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Michael Pittman
VS Limited – “Swimming in the Deep End” – Part 4
Michael Pittman
August 20, 2006
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This is the fourth instalment in a series about “depth” – a concept that often gets talked about in relation to Vs limited and specifically drafting. I define depth as “quantity plus quality” – a deep team should be able to support more than two drafters (in an eight-person draft) to a reasonable degree and be a powerhouse if under-drafted.

Remember – just because a team is deep doesn't mean it is necessarily the best team to draft. Often the deeper teams will be over-drafted. A team with a lot of powerful cards, but less depth can be a great option if you can be one of the only drafters in that team. An argument can be made, however, that including a relatively deep team in your draft plan, even if only as your secondary team, is a safe and sensible approach.

In this article I'm going to measure the Villains United team in terms of depth. In Parts 1 – 3, I assessed JSA, Shadowpact and Checkmate respectively.

Villains United – “Wickedly Good” or “Menacingly Mediocre”?

ONE-DROPS

One-drops aren't exactly the heavy hitters of Vs limited. Usually you don't even include them in your deck unless they offer some great utility or you are aiming for an off-curve deck.

The VU weenies arguably have a bit to offer an off-curve deck, while one in particular is really just a plot twist in disguise.

They have four characters at the one recruit cost slot – three common (Cheetah; Count Vertigo; and The Calculator, Noah Kuttler) and one uncommon ( Alex ander Luthor, Duplicitous Doppleganger). Having three commons and no rares means you should have little trouble picking accessing them.

Cheetah – This frisky kitty has the 2 ATK you look for in a combat-oriented one-drop and has a nice vengeance ability that could make all of the little dudes in a swarm deck even more ferocious.

Count Vertigo – Vertigo also has the desired 2 ATK. His effect may or may not prove useful in the course of a game, but it's not really the reason you'd pick or play him.

The Calculator, Noah Kuttler – The mini-Calculator is really a Decepticon – a plot twist in disguise. His vengeance power means you can recruit him early if you want to, but mainly he is simply a means to search your deck for the VU team-up Coercion. For this reason he can find his way into VU curve decks, as well as off-curve decks.

Alex ander Luthor, Duplicitous Doppleganger – Finally we have another card in the one-drop who goes back on top of your deck to search for something series. While Madam Xanadu was potentially playable, I didn't rate the rest and Alex here is no different. On a side note … a lot of people have been likening Alex Brown to Lex Luthor over the years, but I think it's now obvious who he really is.

I'd say the Villains one-drops are more or less on par with the JSA weenies, as while Terry Sloane is an archetypal card, Noah Kuttler provides VU added depth with his flexibility.

As such, I'd score them the same as the hero team – 3/5 for one-drops in terms of depth. I'd rank them …

  1. The Calculator, Noah Kuttler
  2. Cheetah
  3. Count Vertigo
  4. Alex ander Luthor, Duplicitous Doppleganger

TWO-DROPS

So far, the Infinite Crisis set has featured a fairly high quality of two-drop, particularly in JSA and Checkmate. The Villains characters are definitely up to scratch and it wouldn't be hard to argue that they may even be the best of the lot.

Like the other teams, VU have four characters at this slot, however, they have one extra common at the expense of an uncommon. Three commons (Dr Psycho, Mental Giant; Ishmael Gregor <> Sabbac; and Weather Wizard) and one uncommon (Talia, Beloved Betrayer) mean Villains United have the greatest access to two-drops in the set.

Dr Psycho, Mental Giant – While his vengeance power is great against the occasional off-curve deck that runs Terry Sloane <> Mr Terrific, it's really his awesome 4 ATK that we're interested in for DCR limited. His 1 DEF is not a significant drawback.

Ishmael Gregor <> Sabbac – Ishmael has fairly pedestrian 2/2 stats and no flight or range, but his three burn vengeance power raises his stock a little bit. I think he is evaluated a bit too highly by some people, particularly in my Canberra drafts, but he is playable.

