylines.

What I've always found 'cute' about the powers were how they're so consistent. For example, aquatic characters very often have an ability related to retrieving cards from the discards. Telepathic characters often have ways to make the opponent lose cards from their hand.

Now we come to the collectible part... my least favorite topic. This is the main detractor for me in these card games, and one reason I usually am not able to get into the game until it starts to die off and people are just dumping their collections.

I am SO with you here. Collectible games can be enormous money pits. VS is better than most in this though. For example, let's say you like to play a red/green deck in Magic. Every set that comes out is going to have more cards for you to chase after. It's not quite like that with VS. If you like a specific team, you're probably only buying into one set. Maybe you'll later chase a few cards as singles, but that's it. There's a lot more focus in the sets. I've been playing since the beginning, but I've skipped quite a few sets simply because they featured teams I'm not interested in. Easy.

Well, I hope you and anyone else reading this enjoy VS! I can be found to play online via Lackey should anyone wish a little casual play.

Thread: Review from a player with little CCG experience

grimbergen — 2008-08-26T19:07:22+00:00

I recently picked up a huge lot of older Marvel cards and put together some decks, and have played a bunch of casual games.

I'm not a seasoned CCG player -- my experience with these types of card games is only in having dabbled somewhat with Decipher's LOTR, and very briefly Battlestar Galactica and Wizard's Star Wars. Mostly I play Heroclix and other miniatures games (collectable and traditional), so my review will be based upon that perspective of my background.

From what I can see in these forums and other players it seems this product is dying... quite unfortunate as I always happen to pick up CCG's right when they are in their impending demise (see the 3 above)! Well, I suppose this VS system is not completely gone as Upper Deck is still releasing sets.

General Game Goals/Strategies

The goal of the game is simple -- players "recruit heroes and villains to attack each other" (from the BGG description). As with most collectible card games, victory is achieved when you bash your opponent into the ground. It works well for superhero combat, and the flow of the game is fast and fun.

Also like most CCGs, there are also numerous strategies you can employ that go beyond just "fighting" with your cards -- for example you can build a deck that whittles down your opponents using special abilities only. Different deck builds also allow for early/mid/late game victories, etc.

My one complaint is I wish they would have gone a little deeper with victory conditions. True, some cards allow you to win under certain situations that don't require you to eliminate your opponent's endurance, but that's not the norm and also not a "standard" victory conditions.

I would liked to see something like the LOTR CCG where you have the option to complete an "adventure" as an alternate to just killing your opponent outright. It could have worked here, for example a simple storyline that can be completed to win, especially since many comic book fans aren't reading the stories just to see heroes duke it out but for genuinely good writing and plotlines.

But, I suppose this is called "VS" for a reason.

Play Mechanics

VS's mechanics are easy to grasp, though there are intricacies that if you're not careful can cost you the game against a rules expert. I played Magic only once in my life, and that gave me a headache just hearing the rules from my friend teaching it to me -- VS isn't like that at all.

One of the intricacies that can be problematic for new players is what cards/effects/abilities can be played or occur at what phase in the game. Most of the time this will not be an issue, and I definitely find it easier to figure out than the LOTR CCG.

There are just four types of cards and only one resource to manage, so the learning curve is low -- though that is not to say there isn't deep strategy involved. Often the simpler the game pieces are, it allows for more complex the strategies to be put together.

Overall Appeal

Part of what sold me on this game was the excellent looking cards. I personally find the card designs quite attractive and not dull, and the artwork is consistently top notch, unlike many other CCGs.

Naturally, the comic themes are the other aspect of the game I enjoy. As I mentioned initially, I do feel that it represents the comic franchises quite well, and many characters are designed appropriately with powers matching that from the storylines.

Now we come to the collectible part... my least favorite topic. This is the main detractor for me in these card games, and one reason I usually am not able to get into the game until it starts to die off and people are just dumping their collections.

