Of all the articles we’ve planned for 2025, this is the one I’ve been most excited to write. It gives us, at Lazarus Rising Games, the opportunity to extend our deepest gratitude to a group of people whose contributions have been absolutely vital to the revival of the official OverPower card game: the tournament organizers.
Without these tireless champions—those who have hosted events over the past decade and beyond—Lazarus Rising Games wouldn’t exist. Their passion, commitment, and persistence created the spaces that brought us back to the game as players. Without them, the community wouldn’t have grown into what it is today. They’ve kept the fire alive, and we owe them everything.
Most of you are familiar with the North American OverPower League (NAOL), the tournament league that now anchors major events across the continent. But fewer may know that the NAOL began as something far more grassroots. Before it was a league, it was the North American Overpower Alliance (NAOA). And before that, it was just a scattering of events—fan-organized gatherings sparked by a shared love of the game.
Every person involved along that journey deserves recognition.
Our first formal thank-you came in the form of the 30th Anniversary Mission promo set, distributed at the Champ of Champs event and currently available through The Orange King’s OP website. That set was created specifically to honor many of the event organizers who’ve carried the torch over the years.
But we wanted to go further. This article is our formal, public appreciation—and a brief history of how Lazarus Rising Games and the NAOL came to be, all thanks to these incredible people.
For David and me, it all began on the old Palatinus forum, where we reconnected with OverPower through Jack Truong, who was running the Canadian tournament with Sean Ballantyne. David got involved a bit earlier than I did, starting at one of Phil and John Keffer’s legendary K2 events. Keith discovered the scene around that same time, while Shawn Sawyer jumped in alongside me.
As the community grew, we developed four cornerstone events: Canada and Pennsylvania, Phil Miller’s Ohio-run OP Cup, and the Philly events originally organized by Larry Van Etten. These tournaments rekindled our collective love for OverPower—but we knew it could become something even greater.
David was the first to recognize that in order to grow, we needed consistency. He pushed for the formation of a commissioner role and proposed an alliance that would standardize rules and cards, with major decisions made by organizers and voted on by the players. That idea became the foundation of the NAOA.
Around this time, Ed Kowalewski took over the Philly event and launched a fan-favorite: Peace Bridge. Ed invited players into his home for a weekend of BBQs, bonfires, and cards—creating not just an event, but a tradition and a family reunion. Tragically, we lost Ed to COVID-19—a devastating blow to our community. But thanks to Howard Bertrand, the Peace Bridge evemt lives on. Howard has not only continued hosting it in his home but has also been instrumental in evolving the Alliance into what is now the NAOL.
Under the NAOL banner, we’ve seen tremendous growth. Josh Alexander launched the OKC event, which will be held by Carl Caroffino now in Texas on May 9th, 2025. Doug Taylor introduced a Seattle event, and Larry Van Etten has taken his Valhalla event on the road, bringing OverPower to new players across the country.
Other key contributors deserve special recognition, too. Justin Sadie has jumped in with both feet, helping to run events and pitching in on various NAOL projects. Zach Venneri, our NAOL Chat Group moderator and historian, archives every tournament’s decklists in a fantastic graphical presentation. Ricky Sauceda has consistently supported the community behind the scenes, including proofreading important documents just because he cares.
It’s humbling to witness how much this community gives, expecting nothing in return but the joy of building something great together. New faces like John Beresford, who is taking over the Battle for Boston, and Doug Simms, who returned to the game a few years ago and is now one of its most visible advocates—hosting tournaments, running a podcast, and spearheading the Champ of Champs event—continue to carry the torch forward.
We at Lazarus Rising Games would not be here without the foundation built by these organizers and supporters. Many have donated their own time, money, and even cards from their personal collections to ensure events are special for players. Their generosity is the backbone of this entire community.
As a token of our appreciation, LRG will be giving every person mentioned by name in this article two foil rare uncut sheet from our exclusive OverPower foil sheets that are extremely rare. This will be one of the most rare uncut sheets in all of OverPower and you will be some of the only people who have them!
There aren’t enough words to thank this amazing OverPower community—the best community in gaming. But know this: Lazarus Rising Games will always strive to recognize and honor the people who make this game what it is.
From the bottom of our hearts,
Joseph, Shawn, David, Keith, Ty, Ronald, and Leti
Lazarus Rising Games