Weather Wizard – I have a real soft-spot for the Wiz. He has 2/3 stats and flight and range, as well as a vengeance power similar to Cheetahs. His 2 ATK will stun most other two-drops, so while it is less than ideal, it's acceptable.

Talia, Beloved Betrayer – Two-drops with 3/3 stats are good. Talia's vengeance is subtly useful, even if only to keep a character on the board to be used to pay one of VU's return a character to hand costs.

All of the Villains United two-drops are playable and their low rarity provides them extra depth. Like the JSA two-drops, they aren't the flashiest characters, but they are pound-for-pound some of the best little fighters in DCR.

I'd give them 3.5/5 and rank them …

  1. Talia, Beloved Betrayer (just ahead of …)
  2. Dr Psycho
  3. Weather Wizard (just ahead of …)
  4. Ishmael Gregor <> Sabbac

THREE-DROPS

If JSA thought they had a limited star in Michael Holt, then VU have the equivalent of a super-nova in The Calculator, Evil Oracle. I have to admit that I am quite fond of Holt, but popular opinion among better drafters than me is that Calc is the bigger bomb.

In addition to the common Calculator three-drop, Villains United have two more common three-cost characters (Dr Polaris; and Zazzala <> Queen Bee) and an uncommon character (Dr Light). This is a fair bit shallower than JSA with their four commons and one rare, but is more or less on par with or better than the other DCR teams.

The Calculator, Evil Oracle – Calc's 5 ATK is hot and he has concealed, so he can usually stay on the board and influence the game for a long time if you choose. While that's all good news, the really great news is his ability to give a VU character +2/+2 by returning a character to hand. Better suited to curve decks than off-curve decks, he is still effective in both (kind of the converse of Michael Holt). He is one of, if not THE best and most influential characters in the set.

Dr Polaris – We have already established that 4/4, especially when enhanced by flight and range, is playable in a pinch. Doc has a great vengeance power that more or less dictates in what order your opponent will have to make attacks, but that may or may not make up for his lack of size.

Zazzala <> Queen Bee – Stats of 5/4 and Concealed – Optional make Zazzala a nice fit in any VU deck. Her vengeance burn ability is just gravy … working nicely with the team's return to hand and KO effects.

Dr Light – The worst part about “Furious Flashpoint” is that he just isn't furious enough. If 4/4 is barely playable then there's not much hope for a 3/4, in my opinion. He will rarely stun back other three-drops, which simply isn't good enough, regardless of any other powers or attributes.

Arguably three out of four of the above are playable and one is perhaps the most powerful character in the format. It's lucky that the best characters are common and the worst is the uncommon in terms of depth.

I give VU 3.5/5, with a lot of that due to Calculator being common, and rank them …

  1. The Calculator, Evil Oracle
  2. Zazzala <> Queen Bee
  3. Dr Polaris
  4. Dr Light

FOUR-DROPS

Like JSA, the Villains have five four-drops to choose from, but two are rare, making their accessibility a bit poorer. They have three common four-drops (Bizarro; Deathstroke the Terminator, Lethal Weapon; and Sinestro) and two rares ( Alex ander Luthor, Insidious Imposter; and Fatality).

Bizarro – Biz boasts 11 ATK and flight and range. Well, you have to expect a drawback for that. That comes in the form of a vengeance ability which gives your opponent four endurance back whenever they manage to stun Bizarro. He effectively gives back the extra attack he is capable of and if reinforcement is involved, it's not a great deal at all. There's obvious synergy with the Man of Steel card Bizarro World and its current text, which stops your opponent from gaining endurance, but that's not relevant here. Bizarro is nowhere near as good as he first looks, but in the end that 11 ATK is still worth playing sometimes.

Deathstroke the Terminator, Lethal Weapon – Slade looks a lot like a slightly worse Bishop from the X-Men set, doesn't he? He is more or less equally playable as the mutant, with his burn ability complementing similar effects available to Villains United. ‘Stroke is playable, but you'd hope for better.