It sounds like from other posts here the cost barrier for VS is a lot lower than other CCGs, but that's not to say it's not extensive. Even an expert/pro player wouldn't be able to just pick up a few boosters and then be successful like you would for miniature games, which is my main comparison.

That said, I would heartily recommend it for comic fans look for a good card game that's satisfying but also quick to play, especially given the low costs for these sets on the secondary market.

Thread: Re: Has this game kinda died?

KaneBlaireau — 2008-07-26T18:48:12+00:00

If anyone in the Seattle area is still playing, I'd love to get into this game. Found a box of Marvel Knights at Half Price Books for $8 and the first run of starters (Batman, X-Men, Spider Man) for $2 each. Hill's Wholesale gaming has those first few sets REALLY cheap too. $60 for a box each of the first 5 sets.

Thread: Re: Has this game kinda died?

Trump — 2008-06-13T21:32:53+00:00

dangerouslycheesy wrote:
Trump wrote:
This is a complete digression, but while we're all here...

For computer CCGs, Etherlords 2 is great. There's real challenge there and you can get the game for next to nothing off of eBay, I'd think.

For anyone that enjoyed Etherlords, I would definitely recommend checking out Spectromancer. It's evidently a collaboration between Richard Garfield and the guys that designed another PC CCG, Astral Tournament, which I've not played. Spectromancer is still in beta right now, but you can play through one full campaign and play as many single matches as you like (although you're limited to the Holy and Illusion heroes).

I've played Astral Masters, but I didn't like it a lot. I think the part I don't like is that creature powers aren't based on 'tapping'... so they can all use their powers as well as fight. It's not a bad game at all, but it's just not quite there for me. I'd assumed that Spectromancer was just the newest version, but you make it sound like some sort of hybrid instead so I'll have to check it out.

Other online CCGs worth checking out : Armageddon Empire, Star Chamber

Both are quite playable for free, but obviously a little $$$ will give you more options...

Thread: Re: Has this game kinda died?

dangerouslycheesy — 2008-06-13T21:02:53+00:00

Trump wrote:
This is a complete digression, but while we're all here...

For computer CCGs, Etherlords 2 is great. There's real challenge there and you can get the game for next to nothing off of eBay, I'd think.

For anyone that enjoyed Etherlords, I would definitely recommend checking out Spectromancer. It's evidently a collaboration between Richard Garfield and the guys that designed another PC CCG, Astral Tournament, which I've not played. Spectromancer is still in beta right now, but you can play through one full campaign and play as many single matches as you like (although you're limited to the Holy and Illusion heroes).

Thread: Re: Has this game kinda died?

badweasel — 2008-06-13T19:57:55+00:00

Trump wrote:

It is a bit odd that DC would want to increase its fees when Marvel is the one pumping out the movies.

DC is backed by a much larger company who probably has a lot to say about how their characters are used. Marvel is entirely on their own and can do as they please. Plus, they have a history of very cheaply licensing their material, moreso than DC.

Thread: Re: Has this game kinda died?

Trump — 2008-06-13T19:21:48+00:00

cold_fuzion wrote:
Trump wrote:
To be certain, VS is not the Holy Grail of CCGs, but I'd be interested in knowing what you think it's shortcomings are.

To me the game was just kind of bland and didn't capture the superhero feel at all. I don't think the cards were good representations of the characters(Batman is stronger than the Thing? What?)

That and I just didn't much care for the flow of the game, you had a couple of rounds of nobody doing anything, then it was like someone moved in a room full of mousetraps.

As for UDE and DC, it wouldn't surprise me at all. DC and Wizkids are having some of the same problems over Heroclix. DC seems to think they are worth quite a bit for licensing.

You know, initially, I had the same problems with the cards truly capturing the feel for the characters, but I got past that in time. You simply have to make some allowances for the sake of having a game so now the fact that Robin can deliver a very Savage Beatdown to stun Superman doesn't bother me so much. I don't know what you mean about doing nothing for a couple of rounds, but the action does tend to build as more heroes enter the field. I think that the game mechanic that interests me most about this game is the formation. I've not found many other games that have something like that. I really enjoy... solving the puzzle of how best to attack my opponent.

