So I am going to go over something that makes sense to me, and the reason behind it. In my programming class, we learned about recursion and stacks and queues. Now, everybody has experienced and can understand queues. Waiting in a line is an example of queues. Queues work in that the first person in is the first person out (FIFO). Now, this seems to be the way a lot of things work. However, stacks work differently and they are LIFO, or FILO. Something that goes in last comes out first or something that goes in first comes out last. Now, this seems kind of bizarre, but makes sense also. In recursion, which is also LIFO, you have a function that calls itself. Let's say that it calls itself and adds 1 every time you call it, and when it reaches five, it stops calling itself.
void addone(int &x){
x++;
if (x<5){
addone(x);
}
}
int main(){
int x=0;
addone(x);
cout << x << endl;
return 0;
}
This is a C++ program that has recursion in the function addone. Basically, it does what I said above and at the end prints out the final value of x. This is how it works:
x=0.
call adddone(1):
call addone(2):
call addone(3):
call addone(4):
call addone(5):
addone(5) finishes
addone(4) finishes
addone(3) finishes
addone(2) finishes
addone(1) finishes
x is printed out as 5.
In TCGs I play, the chain (or stack) works exactly the same way. Now, a difference is that when it finishes in a TCG, the effect (in this case, x+1) happens as opposed to this where the effect happens, then calls. Still, the basic concept remains the same. If I play Savage Beatdown on my 4/4 attacker, then my opponent tries to play System Failure in response to my Savage, that is stupid because of how this all works:
Savage Beatdown called (attacker at 4/4)
System Failure called (attacker at 4/4)
System Failure resolves (attacker still at 4/4 and fizzles)
Savage Beatdown resolves (attacker at 9/4, and smacking down)
I forgot exactly where I was going, but I know that I was able to understand programming better because of how TCGs work.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Friday, March 28, 2008
Chicken Little
So, with VsSystem.com stopping its articles, and there being less prize support and what-not, people are crying out that the sky is falling. Personally, I will continue to buy VS until they stop printing sets, so as long as that is happening, I will be fine. I buy and play VS because I love comic book heroes and I love TCGs, and VS is a fun TCG that I enjoy playing. Simple as that. Until they actually say that they are not going to produce more sets, then the game is still going strong as far as I am concerned. To all the people who think the sky is falling and that the end of the world is coming, I just want to say that until they stop printing sets, the game is not dead.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
DE
So, I was thinking about what to make this post about, since I said I would do a VS post today. I got to thinking and I decided to talk about DE. It's kind of funny, but two of my best decks are decks based off of Superman enemies that sucked in their first appearance and are much better now. When the Legion pre-release was coming up, I had no idea what I wanted to build. I can't remember exactly what I got in my 5 packs, but I believe I had a Mad Harriet or two and a foil Dark Matter Drain. With that, I decided to play DE. I might have also had Dark Superboy. I'm not sure. Either way, I did okay with the deck. I lost the first one, won the second, then got paired up with someone who had won 2 and lost, then won. So all in all, I went 2-2, which isn't that bad for me. After a second flight, in which I had Dark Kryptonian and I believe, Dark Superboy, I didn't do as well, but almost had enough cards to actually build DE. After that, a few trades and I had my DE deck and it was brutal against things. I just love it, as it screws with your opponent. Watch them try to do quick math in their head as you have a couple Servants of Darkness up, they have a completely face-down row and you have Dark Superboy (who is one of my favorite characters to play). Will it hurt less if I flip something up and he can't stun my bigger guy or...? Of course, waiting with a Dark Matter Drain face down makes you watching them squirm all the more worthwhile. I don't think my deck is perfect, nor do I think it necessarily needs to be, but here is my decklist:
DE-F*&k with their resource row deck
Characters:
2 Mad Harriet, Female Fury
3 Apokoliptian Zealots, Army
4 Malice Vundabar, Female Fury
4 Lashina, Female Fury
2 Dark Firestorm, Mockery
4 Darseid, Apokoliptian Oppressor
2 Stompa, Female Fury
4 Dark Superboy, Mockery
3 Darkseid, 8the Century
3 Darkseid, Evil Reborn
2 Dark Champion, Mockery
2 Darksied, Apokolips Now
Locations:
3 Dark Matter Drain
2 Planet Weapon
2 Furnace of Apokolips
3 Ancient Throne
Plot Twists:
4 Servants of Darkness
3 Titans of Tomorrow
2 Created From Hate
4 Joining the Darkseid, Team-Up
2 Price of Treason
Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated. Honestly, though, that is pretty much the best I can do with the cards I have.
DE-F*&k with their resource row deck
Characters:
2 Mad Harriet, Female Fury
3 Apokoliptian Zealots, Army
4 Malice Vundabar, Female Fury
4 Lashina, Female Fury
2 Dark Firestorm, Mockery
4 Darseid, Apokoliptian Oppressor
2 Stompa, Female Fury
4 Dark Superboy, Mockery
3 Darkseid, 8the Century
3 Darkseid, Evil Reborn
2 Dark Champion, Mockery
2 Darksied, Apokolips Now
Locations:
3 Dark Matter Drain
2 Planet Weapon
2 Furnace of Apokolips
3 Ancient Throne
Plot Twists:
4 Servants of Darkness
3 Titans of Tomorrow
2 Created From Hate
4 Joining the Darkseid, Team-Up
2 Price of Treason
Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated. Honestly, though, that is pretty much the best I can do with the cards I have.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Weekly Comic Review 3/26
Yay for lots of comics on a day when I have a test!
Blue Beetle 24
Basic Plot: Jaime tries to beat the Reach.
So, Dan Garrett was able to activate the Scarab's powers by saying Khaji Dha. Ted Kord never could get it to work. Now that we know more about the Scarab, we also learn why Dan Garrett was able to access the Scarab before. See, the Scarab's name is Khaji Da (for some reason, now without the "h" in Dha), and when Dan said it, he called it and it responded. When Ted had it, with Booster's Multiverse energy and magic disruption, it just wasn't able to work. Now that Jaime has it, it will work exactly as it should. This was an awesome issue. Now the scarab and Jaime's communication is top-notch and the Scarab speaks in English that reminds me of Warlock's English, which isn't really proper, but gets the point across. It was an awesome issue with all the heroes on the cover in it, who all don't get along at the moment apparently. I like Blue Beetle, and think the character and story is awesome.
Ultimate Fantastic Four 52
Basic Plot: The Ultimates try to defeat Thanos while Thing talks to Thanos's daughter.
Okay, so I really don't like Ultimate FF at this point in time for various reasons, chief among them being when this story takes place. It is post-Ultimates 2, but pre-Ultimates 3. Sure, I can live with that, aside from the fact that Ultimates 2 was pretty damn important in the Ultimates universe and it wasn't mentioned at all before this. Plus, Ultimate Spider-Man took 100 issues to complete a year, and Ultimates 2 took place a year after Ultimates. Ultimates took happened with in USM, so when did Ultimates 2 take place? And when did Thor get a new hammer that resembles his 616 hammer and lost his other hammer? God, this is annoying to me! Oy. Seriously, this was another reason that I just dislike Ultimate FF. Basically, they either face people that are too powerful and get their asses kicked or are somehow able to win. This time, they got their asses kicked. Yay (sarcastic, by the way).
Ultimate Human 3
Basic Plot: Look into the past of Peter Wisdom.
Filler story to fill in Wisdom's background and how he became the Leader. Nothing exciting. Meh, let's move on.
Ultimate Iron Man II 4
Basic Plot: Tony tries to find a way to defuse the nuke and everybody else tries to figure out what is going on.
Honestly, I am totally confused. But it was good, I will admit that. I like Tony's arrogance, while still a kid, and I loved seeing War Machine do some stuff without Tony with him. All in all, I felt it wasn't as good as it could have been with different stuff, but with what it had, it was pretty good. They did figure out, at the end, that Loni was probably behind it. Oh noes! Not her! Well, all the pieces are kind of falling into place, so it kind of seems better.
New Warriors 10
Basic Plot: Jubilee doesn't like what Thrasher is doing and the way he does them.
I honestly am not fully interested in the New Warriors. They are somewhat amusing, but all in all, I just don't find them that appealing. The art I like, but the characters aren't that interesting to me. It was kind of cool at first, but now I don't really know what to think. I'll probably stick with it for some more time, but my heart isn't in it.
Wolverine: First Class 1
Basic Plot: Soon after Kitty joins the X-Men, she gets put on a mission with Wolverine.
This was fun. Pure and simple. I love Kitty Pryde (to an extent that borders on the creepy) and so I was looking forward to this series. In a simpler time, this is awesome. Wolverine didn't want to team-up with Kitty (before she chose a code-name), but they worked together and through it all, it was a lot of fun. Lots of comedic moments too. At the end, after Wolverine is more keen on the idea of having Kitty on the team, asks if she wants to come downstairs so he can teach her how to pop wheelies without a helmet on his bike. Which of course she is excited about. It isn't going for anything epic or complicated or deep or dark, just a fun story about one of the first times Kitty was with the X-Men (although with a laptop?).
Ultimate X-Men 92
Basic Plot: Onslaught and Stryfe (Ultimate versions) appear while Apocalypse is wrecking everything.
This was awesome. I like who Ultimate Onslaught and Ultimate Stryfe are. On like the first couple pages, they reveal it, so it really isn't that big of a spoiler if you are going to read it. Stryfe is Cable (which works because Stryfe was a clone of Cable in the 616) and Onslaught is Professor X (which works because Onslaught was a mix of Xavier and Magneto in the 616 universe). Okay, so the fighting afterwards is awesome, and I love Kirkman. Really, it is pretty awesome all in all. Phoenix at the end though? Look out Apocalypse, Phoenix is coming.
World War Hulk: Aftersmash Damage Control 3
Basic Plot: The Chrysler Building is angry.
Okay, so I just have to share with you the recap page. I don't have access to a scanner, so I'll rewrite it for you.
Build-a-Recap
During a _____, ______-mannered _______ got _______ed by a ________ and then flew into a cosmic ______ and now has _______ powers that _______ when s/he gets _______ed, and s/he was frozen for _________ and his/her ________ got killed, so s/he is dedicated to fighting _______ in the name of ________. So, that's...neat.
Recently, _____ has been dealing with __(this month's line-wide crossover event)___, which, as we all know, affects him/her because _______________ had a cousin that _________, adn that REALLY rubs our hero raw. So s/he killed _________, who S.H.I.E.L.D. immediately brought back to life (and will be getting his/her own miniseries spin-off next month), and his/her identity got revealed.
Then, ______ sued _____ and made a deal with _____ to _____ his _______, so his/her ______ is fine but s/he can't ever _________ again. But now nobody knows who s/he is (even though his/her mask keeps coming off, like its interior is lined with Crisco).
Now, after _________ shot our hero off into _______, ____________ has returned to beat the _________ out of someone, and then team up with them next issue. Good thing, because ______ just killed ________ and that changed all of _______, but don't worry, because ______ has a plan that probably involves Sentry being asked to do something that'll make him cry. This all leads into ___(next month's line-wide crossover event)___, where Iron Man forces everyone to _________.
And everybody still hates the X-Men.
And that's how the whole issue felt. A lot of knowledge of everything, but taking nothing seriously. Basically, to sum up the story, some of the Shadow-Stone from Hulk's ship got into the Chrysler Building's foundation and made the building sentient. Almost the entire issue is people trying to convince the Chrysler Building not to move around because it could kill people. Eventually they compromised and once a year, for a month, the Chrysler Building can go somewhere. Awesome mini-series. I definitely recommend it.
Mighty Avengers 11
Basic Plot: The Mighty Avengers try to fight Doom.
