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Rally Against Defeat:
Not Evil, Just Misguided
by Ean Press
In this issue of Rally, I'd like to talk about a card. Yes one card that was played on me in the 2 sealed pack Green Lantern tournaments that I have been in so far. Solomon Grundy, Born on a Monday. Sorry Torq, I have to cut into your territory for a little background on this hellish monster.
The poem as old as time, goes like this:
Solomon Grundy,
born on a Monday,
christened on Tuesday,
married on Wednesday,
took ill on Thursday,
worse on Friday,
died on Saturday,
buried on Sunday.
This is the end of
Solomon Grundy.
While a rotting body laid there being decomposed away by various plants, Cyrus Gold was dead, by the hand of another, in cold blood. Right before the turn of the century, 1894, to be precise, Gold was killed, and body thrown into a putrid swamp. Fifty years later, a lifeless shell was resurrected from the depths of whence he came, and the nearly braindead, Solomon Grundy was born. Or should I say reborn.
Well, that is enough for the background, now for the card analysis. He is a no-team affiliated character, which limits the playability of Grundy, however, the GLC set in general is seeming to give a boost to the no-team affiliated and Deathstroke decks with cards like Guy Gardner, Warrior and Mosaic World. He starts off at a solid 10/10 for 5. What could be better stats for a five drop? He can take out most of the five drops down the curve, with no stunning back, and virtually no drawbacks. His effect makes him more brutal, if you play Mosaic World, team attack with him and let him stun back and ko during your recovery phase, at the measly price of a card, you can return him to your hand and play him next, probably with boost, or discard a copy from your hand and get him back to your hand in the next turn if you have a copy on the field. As you all know his boost effect allows him to gain five +1, +1 counters making him a 15/15 on the seventh turn, pretty good if I do say so myself.
Tim, Rick, Brian and I decided to participate in a sealed pack the other day. During that time I found out how brutal Grundy and the set, overall could be. After a seemingly endless Yu-Gi-Oh! Tournament, we started our Vs. sealed pack tournament, the first we had since Busting out the GLC the first time, earlier this month. I opened my first pack, got an Oa, opened the second got Kyle Rayner, Ion, and to tell the truth, the rest of the packs were terrible. An Armies of Qward, a Johnny Quick , and a useless Manhunter rare, with no Manhunters to go along with it.
I went with instinct and made the same deck (as far as team affiliations) that I made in the first sealed pack, Green Lantern- Anti-Matter. I think it was the worst sealed pack deck anyone could make, it lacked all of the major drops and the only good plot twist or location I got, was Oa.
In the first match I played Rick, who decided to make a straight GL deck, He hit all of his drops, straight through the curve, G'Nort, Brik, Hal Jordan, Ch'p, Hal Jordan, Sinestro (GL), Ganthet, Ion and finally Parralax. That is four rare characters, all needed to make the deck. He got lucky, and I got clobbered, and he didn't lose 1 endurance. Just in case you were wondering, here were my drops, in order. Anti- Green Lantern, No 2 Drop, Xallarap, 4 Drop Kyle Rayner, Johnny Quick and Anti-matter Sinestro, missed the rest of the drops unfortunately though.
Next, Brian, with a brutal Green Lantern, Anti-Matter deck, much the same as mine but better, with Breaking Ground and a few key cards I didn't get like battle of wills and Reciting the Oath. Well, after stomping over my deck, I played Tim and this is where Solomon Grundy, unleashed his hellish onslaught. I'm not exactly sure what deck he built, could have been Straight GL, and could have been Manhunters because of Pan and Grandmaster, but nevertheless, it was, oddly winning.
I played Tim with my head held high but not in the game, I was worried about getting to the Philadelphia 10k, and I was not totally focused, unfortunately. But on to the game, Turn 1 was Anti-Green Lantern for me and G'Nort for him, I stunned the G'Nort and then let the Anti-GL Ko. Turn 2 had no drop from me and none from him either, so I just took the G'nort direct hit. He played Guy Guardner, Warrior on the third turn, to my Xallarap. Xallarap stunned Gardner but Gardner received reinforcement and I was, again without a single character. I didn't see my 4 drop and he played Kyle Rayner, Green Lantern of the universe, and he hit me for quite a lot with the help of Oa. On turn five he plays Solomon Grundy, Born on a Monday to my Johnny Quick. Grundy goes after my Johnny Quick, with 2 light armor's discarded to give Grundy an additional +4 attack. As you can see I lose that match and got beat by a well juiced up Zombie.
Lastly, Solomon Grundy is a Great card, for Sealed pack, and Constructed deck. In fact, he could be a 5 drop for any deck, regardless of team. He is a 10/10 for 5 as I have said before. I'd like to thank the people who made the game for embodying the power of being reborn into the card Solomon Grundy. To leave on a closing note, in the Rally Against Defeat in this Vs. System world, the Zombie gets an A for effort. By the way guys, before I go, the Philadelphia 10k is coming up, and I want to see as many of you guys there, that can go, so if your coming, see you on Saturday, the fourth.
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Editor: Staff. Friday 3rd June 2005.