Heroclix should come to an end as well. It was very interesting at first, but now I see it for the dicefest it is. Sure, strategy will serve you well there, but one very good (or bad) die roll can mean as much.

It is a bit odd that DC would want to increase its fees when Marvel is the one pumping out the movies.

Thread: Re: Has this game kinda died?

cold_fuzion — 2008-06-13T18:53:26+00:00

Trump wrote:
To be certain, VS is not the Holy Grail of CCGs, but I'd be interested in knowing what you think it's shortcomings are.

To me the game was just kind of bland and didn't capture the superhero feel at all. I don't think the cards were good representations of the characters(Batman is stronger than the Thing? What?)

That and I just didn't much care for the flow of the game, you had a couple of rounds of nobody doing anything, then it was like someone moved in a room full of mousetraps.

As for UDE and DC, it wouldn't surprise me at all. DC and Wizkids are having some of the same problems over Heroclix. DC seems to think they are worth quite a bit for licensing.

Thread: Re: Has this game kinda died?

Trump — 2008-06-13T18:03:59+00:00

This is a complete digression, but while we're all here...

For computer CCGs, Etherlords 2 is great. There's real challenge there and you can get the game for next to nothing off of eBay, I'd think.

For player-vs-player CCGs, Lackey is a good platform. It sports more CCGs than any other platform I've come across. I got it intending to try out all of the CCGs I rarely played in real life... but I've found myself playing VS more than anything else, having taught at least 4 others to play thus far.

Thread: Re: Has this game kinda died?

cscottk — 2008-06-13T17:27:04+00:00

Good game though. I never found people to play with around here (at least around my age range).

Thread: Re: Has this game kinda died?

joebelanger — 2008-06-13T14:47:15+00:00

I was a GLEE man myself. Ooh baby, Flight and Range!

Thread: Re: Has this game kinda died?

franklincobb — 2008-06-13T14:01:16+00:00

Trump wrote:
The computer game is amusing, but the AI isn't very good. Only at the last stage does the game become difficult and that's because the game cheats then. As far as VS on the computer goes, I use the Lackey platform to play a number of different CCGs including this one.

True, the real selling point is the wireless play. You can even hook up with other gamers on the internet and play against each other, but the setup is a little weird.

Ah...AIs that suck at CCGs. This has been a problem since Microprose's Magic PC version, unfortunately.

Thread: Re: Has this game kinda died?

Trump — 2008-06-13T13:55:49+00:00

franklincobb wrote:
stormseeker75 wrote:
UDE has a new cash cow: WoW TCG. As soon as that started taking off, it was the end of VS.

Yep.

I tried WoW, but didn't care for it. I'm sure the branding has a lot to do with its success. I suppose I should have liked it better as it's just a twist on the VS rules, but it's a dumbed-down twist. Maybe if I had never played VS before I tried it...

franklincobb wrote:
Their move to a Type II-style system, several cards breaking through the playtesting process that were obviously broken (Dr. Light?), a string of sub-par sets, on top of four(!) expansions a year ground this game into dust very quickly. It was hot hot hot around here and I think around Marvel Knights or Green Lantern the fatigue set in. Not only did you have to buy from four expansions per year, but almost every set had a "chase rare" that would cost you $40-50 to get a playset of, or require you to buy fat stacks of booster boxes. Then came Type II, and card bannings, and the game evaporated here almost instantly.

I have zero interest in the tournament scene so none of this affected my interest, but I'm sure it is relevant to the majority of the players. Even if I were of more a tourney mind, I don't see why anyone should feel compelled to buy into every set.

Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing the game die off. There are already plenty of cards out there and I could buy into all of the sets I skipped for next to nothing!

franklincobb wrote:
If you want a VS. fix, pick up the DS or PSP version on the cheap. One purchase for the cart, then you earn the cards in game and don't have to waste your time with repeatedly buying boosters. You can even link up with a friend to play against each other.

The computer game is amusing, but the AI isn't very good. Only at the last stage does the game become difficult and that's because the game cheats then. As far as VS on the computer goes, I use the Lackey platform to play a number of different CCGs including this one.

Thread: Re: Has this game kinda died?

franklincobb — 2008-06-13T13:50:06+00:00

dbuel wrote:
Trump wrote:
As many Marvel zombies as there are out there, the pool of players couldn't likely handle the shrinkage.

Secret message decoded!

...do you think she knows about shrinkage?

Thread: Re: Has this game kinda died?

dbuel — 2008-06-13T13:41:21+00:00

Trump wrote:
As many Marvel zombies as there are out there, the pool of players couldn't likely handle the shrinkage.

Secret message decoded!

Thread: Re: Has this game kinda died?

franklincobb — 2008-06-13T13:10:54+00:00

stormseeker75 wrote:
UDE has a new cash cow: WoW TCG. As soon as that started taking off, it was the end of VS.

Yep.

Their move to a Type II-style system, several cards breaking through the playtesting process that were obviously broken (Dr. Light?), a string of sub-par sets, on top of four(!) expansions a year ground this game into dust very quickly. It was hot hot hot around here and I think around Marvel Knights or Green Lantern the fatigue set in. Not only did you have to buy from four expansions per year, but almost every set had a "chase rare" that would cost you $40-50 to get a playset of, or require you to buy fat stacks of booster boxes.

Then came Type II, and card bannings, and the game evaporated here almost instantly.

I played it fairly regularly, and I'll admit the framework of the game was awesome. The management? Not so much. And as Steve said above once WoW was in the picture, things went from bad to worse for VS.

If you want a VS. fix, pick up the DS or PSP version on the cheap. One purchase for the cart, then you earn the cards in game and don't have to waste your time with repeatedly buying boosters. You can even link up with a friend to play against each other.

Thread: Re: Has this game kinda died?

stormseeker75 — 2008-06-13T12:43:58+00:00

UDE has a new cash cow: WoW TCG. As soon as that started taking off, it was the end of VS.

Thread: Re: Has this game kinda died?

Trump — 2008-06-13T12:19:28+00:00

cold_fuzion wrote:
This wasn't a horrible game, but not worth spending a lot of money on it. It just seems to be in kind of limbo at the moment.

Methinks I like not your tone, sir! I know that Upper Deck and DC are having a problem now. Something about DC jacking up the licensing costs and UDE not wanting to pay it. If the DC license were lost, I fear that'd be the beginning of the end for the game. As many Marvel zombies as there are out there, the pool of players couldn't likely handle the shrinkage.

As for not spending much money on it, I have more VS cards than I ever had of Magic... and glad of it! VS is just such a great game and I really like the way it was packaged. It was easy to entirely skip buying into certain sets simply because I wasn't interested in those characters AND this wouldn't handicap all of my other decks in the process. I suppose what really prompted me to write was your comment about a "horrible" game. You appear to think the game was lacking in some regard and I'd like to know what that is. To be certain, VS is not the Holy Grail of CCGs, but I'd be interested in knowing what you think it's shortcomings are.

michaeldavidcox wrote:
The new game, Marvel Ultimate Battles, is a simpler game aimed for 12 and under. It is not a replacement for VS.

Isn't THAT the truth! That game is bloody awful. You'd have to be 12 or under to get any enjoyment out of it. (Although having something to play against your own children is commendable.) I've also heard of collation nightmares. Packs with as few as 5 cards in them. Packs with no rares while others have two. Chaos.

Even I have trouble understanding all the nuances to VS.

The hardest part is probably timing and the queue. It's the same as Magic, but not everyone's been exposed to that.

Thread: Re: Has this game kinda died?

michaeldavidcox — 2008-06-13T10:52:08+00:00

I do not think it has died. A new set has come out or will come out this month. I think it is called Marvel Universe.