I'm going to be honest. I hated the outcome. I mean, I like all of the other Doom stories where at the end, he gets away and everybody is like "Darn, he could resurface again. At least we are safe now." Oh, sorry, spoiler, Doom loses, and actually gets captured. I mean, Doom did pretty well up until he fought the Sentry again. He captured everybody, and the only real reason he lost was because Spider-Woman apparently can release absurd amounts of energy and break through barriers that could hold Wonder Man, Ms. Marvel and Ares. Aside from not seeing that, he would have won. I mean, I like Doom as a villain, and thought that up until the end, he was good. But being captured? Not cool, Bendis. Stop doing that. It hurts my feelings.
New Avengers 39
Basic Plot: Echo tries to face herself, unfortunately, literally.
Skrulls! YAY! Basically, she goes to see Daredevil at Murdock's place, and runs into Daredevil. After talking for a short time, she asks why he sent Cap to her. He doesn't know fully about how Daredevil sent Captain America to Echo to put her in the New Avengers, which she uses to realize that he is a Skrull that was going to imitate her and take her place in the New Avengers (does that mean that there isn't a Skrull there at the moment? Probably not), and she fights a Skrull with Torch, Cyclops and Nightcrawler abilities, which Wolverine intervenes in and it ends in a stalemate and the Skrull Bamfs away. All in all, it was a fun issue, and I love the Skrulls, but I felt it had a lot of stuff they tried to fit in and it was too much. She and Wolverine had a past. She and Daredevil had a past. She and Hawkeye got together to discuss being in the Avengers, and then had sex. Plus with the fight in between, it felt way too condensed. Way too many words on certain pages.
Ultimate Spider-Man 120
Basic Plot: Magneto tries to convince Liz to join him and see her father.
Seriously, it would have been awesome if Magneto had said, "Liz Allen, I am your father." Too bad it wasn't him. Oh, for those of you who saw my Twitter and didn't look, her father is going to be revealed at the end of this summary, like it was at the end of the issue. Anyway, it was pretty awesome all in all. I really like th whole storyline and think that Magneto is an awesome villain and that the X-Men and Spider-Man together make an awesome team-up. Oh, and add Liz to the list of people who know Spider-Man is Peter Parker. Basically, after she decided to not hang with Mags (as he is a mutant terrorist), she ran (well, flew) to MJ's, where Spidey easily found her. Wait, why isn't MJ surprised that Spidey is in her backyard? Because she knows it's her boyfriend and not some random punk. Anyway, I really enjoyed the story. Oh and apparently the Ultimate Blob's name is Franklin and not Frederick as in 616. Oh, and Blob is Liz's father. WTF?
Blue Beetle 24
Basic Plot: Jaime tries to beat the Reach.
So, Dan Garrett was able to activate the Scarab's powers by saying Khaji Dha. Ted Kord never could get it to work. Now that we know more about the Scarab, we also learn why Dan Garrett was able to access the Scarab before. See, the Scarab's name is Khaji Da (for some reason, now without the "h" in Dha), and when Dan said it, he called it and it responded. When Ted had it, with Booster's Multiverse energy and magic disruption, it just wasn't able to work. Now that Jaime has it, it will work exactly as it should. This was an awesome issue. Now the scarab and Jaime's communication is top-notch and the Scarab speaks in English that reminds me of Warlock's English, which isn't really proper, but gets the point across. It was an awesome issue with all the heroes on the cover in it, who all don't get along at the moment apparently. I like Blue Beetle, and think the character and story is awesome.
Ultimate Fantastic Four 52
Basic Plot: The Ultimates try to defeat Thanos while Thing talks to Thanos's daughter.
Okay, so I really don't like Ultimate FF at this point in time for various reasons, chief among them being when this story takes place. It is post-Ultimates 2, but pre-Ultimates 3. Sure, I can live with that, aside from the fact that Ultimates 2 was pretty damn important in the Ultimates universe and it wasn't mentioned at all before this. Plus, Ultimate Spider-Man took 100 issues to complete a year, and Ultimates 2 took place a year after Ultimates. Ultimates took happened with in USM, so when did Ultimates 2 take place? And when did Thor get a new hammer that resembles his 616 hammer and lost his other hammer? God, this is annoying to me! Oy. Seriously, this was another reason that I just dislike Ultimate FF. Basically, they either face people that are too powerful and get their asses kicked or are somehow able to win. This time, they got their asses kicked. Yay (sarcastic, by the way).
Ultimate Human 3
Basic Plot: Look into the past of Peter Wisdom.
Filler story to fill in Wisdom's background and how he became the Leader. Nothing exciting. Meh, let's move on.
Ultimate Iron Man II 4
Basic Plot: Tony tries to find a way to defuse the nuke and everybody else tries to figure out what is going on.
Honestly, I am totally confused. But it was good, I will admit that. I like Tony's arrogance, while still a kid, and I loved seeing War Machine do some stuff without Tony with him. All in all, I felt it wasn't as good as it could have been with different stuff, but with what it had, it was pretty good. They did figure out, at the end, that Loni was probably behind it. Oh noes! Not her! Well, all the pieces are kind of falling into place, so it kind of seems better.
New Warriors 10
Basic Plot: Jubilee doesn't like what Thrasher is doing and the way he does them.
I honestly am not fully interested in the New Warriors. They are somewhat amusing, but all in all, I just don't find them that appealing. The art I like, but the characters aren't that interesting to me. It was kind of cool at first, but now I don't really know what to think. I'll probably stick with it for some more time, but my heart isn't in it.
Wolverine: First Class 1
Basic Plot: Soon after Kitty joins the X-Men, she gets put on a mission with Wolverine.
This was fun. Pure and simple. I love Kitty Pryde (to an extent that borders on the creepy) and so I was looking forward to this series. In a simpler time, this is awesome. Wolverine didn't want to team-up with Kitty (before she chose a code-name), but they worked together and through it all, it was a lot of fun. Lots of comedic moments too. At the end, after Wolverine is more keen on the idea of having Kitty on the team, asks if she wants to come downstairs so he can teach her how to pop wheelies without a helmet on his bike. Which of course she is excited about. It isn't going for anything epic or complicated or deep or dark, just a fun story about one of the first times Kitty was with the X-Men (although with a laptop?).
Ultimate X-Men 92
Basic Plot: Onslaught and Stryfe (Ultimate versions) appear while Apocalypse is wrecking everything.
This was awesome. I like who Ultimate Onslaught and Ultimate Stryfe are. On like the first couple pages, they reveal it, so it really isn't that big of a spoiler if you are going to read it. Stryfe is Cable (which works because Stryfe was a clone of Cable in the 616) and Onslaught is Professor X (which works because Onslaught was a mix of Xavier and Magneto in the 616 universe). Okay, so the fighting afterwards is awesome, and I love Kirkman. Really, it is pretty awesome all in all. Phoenix at the end though? Look out Apocalypse, Phoenix is coming.
World War Hulk: Aftersmash Damage Control 3
Basic Plot: The Chrysler Building is angry.
Okay, so I just have to share with you the recap page. I don't have access to a scanner, so I'll rewrite it for you.
Build-a-Recap
During a _____, ______-mannered _______ got _______ed by a ________ and then flew into a cosmic ______ and now has _______ powers that _______ when s/he gets _______ed, and s/he was frozen for _________ and his/her ________ got killed, so s/he is dedicated to fighting _______ in the name of ________. So, that's...neat.
Recently, _____ has been dealing with __(this month's line-wide crossover event)___, which, as we all know, affects him/her because _______________ had a cousin that _________, adn that REALLY rubs our hero raw. So s/he killed _________, who S.H.I.E.L.D. immediately brought back to life (and will be getting his/her own miniseries spin-off next month), and his/her identity got revealed.
Then, ______ sued _____ and made a deal with _____ to _____ his _______, so his/her ______ is fine but s/he can't ever _________ again. But now nobody knows who s/he is (even though his/her mask keeps coming off, like its interior is lined with Crisco).
Now, after _________ shot our hero off into _______, ____________ has returned to beat the _________ out of someone, and then team up with them next issue. Good thing, because ______ just killed ________ and that changed all of _______, but don't worry, because ______ has a plan that probably involves Sentry being asked to do something that'll make him cry. This all leads into ___(next month's line-wide crossover event)___, where Iron Man forces everyone to _________.
And everybody still hates the X-Men.
And that's how the whole issue felt. A lot of knowledge of everything, but taking nothing seriously. Basically, to sum up the story, some of the Shadow-Stone from Hulk's ship got into the Chrysler Building's foundation and made the building sentient. Almost the entire issue is people trying to convince the Chrysler Building not to move around because it could kill people. Eventually they compromised and once a year, for a month, the Chrysler Building can go somewhere. Awesome mini-series. I definitely recommend it.
Mighty Avengers 11
Basic Plot: The Mighty Avengers try to fight Doom.
I'm going to be honest. I hated the outcome. I mean, I like all of the other Doom stories where at the end, he gets away and everybody is like "Darn, he could resurface again. At least we are safe now." Oh, sorry, spoiler, Doom loses, and actually gets captured. I mean, Doom did pretty well up until he fought the Sentry again. He captured everybody, and the only real reason he lost was because Spider-Woman apparently can release absurd amounts of energy and break through barriers that could hold Wonder Man, Ms. Marvel and Ares. Aside from not seeing that, he would have won. I mean, I like Doom as a villain, and thought that up until the end, he was good. But being captured? Not cool, Bendis. Stop doing that. It hurts my feelings.
New Avengers 39
Basic Plot: Echo tries to face herself, unfortunately, literally.
Skrulls! YAY! Basically, she goes to see Daredevil at Murdock's place, and runs into Daredevil. After talking for a short time, she asks why he sent Cap to her. He doesn't know fully about how Daredevil sent Captain America to Echo to put her in the New Avengers, which she uses to realize that he is a Skrull that was going to imitate her and take her place in the New Avengers (does that mean that there isn't a Skrull there at the moment? Probably not), and she fights a Skrull with Torch, Cyclops and Nightcrawler abilities, which Wolverine intervenes in and it ends in a stalemate and the Skrull Bamfs away. All in all, it was a fun issue, and I love the Skrulls, but I felt it had a lot of stuff they tried to fit in and it was too much. She and Wolverine had a past. She and Daredevil had a past. She and Hawkeye got together to discuss being in the Avengers, and then had sex. Plus with the fight in between, it felt way too condensed. Way too many words on certain pages.
Ultimate Spider-Man 120
Basic Plot: Magneto tries to convince Liz to join him and see her father.
Seriously, it would have been awesome if Magneto had said, "Liz Allen, I am your father." Too bad it wasn't him. Oh, for those of you who saw my Twitter and didn't look, her father is going to be revealed at the end of this summary, like it was at the end of the issue. Anyway, it was pretty awesome all in all. I really like th whole storyline and think that Magneto is an awesome villain and that the X-Men and Spider-Man together make an awesome team-up. Oh, and add Liz to the list of people who know Spider-Man is Peter Parker. Basically, after she decided to not hang with Mags (as he is a mutant terrorist), she ran (well, flew) to MJ's, where Spidey easily found her. Wait, why isn't MJ surprised that Spidey is in her backyard? Because she knows it's her boyfriend and not some random punk. Anyway, I really enjoyed the story. Oh and apparently the Ultimate Blob's name is Franklin and not Frederick as in 616. Oh, and Blob is Liz's father. WTF?
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Bleach ranting
Okay, so I have watched over 100 episodes of Bleach (yes, I started about a week and a half ago, crazy, I know). I think I want to get some things out of my system.
