The Battle for Boston was my second significant OverPower tournament (third if you include the Friday evening playtest, when Shawn Sawyer defeated me for first place after thwarting his deck earlier in the tournament). I was still new to the competitive scene, eager to prove myself and showcase a unique, non-meta approach.
Valhalla, my first tournament, taught me valuable lessons. Veteran players possess a deep understanding of fundamentals – far better than I did. Precise card placement, strategic concedes, and continuous battle reevaluation. I often defaulted to “all-in” or conceding before the battle, while they expertly adapted to each action.
I dislike relying on established meta decks. While “Cadillac” style decks offer easy piloting, I find greater satisfaction in winning with unconventional strategies, and busting out unexpected tricks. My usual preference is for aggressive, high-KO decks, but Valhalla inspired me to explore a different path.
I began with events, recognizing their game-altering potential. Annihilation Affair stood out: “No cards with a strength icon may be used to attack” effectively counters many meta decks, and the “Discard all multipower cards” event also seemed potent, as most players heavily rely on versatile multipower cards. It often nabbed 1-4 cards from my opponent, and always got exactly 0 of mine.
Inspired by Marcel’s podcast, and bringing none of them to Valhalla, I focused on negator characters. After playtesting, I realized teamworks in classic OverPower have a significant value, and I wanted to maximize the impact of powerful 6-attack teamworks. Galactus, often overlooked, emerged as the ideal candidate. His 8 grids make him an excellent battery for launching numerous teamwork or powerful follow-up cards. Dr. Strange provides crucial 6-or-less avoid and has an 8 Energy, backing up Galactus’ grid. To further disrupt opponents, I included Mojo and Beast the Brute, two potent negator characters.
Huge thanks to Dave McMillan who encouraged me to playtest my battlesite, which was too tricky for this already interesting deck. It had some fun stuff, but lacked defense, and my lack of powerful specials in the deck meant my battlesite tricks would likely be negated. We landed once again on the tried and true, The Outback.
The Outback provided additional defensive layers, and the deck felt remarkably cohesive. I had numerous options to disrupt opponents while consistently threatening with high-impact teamworks. My opponents struggled to adapt, often not sure if they should target Galactus, or avoid him.
The tournament was a grueling 14-hour endurance test. Micro-mistakes can easily cost games, but so can your opponent’s errors. I emphasized careful decision-making, minimizing misplays (though they still occurred). Constant evaluation, considering future turns, and tracking card draws were crucial. Breaks and refreshments were vital for maintaining focus.
Some games unfolded organically, with opponents falling behind due to negated specials and devastating event effects, or poor duplication. Other games required meticulous execution and tactical maneuvering. OverPower often revolves around flashy special card usage, but my strategy relied heavily on negates to disrupt that, powerful teamworks, and consistent venture victories. I was consistently able to put pressure on each and every one of my opponents’ decks, while protecting myself with negates and defensive specials.
While variance plays a significant role, my deliberate approach and effective event usage contributed to my success. The field was incredibly tough. I do think if me and Ty play that finals match – Galactus vs Dracula, he wins 7/10 times. So for the finals, I certainly was on the right side of variance.
Going forward: I continue to train my boys in the shadows, where we listen to the OverPower Mountain Podcast and quietly refine our skills, experiment, and practice to unleash upon the world when the new OverPower is launched.
Huge thanks to Doug Taylor, who is the reason I was able to even make it, as well as for the hundreds of playtest games!