The new game, Marvel Ultimate Battles, is a simpler game aimed for 12 and under. It is not a replacement for VS. It seems to be more of a stepping stone as VS is a bit too difficult for the average 12 year old, in most people's opinion. MUB is much easier to pick up and play. Get them hooked on a superhero CCG early then they can move up to VS when they are ready.

No one in my area plays or sells VS so I am happy for MUB as my son (who is under 12) and I can now play a quick game of superheroes. He plays Chaotic which is relatively simple, too. I may buy a couple of the older VS starter decks to see how well he can play that. Even I have trouble understanding all the nuances to VS.

Thread: Re: Has this game kinda died?

Rygel — 2008-06-13T05:19:16+00:00

I believe it has. In fact, Upper Deck has made a new version of the game that is a lot more simple and appears more child oriented.

Thread: Has this game kinda died?

cold_fuzion — 2008-06-13T02:49:56+00:00

I've noticed the stock in my local stores has all but completely faded away and what's left is pretty cheap. This wasn't a horrible game, but not worth spending a lot of money on it. It just seems to be in kind of limbo at the moment.

Maybe I'll grab a couple of starters for $5 so I can play occasionally.

Thread: Re: New Marvel Card game coming this summer?

michaeldavidcox — 2008-06-12T12:19:53+00:00

Marvel Ultimate Battles aka MUB is a fun game. Much simpler than VS. I'd like for both games to live together and get support from UDE. I think MUB would be a good stepping stone into VS. At least I hope so as I have only my son to play VS with as no one sells or plays it in my area.

Thread: Re: New Marvel Card game coming this summer?

Zxqueb — 2008-05-05T00:12:30+00:00

The new game is out now and is called Marvel Ultimate Battles. It's different (and simpler) from VS and is aimed at younger players.

As far as I know, VS is still going to be supported.

Z

Thread: Re: Newb questions

rooboomr — 2008-04-07T18:11:30+00:00

http://entertainment.upperdeck.com/marvel/en/demo.aspx

Thread: Re: Newb questions

Ellowen-Deeowen — 2008-04-07T16:10:10+00:00

Where is the demo of play? I looked all over the place and could not find it on their site.

Thread: Re: What I wann see added to the Vs system

ericdionbaker — 2008-03-28T15:47:42+00:00

What I would like to see added to VS System is more emphasis on non-combat aspects of the game. When I played Magic, combat and creatures were *a* component of the game. Serious thought had also been given to the non-creature aspects of the game, like control of the turn, deck building, and effects on the game. VS to me, like most other Magic knock-offs, seems overly focused on creatures and combat. I realize the theme is conducive to hero combat, I get that, but a game of Magic can be enjoyed with creatures and combat as almost a side-show, and not just the main feature. For this reason, I was extremely disappointed in VS and quickly retired it. Now, if some of you VS die-hards out there tell me that this has changed, the game has balanced out more, and that VS can now provide a robust, versatile, and non-predictable gaming experience a la Magic, then I would be delighted to buy back in and give VS another try.

I also admit that I was looking to VS as a game to replace Magic, that offered the same great gameplay, deckbuilding, strategy, etc, just without the dark/occult-ish themes. Perhaps my expectations were wrong, and this game is really intended to be nothing more than simple combat with familiar characters...

Thread: Re: New Marvel Card game coming this summer?

Rygel — 2008-03-22T16:52:58+00:00

Does this mean Upper Deck will no longer support VS?

Thread: New Marvel Card game coming this summer?

mhutton — 2008-03-22T04:05:50+00:00

My game shop owner was telling me about a new Marvel card game being produced for later this year/summertime.

Anyone got any info for this?

thanks

Thread: Re: online?

American Dragon — 2008-01-16T22:59:03+00:00

Yep. http://entertainment.upperdeck.com/vs/en/assets/pdf/HellboyR... That's for the Heck boy thing.