There are many parts where it feels like a smaller DBZ. What do I mean? Well, I never got that into DBZ, although I know the basic premise and certain things about it, and I remember that most places had Cartoon Network except my house, so when I would visit places, I would watch a lot of CN. Toonami had DBZ, and I watched some DBZ. It was when Goku was fighting Frieza (or however you spell it), and I believe there were at least 3 episodes in a row, where Goku was charging up his super attack, and pretty much nothing else happened. Now, either it was less and I'm exaggerating, or it was that many, or more, I don't know, but it was ridiculous, and one of the main reasons I didn't try to get more interested in it. With Bleach, it is never as extreme, but certain times, people just stand, facing each other, and let their reiatsu (spirit energy) flare up, and for a minute or two, they face each other with flames representing their spirit energy flying around them, before they finally attack. It kind of makes me sad, but oh well, at least it is toned down from what DBZ did.
Power levels are ridiculous. So, Ichigo, the main character, is ridiculously strong which means he needs to face people on equal footing to make it interesting. They pulled a Silver Age Superman. Let's see...When he first went to Soul Society, he defeated the guardian (first time he had been defeated, but there had only been one slightly serious challenge before), a 3rd seat (3rd most powerful in one of the 13 Guardian groups), a Lieutenant (2nd most powerful in a group), arguably one of the most powerful captains (most powerful in a group, most powerful at straight up combat, this captain later defeated two captains at the same time and a guy who gave a captain, two lieutenants, Ichigo and friends a run for their money), and then a captain who is even more powerful and that everybody wants to beat. What next? Well, he was only that powerful in Soul Society, so when he returned he couldn't use Bankai again. Yeah, let's neuter him! That works! Now, they are back in Soul Society and they have to have him face a guy who can destroy Sereitei (the Death God section of Soul Society) by using a ridiculous WMD.
At this point, I don't know why his friends tag along. Chad is powerful, but not powerful enough. Inoue can heal people, sure, but she isn't a fighter at all. Ishida lost his powers, and has a bad substitute for them. Ichigo could probably beat all of them put together right now easily. Anyway...
My favorite characters are Zaraki Kenpachi because he is a bad ass, who ends up being deep although he doesn't really care, Hitsugaya Toshiro because I love that he is so small and still a powerful captain with awesome ice abilities and Tsumugiya Ururu because she is one bad-ass little girl. Yoruichi is also up there just because she makes people uncomfortable and creates awkward moments (just by turning into a naked woman from her cat form) and has the best superspeed (God of Flash).
There are many parts where it feels like a smaller DBZ. What do I mean? Well, I never got that into DBZ, although I know the basic premise and certain things about it, and I remember that most places had Cartoon Network except my house, so when I would visit places, I would watch a lot of CN. Toonami had DBZ, and I watched some DBZ. It was when Goku was fighting Frieza (or however you spell it), and I believe there were at least 3 episodes in a row, where Goku was charging up his super attack, and pretty much nothing else happened. Now, either it was less and I'm exaggerating, or it was that many, or more, I don't know, but it was ridiculous, and one of the main reasons I didn't try to get more interested in it. With Bleach, it is never as extreme, but certain times, people just stand, facing each other, and let their reiatsu (spirit energy) flare up, and for a minute or two, they face each other with flames representing their spirit energy flying around them, before they finally attack. It kind of makes me sad, but oh well, at least it is toned down from what DBZ did.
Power levels are ridiculous. So, Ichigo, the main character, is ridiculously strong which means he needs to face people on equal footing to make it interesting. They pulled a Silver Age Superman. Let's see...When he first went to Soul Society, he defeated the guardian (first time he had been defeated, but there had only been one slightly serious challenge before), a 3rd seat (3rd most powerful in one of the 13 Guardian groups), a Lieutenant (2nd most powerful in a group), arguably one of the most powerful captains (most powerful in a group, most powerful at straight up combat, this captain later defeated two captains at the same time and a guy who gave a captain, two lieutenants, Ichigo and friends a run for their money), and then a captain who is even more powerful and that everybody wants to beat. What next? Well, he was only that powerful in Soul Society, so when he returned he couldn't use Bankai again. Yeah, let's neuter him! That works! Now, they are back in Soul Society and they have to have him face a guy who can destroy Sereitei (the Death God section of Soul Society) by using a ridiculous WMD.
At this point, I don't know why his friends tag along. Chad is powerful, but not powerful enough. Inoue can heal people, sure, but she isn't a fighter at all. Ishida lost his powers, and has a bad substitute for them. Ichigo could probably beat all of them put together right now easily. Anyway...
My favorite characters are Zaraki Kenpachi because he is a bad ass, who ends up being deep although he doesn't really care, Hitsugaya Toshiro because I love that he is so small and still a powerful captain with awesome ice abilities and Tsumugiya Ururu because she is one bad-ass little girl. Yoruichi is also up there just because she makes people uncomfortable and creates awkward moments (just by turning into a naked woman from her cat form) and has the best superspeed (God of Flash).
Monday, March 24, 2008
Nerd School
So, I go to RPI (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute) in Troy, NY, and as you can probably guess from its name, a lot of nerds go to it, as it is a very tech-heavy and engineering heavy school. I just wanted to go over a typical Saturday on my floor. So, at around 3:30 pm I woke up, and what were people doing? There were a fair amount of people playing WoW (not the TCG, the actual WoW), as people have decided to start playing WoW on our floor. Some people were playing MTG, and a couple were watching anime, while the rest were doing homework. I have no idea how other schools are, but I sincerely doubt that they are quite as interesting (in a bad way) as mine.
Eventually, through a lot of random occurrences, I got the Katamari Damacy song stuck in my head, and had to find it online, and now it is playing in my iTunes, on Repeat One. Oy.
Also, I am adding another hint for the flavor text contest, if people are paying any attention.
Eventually, through a lot of random occurrences, I got the Katamari Damacy song stuck in my head, and had to find it online, and now it is playing in my iTunes, on Repeat One. Oy.
Also, I am adding another hint for the flavor text contest, if people are paying any attention.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Things that make VS more difficult
So, on VSRealms, there is a thread where we are arguing about stuff, and it brought me back to a point that I believe I have said many times before, but I'll say it here again.
VS cannot work exactly like the comics. If it did, pretty much only hero teams would win. Also, Green Lantern, Heralds of Galactus and Underworld would be pretty darn broken, whereas Crime Lords and Marvel Knights (excluding the likes of Ghost Rider ans such) would be incredibly weak. People have problems with Superman being stunned by people he normally wouldn't be stunned by in comics. My Daredevil 5-drop is able to stun your Superman 4-drop easily and not get stunned back (without the use of a plot twist or anything). What? Daredevil is an awesome superhero, but he couldn't take Superman. Unless there were plot twists to help him (the entire point of them being called plot twists), then he couldn't do anything to Superman. But the game wouldn't work well if that happened. If you make Superman only on higher drops, you don't get to play him. If you make Superman low drops ridiculously powerful (let's say a 10/10 4-drop with Invulnerability), then you are breaking the game and making those teams have to be (by default) the best teams. So, while normally Kingpin couldn't lift a finger to Firelord, he has to be able to in VS or else the game doesn't work. Sure, you could say that with plot twists, Kingpin could buy some info and then use it against Firelord, so that he could maybe sutn him, but then, you have to take away all the plot twists from bigger characters. Otherwise, couldn't Firelord do the same thing? So then, if we do that, we have incredibly weak characters that can only work well with plot twists and incredibly broken characters who can't use anything or else it would be too broken. It just doesn't work. No, VS is not perfect, and it can't be, but it is pretty damn good as it is, and people complaining about how their Superman got stunned by Daredevil need to just accept that the game works that way.
VS cannot work exactly like the comics. If it did, pretty much only hero teams would win. Also, Green Lantern, Heralds of Galactus and Underworld would be pretty darn broken, whereas Crime Lords and Marvel Knights (excluding the likes of Ghost Rider ans such) would be incredibly weak. People have problems with Superman being stunned by people he normally wouldn't be stunned by in comics. My Daredevil 5-drop is able to stun your Superman 4-drop easily and not get stunned back (without the use of a plot twist or anything). What? Daredevil is an awesome superhero, but he couldn't take Superman. Unless there were plot twists to help him (the entire point of them being called plot twists), then he couldn't do anything to Superman. But the game wouldn't work well if that happened. If you make Superman only on higher drops, you don't get to play him. If you make Superman low drops ridiculously powerful (let's say a 10/10 4-drop with Invulnerability), then you are breaking the game and making those teams have to be (by default) the best teams. So, while normally Kingpin couldn't lift a finger to Firelord, he has to be able to in VS or else the game doesn't work. Sure, you could say that with plot twists, Kingpin could buy some info and then use it against Firelord, so that he could maybe sutn him, but then, you have to take away all the plot twists from bigger characters. Otherwise, couldn't Firelord do the same thing? So then, if we do that, we have incredibly weak characters that can only work well with plot twists and incredibly broken characters who can't use anything or else it would be too broken. It just doesn't work. No, VS is not perfect, and it can't be, but it is pretty damn good as it is, and people complaining about how their Superman got stunned by Daredevil need to just accept that the game works that way.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Contest? Why not?
So, I don't have tons of EA's like lots of people, but I will just congratulate you if you can get this. It isn't that easy, so don't fool yourself into thinking you know everything about me. The challenge is this:
Name my favorite flavor text in both MTG and VS. Hints will be posted every day to help move you in the right direction. First person to post a comment with the right answer to each wins. I guess I could give you some foil Rogues from MOR. Okay, guess away!
EDIT: One guess per hint period. Whether that be 24 hours, 36 hours or 1 hour.
EDIT: 12:50 PM EST-12:40 PM EST (MON)
Hint 1) The Magic card is from the past 4 blocks and the VS card is legal in Silver Age.
EDIT: 3/24: 12:40 PM EST-3/25: 12:50 PM EST
Hint 2) I am a mathematics major and my favorite superpower is superspeed.
EDIT: 3/25: 12:50 PM EST-3/26: 5:10 PM EST
Hint 3) This song, although what the main repeated line means in TCGs.
EDIT: 3/26: 5:10 PM EST
Hint 4) Guildpact
Name my favorite flavor text in both MTG and VS. Hints will be posted every day to help move you in the right direction. First person to post a comment with the right answer to each wins. I guess I could give you some foil Rogues from MOR. Okay, guess away!
EDIT: One guess per hint period. Whether that be 24 hours, 36 hours or 1 hour.
EDIT: 12:50 PM EST-12:40 PM EST (MON)
Hint 1) The Magic card is from the past 4 blocks and the VS card is legal in Silver Age.
EDIT: 3/24: 12:40 PM EST-3/25: 12:50 PM EST
Hint 2) I am a mathematics major and my favorite superpower is superspeed.
EDIT: 3/25: 12:50 PM EST-3/26: 5:10 PM EST
Hint 3) This song, although what the main repeated line means in TCGs.
EDIT: 3/26: 5:10 PM EST
Hint 4) Guildpact
Comics on 3/19
Sorry for being so late, but I was playing Brawl on my dormmate's Wii, as I mentioned on my new Twitter box on the side.
The Order 9
Basic Plot: The Order tries to take out the many Softlys and the dastardly plot hatching in California.
Okay, so pretty much the only reason I read this comic, honestly, is because it takes place in California, and it amuses me that stuff happens closer to where I live (although not currently) as opposed to always being New York. Also, with Secret Invasion, I am going to guess at the Skrull in the group. My guess is for Becky Ryan, partly because of the shape-shifting, also because nobody really takes her that seriously as a superhero, well as much as they pretty much take the others, at least IMO, because she was a starlet. Plus, that is kind of weird to me that she would go from diva to hero. Oh well. Guesses over. I just don't really care about any of the people in The Order, so I don't really care what happens, so I have very little interest in the comic itself. There is some diversity and everything, with lots of different people from different backgrounds, but I just don't care about any of them that much. Fraction hasn't gotten me interested in them as people, so I just don't care.
Amazing Spider-Man 554
Basic Plot: Spidey fights Freak and deals with Bennett and Jameson.
