On the eve of the first ever One Big Weekend: Online event, I thought I would share some information for the stat nerds out there. The Dice Coalition’s Troy was kind enough to post up the Team lists for everyone participating. You can find that information here.
I took the opportunity to look at the breakdown of what seems to be the popular choices for this limited card pool. In case you were unaware, One Big Weekend: Online is running a “Modern LCG” format. Of the available sets, the DC properties proved to be the landslide choice for these players.
A total if 210 cards were included on Teams from the DC Universe. I suspect that this is most likely due to the most recent release being from that IP… or there are THAT many good tools to use from DC sets. If you are looking for a little more detailed breakdown of the individual sets, you can find that below.
With no surprise, the Justice Campaign Box has the most cards included in this tournament (55 if you want exact numbers). There are just so many options to win with here. How about the individual characters?
This chart shows the top cards (with two or more instances) from all of the Teams. You can see that two cards stand above the rest. Let’s take a quick look at the Top 10 cards from this chart.
10. Poison Ivy – Red
A decent piece that can handle Overcrush and take out selected blockers (assuming they are not Villains). To be honest, I was surprised that this was the top Ivy in the Tournament. You will be seeing her on 4 different Teams. Can she hold her own in this meta?
9. 3 Way Tie Between Atom, Atlantis, and Poxwalker
All of these cards will be showing up on 5 Teams each. Atlantis is a great way to Prep over dice you need and has an excellent Global to give you ways to thin out your Bag. There is no secret as to the power of The Atom in this meta. The new king of spin will be burning his way through opponents, thanks in part to another popular card. He will be a big threat that needs to be neutralized. Unblockable characters are always good, and Swarm is still a decent form of Ramp. Sure, the base stats of Poxwalker are nothing great. If only there were ways to make him bigger…
8. 6 Way Tie Between A Whole Bunch of Stuff
The BAC’s make their presence know here. “Technically” Static Field is a bit of a cheat here. The Warhammer version was included on only 4 Teams, but when you combine it with the Justice version (with 2 inclusions itself) it enters into the number 8 slot. Team Up is an excellent wincon on its own. With so many Affiliations floating about this meta, don’t be surprised to see some giant bodies coming across the Field. Doom Lance is one of the newer cards to the competitive scene. It will be interesting to see how this card will be paired to get the maximum benefit from it (Deadly and Black Adam immediately come to mind here). Static Field is here for the Global. It will be bouncing back those who choose to go the combat damage route.
Ant-Man joins Poxwalker as one of the more popular (potentially) unblockable characters. Bump him up and hit someone in the face. He is definitely has the better stats when compared to the weaker Poxwalker. The Kree Captain needs no introduction. Probably the best thing to come out of the recent Marvel sets. The Global will be getting those bigger characters out faster thanks to its discount. The character itself will become a big body that you will need to deal with. Remember how I suggested Doom Lance and Deadly would be a good combination? Grey Hunter fits that bill at a great price (but unfortunate fielding costs).
7. 2 Way Tie Between Energy Field and a Ring
The actions continue to take up space in the Top 10. These two are each showing up on 7 different Teams. Those spinny characters are going to need some help, and Energy Field is how they are going to get it. The Global makes all of these characters easier to manipulate and makes Atom a one man wrecking crew. The action itself is not terrible either. You need a way to clear out some annoyances (see #1) in order to further your game? The Yellow Lantern Ring will show you the path.
6. Parasite – Maxwell Jensen
Finally, another solo act. Parasite finds his way onto 8 Teams. There is not magic trick here. He’ll be throwing his body onto other attackers for a nice buff. I suspect some of the unblockables will be getting some parasitic help.
5. Resurrection – Basic Action Card
9 Teams are using this classic Global. I assume it is the Global as I have no idea what the card actually does. You want some basic Ramp options? This is still an excellent one. Using it at the right time to manage your bag is key though.
4. 2 Way Tie Between Clayface and Wonder Woman
In the final shared spot of the Top 10, Wonder Woman and Clayface share the number 4 spot with 10 inclusions each. We’ve talked about the power of the Clayface Global in our articles. It is so good that I have had to cut myself off from its use. It is an addictive drug. Look to see early bigger purchases and energy manipulation in games that include this tool. Wonder Woman exists to keep your side safe. If you want to avoid the wrath of the Static Field, she is your woman.
3. Venerable Dreadnaught – Custodian of Knowledge
This was the guy I expected to see in the recent Two Team Takedown. 11 Teams decided to bring him to the forefront. There is no real surprise to see this card so high on the list. Both and offensive and defensive weapon is too good to pass on. We shall see if it proves to be as dominant as some people are banking on.
2. Black Widow – Agent
Here is where we start to see some serious separation. 19 Teams feel that pingy damage is going to be an issue. Black Widow sure takes care of that. A one woman defense against the above Dreadnaught… among other things. Look for her to use her assets to keep her Team in the game and slow down the competition.
1. Shriek – Sonic Beam
Unfortunately, the Queen of Control is the most popular card in this Tournament. 20 Teams have her on their roster. It is no surprise why. She is by far the easiest form of control in the game. Some people like that and enjoy the Shriek mini-game. Some don’t. We know what she does, and why she is tops.
There you have it. A quick look at what we will be seeing in the One Big Weekend: Online Tournament. What are your thoughts on the meta of this event? Good? Bad? Indifferent? What are your thoughts on the Modern LCG Format itself? Are any of these top cards a surprise? What are you expecting to see during tomorrow’s tournament? We’d love to hear what you think.
Make sure you follow the Tournament as it happens. Rollin’ Thunder will be keeping their site updated throughout the day as the games happen. There will be lots of coverage of this event. Check it all out on YouTube, Twitch, or sneak into one of the Google Hangout Rooms.
Good luck to all of the participants in this event! May your dice roll ever in your favour.
– jourdo