Sinestro – While on the topic of “better”, here it is. I'm a big, big fan of Sinestro. His 8 ATK and flight plus range are pretty good in my book, but his vengeance ability is very nice too. He is my pick of the common VU four-drops hands down.

Alex ander Luthor, Insidious Imposter – Something short of a bomb, I'm still quite fond of this Alex . With all of VU's return to hand effects, there is no reason that he shouldn't usually be an 8/7 while in a fight and he has the potential to take down anyone. The mere threat of his power makes opponents play around it.

Fatality – While I put a big wrap on The Calculator, Evil Oracle, Fatality is the character I'd probably most like to see in the first pack I open in a draft. She is very, very powerful and can swing a game almost single-handedly. Her 7/7 stats and flight are good, but the built in Total Anarchy is the big carrot urging you to pick and play her.

All of Villains United's four-drops are playable and I rate a couple of them above most, if not all, of the other four-drops in the set.

I'd give them 3.5/5 in terms of four-drops, although I'd give them more if it wasn't for rarity issues. I rank them …

  1. Fatality
  2. Sinestro
  3. Alex ander Luthor, Insidious Imposter
  4. Bizarro (barely ahead of …)
  5. Deathstroke the Terminator, Lethal Weapon (he's too good to be last on a list!)

FIVE-DROPS

Everyone knows that Villains United have what are probably the best five-drops in the set. In addition to high quality, they also have the highest number of easily accessible five-cost dudes, with three commons (Black Adam, Teth-Adam; Cheshire ; and Mr Freeze) and one rare (Talia, Daughter of Madness). This equals plenty of depth.

Black Adam, Teth-Adam – Who is better – Black Adam or Mr Freeze? That's a very hard question, but trying to come up with an answer is one of the best reasons to draft Villains United. Adam's 10 ATK, in addition to flight and range, are just the first part of a great package. His vengeance power is a whole heap of gravy on top, allowing VU to make some savage attacks on turn five with the initiative, or present your opponent with a lot of unattractive attacks if you are on defence.

Cheshire – Sneaking into the VU team via dual-affiliation, the traitorous Cheshire is not as good as the other common VU five-drops, but still holds her own. Baby's got back with that 11 DEF. Almost every character at her level or below (excluding her team mate Bizarro) cannot stun her naturally. The burn/endurance gain effect is just gravy.

Talia, Daughter of Madness – Talia will probably only ever be a vanilla 9/9, but even that's not too bad. She's rare anyway, so you'll rarely she her in limited play.

Quality and quantity equals DEPTH. Villains United are about as deep as you can get at the five-drop level.

I'd give them 4.5/5 and rank them …

  1. Mr Freeze
  2. Black Adam
  3. Cheshire
  4. Talia, Daughter of Madness

SIX-DROPS

Two common six-drops ( Alex ander Luthor, Diabolical Double; and Dr Pyscho, Twisted Telepath) and one rare (Hunter Zolomon <> Professor Zoom) give VU as many options at this level as most of the other DCR teams.

Alex ander Luthor, Diabolical Double – No flight or range kind of sucks, but a massive 14 DEF is amazing. With 11 ATK, Alex doesn't dominate in an offensive sense, but with the other characters in VU that will be supporting him, I think that's fine. Drawing two cards is very attractive and his boost ability is quite playable (especially if one of the three-drops put into play is The Calculator, Evil Oracle).

Dr Pyscho, Twisted Telepath – This guy is largely rubbish. His burn effect is far too unpredictable and could even cost you games. You'd only recruit him if you KNEW that he'd contribute strongly to you winning the game on turn six.

Hunter Zolomon <> Professor Zoom – The rare of this bunch, though, is very good in my opinion. Zoom's 13 ATK is above curve, while you don't mind his 11 DEF considering his vengeance ability. Admittedly when you're defending you're opponent will probably be able to play around his vengeance, but that doesn't dim his star too much, in my opinion.

