VS2PCG
January 14, 2016 By: PauperTim
Pauper Tim

For those who haven't been introduced to VS System, it used to be an old CCG card game though due to several contributing factors, the game died out.

However, they have brought it back in a LCG style model which is where you buy a box of cards and know exactly every card that is in it. No more random boosters hoping to get the cards that you want. Not only do you know what you are getting, but they give you a playset of all of the cards so you don't even really have to buy more than one copy.

My only experience with the old CCG was upon initial release with a few starter decks. I never got very interested in the game because I was more into magic, and would rather put my time and money into it. The great thing about the LCG format, is that I don't have to dump a lot of money into it to own a playset of everything. This keeps my wallet happy and it makes me feel like my investment is low.

Now how is the gameplay you say? It is similar to Magic the Gathering, HearthStone and World of Warcraft TCG however different at the same time. I won't go into all of the details and make this a tutorial of how to play, but it will be a very general overview.

First off, there are no life points. You have a Main Character that starts in play. You lose if your Main Character is knocked out and your objective is to knock out your opponents Main Character. In addition to Attack and Defense which is similar to Magic's Power and Toughness, your characters also have wound points. Once damaged to or above the defense you are stunned, flipped over, and receive a wound counter. If your wounds ever equal your health the character is KO'd and sent to the KO pile. In Magic terms that would be dies and goes to the graveyard.

You can think of your Main Character as your character, your general or your commander. Each Main Character has a different feel from other Main Characters. They start out as a Level 1 Character and each have a unique condition to gain experience. Once your character has enough experience, they can level up to their level 2 form which will be much stronger and have an additional ability.

You also have other supporting characters you can pay recruitment points to recruit which is very similar to mana cost to summon a creature in Magic or Hearthstone. All creatures have a Uniqueness or Legendary rules similar to that of Magic, however you can discard extra copies of a card to add a +1/+1 counter to your character.

There are also Plot Twists which are like spells but the Plot Twists do not require any recruitment points to play. Plot twists can only be played when they say they can be played. They are usually during your main phase or during combat.

There are also Locations which are similar to mana sources as in Lands for magic for example, but at the same time they are very different. In VS System, you draw 2 cards a turn and once per turn during a very specific part of your turn, you may play a card down in your resource zone. You may play any card face down as a resource. Each turn during your recruitment phase, you get one recruitment point for each resource you control. This allows you to recruit more supporting characters for your cause. What locations do, is you can play them face up in your resource row. They may be flipped over while in your resource row as a one time use to activate super powers in your resource row. You may also discard a location from your hand to achieve the same effect.

Another big change between this game and several other card games is that you have a formation in combat. It adds so much depth and complexity to this game, especially when all characters can attack the same turn that they are recruited as if they all have haste in Magic terms. The Formation is set by placing your characters in the front row or the back row. You can only attack back row characters with characters with Flying and only if there are no characters with Grab or Flying in your opponents front row. You can attack from the back row if your back row character has ranged. If you have a character with Flying and Ranged you can attack from your back row to your opponents back row as long as there are no characters with grab or flying in your opponents front row. Creating a formation can take some thought as you might want to protect certain cards by placing them in your back row but still be able to handle any unexpected plot twists during combat or any characters your opponent might recruit next turn.

Overall I feel each main characters deck feels quite a bit different from any other main characters deck and how you approach not only building but playing with them is very interesting. I feel this game has a lot of legs if it gets marketed correctly.



About the Author

PauperTim is this websites owner and has always been into games of all sorts. He is a founder of the Pauper format for Magic: The Gathering. You can find him on facebook, twitter or OCTGN as PauperTim or as TheOrangeMitten on Magic Online.