Okay, so I seriously think that they want 3 issues of ASM per month just so they can overtake FF in terms of numbers of issues of the series, and with this issue, I believe they tie, or at the very least, next month they pass. Whatever. I just don't care that much about these new villains and want some old villains that were interesting as opposed to these new ones you can't get that interested about. Freak, aside from being just freaky, is just boring to me. A monster that rampages mindlessly to an extent, and then wants to kill Spidey for pursuing him into Doc Connors' lab, where he injected himself with what he thought was meth, but was really some weird formula that Connors was working on. I was amused by some stuff, but all in all, I just didn't care about this issue. Oh, and Bennett keeps forgetting everybody's names which is annoying and stupid by this point, although it was amusing that Peter was able to make Bennett think that Betty Brando (Brant) was related to Marlon, so she got a story to cover and was no longer treated like a secretary (which she no longer really is). Plus, it means his friends don't know he took pictures of stuff, because Parker Peterson took the pictures, not Peter Parker. Oh well, I just don't care all in all. The story is amusing aside from the plot.
World War Hulk: Warbound 4
Basic Plot: Hiroim and Korg try to stop the Gammaworld dome and Waynesboro, No-Name and Elloe try to stop the Leader.
Well, I really liked the Warbound, but this is just kind of weird. I don't know. Not much has happened in these 4 issues, and I just haven't been that interested in the story. Probably my favorite thing is that the people eventually start to realize that the Warbound aren't villains, becuase really, they aren't. They supported Hulk because they believed that their world was destroyed by Earth scientists, so they were totally justified and didn't deliberately kill anyone, they pretty much kept everything under control as much as they could. This is just kind of weird. Oh look, Korg got his arm back. Oh no, he's dead. No, wait, he's alive again. Yippee. Now they have to fight some robots. Yay. See how excited I am. See those exclamation points everywhere. Wait, you don't? That must mean I don't really care.
Thor 7
Basic Plot: Thor tries to deal with Odin and what he should do and recuperates.
Well, pretty much nothing happened in this issue, except that Thor found his father in the afterlife, fighting Surtur. Then they discussed Odin's father and how he didn't save his father, and how Odin knew one day Thor wouldn't save him. Well, it was pretty much a filler issue, so not that exciting. Moving on?
Captain America 36
Basic Plot: Bucky tries to beat up the new Serpent Society under Sin.
Wow, alliteration for the win! Things are just weird and I don't really know what to say. It is kind of cool to see Bucky trying to be Cap, but in his own way (shooting and stabbing people). He is able to do the fighting, but everything else (such as actually calming a mob down as Cap) comes harder. Oh, and Black Widow is a slut. I mean, she kisses Bucky here, was obsessed with Hercules' grandeur in Incredible Herc. I mean, seriously woman, you have to do something about that sex drive. Anyway, I found the fighting kind of cool, but the rest kind of boring. I am not a Cap fan, as I have said before, so it isn't one of my favorite comics, but it's gotten worse recently, I feel.
Incredible Hercules 115
Basic Plot: Amadeus hijacks S.H.I.E.L.D. and Herc has to talk him out of it.
This comic is pure fun, honestly. It deals with an ancient Greek semi-deity who is dealing with mistakes he has made and a genius boy who can't see certain things despite his vast intelligence. Really, it is a fun comic to read and I really love it. Everything that happens inside is good. When Herc convinces Amadeus to stop the virus, it is moving. When Ares and Herc fight, it is awesome and humorous. They knock missiles into each other and then beat the crap out of each other, eventually ending in Herc knocking him off the Behemoth Helicarrier (apparently built originally for Godzilla or Marvel Godzilla) into three more missiles. Also, there is going to be another war, which Herc and Amadeus both reply with, "Again?". They just got out of Civil War and WWH, and now there is another one coming. Maybe the things with the Eternals next issue or Secret Invasion. Which one? Who knows?
Wolverine: Origins 23
Basic Plot: Deadpool keeps trying to take Wolverine out.
I don't know when this takes place in terms of the Wolverine series, in which he is no longer immortal, but can die. So Deadpool might actually be able to kill him at this point. I still dislike Daniel Way and Steve Dillon and think that their work with Deadpool is crappy, but I was able to enjoy this one a little more as I felt it was a lot better at not making Deadpool seem like a complete idiot, but more an idiot who knows what he is doing. Still don't like it, but whatever. Hopefully Deadpool will get his own series again soon. I really hate Dillon, so I really don't want to see more Dillon art.
The Order 9
Basic Plot: The Order tries to take out the many Softlys and the dastardly plot hatching in California.
Okay, so pretty much the only reason I read this comic, honestly, is because it takes place in California, and it amuses me that stuff happens closer to where I live (although not currently) as opposed to always being New York. Also, with Secret Invasion, I am going to guess at the Skrull in the group. My guess is for Becky Ryan, partly because of the shape-shifting, also because nobody really takes her that seriously as a superhero, well as much as they pretty much take the others, at least IMO, because she was a starlet. Plus, that is kind of weird to me that she would go from diva to hero. Oh well. Guesses over. I just don't really care about any of the people in The Order, so I don't really care what happens, so I have very little interest in the comic itself. There is some diversity and everything, with lots of different people from different backgrounds, but I just don't care about any of them that much. Fraction hasn't gotten me interested in them as people, so I just don't care.
Amazing Spider-Man 554
Basic Plot: Spidey fights Freak and deals with Bennett and Jameson.
Okay, so I seriously think that they want 3 issues of ASM per month just so they can overtake FF in terms of numbers of issues of the series, and with this issue, I believe they tie, or at the very least, next month they pass. Whatever. I just don't care that much about these new villains and want some old villains that were interesting as opposed to these new ones you can't get that interested about. Freak, aside from being just freaky, is just boring to me. A monster that rampages mindlessly to an extent, and then wants to kill Spidey for pursuing him into Doc Connors' lab, where he injected himself with what he thought was meth, but was really some weird formula that Connors was working on. I was amused by some stuff, but all in all, I just didn't care about this issue. Oh, and Bennett keeps forgetting everybody's names which is annoying and stupid by this point, although it was amusing that Peter was able to make Bennett think that Betty Brando (Brant) was related to Marlon, so she got a story to cover and was no longer treated like a secretary (which she no longer really is). Plus, it means his friends don't know he took pictures of stuff, because Parker Peterson took the pictures, not Peter Parker. Oh well, I just don't care all in all. The story is amusing aside from the plot.
World War Hulk: Warbound 4
Basic Plot: Hiroim and Korg try to stop the Gammaworld dome and Waynesboro, No-Name and Elloe try to stop the Leader.
Well, I really liked the Warbound, but this is just kind of weird. I don't know. Not much has happened in these 4 issues, and I just haven't been that interested in the story. Probably my favorite thing is that the people eventually start to realize that the Warbound aren't villains, becuase really, they aren't. They supported Hulk because they believed that their world was destroyed by Earth scientists, so they were totally justified and didn't deliberately kill anyone, they pretty much kept everything under control as much as they could. This is just kind of weird. Oh look, Korg got his arm back. Oh no, he's dead. No, wait, he's alive again. Yippee. Now they have to fight some robots. Yay. See how excited I am. See those exclamation points everywhere. Wait, you don't? That must mean I don't really care.
Thor 7
Basic Plot: Thor tries to deal with Odin and what he should do and recuperates.
Well, pretty much nothing happened in this issue, except that Thor found his father in the afterlife, fighting Surtur. Then they discussed Odin's father and how he didn't save his father, and how Odin knew one day Thor wouldn't save him. Well, it was pretty much a filler issue, so not that exciting. Moving on?
Captain America 36
Basic Plot: Bucky tries to beat up the new Serpent Society under Sin.
Wow, alliteration for the win! Things are just weird and I don't really know what to say. It is kind of cool to see Bucky trying to be Cap, but in his own way (shooting and stabbing people). He is able to do the fighting, but everything else (such as actually calming a mob down as Cap) comes harder. Oh, and Black Widow is a slut. I mean, she kisses Bucky here, was obsessed with Hercules' grandeur in Incredible Herc. I mean, seriously woman, you have to do something about that sex drive. Anyway, I found the fighting kind of cool, but the rest kind of boring. I am not a Cap fan, as I have said before, so it isn't one of my favorite comics, but it's gotten worse recently, I feel.
Incredible Hercules 115
Basic Plot: Amadeus hijacks S.H.I.E.L.D. and Herc has to talk him out of it.
This comic is pure fun, honestly. It deals with an ancient Greek semi-deity who is dealing with mistakes he has made and a genius boy who can't see certain things despite his vast intelligence. Really, it is a fun comic to read and I really love it. Everything that happens inside is good. When Herc convinces Amadeus to stop the virus, it is moving. When Ares and Herc fight, it is awesome and humorous. They knock missiles into each other and then beat the crap out of each other, eventually ending in Herc knocking him off the Behemoth Helicarrier (apparently built originally for Godzilla or Marvel Godzilla) into three more missiles. Also, there is going to be another war, which Herc and Amadeus both reply with, "Again?". They just got out of Civil War and WWH, and now there is another one coming. Maybe the things with the Eternals next issue or Secret Invasion. Which one? Who knows?
Wolverine: Origins 23
Basic Plot: Deadpool keeps trying to take Wolverine out.
I don't know when this takes place in terms of the Wolverine series, in which he is no longer immortal, but can die. So Deadpool might actually be able to kill him at this point. I still dislike Daniel Way and Steve Dillon and think that their work with Deadpool is crappy, but I was able to enjoy this one a little more as I felt it was a lot better at not making Deadpool seem like a complete idiot, but more an idiot who knows what he is doing. Still don't like it, but whatever. Hopefully Deadpool will get his own series again soon. I really hate Dillon, so I really don't want to see more Dillon art.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Brawl
Some people may call me crazy, but I really don't care. I have wanted a Wii since before they came out, and still do not own one. I am a Nintendo fan more than any other system, so it's been hard not being able to have a Wii. Still, though, I was able to purchase Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and I did purchase and own a copy of it. With my friend's Wii, I played a bunch of games, and it is amazingly fun. Seriously, it is awesome. And that is after playing a few Brawls against some people without trying anything else. Plus, I never got the chance to play as some of the characters I wanted to try out (because on Random, I didn't get them). Still, it is an amazing game, and I am proud that I own it, even if I do not yet own a Wii.
I also have to say that I love King Dedede. He was always an amusing character in Kirby games and he is a powerhouse in Brawl. In Melee, I liked big characters (Bowser and Ganondorf mostly) and the Ice Climbers (because they had hammers). With Dedede, I get both a big character and a character with a hammer. Sure, when I have used his Final Smash, it feels like his sucks, but his Down-B move and Side-Smash are amazing.
I also have to say that I love King Dedede. He was always an amusing character in Kirby games and he is a powerhouse in Brawl. In Melee, I liked big characters (Bowser and Ganondorf mostly) and the Ice Climbers (because they had hammers). With Dedede, I get both a big character and a character with a hammer. Sure, when I have used his Final Smash, it feels like his sucks, but his Down-B move and Side-Smash are amazing.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Blasphemy
I know it might sound somewhat blasphemous to some people out there who play VS, but I still play MTG, and recently, with no people to play VS against, I have gotten slightly more into MTG than usual. With that being said, I do like VS more, but MTG is easier to play as there are actually people who play it where I currently am. It isn't that I want to play MTG more, but it just ends up being easier for me. On my vacation, I was able to play some VS with my cousin who plays occasionally. It was also difficult because he had school to deal with and with that, I couldn't play much. Generally, I kick his ass with my decks, but he was able to beat my RS deck with his Kree, mostly because of his playing most of the resource row disruption tricks. I think that was one of the few losses with my decks against his, like ever. My DE wrecked his MoE deck, allowing him to think he had done okay, but then annihilating him at the end (which is what my DE deck does well). Still, that was the only time I was able to play VS this year, except for against myself. Does anybody have any suggestions on how to try to convert these MTG players or how to find more VS players? I played one or two games against a couple of them, they semi-understand the rules, but without my extras, I don't want to give them one of my good decks to keep, and they probably aren't really going to want to buy a lot of cards to try and get into VS.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Celebrate Me
I forgot to mention this earlier, but today is Me Day, so why don't you celebrate by having a slice of me or baking a me. Oh, and by Me, I mean Pi. 3/14 is Pi Day. Today, at 1:59, I celebrated myself. I don't think I quite got it at the actual 26 seconds and 53 centiseconds and 58...wait I'm going too far. Anyway, celebrate me today, or tomorrow, if you don't have time today.
