Rambling MEV Thoughts…

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.

Exclusive MEV Previews: Nightcrawler, Brimstone Cowboy and In Ze Munich Circus!

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!

FoxNews.com: Intentional?

I need to confess to a guilty pleasure of mine.

Every night before bed I log onto FoxNews.com to check the headlines. More often than not the headlines are the same as on every other news website, but sometimes I get lucky and find pure gold. You see, despite how you feel about the network and their close political ties, Fox News maintains one of the most hilarious websites on the interweb.

The prime example of this, and the one that brings me the most joy, is the enormous image headline they maintain on their front page. No matter what crisis the country is currently, or how many people have died, FoxNews.com always manages to display the poorest taste imaginable. I honestly can’t tell if it’s intentional or not, which makes it all the more wonderful.

‘Sensationalist’ doesn’t even begin to describe the situation. I mean, for the duration of the election their front page featured fear-mongering quotes by Sarah Palin, and an unhealthy obsession with international pirates. Here are a few of my favorite examples:

So are they are in on the joke or not? You decide!

Starjammers Baby!

I must say, Kamiza’s excellent MEV Polaris preview has me excited for a variety of reasons. First of all, Lorna Dane is one of my favorite characters, and has been ever since she kicked Krakoa’s ass back in the early days of Uncanny. Secondly, and most importantly, she has the STARJAMMERS affiliations!

As a public service I’m going to try and answer all of your Starjammers-related questions, but mostly just one.

Who are the Starjammers?

If there was ever a team that so clearly defined ‘D-List’ it would be the Starjammers. They are best known for appearing in several X-Men/Shi’Ar stories, but have worked alongside others heroes in the past such as The Defenders.

The Starjammers are a ragtag group of space pirates/freedom fighters led by Cyclops’ long-lost father, Corsair. Whenever there is trouble with the Shi’Ar Empire it’s likely that Corsair and the Starjammers are somehow involved. They have fought for the good of the universe on several occasions, often joining forces with Empress Lilandra whenever she gets overthrown in a violent coup (which seem to happen quite often. Go figure.)

9 Reasons I Already Love MEV

With preview season rolling around I thought it would be good to recap the reasons why I already love the new Marvel Evolutions set. I can’t believe it’s time for another set already.

1. Cyclops Legend: Regardless of how you feel about the character, Cyclops has always been a central figure in the X-Verse and he is long overdue for Legend status. I imagine it will have something to do with his leadership role on the team rather than his optic blasts, but either would be a lot of fun to see represented in card form.

Plus this clears the way for Storm, Beast and other longtime X-Men favorites to receive Legends treatment someday. I mean, we’re getting Blink and still don’t have Storm? Seriously?

Sweet Christmas: Misty Knight!

I was going to try and throw together an Iron Fist/Luke Cage “Heroes 4 Hire” deck on paper today when I discovered a problem: hardly any Luke Cage/Iron Fist supporting characters have appeared in the Vs. System!

Danny Rand and Luke Cage have been Marvel Comics staples for decades, yet only recently have they received any love from our favorite card game. At a time when Luke is running the Avengers* and Iron Fist is starring in a critically acclaimed solo title one would expect RnD to be tripping over themselves trying to incorporate more of the characters and their rich histories into the game.

However this is not the case, at least not yet. I want Iron Fist and Luke Cage legends! I want a proper Heroes 4 Hire team affiliation! I want Misty Knight!

Who?

PS I Hate You

Disclaimer: The following has absolutely nothing to do with the VS. System. The following details my evening last night following our weekly Hobby League.

It’s 8:30, and my good friend Omar is moving out of his apartment this week. His car is full of junk, and before we go out to dinner he asks if we can stop by his Public Storage locker to drop this stuff off.

“Of course,” I said, “That seems harmless enough.”

We arrived at Public Storage around 8:40, and Omar enters in the code to open the automated gate. On the way in we pass by several signs stating that the complex closes at 9:00, and we make a point of hurrying so that we can leave before that.

Our transaction with the locker is completed swiftly enough, but upon trying to exit Public Storage we discover that the gate code we used to enter the complex isn’t letting us leave. We’re trapped.

These things only happen to me, I swear.

Marvel Universe Review!

Hello and welcome to The Brave and the Blog’s first ever VS System set review! I know a lot of other sites do this, so I wanted our to be special. That’s why I arranged for a VS System Legend to join me today, and give his opinions on the cards being presented.

Ladies and gentlemen I present to you The Red Skull!

Josh: Thank you for joining me Red Skull. I know you’re a very busy man these days.

Red Skull: It was opportune for you that I should have such time to spare. However, my latest project is going quite smoothly and it would do my nerves good to… relax.

Josh: Good to hear. Now I know you’re not very familiar with the VS System, so if you have any questions about the cards let me know.

Red Skull: THE RED SKULL KNOWS ALL!

Josh: Hm. Okay. 

Manhunter is Back!

No, not the Martian Manhunter (Give that some time.) I’m talking about Kate Spencer, Manhunter! Her self-titled DC comic book series returns today with beautiful Michael Gaydos art.

Kate Spencer was a criminal prosecutor in Los Angeles until she found herself trying to convinct the villainous Copperhead for crimes he had clearly committed. The failures of the court system allowed Copperhead to walk free, which is when the enraged Kate Spencer decided to take the law into her own hands.

As Manhunter, Kate wields several pieces of superhero/villain tech that she stole from the court’s criminal property lockers. She is a ruthless vigilante, and over her short career she has killed numerous villains. Most recently Manhunter has joined the Birds of Prey, and is slowly integrating herself into the larger superhero community. Unfortunately, her willingness to kill has already put her at odds with many of her peers, including the Justice League.

Kate Spencer is a complex character, and often struggles to balance her superheroics with a career and raising her son. For years Manhunter has been one of the best series DC continues to publish, and I’m very excited to see what’s in store for our heroine.

So go buy it! Actually — buy two, since this book could really use the sales.

Dear J’onn…

There are people in our lives who we take for granted. They are the ones who care for us when we are sick, or water our plants while we’re on vacation. Their service is often unrewarded, and we fail to realize how much they meant to us until it’s too late.

Today we are gathered to honor the memory of such a man, one whose quiet strength and dignity have been a positive influence in our lives for years. I speak, of course, of J’onn J’onnz, the Manhunter from Mars.