Thread: Re: Colossus - Organic Steel

Trump — 2008-01-16T22:34:33+00:00

You'll always see the word ACTIVATE if you have to tap to pay for it. As Kihu said, the little arrow just shows it's a payment power. But the payment is "free" so who cares? There are certain characters and cards who can affect payment powers, like the Scarlet Witch. That's why Colossus' "growth" power is defined as it is.

Here's something else that drove us crazy remembering when we first started so maybe I can help you out. Sometimes you see an effect that mentions a target. For example, Finishing Move will KO target stunned character. So when you put it on the queue, you declare a legal target. When the effect actually goes off, you look again to make sure that's still a legal target (i.e. the target character is still stunned) or the effect fails. Other cards say something like "Opponent may not target your characters this turn". That specifically means that the word "target" has to be on the card they're trying to play. If they play something that affects your characters and it doesn't say "target", that's different.

Hmmm, what else? Oh, you must pay your costs when you place an effect on the queue. So let's say Colossus' power said ACTIVATE instead of FREE. He'd tap, place the effect on the queue, and if it somehow is unable to go off later... no refunds! He doesn't get to untap.

Back to the queue again. Let's say that your opponent has Avalanche and you're tired of him Activating to destroy your locations. Let's say that Avalanche is ready. You can't stop him from destroying a location this turn. No matter what you throw at him, it'll go on the queue and he can still activate to put HIS effect on the queue too. And what if you KO Avalanche somehow before his destruction effect triggers on the queue? Doesn't matter. Once the effect is on the queue, it's independent of its source. It's going to happen no matter what you do to Avalanche.

Thread: Re: Colossus - Organic Steel

kihu — 2008-01-16T16:51:24+00:00

In VS. the arrow is how they denote a payment power. So the payment is anything before the --> and anything after the arrow is the effect.

--> never means activate/exhaust/tap unless it says Activate --> do something

In the case of Colossus his text is:

Free -> Put three +1/+1 counters on Colossus. Use only once per turn and only during the recovery phase.

The cost is Free (kind of odd I know)and the effect is put three +1/+1 counters on Colossus. Seems to good to be true right? The catch is in the rules. Colossus can only use this payment power in the recovery phase so he can only use it if he isnt the character you choose to recover, since recovery happens during the wrap-up and you cant play an effect at that point, its to late. If that didnt make sense I'll say it another way.
Colossus basicly needs to be unstunned at the start of the recovery phase or recovered by some effect before the wrap-up (where you choose which character you're going to keep)for you to be able to use his power.

Thread: Re: Colossus - Organic Steel

rooboomr — 2008-01-16T09:39:26+00:00

Does Colossus have to exhaust to get the counters? I assume not. I get confused with activate, the little arrow, etc. when the card has to exhaust and not. "Tap" in M:tG was pretty clear. I find it less clear in Vs when I have to exhaust or tap.

Thread: Re: Colossus - Organic Steel

rooboomr — 2008-01-16T06:03:34+00:00

I just picked up Marvel Origins because it was really cheap and had the teams we were interested in. I doubt we'll get cards from all sets. I'd rather just build a bunch with this set for now so we see most of the cards before we move on. I figure Marvel Legends will be next, but we may wait until it is outside the tournament window before we get much of it since the price will drop at that point. Since we have no interest (at least for now) in tournaments, I don't see a reason to pay a premium for the current set, even though I'm sure it is excellent. Thanks!

Thread: Re: Colossus - Organic Steel

kihu — 2008-01-15T20:18:20+00:00

If I can add my 2 cents.

Glad to see you pick up VS. it really is a terrific game. I'm not sure if this was the rulebook you downloaded but if not grab this one.

http://entertainment.upperdeck.com/vs/en/ Go about a third of the way down and click on the resources tab. Download the Hellboy Comp Rulebook. Its a great rulebook and should clear up many of your questions.

As far as buying the old cards because they are cheap I can see where your coming from but you might want to look into the two newest sets Marvel Legends and DC Legends. Marvel Legends in particular might be good for you guys since it featured X-men, Fantastic Four, Brotherhood, and a few others.