Bleach
So, recently some of my friends showed me the Leekspin Flash, which has become an internet phenomena. I have it below:
Basically, it shows Orihime Inoue from the show Bleach, spinning a leek. After watching the loop a few times, I also found the show Break a Leg, which is on YouTube, and feels like Arrested Development. The intro to the show has the song from Leekspin, the Ievan Polkka, so I found that song and downloaded it. Then, to completely understand the Leekspin, I decided to watch Bleach, because I found out it was in the second episode. After watching the first two episodes, I easily understand why she was spinning a leek in the first place and easily found where it was in the episode, but I have decided to keep watching Bleach because it is both funny and action packed and is a really good anime, at least after the first 13 episodes I have seen so far. So, in case you don't watch Bleach, and I do recommend it, Orihime Inoue is a girl who lives by herself, and always makes bad food, basically, combining things that shouldn't go together. So, when she is talking to Ichigo, the main character, she is saying how she is going home to cook, and she twirls the leek, although twice, and not in a row, and not even on the full screen. Still, it is amusing, all in all. Enjoy the weekend! I know I will.
Basically, it shows Orihime Inoue from the show Bleach, spinning a leek. After watching the loop a few times, I also found the show Break a Leg, which is on YouTube, and feels like Arrested Development. The intro to the show has the song from Leekspin, the Ievan Polkka, so I found that song and downloaded it. Then, to completely understand the Leekspin, I decided to watch Bleach, because I found out it was in the second episode. After watching the first two episodes, I easily understand why she was spinning a leek in the first place and easily found where it was in the episode, but I have decided to keep watching Bleach because it is both funny and action packed and is a really good anime, at least after the first 13 episodes I have seen so far. So, in case you don't watch Bleach, and I do recommend it, Orihime Inoue is a girl who lives by herself, and always makes bad food, basically, combining things that shouldn't go together. So, when she is talking to Ichigo, the main character, she is saying how she is going home to cook, and she twirls the leek, although twice, and not in a row, and not even on the full screen. Still, it is amusing, all in all. Enjoy the weekend! I know I will.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Failure!
I played Best of 3 games with my New Avengers and Mighty Avengers decks against my Revenge Squad and Darkseid's Elite decks respectively. Both times, it went to 3, but my actual decks won. Kind of sad. Now, I did notice broken cards that I had created, but they weren't enough help to defeat my decks. I am actually very impressed with both my DE and RS decks, because, while I knew they were powerful, I didn't quite realize how powerful they actually are. My RS deck is based off of Executive Privilege and aiming to make it work every time, with 30 characters and 30 ongoing plot twists, I have a good chance of always drawing two cards. The deck can do some ridiculous things, regardless of initiative, with 6 being a deadly turn with evens and 7 being deadly with odds. My DE deck is one that tries to mess with my opponent's resource row like crazy. The first of the three games saw me getting a Dark Matter Drain, 3 Servants of Darkseid and a Planet Weapon. With some other stuff, it was deadly. Both decks have done well for me before, but with this, I am just incredibly impressed, and I am so happy that I created actual decks that are more powerful than my imagination.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Comics for 3/12
In Maryland, no one can hear you scream. Or something. Being in Maryland means I can't just walk over to a comic store, so my grandfather has to drive me. Anyway, got comics today, a lot later than I had wanted, but whatever.
Kick-Ass 1
Basic Plot: In a universe more like ours (in that there are no superheroes), one kid wants to be a superhero.
Okay, this is just freakin' crazy. Have I ever imagined being a superhero? Heck yeah! Emphasis on super, though. People really can be like the Punisher, as he has no powers, and mostly just causes people to be afraid of him and then kills them with guns. Sure, he does it better than probably most people, if not anyone actually alive, could do, but it is possible. I want to be Spider-Man or Deadpool or Wolverine or someone like that. Unfortunately, that cannot happen in our universe, so I am content with reading about them. This kid isn't. I don't really know what the point of Kick-Ass is. Maybe it is to show people not to be costumed vigilantes because without powers, you can't really do it. Or is it to show that people can be costumed vigilantes and do well? Or is it to show that actual people would get the crap kicked out of them for trying stuff like superheroes, and that if you try hard enough, you can do well, but you have to be prepared to be stabbed, beaten up and run over by a car. Oh, and don't try to fly. It doesn't work. All in all, though, I had fun reading the issue. A lot of references to actual people's discussions of comics and stuff (Galactus as a cloud? Astonishing X-Men kicking ass) made it feel cool and like a comic that I want to read more of. Although not for younger readers, it is pretty darn cool. Missed it before, but now I have it.
Amazing Spider-Man 553
Basic Plot: Freak evolves more and Spidey gets yelled at by his new boss.
I don't really like the art in this issue. Aside from Freak being, well, a freak, it just doesn't feel Spidey-ish to me, if that makes sense, which it probably doesn't. Aside from that, I think I'm getting sick of seeing random villains that are created for this, and want to see him fight Doc Ock or a Goblin (not Menace) or Vulture or something and not random people that we don't really care about all that much considering they are in 3 issues and are gone. Freak is just weird. I don't know. Not interesting, just weird. I used to enjoy the issues despite hating and despising the reason behind them. This though is just bad in my opinion. I just don't like this issue. There isn't enough Spidey doing stuff. Some things are kind of cute, but not worth the Amazing Spider-Man title. Sigh...
Mighty Avengers 10
Basic Plot: Doom, Iron Man and Sentry try and go back to the future.
Yes, I know I just referenced a movie in the plot, but feh. Oh, and you may be wondering why the heck Sentry is fighting Thing on the cover. What, is that a robot made by Doom? No, it is the Thing and they do fight in the issue. Sentry kicks his ass of course, but they do fight. All in all, it was kind of cute and parts are more for people who read Sentry's arc in New Avengers, in fact, parts might not make sense if you haven't read that, but it is pretty good all in all. I like the story and find it fun. I really am going to miss Bagley when he goes to the dreaded competition (should I have capitalized that?), but seeing his work here is nice. Plus, I just love how the Sentry just freaks out, and for good reason. So, they went into a comic from the past, correct? Well, they went into one of the issues of The Sentry, and one that they showed parts of in New Avengers during that arc, so it is all fun and awesome. And it is cool to see Iron Man freaking out because he thinks Doom might be a Skrull. For what its worth, I don't think Doom is a Skrull. Of the Mighty Avengers, I would say Carol Danvers or Wonder Man being a Skrull. Of the New Avengers, Luke Cage, mostly because he is the one raising the most hell about it, so you wouldn't suspect him. I don't suspect Iron Man for many reasons. One: They would give him an out, just like they did in WWH, and I don't want that, nor think they would do that again on this scale. Two: He honestly seems surprised in his thoughts in this issue. Three: That is the one that makes most sense, so I don't think they'll do it. Iron Man is one of the most powerful individuals in the world in multiple ways, so it would make sense for them to target him, but I don't think that he is. Sure, it is not any proof, but it is my opinion. Deal with it.
Avengers: The Initiative 10
Basic Plot: KIA keeps trying to kill people. Other people try and find a way to stop it.
Well, the cover of the actual comic has the words "One will die!" on the front, and looking at that cover, one of those people dies in this issue. Sure, Trauma died last issue, but whatever. One of the people on the cover dies in this issue. KIA is freakin' crazy and it is awesome to see him try and deal with logic, as his logic is so different from everybody else. I've liked Slapstick ever since I picked up the 4th issue of his mini-series from a 3 for a $1 box, and this issue definitely has some Slapstick in it. Trying to look from something in his pocket, he pulls everything else out, including: a rubber chicken, arrow through the head gag, something to do with pineapples ("That's weird, I don't even like pineapples...), a Spongebob plush, a frog, a Spider-Man plush, another chicken, some TNT, a hammer, a bowling ball, some pins, a dinosaur toy, a chainsaw, a sword, a battle axe, a trumpet and lots of other things. Having infinite pockets comes in handy. Taskmaster and Ant-Man are in it for less than half a page, but it is memorable. As opposed to going to help fight KIA, they decided to watch some episodes of Chuck on Ant-Man's iPod. Seriously. Slott, you are a genius. So, Mutant Zero makes an appearance again, and I checked out the Wikipedia page on Mutant Zero and basically, you know nothing of Mutant Zero other than that she is a mutant, and apparently a well known mutant. My guess? Jean Grey. What other female mutant that is well known, especially to non-comic readers is not up to something in something else. The main ones I think of would be Rogue, Storm and Jean Grey. Rogue is up to stuff in X-Men, Storm was doing stuff with Black Panther, but apparently is back with the X-Men, Jean Grey is dead. Wait, Jean is dead? Then how? Well, Jean is the freakin' Phoenix, so she won't be dead forever. Plus, Mutant Zero was shown to be able to take out a whole bunch of Warbound Death's Heads and is able to cloak Gyrich from KIA, who can apparently sense people on his list, while Gyrich is a few feet away from him. Fun issue, and I enjoyed it.
Fantastic Four 555
Basic Plot: Alyssa tries to sell Reed on the idea of Nu-World, while not much else happens.
Okay, so is anyone else amused by the FF having issue 555. I mean, it is FFour with 555. No one? Bueller? Anyway...I don't know how Millar and Hitch do it, but they can make the boring interesting. I mean, pretty much, Reed walked around looking at what people are doing with Nu-Earth, Human Torch starts making out with a hot supervillain (random new villainess) and there are some flashbacks and random other 1-page stuff, but that is it. And I somehow really liek it. I put high expectations on Millar and Hitch because of Ultimates 2 and Ultimates, and with nothing happening, I am satisfied. I have hated issues where more happened, but this is just impressive for me. Eh, I just love Hitch and Millar working on something and being more skeptical does nothing. Not much else to say.
Nova 11
Basic Plot: Nova tries to convince Warlock to help him.
Okay, so things are going to get confusing, so bear with me. Adam Warlock is the "perfect" man that was created by Earth scientists and he had superpowers and has had many different forms with varying degrees of omnipotence. He once wielded the Infinity Gauntlet, but dispersed the gems and made the Infinity Watch. Presently, he is with the High Evolutionary, with whom he has interacted with many times before. He has an evil side that has taken over the universe in some parallel dimensions, called the Magus, which is basically a purple evil version of Warlock. The Magus is featured on the Infinity Gauntlet card in VS, having worn it in the Infinity War series (a follow up to Infinity Gauntlet). Now, in the New Mutants, there was a being named Warlock who was a Techno-organic being who wanted to learn about Earth, and was taken in by Xavier and the NM. He became good friends with Doug Ramsey, aka Cypher, and he can shapeshift, like all members of his species. Warlock's father was named Magus and attempted to kill his son on multiple occasions and was defeated by the X-Men or New Mutants. So, there is Adam Warlock (AW), and his evil alter-ego, the Magus (AWMagus) and Warlock (W) and his father, the Magus (WMagus). For the sake of these reviews, Warlock is W and Adam Warlock is AW.
