It's like this: Worlds 07 displayed such a heavy aggro presence that it was widely believed that true control was dead. The onset of set 6 brought aggro decks nifty little toys like Absurd Strength and Way of the Mightiest. Thus, many believed that aggro decks would only get better, and that control had no place in this lightning-speed environment. Enter the Hugonauts. In a world where every deck is trying to kill you with incredibly high damage throws, multiples and attack strings, the man with 40 vitality is king. He can stop aggro opponents flat in their tracks with a single Fortune and Glory. It's what he was designed to do. All of a sudden here comes a deck that is the perfect foil for the multitude of aggro, and the populace calls foul. Forum threads pop up calling for the big man's demise, or at least that of his favorite weapon these days. Even the mention of Hugo, raises the ire of some players. What isn't being mentioned, however, is the simple fact that Hugo's natural predators are in the minority.

You see, an accurate depiction of a metagame is something like a predator-prey relationship. At Worlds 07 aggro was at the top of the food chain, feeding on control decks, and slower aggro decks. It makes sense then, that a deck like Hugo's would spring up to prey on the surplus of aggro. This is what we refer to as metagaming. Metagaming is a shift of power. A rotation, in which the top decks of the moment are tackled and hated out of formats by decks specifically designed to defeat the old guard. Hugo beats out most of our modern aggressive decks. However, if Hugo decks turned up in droves, as the Yun-Seong decks have, it would again prompt a shift in the metagame, back towards "true" control decks, like Death and Void. We would again see the rise of Overwhelming Strength.  The rise of these control decks, would in turn spell the demise of the Hugo decks we know, and prompt the gaming community to find an answer to the new wave of control, such as a fast aggro deck, and thus everything comes around again. Metagames move in such a cyclical nature. 

There is no deck that is 100% undefeatable; it can't exist in this game. The perfect deck wins on turn 1 100% of the time. We don't have any such deck. Even if we did, would it be possible for such a deck to have more foundations than the handsize of the character spearheading it? No, otherwise you have the chance of drawing all foundations on turn 1, and then you wouldn't win. Compounding this impossibility is the nature of control checks. You can't check game-ending attacks reliably on turn 1 if 53 cards in your deck are attacks. If the metagame were truly broken, the very nature of control checks would have to be broken, A.K.A. there would have to be 53 attacks that check for more than 3, that could then connect reliably without your opponent blocking.

Another thing to understand about metagames is the nature of threats and answers. If Hugo really is a problem, his biggest threat would seem to be Fortune and Glory. Complaints seem to range from the brokenness of Hugo to the lack of answers for Fortune and Glory, but let me pose a question. If you were truly worried about Hugo, why would you play a deck without answers to his threats? Rabbits don't hunt Tigers, i.e. you don't play Fire, Air, or aggro decks in general to beat Fortune and Glory Hugo. Each has its merits, but metagames are not formless vacuums in which all it takes to be successful is to be "good" or have a "good deck". They are an arena, were competitors can be successful with strength and preparation. Preparation is greater than strength, but both work together in the hands of a master. One without the other is next to useless.

Just to make things clear, I'm no master. I consider myself capable, and that is all. When I prepared for the AoP, it looked like this:

****Astaroth****
Based on Evil

4 Chain Throw
4 Homicidal Slam
4 Low Dash
4 Kumai
16 Attacks

4 Impetuous
4 Lost Memories
4 Shinobi Tradition
4 Won't Settle for Second Best
3 Pieces of Eight
3 Brethren of the Coast
3 Made not Born
3 Higher Calibur
3 Dirty Pool
3 Way of the Mightiest
3 Unkown force
36 Foundations

4 Absurd Strength
2 Chinese Sword Style
6 Actions

*Leona*
*Miser*
**Mai**
*Genjuro*
*Necro* 

5 Character Blocks

63+1 Cards Total

Sideboard

3 Start Over
3 Recurring Nightmare
2 Chinese Sword Style
8 Cards

The idea was that Big Evil had too much vitality to be killed by conventional aggression. To make matters worse, he heals by dealing massive amounts of damage to opponents. Usually, I can drop an Absurd Strength, deal 6-10 damage, and gain 6-12 life. Also, playing a foundation before an attack turns that foundation into an Absurd Strength. Evil has natural advantages against control decks, and I felt my Hugo matchup was very favorable as long as I mulliganed into the proper hand. Amidst all the buzz over Fortune and Glory, it's easy to miss Higher Caliber, a card that is frankly, amazing. Brethren of the Coast deals with pesky Redux foundations, and Pieces of Eight catches random good stuff, while Impetuous puts it away for good. I think I did alright. The deck could use more throws, to force through Astaroth's E's. I'd like to replace some non-throw attacks with 4 Scourge of Zeus, and 4 Akuma's Tomoe Nage. Once I get them, I can take out the Dirty Pools, and replace them with the Leverage I took out in order to slim down the deck. I'll try and hit up another AoP. As for my last one, here's the write up:

The Assets of Power, Orlando Edition

We mount up in my mustang and head out without much noise, but ten minutes into the trip we start buzzing about our decks and our matchups. We were up until 2 am the night before making final preparations. We talked about Hugo. We' heard someone was going to bring him. We talked about diversity and metagaming, the best cards, the assets of power, everything. Underneath it all, however was a growing frustration. Aulden and I were going to be the only players from Tampa headed to the Orlando Assets of Power. Two of the best players in our group cancelled to go to a birthday party, another had to work, and the rest have since moved away from UFS.

Round 1 Opponent: Jesse Fischer playing R. Mika based on Earth

I lose the flip, but I'm not really concerned. I have 31 life after all. I was really sure of my deck choice today. So much so, that when I saw R. Mika set out in front of me, I completely dismissed this match as a first round bye. My arrogance of course, would be my undoing, as you'll come to find out. Game 1 I rolled him up with a 20 Damage unblockable Low Dash around turn 4, and sided in the remaining Chinese Sword Styles for Game 2.  Jesse was really nice, but I was already looking past him to round 2. Game 2 is long and drawn out. He's chipping away at my life total with throws (and Strength of the Mountain), and I scoop to a Hammered up Overhand Throw. What I wasn't doing, however, was using Big Evil's first enhance to gain back all the life his blocked throws were steadily draining away. Instead, I was using Evil's damage pump to try and force through as much as I could as fast as I could, so I could go scout out some of the competition. The result: a nice sobering game loss. At least, that's what it should have been. Instead, I shrugged my shoulders and shuffled up for game 3, thinking I still had it in the bag. Game 3 is the same as game 2. Instead of healing up, I just tried to put him away, and a couple of complete blocks leave me at 12 life to his 9. He draws up to handsize and drops a Heavenly Dynamite on me, which I negate with Recurring Nightmare, only to have him drop and check another. I'm still cool at this point, and go for block.

And fail it.

It was his last attack too.

Okay. I think I felt it then.

Jesse, if you read this, I'm really sorry I counted you out before I even got to know you. If it helps, you gave me a wake up call that will sting in me until the next AoP in Cape Coral, and I learned a valuable lesson, which I'll share with everyone in just a bit.

Round 2 Opponent: Jon Knapp playing Rare Vega based on Air

I lost in the first round. I was definitely feeling it now. To make matters worst, I lost the coin flip again, and this time against an 8HS guy. If he wanted to overwhelm me, he definitely could. In Game 1 I play very carefully, but notice that Jon is playing close to 6 foundations a turn to try and take advantage of his Defender of the Empire. Impetuous, however, keeps him off balance, and a Low Dash puts him away. Game 2 he throws me to death with Strike Heads, Strike Heads, then Material Advantaged Overhand Throw and MA'd Glass Slippers. In Game 3 I finally start to use Astaroth to keep gaining life back up to full off of +6 Way of the Mightiest and stay at 31 most of the game. I managed to draw two Chain Throws and a Dirty Pool, and dropped one on him each turn for 11 until he scooped.

Round 3 Opponent: Jon Barber playing Rare Yun-Seong based on Air

This game is one I will not soon forget. Jon was my kind of guy, and I remember liking his play style right away. Unlike my last two opponents, Jon was very cool when he played, like he had ice in his veins. The last opponents seemed a bit panicky and seemed really exasperated with my constant Astaroth enhances for mucho damage. Not Jon. Jon took 15 damage attacks with the full knowledge that he could kill me in one turn from full health if he wanted to. Which he did. I never really noticed how hard it is to kill Rare Yun-Seong with 26 life especially after losing the flip again, but even when I Hammered away his momentum he recovered again and dropped Criminal Uppercut at the end of a 5 attack string, thanks to YS' fantastic synergy with Circling Wing, which I could only half block.

The situation was most grievous.

He set up Trade Your Passions with Envy, in order to play around my Pieces of Eight AND my Absurd Strength. He survived both games in single digits, but in the end all that matters is whether you win or you lose, not how much life they have left, and not the fact that you could kill them next turn, because that turn will never exist. This match I played well, I think. Jon played very cautiously with his momentum to avoid getting slammed by the Hammer, and in the end it won him the game. He was very careful not to add momentum when I could kill him with the Hammer in my hand, which happened both games, and instead used Envy to further his board position and drop momentum until it was safe for him to use Whereabouts Again.