The stinkiness of Dr Pyscho does impact on Villains United's depth at this point, but they are hardly poor in comparison to some of the other teams. This is one recruitment level, though, where VU might benefit from characters from a secondary affiliation.

I'd score them 2.5/5 and rank them …

  1. Alex ander Luthor, Diabolical Double
  2. Hunter Zolomon <> Professor Zoom
  3. Dr Pyscho, Twisted Telepath

SEVEN-DROPS

Villains United, like Shadowpact, only have one common (The Calculator, Crime Broker) and one rare (Deathstroke the Terminator, Ultimate Assassin) seven-drop. This makes for some slim pickings.

The Calculator, Crime Broker – The big Calc isn't as desirable as his three-drop version. His 14/16 stats are not ideal, as he won't be able to stun many other seven-drops, but possibly the worst part is him being Concealed. If you have the misfortune of not having odd initiatives and have to play the Crime Broker, you won't be putting up much defence. That leaves his burn effect to try to compensate for these two disadvantages. You can get a minimum of eight burn with Calc really easily and I've done 12, neither of which should be sneezed at. I'd prefer a different seven-drop if I can find one, just because sometimes Calc's advantages do not always compensate for his disadvantages.

Deathstroke the Terminator, Ultimate Assassin – With 17 ATK and a killer vengeance power, Deathstroke is one of the most offensively-geared seven-drops in the set, and arguably the game. Being rare means you won't get to play him often, but I'd think long and hard about passing him in draft unless VU are definitely not an option.

The Villains United seven-drops are sadly not up to JSA's in terms of depth, although they can potentially be very powerful.

I'd score them 2/5 and rank them …

  1. Deathstroke the Terminator, Ultimate Assassin
  2. The Calculator, Crime Broker

EIGHT-DROP

As stated previously, eight-drops rarely make it into play in limited so most players don't even bother putting them in their decks, making the question of depth pretty moot.

Black Adam, Lord of Khandaq – Assuming you have at least two or three Villains United characters in hand at this stage to beef him up to 19/19 minimum (in addition to the boost to your other characters), then he is a fine dude. If you have six characters in hand, he's probably ridiculous. Shrug.

Given that he is rare and an eight-drop, I won't give him a score based on depth.

CONCLUSION

Villains United has the second biggest character roster in DCR with 27 characters – three fewer than JSA. The great news here is that they have two more common characters (18) than JSA and Shadowpact, although this comes at the expense of uncommon cards, rather than rares – they have the same number of rares (six) as JSA and Shadowpact.

Also, the quality of the VU characters seems to be consistently good and in some cases brilliant.

Discounting the rares, I'd be content playing at least 14 of their 21 characters (two out of three – just like JSA … just the way Meatloaf likes it). Where I think VU is ahead of JSA is that of the one-third that you probably don't want to play, many are still better than the similar guys in the hero team.

Adding up their depth scores, I rated Villains United 22.5 out of a possible 35. That's the biggest score yet based on character cards alone, with JSA scoring 20.5, Shadowpact 17 and Checkmate 20.

The final question left to be answered is the quality of the non-character cards. VU have 11 non-characters. All of them are potentially playable, in my opinion, with The Science Spire, Systematic Torture, Grand Gesture and Baddest of the Bad standing out as excellent cards for limited play. I rate the VU non-character cards below the arsenal available to the Checkmate affiliation, but they are on-par with or better than those for any of the other teams.

Villains United are a team where you will have to plan your draft to a certain extent to make up for the slots where depths is lacking, but they make a very strong primary affiliation.

In the fifth and final part of the series, I'm going to quickly look at the Secret Six and Crisis affiliations – teams that clearly lack depth due to limited character rosters. I'll also wrap up the series with a conclusion comparing the teams.

Before you go, remember that I'm not trying to set myself up as a Vs or limited expert. Opposing opinions are very welcome … you may even be helping me to improve my drafting by expressing them on the VS Paradise forums.

Good luck and good gaming,

Michael Pittman

*BAMF*

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