So when Nova lands on Kvch, looking for help with the Techno-organic virus, he runs into W, who helps him out, although not as much as he could. All in all, it feels like filler while Annihilation: Conquest is the main story. It is fun, but it feels like they are stalling until Nova can come back and save the day or something. Still, it is fun to see W and see Technarch culture and how they are going to be screwed as Gamora and Drax summoned a siredam, a fully mature Technarch. What now? More fun, hopefully. Although hopefully, they'll do something soon.
Annihilation: Conquest 5
Basic Plot: Why does Ultron want the Kree Empire? What is the point? All these questions are answered better in this issue.
Well, if Nova wants to save the day, he has to hurry up, just one issue left in the series. Basically, Ultron was somehow able to, through sheer force of will, take over the Phalanx, who had recently picked up his sentience from one of their Babel Spires. He only wanted the Kree so that he could get the High Evolutionary so he could get Adam Warlock's body, and lots of them, and then he would destroy Earth with an army of Adam Warlocks. Well, it doesn't look good on the Ultron front. On the other hand, Starlord's crew was able to pick up an impressive victory and they are pretty much destroying the main Babel Spire on Hala. Oh, and Ronan succeeded too and has taken the Sentries and is about to destroy Hala. Apparently 15000 Sentries can destroy the world in about 10 minutes. Holy crap! All in all, I am starting to grow into Tom Raney's art being inked and/or colored this way, although it took me 5 issues. I do like the story although it isn't nearly the great work that Annihilation was, it still is good.
Kick-Ass 1
Basic Plot: In a universe more like ours (in that there are no superheroes), one kid wants to be a superhero.
Okay, this is just freakin' crazy. Have I ever imagined being a superhero? Heck yeah! Emphasis on super, though. People really can be like the Punisher, as he has no powers, and mostly just causes people to be afraid of him and then kills them with guns. Sure, he does it better than probably most people, if not anyone actually alive, could do, but it is possible. I want to be Spider-Man or Deadpool or Wolverine or someone like that. Unfortunately, that cannot happen in our universe, so I am content with reading about them. This kid isn't. I don't really know what the point of Kick-Ass is. Maybe it is to show people not to be costumed vigilantes because without powers, you can't really do it. Or is it to show that people can be costumed vigilantes and do well? Or is it to show that actual people would get the crap kicked out of them for trying stuff like superheroes, and that if you try hard enough, you can do well, but you have to be prepared to be stabbed, beaten up and run over by a car. Oh, and don't try to fly. It doesn't work. All in all, though, I had fun reading the issue. A lot of references to actual people's discussions of comics and stuff (Galactus as a cloud? Astonishing X-Men kicking ass) made it feel cool and like a comic that I want to read more of. Although not for younger readers, it is pretty darn cool. Missed it before, but now I have it.
Amazing Spider-Man 553
Basic Plot: Freak evolves more and Spidey gets yelled at by his new boss.
I don't really like the art in this issue. Aside from Freak being, well, a freak, it just doesn't feel Spidey-ish to me, if that makes sense, which it probably doesn't. Aside from that, I think I'm getting sick of seeing random villains that are created for this, and want to see him fight Doc Ock or a Goblin (not Menace) or Vulture or something and not random people that we don't really care about all that much considering they are in 3 issues and are gone. Freak is just weird. I don't know. Not interesting, just weird. I used to enjoy the issues despite hating and despising the reason behind them. This though is just bad in my opinion. I just don't like this issue. There isn't enough Spidey doing stuff. Some things are kind of cute, but not worth the Amazing Spider-Man title. Sigh...
Mighty Avengers 10
Basic Plot: Doom, Iron Man and Sentry try and go back to the future.
Yes, I know I just referenced a movie in the plot, but feh. Oh, and you may be wondering why the heck Sentry is fighting Thing on the cover. What, is that a robot made by Doom? No, it is the Thing and they do fight in the issue. Sentry kicks his ass of course, but they do fight. All in all, it was kind of cute and parts are more for people who read Sentry's arc in New Avengers, in fact, parts might not make sense if you haven't read that, but it is pretty good all in all. I like the story and find it fun. I really am going to miss Bagley when he goes to the dreaded competition (should I have capitalized that?), but seeing his work here is nice. Plus, I just love how the Sentry just freaks out, and for good reason. So, they went into a comic from the past, correct? Well, they went into one of the issues of The Sentry, and one that they showed parts of in New Avengers during that arc, so it is all fun and awesome. And it is cool to see Iron Man freaking out because he thinks Doom might be a Skrull. For what its worth, I don't think Doom is a Skrull. Of the Mighty Avengers, I would say Carol Danvers or Wonder Man being a Skrull. Of the New Avengers, Luke Cage, mostly because he is the one raising the most hell about it, so you wouldn't suspect him. I don't suspect Iron Man for many reasons. One: They would give him an out, just like they did in WWH, and I don't want that, nor think they would do that again on this scale. Two: He honestly seems surprised in his thoughts in this issue. Three: That is the one that makes most sense, so I don't think they'll do it. Iron Man is one of the most powerful individuals in the world in multiple ways, so it would make sense for them to target him, but I don't think that he is. Sure, it is not any proof, but it is my opinion. Deal with it.
Avengers: The Initiative 10
Basic Plot: KIA keeps trying to kill people. Other people try and find a way to stop it.
Well, the cover of the actual comic has the words "One will die!" on the front, and looking at that cover, one of those people dies in this issue. Sure, Trauma died last issue, but whatever. One of the people on the cover dies in this issue. KIA is freakin' crazy and it is awesome to see him try and deal with logic, as his logic is so different from everybody else. I've liked Slapstick ever since I picked up the 4th issue of his mini-series from a 3 for a $1 box, and this issue definitely has some Slapstick in it. Trying to look from something in his pocket, he pulls everything else out, including: a rubber chicken, arrow through the head gag, something to do with pineapples ("That's weird, I don't even like pineapples...), a Spongebob plush, a frog, a Spider-Man plush, another chicken, some TNT, a hammer, a bowling ball, some pins, a dinosaur toy, a chainsaw, a sword, a battle axe, a trumpet and lots of other things. Having infinite pockets comes in handy. Taskmaster and Ant-Man are in it for less than half a page, but it is memorable. As opposed to going to help fight KIA, they decided to watch some episodes of Chuck on Ant-Man's iPod. Seriously. Slott, you are a genius. So, Mutant Zero makes an appearance again, and I checked out the Wikipedia page on Mutant Zero and basically, you know nothing of Mutant Zero other than that she is a mutant, and apparently a well known mutant. My guess? Jean Grey. What other female mutant that is well known, especially to non-comic readers is not up to something in something else. The main ones I think of would be Rogue, Storm and Jean Grey. Rogue is up to stuff in X-Men, Storm was doing stuff with Black Panther, but apparently is back with the X-Men, Jean Grey is dead. Wait, Jean is dead? Then how? Well, Jean is the freakin' Phoenix, so she won't be dead forever. Plus, Mutant Zero was shown to be able to take out a whole bunch of Warbound Death's Heads and is able to cloak Gyrich from KIA, who can apparently sense people on his list, while Gyrich is a few feet away from him. Fun issue, and I enjoyed it.
Fantastic Four 555
Basic Plot: Alyssa tries to sell Reed on the idea of Nu-World, while not much else happens.
Okay, so is anyone else amused by the FF having issue 555. I mean, it is FFour with 555. No one? Bueller? Anyway...I don't know how Millar and Hitch do it, but they can make the boring interesting. I mean, pretty much, Reed walked around looking at what people are doing with Nu-Earth, Human Torch starts making out with a hot supervillain (random new villainess) and there are some flashbacks and random other 1-page stuff, but that is it. And I somehow really liek it. I put high expectations on Millar and Hitch because of Ultimates 2 and Ultimates, and with nothing happening, I am satisfied. I have hated issues where more happened, but this is just impressive for me. Eh, I just love Hitch and Millar working on something and being more skeptical does nothing. Not much else to say.
Nova 11
Basic Plot: Nova tries to convince Warlock to help him.
Okay, so things are going to get confusing, so bear with me. Adam Warlock is the "perfect" man that was created by Earth scientists and he had superpowers and has had many different forms with varying degrees of omnipotence. He once wielded the Infinity Gauntlet, but dispersed the gems and made the Infinity Watch. Presently, he is with the High Evolutionary, with whom he has interacted with many times before. He has an evil side that has taken over the universe in some parallel dimensions, called the Magus, which is basically a purple evil version of Warlock. The Magus is featured on the Infinity Gauntlet card in VS, having worn it in the Infinity War series (a follow up to Infinity Gauntlet). Now, in the New Mutants, there was a being named Warlock who was a Techno-organic being who wanted to learn about Earth, and was taken in by Xavier and the NM. He became good friends with Doug Ramsey, aka Cypher, and he can shapeshift, like all members of his species. Warlock's father was named Magus and attempted to kill his son on multiple occasions and was defeated by the X-Men or New Mutants. So, there is Adam Warlock (AW), and his evil alter-ego, the Magus (AWMagus) and Warlock (W) and his father, the Magus (WMagus). For the sake of these reviews, Warlock is W and Adam Warlock is AW.
So when Nova lands on Kvch, looking for help with the Techno-organic virus, he runs into W, who helps him out, although not as much as he could. All in all, it feels like filler while Annihilation: Conquest is the main story. It is fun, but it feels like they are stalling until Nova can come back and save the day or something. Still, it is fun to see W and see Technarch culture and how they are going to be screwed as Gamora and Drax summoned a siredam, a fully mature Technarch. What now? More fun, hopefully. Although hopefully, they'll do something soon.
Annihilation: Conquest 5
Basic Plot: Why does Ultron want the Kree Empire? What is the point? All these questions are answered better in this issue.
Well, if Nova wants to save the day, he has to hurry up, just one issue left in the series. Basically, Ultron was somehow able to, through sheer force of will, take over the Phalanx, who had recently picked up his sentience from one of their Babel Spires. He only wanted the Kree so that he could get the High Evolutionary so he could get Adam Warlock's body, and lots of them, and then he would destroy Earth with an army of Adam Warlocks. Well, it doesn't look good on the Ultron front. On the other hand, Starlord's crew was able to pick up an impressive victory and they are pretty much destroying the main Babel Spire on Hala. Oh, and Ronan succeeded too and has taken the Sentries and is about to destroy Hala. Apparently 15000 Sentries can destroy the world in about 10 minutes. Holy crap! All in all, I am starting to grow into Tom Raney's art being inked and/or colored this way, although it took me 5 issues. I do like the story although it isn't nearly the great work that Annihilation was, it still is good.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Galactus is frekain' awesome!
So, before a couple days ago, I wasn't really able to play the Giant-size Galactus VS, as I haven't actually been around any VS players since I got it, but over the weekend, me and my cousin were able to play. Now, I know it is supposed to be 3+ people (at least 2 v Galactus), but he just used 3 decks. I normally test against myself, but felt it would be harder with the amount of decks I would force myself to use. Anyway, playing as Galactus was awesome. Pathetic Attempt saved me 5 times in a single game, thanks to Siphon Energy, which is also amazing. This Bores Me is also incredibly impressive, although mostly because I had a deck that was on turn 7 while all of my cousin's decks were on turn 4. While the first planet I ever flipped was Skrullos, and what are the odds of that (okay, so 1/16 without any Your Planet Here, but I was trying to make a point), most of the planets were helpful to Galactus, or at least most of the ones I noticed we played. I also won every single planet except for Sub-Atomica as he had 4-drops with Flight and I had some Punisher Squadrons out, and one thing I noticed, and hated, was that Galactus barely ever has the initiative. The first couple turns? Alliance. Most of the planets (at least that I flipped)? Alliance. Not that it mattered, but it was kind of annoying to me. Oh, well. All in all, I really enjoyed Galactus, and wish that there were more VS players at school, so I could actually play it there.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Why do I like comics?
