It looks like we’re having some database issues.  Quite a few posts were deleted somehow, as were many of the comments.

I’m working on figuring this out right now. I hope to be updating the site shortly!

So the new set is out, and complete spoilers are literally everywhere. The team I’ve been wanting to play in VS since day one, Runaways, is out and more than competitive. Although getting the rares together might be a problem (isn’t it always?) I suspect that Nico Minoru and her pals are going to make an excellent showing in Hobby Leagues everywhere from now on.

Also, I have to thank and TBS and Mr. Zonos for letting me preview not one, but three amazing cards. It would have been nice to preview Runaways, but honestly I think Mystique and Nightcrawler are a little more my style. Marauders is definitely going to get some play from me, right after I can throw together some decent Runaways and Starjammers decks.

• I LOVE STARJAMMERS! Even with only a handful of cards they are totally playable, and with the right team-up they will be very annoying.
• We got a Beak card. We got a Fantomex and Stepford Cuckoos card. Life is good.
• Having an uncommon tutor and all, I think Marauders are going to be the most played team in the set. There is a very potent deck to be made, even without all of the triple legend stuff.
• Arkham Discard is really, really okay with 6-drop Gambit.
• And I don’t know why people are complaining about the Gambit legend. Some of his cards are absurdly powerful, and you can always play 2-drop MVL Gambit over the MEV 2-drop.
• I have read the Shift rules a million times and I still don’t quite get it. I’m glad I have so many copies of Empire’s End and Clandestine Operations.
• Really simple (and effective!) utility cards like 2-drop Beast get me more excited than you’ll ever know. I may have to throw together an X-Babies deck for Random Punks.
• 4-drop Cyclops will also likely show up in Nu X-Babies.
• Vertigo is really, really powerful. Combat is basically dead in this game now.
• The Cable legend looks like a lot of fun. I wish I weren’t poor.
• The fact that I can’t build an OG X-Factor curve (Iceman, Jean, Cyke, Beast, Angel) without teaming up with X-Men really kind of bothers me.

And that’s mostly it! I  can’t wait to start playing with the new cards (I think a lot of pre-releases in the area are probably next week due to the holidays) but I’m already brainstorming on some clever uses for these cards. Excellent stuff.

Apparently the set is out, the cards are spoiled, and the party is over… but I’ve never been on time for anything. Lasst uns gelganen die Feier aufgerustet…

Pretty much since his creation Nightcrawler has been one of the most popular X-Men ever. A lot of that is owed to the distinctive look given to him by Dave Cockrum. But much moreso than other X-Men who look cool and generally lack in substance (I’m looking at you Psylocke) Nightcrawler has a rich history and a lot of interesting character bits to draw from.

Chief among those is his devout faith, and his generally pacifist nature. This, and the nature of his teleportation powers, have made him an invaluable supporting player within the group for years. How many times has Nightcrawler teleported someone out of harm’s way over the years? Answer: A lot.

Now we finally have not one, but two cards to show our furry blue friend doing what he does best!

I really, really like this card. Moving back and forth between the hidden area has always been really valuable. More importantly he’s a member of my beloved Starjammers team; this will ensure that valuable characters (like Corsair) make it late into the game, allowing for some more awesome piracy. Plus Energize is the most awesome keyword of them all. Should Kurt become a defender he’ll be able to bring multiple characters into the concealed area, if only briefly.

And with some of the newfangled X-Stall cards out there (Cyclops, Iceman, Polaris) this seems like an awesome pairing. Speaking of stall, here’s something that might come in handy…

Hey remember when this card was blank? I do! Well now you know. The (limited) Nightcrawler legend is all about throwing off your opponents’ attacks, and I can’t think of a better card to make use of it than this one. The price may be a little steep (losing a defender) but locking down an opponent’s attacker(s) is even more valuable. Especially with all of this Energize nonsense, preventing your opponent’s characters from reading for the entire turn is incredibly cool.

My first instincts tell me that In Ze Munich Circus will have a home in X-Babies, where returning a character to hand is much less steep, and will cut back on dangerous breakthrough. However, I think this card could have a home in any number of decks. This just might fit in a Mystique legend deck; I mean, the lady was made to steal identities… who is better to steal from than her own offspring?

Just a thought. I’m sure your own deck ideas are going to be much more clever…

Oh Mystique! As the great Rodney Dangerfield put it best, you just can’t get no respect!

You see, our old pal TBS was discussing the suite of Legends for the Marauders this week and he let this little off-the-cuff remark slip:

“On the other hand, Mystique has a high recognition in the fame stakes (mainly due to the movies) while having a relatively low popularity…”

Low popularity? Low popularity!? While she might exactly not be Spider-Man Mystique is certainly no D-Lister. She’s been a major player in the X-Men comics for 30 years, and maintains a very respectable fan base. In fact, she had her very own series for a number of years. I mean, who doesn’t love a foxy blue shape shifting assassin? Nobody, that’s who.

Of course, I guess disrespect just comes with the territory for Mystique. She changes her loyalties almost as quickly as she does her appearance, leading everyone to wonder (and fear) what her true motivations might be. This was especially true during the Messiah Complex storyline, where she ended up working with Mr. Sinister’s Marauders and the X-Men, only to end up betraying both groups. Suckers!

But enough with the history lesson, Mystique’s shoddy reputation is going to change right now. I have in my possession one of the most powerful and versatile cards in the history of the game. Let’s check it out!

Mystique, Raven
Cost: 1
Marauders / Brotherhood
1/2 Range, Concealed
Reservist

Mystique has all character names while in your deck, hand, or KO’d pile.

“Uh-oh, doesn’t look good for the home team.”

First of all, 1-drop Legends are always good. Second of all, wow. Third of all, wow. I’m not The Deranged Bear or anything but a few zillion uses for this card already come to mind. Here are just a few of them:

• Mystique is functionally a power-up for every single character ever. Her Brotherhood team affiliation makes her a must in Brotherhood Reservist and/or Lost City decks.
• She can be tutored out with cards like Uncertain Legacy for more power-ups.
• You need to discard a Hulk card for Warbound effects? She’s Hulk.
• This girl is going to be extremely playable in limited formats.
• You need to discard or reveal a Galactus from your hand? She’s Galactus.
• Her concealed ability and low cost make the other revealed Mystique card, Identity Theft, extremely playable.

Excellent card. Thanks to UDE for the opportunity to spoil it.