The best thing about these Legends sets is that they "simplified" the game back to something easier for new players to get into. Its probably still a tad more complicated then what your used to right now but if you start buying sets that came out between Marvel Origins and Marvel Legends they added new Keywords (sometimes several in each set) that made the game deeper but more difficult for new players to grasp all stuff going on. The Legends sets have been kind of like a "reset" and they are a great jumping on point or a great next move in your situation. An important note is that all of your cards you have WILL work with the new set too and some of the cards in Marvel Origins have been reprinted in Marvel Legends.

A great website to ask rules questions on and find out more about the game in general is www.vsrealms.com there is a rules section were you can post and an active community that will answer your questions.

Thread: Re: Colossus - Organic Steel

Trump — 2008-01-15T19:37:25+00:00

I just assumed you were buying into the same set that Colossus came from and went from there when listing cards(oh well). Marvel Origins, however, was the first set... so it doesn't take into account a lot of the ideas added later on, Reservists being one example. Finishing Moves are a great common card for getting rid of pesky men of metal. As the Brotherhood, your greatest asset is to dish out a lot of pain... and fast. You'll probablly want to focus on which locations are available to you. Savage Land is a great card for making 'suicide' attacks with your little guys versus their big guys. Also, check out the combo of Lost City and Avalon Space Station. Lost City lets you power-up for +3/+3. Avalon Space Station lets you get the card you used to power-up and do it again. Over and over again. If you can get that combo going, Colossus will be showing up in time to see nothing but wreckage.

Thread: Re: Colossus - Organic Steel

rooboomr — 2008-01-15T16:26:34+00:00

Great ideas. I downloaded the rules today to try to see how many things we're doing wrong.

My son's a huge comics fan, so I got him the starter set for Christmas. I bought two boxes of boosters (Marvel Origins) and I give him packs from time to time "for being good". That part's working great.

We're just playing the older cards since they're cheap. He's playing mostly XMen, I'm playing Brotherhood and now my daughter wants to play so the two of them are negotiating who gets XMen and Fantastic Four.

I'm quite sure we're playing quite a few things wrong and we have no idea how any card combos really work since we don't have many cards yet. For example, I don't think I've seen any of the Plot Twists you mention.

I'd like to go to a FLGS when I get back to the US to just watch some people play and see what sorts of things we're doing wrong.

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jsper — 2008-01-15T16:01:12+00:00

Some cards in spanish with logo in center

Thread: Re: Colossus - Organic Steel

Trump — 2008-01-15T14:23:32+00:00

Colossus is big and scary, but if you're hitting the other guy harder you can just work around Colossus and mostly ignore him. That's not always the case though, so what if you MUST get rid of him... and you're playing Brotherhood and only have access to the X-Men set.

Kill the Flatscans

Colossus is probably in the front row with someone behind him. Have a flier take out the support character and then hit Colossus with someone big and be ready to up the Attack as needed (there are many ways to do this). Newbie hint = Just because you draw it earlier in the game doesn't mean you have to play this card to kill some other annoying X-Man. When you KNOW what you're up against and you KNOW that Colossus is always ruining your day, SAVE the cards you need to focus your hate on him.

There are other cards you can use to keep Colossus out of the action while you battle everyone else : Blow the Man Down, Chill Out, Mind Control.

Drain Essence is an option to Kill the Flatscans. With KtF, you have to cut Colossus' support first if he has any. Maybe you can't do that, but you do have an Energy character to exhaust to play Drain? This is the card for you then. Also, when using Drain you could drag Colossus down with a team attack if need be whereas a team attack isn't going to help you with Kill the Flatscans.

Here's another more general strategy tip that could help with Colossus and will probably help your gameplay in general. REMEMBER HOW THE QUEUE WORKS! When you're performing various actions they keep stacking up on the queue and then they are eventually executed in the order of the LAST one played first. So let's say you have a card to KO a stunned character and he has a card to recover a stunned character. Colossus is stunned. If you play your KO card on to the queue, he plays his recovery card. The recovery would happen first and then the KO tries to find a stunned character and fails. But what if you wait and he plays his recovery card to get Colossus up so he can use his power to get tokens? THEN you play your KO card. YOUR card happens first then and HIS card is the one that gets burned uselessly.

And if you just want to be sneaky and you hate those tokens that Colossus gets, pick yourself up a Sonic Gun (from an earlier set).

Whenever equipped character attacks a defender, exhaust that defender. Equipped character has "Activate -> Remove all +1 ATK / +1 DEF counters from target character."

Just a few ideas to get you thinking...

Thread: Re: Colossus - Organic Steel

Trump — 2008-01-15T13:31:37+00:00

I can't tell you how many times I've had to figure out the finer points on some of these cards and the rules. You just don't need to know a lot of the finer points except in specific circumstances. The comprehensive rulebook is insanely difficult to digest... but excellent reference when needed. If you have any other questions about the game or any of the cards, feel free to ask. I suppose you might want to start a new thread if you do though, because nobody else will read this thread if they aren't wondering about Colossus.

Speaking of Colossus, what do you have to deal with him? Are you just using cards from that same set? Are you playing a Brotherhood deck? Maybe I can come up with some ideas for you...

Thread: Re: Colossus - Organic Steel

rooboomr — 2008-01-15T06:11:13+00:00

Every time my son gets this guy out it's basically game over. That explanation at least helps. I need to read some deeper rules. The basic rulebook that comes with starter decks is pretty weak for understanding the game beyond the first couple of plays. I swear we're playing it all wrong...

Thread: Re: Colossus - Organic Steel

Trump — 2008-01-15T02:07:58+00:00

No. It means every time he's in the recovery phase AND he's not stunned he can use the power. If he's stunned, you have to find a way to recover him before your free recovery if you want to get his power off. There are a number of X-Men with the same power 'definition'.

Thread: Re: Colossus - Organic Steel

Rygel — 2008-01-15T00:21:33+00:00

Yep

Thread: Colossus - Organic Steel

rooboomr — 2008-01-14T19:45:22+00:00

I must be playing this card wrong. It says:

Pay 0 endurance >>> Put three +1 ATK / +1 DEF counters on Colossus. Use this power only once per turn and only during the recovery phase.

Does this mean that during every recovery phase he goes up +3/+3?

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Zxqueb — 2007-12-25T18:10:24+00:00

The inside of the collectors box with all 4 deckboxes.

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Zxqueb — 2007-12-25T18:08:22+00:00

The Avengers Collectors Box for VS.

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jsper — 2007-12-15T19:11:05+00:00

Spanish edition ´Batman vs. El guasón´ example of cards

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jsper — 2007-12-15T13:18:08+00:00

Spanish edition ´Batman vs. El guasón´ back of the box

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jsper — 2007-12-15T13:15:59+00:00

Spanish edition ´Batman vs. El guasón´ front of the box

Thread: Re: What do you use for counters?

rjstreet — 2007-12-09T19:44:08+00:00

Abacus-style system with glass beads - handy when you need tokens for power/toughness modifiers.

Thread: Re: What do you use for counters?

matthewjhoskins — 2007-12-09T19:14:04+00:00

rooboomr wrote:
In M:tG we always used a 20 sided dice. What is used in Vs, since you need 50? I've thought of using poker chips.

Most of the local Vs. players keep track of their score (and their opponents) on scratch paper. Having both players track each others scores helps conflict resolution.

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Viper[FFW] — 2007-10-18T12:29:49+00:00

Gotham Knights characters

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Viper[FFW] — 2007-10-18T12:20:39+00:00

Arkham Inmates characters

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herman_the_german — 2007-09-20T00:36:33+00:00

Batman Starter set - front cover art

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herman_the_german — 2007-09-20T00:22:22+00:00

Batman Starter set - front art