So, recently, Billy Zonos (Foilball) started his Read/Rant blog and on it, had his own reviews of comics. On many issues, I disagree with him vehemently, and I asked myself why that happened. I think I might have come to the answer. Now, this has nothing to do with Billy, as I don't know him well, but I will just try and say why I think it happens.
I like comics because I want to be entertained. Wow, stating the obvious much, Pi? But, seriously, I like to read comics because I like reading about superheroes and supervillains fighting and having problems in their lives. I'm not a huge fan of my own life, and comics allow me to briefly look into other people's lives. When I read comics, I don't look at how good they are, because honestly, I don't care. I look at how much I enjoy them. Now, my tastes are unique, as are everyone's, so I don't want to make a rating system like Billy, because it would be purely based off of my taste and I don't want someone to read what I liked as a 5 star comic, although was not very good all in all. Now, you may be asking, what is the difference between liking something and something being good? Aren't they the same? No, they are not the same. Look at it this way. Look at X-Men: The Last Stand. Now, by critics and reviews and everything, I would agree that it is not a good movie. But I liked it. I enjoyed it because I had a good time. To me, something being good is not very subjective, whereas how much you like it is very subjective. I am subjective when I look at things, such as comics or comic book movies. I don't try and see how good they are, but just try and enjoy myself. It is how I have loved Ghost Rider, Daredevil, X3, FF2 and Spider-Man 3. I watch them, just trying to have a good time. Being rewarded that way makes me happy. Comics are exactly the same for me. I try and enjoy my comics, and if I do, then I say how I liked it, and maybe that it is good (although I do not mean that it is good, just that I like it), and if I don't, I rave about the reasons I disliked it.
From what I see, and I could be wrong, Billy looks slightly more from an objective view, and so things that I liked are not necessarily good, and therefore we disagree.
I like comics because I want to be entertained. Wow, stating the obvious much, Pi? But, seriously, I like to read comics because I like reading about superheroes and supervillains fighting and having problems in their lives. I'm not a huge fan of my own life, and comics allow me to briefly look into other people's lives. When I read comics, I don't look at how good they are, because honestly, I don't care. I look at how much I enjoy them. Now, my tastes are unique, as are everyone's, so I don't want to make a rating system like Billy, because it would be purely based off of my taste and I don't want someone to read what I liked as a 5 star comic, although was not very good all in all. Now, you may be asking, what is the difference between liking something and something being good? Aren't they the same? No, they are not the same. Look at it this way. Look at X-Men: The Last Stand. Now, by critics and reviews and everything, I would agree that it is not a good movie. But I liked it. I enjoyed it because I had a good time. To me, something being good is not very subjective, whereas how much you like it is very subjective. I am subjective when I look at things, such as comics or comic book movies. I don't try and see how good they are, but just try and enjoy myself. It is how I have loved Ghost Rider, Daredevil, X3, FF2 and Spider-Man 3. I watch them, just trying to have a good time. Being rewarded that way makes me happy. Comics are exactly the same for me. I try and enjoy my comics, and if I do, then I say how I liked it, and maybe that it is good (although I do not mean that it is good, just that I like it), and if I don't, I rave about the reasons I disliked it.
From what I see, and I could be wrong, Billy looks slightly more from an objective view, and so things that I liked are not necessarily good, and therefore we disagree.
Friday, March 7, 2008
DC Retconning
I am not a big DC fan for many reasons. The first of those being retconning. Okay, so Batman's parents were killed by Joe Chill, right? Well, Pre-Crisis, Joe Chill was a hitman who took out the Waynes because he was hired to. Post-Crisis, I can't quite tell, but I think it was a random mugging. Post-Zero Hour, Batman didn't know who killed his parents. Post-Infinite Crisis, Chill did kill the Waynes and was arrested shortly after. What?
It all started with the Flash. By vibrating fast enough, he broke the border between dimensions and ended up in a world where he didn't exist, but Jay Garrick, the original Flash, did. After that, the worlds were established as Earth-1 and Earth-2. There were occasional events called "Crisis on Earth-(NUM) where NUM was whatever Earth there was a crisis big enough for heroes to go from another dimension to help out.
Crisis on Infinite Earths was the first major time where retconning occurred in DC. Trying to simplify everything, they decided to get rid of the DC Multiverse and make it all one Earth where nobody really knew about the other Earths that had existed. Instead, Jay Garrick and Barry Allen lived on the same world (albeit Barry died, but whatever, Wally took over). Both Keystone City and Central City existed on the same Earth, etc. Things were different, but people were happy enough.
Zero Hour came next. It had the subtitle "Crisis in Time", being a not so subtle hint that this was a follow up to Crisis on Infinite Earths (which I will now just call Crisis, as it is the Crisis). Zero Hour decided to unify all the separate timelines, such as Booster Gold's future, the JSA's past, the Legion's future, etc. In much the sane way as Crisis, it took many and combined them, and retconned everything to fit. It was not nearly as good a read as Crisis (which is really good), but it was okay, and served its purpose.
Identity Crisis was smaller, but I guess it was next. The retconning that occurred (they used Crisis, so retconning occurred), was mostly that superheroes has altered people's minds to keep their identities. Also, Dr. Light was an idiot for different reasons and some other small stuff. The most amazing DC story I've ever read, but all in all, not as big as a Crisis event.
Infinite Crisis. Wow, that is a subtle. It has two words specifically from Crisis. Anyway, this was major too. They decided, "You know what? I liked the multiverse! Let's bring it back! I know! Let's take the heroes of Crisis and make them villains!" Brilliant! Take the greatest good guys and make them supremely evil. DC's never done that before (Hal Jordan doesn't count?). Anyway, it is a fun story, but all in all, it really felt like a slap in the face. Basically, it made me feel that Crisis never really happened. The main part of Crisis now doesn't matter any more because they reignited the multiverse with the same freakin' characters that were heroes originally! Sigh...
Stupid retconning...
It all started with the Flash. By vibrating fast enough, he broke the border between dimensions and ended up in a world where he didn't exist, but Jay Garrick, the original Flash, did. After that, the worlds were established as Earth-1 and Earth-2. There were occasional events called "Crisis on Earth-(NUM) where NUM was whatever Earth there was a crisis big enough for heroes to go from another dimension to help out.
Crisis on Infinite Earths was the first major time where retconning occurred in DC. Trying to simplify everything, they decided to get rid of the DC Multiverse and make it all one Earth where nobody really knew about the other Earths that had existed. Instead, Jay Garrick and Barry Allen lived on the same world (albeit Barry died, but whatever, Wally took over). Both Keystone City and Central City existed on the same Earth, etc. Things were different, but people were happy enough.
Zero Hour came next. It had the subtitle "Crisis in Time", being a not so subtle hint that this was a follow up to Crisis on Infinite Earths (which I will now just call Crisis, as it is the Crisis). Zero Hour decided to unify all the separate timelines, such as Booster Gold's future, the JSA's past, the Legion's future, etc. In much the sane way as Crisis, it took many and combined them, and retconned everything to fit. It was not nearly as good a read as Crisis (which is really good), but it was okay, and served its purpose.
Identity Crisis was smaller, but I guess it was next. The retconning that occurred (they used Crisis, so retconning occurred), was mostly that superheroes has altered people's minds to keep their identities. Also, Dr. Light was an idiot for different reasons and some other small stuff. The most amazing DC story I've ever read, but all in all, not as big as a Crisis event.
Infinite Crisis. Wow, that is a subtle. It has two words specifically from Crisis. Anyway, this was major too. They decided, "You know what? I liked the multiverse! Let's bring it back! I know! Let's take the heroes of Crisis and make them villains!" Brilliant! Take the greatest good guys and make them supremely evil. DC's never done that before (Hal Jordan doesn't count?). Anyway, it is a fun story, but all in all, it really felt like a slap in the face. Basically, it made me feel that Crisis never really happened. The main part of Crisis now doesn't matter any more because they reignited the multiverse with the same freakin' characters that were heroes originally! Sigh...
Stupid retconning...
Mighty Avengers
I apologize. I was traveling yesterday, and didn't get a chance to post this. Without any further ado, I give you the Mighty Avengers:
Mighty Avengers:
Jarvis
Edwin Jarvis
Cost: 1
1/1
Jarvis comes into play exhausted.
Activate, return Jarvis to your hand -> Search your deck for an Avengers or Mighty Avengers character card, reveal it, and put it into your hand. Discard a card.
Wasp
Giant Wasp
Cost: 2
F/R
2/2
Free -> Wasp gets +3/+3 this turn while attacking and loses flight and range. Use only if you control 3 or more resources and only if Wasp has not been in combat this turn.
Jessica Drew<>Spider-Woman
Indecisive
Cost: 3
F/R
5/5
Whenever Jessica Drew stuns a character, that character's controller loses 2 endurance.
Wonder Man
Ionic Movie Star
Cost: 3
F/R
7/7
Whenever Wonder Man becomes stunned, KO him.
Natasha Romanoff<>Black Widow
Explosives Expert
Cost: 4
R
9/5
Activate -> Stun any number of army characters with a combined cost of 4 or less. Use only during your attack step.
Carol Danvers<>Ms. Marvel
Lacking Leader
Cost: 4
9/9
Leader: Characters adjacent to Carol Danvers get +1/+1 and "Whenever this character becomes stunned, KO it."
Whenever Carol Danvers becomes stunned, KO her.
Iron Man
S.H.I.E.L.D. Director
Cost: 5
F/R
10/11
Iron Man may be equipped with any number of equipment.
Whenever Iron Man becomes stunned, KO him.
Ares
Thor and Wolverine
Cost: 6
14/14
Whenever Ares stuns a character with a cost of 4 or less, ready him.
Whenever Ares becomes stunned, KO him.
The Sentry
Almighty Agoraphobic
Cost: 7
20/21
Loyalty.
Whenever a character becomes stunned while The Sentry is in combat, KO that character.
Helicarrier Gold
Cost: 4
Mighty Avengers charcaters you control get flight and +1 ATK while attacking.
Avengers Tower
Cost: 2
Whenever a character with the printed Mighty Avengers affiliation you control becomes KO'ed, gain 1 endurance.
Venom Bombed
Cost: 3
Play only if you have not played a plot twist this turn.
Opposing characters have invulnerability this turn.
Mighty Avengers characters you control get +2/+2 this turn.
Fifty State Initiative
Cost: 2
Target Mighty Avengers character you control gets +1 DEF while defending this turn.
Ongoing: Mighty Avengers characters you control get +1 ATK.
S.H.I.E.L.D. Support
Cost: 3
To play, discard a card.
Play only if you control a Mighty Avengers character.
Stun target character with a cost of 2 or less.
Team of Individuals
Cost: 2
Target Mighty Avengers character you control gets +2/+1 this turn.
Target Mighty Avengers character you control gets -2/-1 this turn.
Gods Among Men
Cost: 6
Mighty Avengers characters you control get +3 ATK this turn while in combat with a character with equal or greater cost.
Mighty Avengers Assemble!
Cost: 3
To play, discard two Mighty Avengers character cards from your hand.
Search your deck for a Mighty Avengers character card, reveal it, put it into your hand and shuffle your deck.
Whenever you recruit a character with that name this turn, it enters play with a +1/+1 counter.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Comics on 3/5
Well, today was fruitful. I also picked up some DC volumes I was interested in (Infinite Crisis, Sinestro Corps War and JLI: A New Beginning), and I might go over those at some time.
World War Hulk: Aftersmash! Damage Control 1
Basic Plot: In the aftermath of World War Hulk, someone's gotta clean up.