I lose this one 0-2

So, I'm not gonna top 8, and I had such high hopes...

"So you just gonna go home?" Tristen asks me afterwards. He joined up with me and Aulden at the event and was watching the whole game after his victory elsewhere.

"It would make a terrible article if I did."

"Don't feel so bad, that was Cookie Cutter Yun-Seong, anybody can build that and play it." He continues.

That still doesn't change the fact that I won't top 8. I won't knock you Jon. You're a badass, and that Circling Wing is vicious. We'll meet again.

So we head off to McDonalds at halftime for some food, and fun times, as this Mickey D's is packing an awesome arcade. I vent some frustration on F-Zero AX and Mrs. Pac Man. Yeah, that's right. Respect the classics. Before long I'm back at the hotel, shuffling up for round 4. I intended to see it through to the end.

Round 4 Opponent: Michael Wood playing *Mistsurugi* off of Fire

One look at Michael's character card has me reliving the whole R. Mika scenario all over again. This time, I'm determined to play perfectly, and hey, I even win the flip this time! Game 1 sees me finishing him off without much effort thanks to looping Chain Throws for 10 each turn. Game 2, he sets up Signature Style, a card I've only ever heard of, and begins this elaborate combo, using the Mitsurugi form after a Shogyusa to add damage to his attacks and draws cards after each one, dumping them into his momentum with the Mitsu F, and readying Mitsu with Sig Style. Defender refilled his hand when he need it to.

It was intricate, to say the least.

Now, at this point I've come a long way since the first round, in terms of sizing up opponents I've never played before. Instead I noticed it took like 5 cards to set up that combo, and a bunch of attacks. An unlikely situation, especially with the disruption I'm packing. So, I mulled into a pair of Lost Memories, and won with Dirty Pooled bombs aimed straight at the face.

Round 5 Opponent: Joe Trattner playing Promo Ukyo based on Water

I have plenty of experience playing Promo Ukyo and stamp combos, because it's the recent weapon of choice of my boy Brandon Bravo who up until recently used to drop Stamps all over my face. He's "retired" now, with a bunch of other Tampa UFS players. Not surprisingly, I lose the flip (I'm bad with die rolls too, I always roll 2's, even on D100's).

Game 1 Joe drops a couple pieces of his setup, but a single Lost Memories disrupts his entire strategy, and all I needed was 2 attacks to put Ukyo away. He's the smallest guy I've faced all day...

Game 2 Joe goes for his Stamp, but Pieces of Eight shuts if off, and I win with the trademark Chain Throw for 12 (off Absurd Strength), Homicidal Slam for 9 (of f Astaroth E with Absurd Strength preceding Homicidal Slam).

So after 5 rounds there were 7 players tied for 6^th at 3-2 with 9 points in the Swiss rounds. 5 players were guaranteed top 8, the rest of the 3 would come from the 3-2 pool including myself. I had already given up hope so, I wasn't too disappointed when I didn't make it, but I do felt like we should have had another round. 7 players tied for 6^th place is a bit much, and the tiebreakers ruined a lot of people's day, including Tristen's.

Anyway, the Top 8 looked like this:

1)      Chris Krovaz - UR Dhalsim (Void)
2)      Chris Barber - Promo Nakoruru (Death)
3)      Robert Trejo - Promo Nakoruru (Death)
4)      Nick Sneider - Promo Xiangua (Life)
5)      Ian Pinsker - Promo Tira (Evil/Air)
6)      Kenneth Larrain - Promo Cassandra (Life)
7)      Kris Streeter - UR Twelve (Earth)
8)      Ryan Hoffman - Promo Dan (All)
9)      David Martin - Promo Elena (Void)

Notice the two Nakorurus, which is why there is a number 9 on my list. Unfortunately, Robert Trejo, who finished third in the swiss rounds was bumped out of the top 8 due to diversity. I feel for you Rob. Tough break.  Chris Kovaz asked me to point out that he was the Swiss Champion. There you go, buddy. In the end , Chris Barber won it all with Nakoruru.

And control is supposed to be dead...

Strangely, no one was required to register their decks, thus I have no decklists, to present to you. It seems odd that a game with such a strong online community would not require each event to register and post top 8s, somewhere, like on the STG main site. I really wanted to bring you the top 8 lists, but I could barely find time to get the players' names before they shuffled up and shut me out completely. Something should be done. Metagames cannot function properly without accurate information, and all we seem to have is a set of names and characters.

As for myself, Impetuous was my MVP for the day. It breaks up infinite combos, and halts degenerate loops. I'm not sure if it's watermarked or not, but if it is, let me know. Drop me a line at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .