A few weekends ago, Alternate Universes hosted the Vs. System® 2PCG® Delaware Regionals! With a $3,000 prize pool and the first big tournament of the Second Chance format, competitors showed up eager and represented a diverse metagame. There were a total of 8 different main characters across the entire field and Top 8 had 4 different main characters. Check out all of the Top 8 decklists at the end of this article and a huge congratulations to Patrick Lenehan for his 1st Place victory and claiming the Delaware Regional crown!
Here is a deeper dive into the event’s most popular Main Character: Bryan Danielson.
The American Dragon
The AEW expansion for Vs. System® 2PCG® has proven to be a powerhouse since its inception and its presence at the Delaware Regionals has only solidified it as such! The biggest contender for AEW this event was Bryan Danielson, who led 4 of the Top 8 decks, proving to be a real force in the Second Chance format. Here’s the Level 1 and Level 2 Main Character cards for Bryan Danielson:
Pairing Bryan Danielson’s heavy hand disruption element with evasion and early aggression lets him truly control the pace of the game. Many of the decklists with him at the helm played similar supporting characters to push this game plan. Here are two cards that were registered in every Top 8 Bryan Danielson deck! Andrade El Idolo and Sting:
While these characters dominate the ring with powerful abilities, it wouldn’t be AEW without some awesome plot twists off the top rope to really seal the deal. There were 4 copies each of Dark and Rampage in each Top 8 AEW deck, proving to be true staples for the team.
While there were a handful of players that registered Bryan Danielson as their Main Character, but one came out on top. Patrick Lenehan took his list to the first place spot and we have a short interview next to pick his brain a little on his Delaware Regional experience!
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Champion Interview w/ Patrick Lenehan
What were the highlights of the event for you, besides being crowned the regional champion?
#1 Highlight – hanging out with the VS crew. It’s a great group of people. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: DRobb has a direct line to my funny bone. Dude kills me.
#2 Highlight – beating 2 folks in the top cut that beat me in swiss – Joe beat me Round 3 in the mirror match and Smallwood beat me Round 5 with Cloak and Dagger.
So who do I face in the Top 8? Smallwood! He and I have never faced at an in-person tournament before, definitely had me sweating. Very fun, very close match but I was able to knock him out. Huge shout out to Smallwood, great guy, great player.
On to Top 4, lemme see who I got… Joe! And he has priority… so he’s going first… cue sad trombone. A couple more really close games but I was able to prove that there can only be one true Bryan Danielson at the top. Joking aside, huge shout out to Joe as well.
… one more joke: I told my kids that the reason I won that match was because Joe has short hair, and I have long hair like Bryan’s
#3 Scoring a Magneto Regional Championship mat – back in April, I played in the SF Regional and lost in the finals. Magneto, especially HOX Magneto, is one of my absolute favorite comic book characters, so missing what I thought was my one shot at that mat was a gut punch. It wasn’t until the Delaware tournament ended and Tim handed me the Champ mat that I remembered who was on it 🙂
How do you feel your deck performed? What do you think went well and what do you think could have gone better?
I was really happy with how the deck performed, and I know for a fact that I wouldn’t have done half as well if it wasn’t for my teammates and the people I tested with, so huge shout out to them.
The deck is basically all gas, straight aggro, hit them every turn. I predicted a slightly different meta, so I would probably make a few tweaks if I had to replay Delaware, but overall the deck ran, dare I say it, silky smooth.
Why did you choose to play Bryan Danielson? Did you have any alternatives you were considering?
I chose Bryan because AEW is really strong (#challengematch) and I think he’s one of the best AEW MCs. He can struggle in a more open format, but he was very solid in Second Chance.
I considered Venom as well, but I’ve played Venom a lot in the past and wanted to try something new.
Did you have any spicy tech expecting certain decks to show up?
My tech card was Matt Jackson. I figured this format was gonna be a 100 mph slugfest with both MCs taking a wound every turn. Going first was going to be huge, as were cards that gain you a life. Since there’s no way to guarantee going first, I focused on finding a card that would gain me a life and that card was Matt Jackson. He made the difference in multiple matches for me and, second only to the American Dragon himself, he was definitely my MVP.
What match stands out the most in your mind and why?
TBH it’s probably my first match against Tevon (shout out to him and his brother, love the Plot Twisters!). Before that match I had played exactly ZERO games against Britt Baker DMD and, while I’ve read her card before and know that she has 5 health, for whatever reason during the game I was convinced it was 6 health. Tevon won the dice roll and opted to go first, we traded shots back and forth and then, on his 6th turn (we both had 4 wounds) he says to me “I think you’ve got it”. In my head I literally said “wtf.” I legit thought he either didn’t see the obvious board state (ie he just has to attack 2 more times to win) or he was trying to mess with my head…or both. So he attacked me, I attacked him, he said “good game” and I said “she has 5 health?!?!”
Do you have any fun plans for the prize money?
Hahahah, it’s going towards 3 very important causes:
- I used some of my winnings to cover the cost of my trip.
- I used some of my winnings to take Ralph Edwards and his wonderful girlfriend out to dinner as a small thank you for hosting me at his place and driving me to and from the venue.
- The bulk of the money will be going to my darling wife as a thank you for watching the kids that weekend… and as a down payment on my next VS excursion
What does your competitive Vs. System® 2PCG® future hold?
Much to my disappointment, I will not be able to make Midwinter this year. I had the privilege of attending Midwinter, but everyone speaks of it in reverent tones and am looking forward to going at some point.
In terms of the rest of 2024, I’ll be taking a good hard look at the Regional Schedule and, work and family permitting, hope to make Gencon 2024.
What is your favorite aspect of the Vs. System® 2PCG® community?
It’s hard to choose a single aspect.
As I already mentioned, the players are amazing. Yes, the competition is fierce, but, unlike what I hear from Magic players and Yu-Gi-Oh players, the community is not cutthroat. VS players go hard in their matches, but we’re all friends when the tournament is done.
I also honestly just love the game itself. Some friends of mine are into collectible card games, and I love the fact that, unlike them, I don’t have to scramble/sell a kidney to get the cards I want.
This game also has access to a bunch of great IPs. Marvel is obviously the crown jewel, but aliens, predator, The Boys, AEW, etc are all super fun with some extremely flavorful cards.
What is your favorite Vs. System® 2PCG® card or go-to team?
As anyone in the community who has met me knows, I’m a very deliberate player. Sitting down and picking my overall favorite card would probably take me at least 2-3 business days of soul searching / modeling / research. To save us all some time, I’m going to say that, at this moment, my favorite card is the one that won me Delaware, and that’s The American Dragon, Bryan Danielson.
As a wrap up, I have a big list of shoutouts:
First and foremost, huge shout out to my teammates Osh and Jose (and Hector, he’s been on hiatus but he’ll be back!). Wouldn’t be where I am without you guys. I thank and appreciate you. For those of you not keeping track, *checks notes* Team Let’s Get Dangerous just rocked 2023.
Special shout out to Ralph Edwards: he put me up at his place for 2 nights, drove me to and from the venue (knowing full well that he couldn’t compete in the main event), and stayed up late testing with me the night before. He’s a true friend. I’m looking forward to seeing him (fingers crossed) play in main events in the near future. The community is eager to have him back!
Shout out to Tim and Steve for organizing/hosting and for Veets and UDE for sponsoring. Mats and giant cards look incredible!
Shout out to DRobb for keeping us all honest, for making sure my turns lasted less than 5 minutes each, for taking time out of his busy schedule to run the Buckeye League with Earl and Roland, and for making me laugh.
Shout out to Tevon (#plottwisterspodcast), Smallwood, Burt (#newyorkminutepodcast), Joe and the rest of the competitors. You guys made me work for it and I appreciate you.
Last but not least, shout out to my wife and kids!