Yes, this came out a while ago, but I missed it then, and got it today. Yes, I already read part 2, but whatever. This is a fun story, and an interesting premise. I have liked Damage Control and found it amusing. When I first learned about it, I was first disturbed and then I realized it made sense. People cleaning up after the messes of superheroes just makes sense. With that, I enjoyed seeing Damage Control in issues of Wolverine (where the CEO was corrupt) and Ant-Man (where he called himself Slaying Mantis). I was excited when I saw it was going to be a mini-series after World War Hulk. It was fun and funny, and the art was good. I really did enjoy it. Was it the best story ever? No, but it was a fun story and that is really what I want in comics.
Punisher War Journal 17
Basic Plot: Stuart Clarke deals with people, trying to do things his own way in the world.
This was an interesting story, although I couldn't quite fully get around Howard Chaykin's artwork. I was so spoiled with Ariel Olivetti's artwork, and now I am stuck with Chaykin, who isn't one of my favorite artists. Stuart was apparently once a supervillain who fought the Champions (why do they get mentioned so much recently?) and after meeting two people he used to work with, both of whom say that the other is trying to kill them, he chooses the wrong side, and lets Punisher do his job, taking out the bad one (bad, being a relative term here). I think the main point of these last few issues is that people may try and act like the Punisher, but nobody can do it as well as the Punisher.
X-Force 2
Basic Plot: X-Force tries to get Rahne back.
Wait, wasn't Rahne shot? Oh, in the leg, then it's okay. I find it trying to be more bad-ass, and failing, for multiple different reasons. The main one is that Cyclops is asking them to do this, and while I respect him from Astonishing X-Men, he is still Cyclops. Plus, their outfits are completely ridiculous. It looks like they are trying to mix the Grant Morrison run with the regular one. Black outfits based off of their regular ones? What? Plus, Bastion's main plan is to bring the Magus back. The Magus is from the older comics when things were still less serious. I mean, if it was a different universe, I might be able to accept it more, but in the MU, it just doesn't seem as real to me. I really like the art, although the story seems unbelievable to me.
Amazing Spider-Man 552
Basic Plot: Spidey goes after Freak and fails miserably.
Okay, so Spidey can't even catch a random loser now? Seriously, it is kind of ridiculous. I mean, it is a random punk and Spidey can't catch him. Sure, he knows the alleys, but Spider-Man is freakin' Spider-Man. I don't know if I like this one as much as the previous ones from BND, but this is okay. Not great, but okay. What Freak is going to be like now that he has powers will be interesting. All in all, though, this issue pretty much only had Spidey chase after Freak and fail miserably. Oh, and he rips his bottom, and didn't have underwear, so people could see his ass. Kind of weird.
Secret Invasion Saga
Basic Plot: Iron Man goes over his info on the Skrulls.
A free look at Skrulls in Marvel. It is kind of interesting, and it does have the part about how the Kree started the Kree-Skrull War, and while it mentions that, it still is more anti-Skrull. Maybe he's just upset. I don't know about you, person reading this, but I am seriously looking forward to the Skrulls. I have loved Skrulls for a long time, and this is the first major Skrull storyline I have seen since I started reading comics, so I am incredibly excited. After Deadpool, Kl'rt is my favorite character, and Skrulls come in slightly after Kl'rt. Oh, Kl'rt is Super Skrull, for those of you not in the know. Hey Skrulls! Make me entertained! Yeah, you heard me...hey, what are you doing? Ack...Ignore the above. The Skrulls are not invading your pitiful backwater planet. We, I mean, Skrulls have nothing to do with Earth. That was one single agent, acting on his/her own. The Black Bolt/Illuminati Skrull and Avenger and X-Men Skrulls also were acting on their own. There is no invasion.
World War Hulk: Aftersmash! Damage Control 1
Basic Plot: In the aftermath of World War Hulk, someone's gotta clean up.
Yes, this came out a while ago, but I missed it then, and got it today. Yes, I already read part 2, but whatever. This is a fun story, and an interesting premise. I have liked Damage Control and found it amusing. When I first learned about it, I was first disturbed and then I realized it made sense. People cleaning up after the messes of superheroes just makes sense. With that, I enjoyed seeing Damage Control in issues of Wolverine (where the CEO was corrupt) and Ant-Man (where he called himself Slaying Mantis). I was excited when I saw it was going to be a mini-series after World War Hulk. It was fun and funny, and the art was good. I really did enjoy it. Was it the best story ever? No, but it was a fun story and that is really what I want in comics.
Punisher War Journal 17
Basic Plot: Stuart Clarke deals with people, trying to do things his own way in the world.
This was an interesting story, although I couldn't quite fully get around Howard Chaykin's artwork. I was so spoiled with Ariel Olivetti's artwork, and now I am stuck with Chaykin, who isn't one of my favorite artists. Stuart was apparently once a supervillain who fought the Champions (why do they get mentioned so much recently?) and after meeting two people he used to work with, both of whom say that the other is trying to kill them, he chooses the wrong side, and lets Punisher do his job, taking out the bad one (bad, being a relative term here). I think the main point of these last few issues is that people may try and act like the Punisher, but nobody can do it as well as the Punisher.
X-Force 2
Basic Plot: X-Force tries to get Rahne back.
Wait, wasn't Rahne shot? Oh, in the leg, then it's okay. I find it trying to be more bad-ass, and failing, for multiple different reasons. The main one is that Cyclops is asking them to do this, and while I respect him from Astonishing X-Men, he is still Cyclops. Plus, their outfits are completely ridiculous. It looks like they are trying to mix the Grant Morrison run with the regular one. Black outfits based off of their regular ones? What? Plus, Bastion's main plan is to bring the Magus back. The Magus is from the older comics when things were still less serious. I mean, if it was a different universe, I might be able to accept it more, but in the MU, it just doesn't seem as real to me. I really like the art, although the story seems unbelievable to me.
Amazing Spider-Man 552
Basic Plot: Spidey goes after Freak and fails miserably.
Okay, so Spidey can't even catch a random loser now? Seriously, it is kind of ridiculous. I mean, it is a random punk and Spidey can't catch him. Sure, he knows the alleys, but Spider-Man is freakin' Spider-Man. I don't know if I like this one as much as the previous ones from BND, but this is okay. Not great, but okay. What Freak is going to be like now that he has powers will be interesting. All in all, though, this issue pretty much only had Spidey chase after Freak and fail miserably. Oh, and he rips his bottom, and didn't have underwear, so people could see his ass. Kind of weird.
Secret Invasion Saga
Basic Plot: Iron Man goes over his info on the Skrulls.
A free look at Skrulls in Marvel. It is kind of interesting, and it does have the part about how the Kree started the Kree-Skrull War, and while it mentions that, it still is more anti-Skrull. Maybe he's just upset. I don't know about you, person reading this, but I am seriously looking forward to the Skrulls. I have loved Skrulls for a long time, and this is the first major Skrull storyline I have seen since I started reading comics, so I am incredibly excited. After Deadpool, Kl'rt is my favorite character, and Skrulls come in slightly after Kl'rt. Oh, Kl'rt is Super Skrull, for those of you not in the know. Hey Skrulls! Make me entertained! Yeah, you heard me...hey, what are you doing? Ack...Ignore the above. The Skrulls are not invading your pitiful backwater planet. We, I mean, Skrulls have nothing to do with Earth. That was one single agent, acting on his/her own. The Black Bolt/Illuminati Skrull and Avenger and X-Men Skrulls also were acting on their own. There is no invasion.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
New Avengers
I was going to create decks focusing on the New Avengers and Mighty Avengers, but then I realized that the Mighty Avengers only have 1 card for most of their characters. New Avengers has only Spider-Woman with 1 and I am counting Jessica Jones, with 0. Mighty Avengers have Ms. Marvel with 1, Wonder Man with 1, Wasp with 1, Spider-Woman with 1 (yes, same Spider-Woman) and Ares with 0. Oh, and there are no 5-drops and an overabundance of 2 and 6-drops. So, I scrapped that idea, and decided to just make my own fantasy cards (which I will make into are also) and make decks based off of those.
New Avengers in the post-Civil War world are basically a team that is on the run from the government and are always in hiding, except when they go and protect people. With that, all of the characters are hidden in New Avengers and generally grant bonuses for either hidden or visible characters. Plus, I gave them some plot twists and locations to help out with the theme. Oh, and I couldn't help doing a search called "New Avengers Assemble!" If anybody can think of versions for my characters, that would be great.
EDIT: I have given them versions now. Look for the Mighty Avengers Thursday.
New Avengers in the post-Civil War world are basically a team that is on the run from the government and are always in hiding, except when they go and protect people. With that, all of the characters are hidden in New Avengers and generally grant bonuses for either hidden or visible characters. Plus, I gave them some plot twists and locations to help out with the theme. Oh, and I couldn't help doing a search called "New Avengers Assemble!" If anybody can think of versions for my characters, that would be great.
New Avengers:
Jessica Jones
Former Superheroine
Cost: 1
F/R
2/1
Concealed
Hidden attackers you control get +1 ATK.
Jessica Drew<>Spider-Woman
Hesitant Heroine
Cost: 2
F
3/3
Concealed
Activate -> Stun target character with a cost of 2 or less. Use only during your attack step.
Iron Fist
Cage's Partner
Cost: 3
5/4
Concealed
While visible, Iron Fist gets +1 ATK for each hidden character you control.
Echo
Enslaved No More
Cost: 3
4/5
Concealed
Whenever Echo stuns a defender, if you control no visible characters, KO that defender.
Luke Cage
Fist's Partner
Cost: 4
6/8
Concealed
While visible and protecting a character, Luke Cage has invulnerability.
Hawkeye<>Ronin
New Life
Cost: 4
7/7
Concealed
When Hawkeye stuns a character, if you control no visible characters, that character's controller loses endurance equal to its cost.
Spider-Man
Back to Basics
Cost: 5
R
8/10
Concealed
Free -> Target defender you control gets +3 DEF this turn.
Wolverine
Reluctant Hero
Cost: 6
13/10
Concealed
When Wolverine stuns a character, if he is hidden, KO that character.
Dr. Strange
Arrogant Mystic
Cost: 7
F/R
16/16
Concealed
Activate -> Stun target character if its cost is less than or equal to the number of hidden New Avengers characters you control.
Rand Corp.
Cost: 3
While visible, characters you control with the printed New Avengers affiliation get +2 DEF.
Starbucks Sanctorum
Cost: 2
Activate -> Move target New Avengers character to your hidden area or visible area. That character gets +1 DEF this turn.
Helping the Innocent
Cost: 2
Move target hidden New Avengers character you control to your visible area. At the start of the recovery phase this turn, move that character to your hidden area.
On the Run
Cost: 2
Target attacker gets +2 ATK this attack. If that character has the New Avengers affiliation, you may move that character to your hidden or visible area.
Still a Hero
Cost: 3
To play, choose a non-stunned New Avengers character you control. Remove target defender from this attack and the chosen character becomes the defender.
Unfair Outlaws
Cost: 1
Ongoing: Hidden New Avengers attackers you control get +2 ATK while attacking a character with a higher cost.
In-Team Paranoia
Cost: 4
To play, exhaust two New Avengers characters you control.
Move target New Avengers character to your visible area. That character gets +X DEF this turn while defending this turn where X is the combined cost of the characters you exhausted.
New Avengers Assemble!
Cost: 3
To play, discard a character card with concealed. Search your deck for a New Avengers character card, reveal it and put it into your hand.
EDIT: I have given them versions now. Look for the Mighty Avengers Thursday.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Trunk Monkey
I was recently shown these ads on YouTube that are absolutely hilarious. If I wanted to buy a car, they would be my first place to look, just because of how amusing their commercial was.
See, there are 8 of these that I have seen, and they just get better. Truly brilliant or demented or both.
See, there are 8 of these that I have seen, and they just get better. Truly brilliant or demented or both.
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