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Top 8 Decklists
1st Place
Main Character: AEW-032 & AEW-033
35 Supporting Characters
4 AEW-045
3 AEW-042
2 MKE-015
3 FWS-015
4 AEW-048
1 LKI-011
4 AEW-043
3 WDV-014
3 AEW-047
4 AEW-013
8 Plot Twists
4 AEW-055
4 AEW-057
4 Piles
1 AEW-059
1 AEW-060
1 AEW-061
1 AEW-062
1 Equipment
1 AEW-066
16 Locations
4 AEW-069
4 AEW-070
4 AEW-058
4 AEW-067
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2st Place
Main Character: AEW-034 & AEW-035
35 Supporting Characters
3 AEW-045
2 BOY-047
2 BOY-041
3 BOY-045
3 AEW-014
3 AEW-042
3 MKE-015
3 FWS-015
2 MKE-016
3 LKE-011
3 AEW-043
3 AEW-017
2 WDV-014
12 Plot Twists
4 AEW-055
4 AEW-056
4 AEW-057
4 Piles
1 AEW-059
1 AEW-060
1 AEW-061
1 AEW-062
1 Equipment
1 AEW-063
12 Locations
2 AEW-070
4 AEW-058
4 AEW-067
2 AEW-029
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Top 4
Main Character: AEW-032 & AEW-033
31 Supporting Characters
4 AEW-045
3 BOY-045
2 AEW-014
2 MKE-015
4 LKE-011
4 AEW-043
4 AEW-017
4 WDV-014
4 AEW-013
11 Plot Twists
4 AEW-055
3 AEW-056
4 AEW-057
4 Piles
1 AEW-059
1 AEW-060
1 AEW-061
1 AEW-062
3 Equipment
1 AEW-066
1 AEW-065
1 AEW-064
15 Locations
4 AEW-069
4 AEW-070
4 AEW-058
3 AEW-029
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Top 4
Main Characters: VER-001, VER-002 & VER-003, VER-004
27 Supporting Characters
3 HOX-048
1 FWS-018
4 SEC-007
1 HOX-044
1 HOX-045
4 CIV-037
3 HOX-050
4 XFC-012
4 CIV-012
2 XFC-011
17 Plot Twists
4 HOX-058
4 CIV-051
4 DAR-021
1 SEC-018
4 HOX-057
3 Equipment
3 VER-024
13 Locations
4 HOX-062
1 CV4-021
4 HOX-059
4 HOX-064
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Top 8
Main Character: AEW-032, AEW-033
31 Supporting Characters
4 AEW-045
3 BOY-045
1 BOY-051
3 AEW-042
1 AEW-054
2 MKE-018
1 MKE-023
2 AEW-052
4 AEW-017
3 WDV-014
1 MKE-024
4 AEW-013
2 WDV-016
14 Plot Twists
4 AEW-055
2 AEW-056
4 LKI-024
4 AEW-057
4 Piles
1 AEW-059
1 AEW-060
1 AEW-061
1 AEW-062
1 Equipment
1 AEW-066
14 Locations
2 Academy
4 AEW-069
4 AEW-058
4 BOY-061
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Top 8
Main Character: AEW-032, AEW-033
32 Supporting Characters
4 AEW-045
3 BOY-045
2 AEW-014
1 AEW-042
2 MKE-015
4 LKE-011
4 AEW-043
4 AEW-017
4 WDV-014
4 AEW-013
11 Plot Twists
4 AEW-055
3 AEW-056
4 AEW-057
1 Piles
1 AEW-060
3 Equipment
1 AEW-066
1 AEW-065
1 AEW-064
14 Locations
4 AEW-069
4 AEW-070
2 AEW-058
4 AEW-029
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Top 8
Main Characters: VER-001, VER-002 & VER-003, VER-004
27 Supporting Characters
3 HOX-048
1 FWS-018
4 SEC-007
1 HOX-044
1 HOX-045
4 CIV-037
3 HOX-050
4 CIV-012
2 XFC-011
4 XFC-012
17 Plot Twists
4 HOX-058
4 CIV-051
4 DAR-021
1 SEC-018
4 HOX-057
3 Equipment
3 VER-024
13 Locations
4 HOX-063
1 CV4-021
4 HOX-059
4 HOX-064
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Top 8
Main Character: FF0-001
39 Supporting Characters
2 MYS-014
2 FND-029
2 NRX-020
1 HOX-022
4 CV4-006
3 HOX-050
2 HOX-048
2 NBX-017
2 DAR-010
3 FFO-017
4 FND-013
1 NBX-013
3 WDV-014
4 VER-017
1 NBX-008
3 HOX-012
8 Plot Twists
4 HOX-025
4 HOX-026
3 Piles
1 CV4-014
1 CV4-015
1 CV4–16
13 Locations
4 HOX-062
4 HOX-063
4 FAN-057
1 CV4-021
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For more information, including the Official Tournament Rules, please visit http://upperdeck.com/op/.
