System used for collectible card games
Vs. System (short for Versus System), also written as VS System and abbreviated as VS, is a collectible card game designed by Upper Deck Entertainment (UDE). In the game, players build and play a deck of Vs. System cards in an attempt to win a game against their opponent. It was first published in 2004 and is set in the superhero genre. The game was discontinued by Upper Deck Entertainment in January 2009.
UDE announced at the 2014 Gen Con Indianapolis that they would be letting convention-goers playtest a subset of Marvel Origins reprinted as "Vs. System Living Card Game". UDE then relaunched Vs. System at the 2015 Gen Con Indianapolis in its updated 2PCG format, switching from the traditional, partially-randomized card distribution model of most CCGs to a non-random, fixed-distribution model.
Superheroic setting.
The sets of the Vs. System are based on the superheroic settings of Marvel and DC Comics, with the exception of a smaller set called the Hellboy Essential Collection. For the most part expansion sets alternated release between Marvel-based sets and DC Comics based sets with new sets every three to six months. All sets are interchangeable and compatible with each other and share the same card back. This allows players to mix characters fighting against or with each other.
Card art, characters, and gameplay concepts are inspired by their comic book appearances with the designers using what they describe as "top-down design", meaning they make every attempt to develop a character's card mechanics in keeping with how the character is represented in comic books.
Well known artists that have contributed card art include Alex Ross, John Van Fleet, Alex Garner, Jim Lee, Rachel Dodson, and Bill Sienkiewicz.
Gameplay.
The Vs. System attempts to emulate epic superhero battles. Each player starts the game with 50 "endurance points". If a player has zero or negative endurance at the end of the Recovery Phase, he or she is knocked out of the game. The Vs. System Comprehensive Rules has an in-depth explanation of every aspect of the game and is official for use in tournament judging.
Types of cards.
There are four types of cards in the Vs. System, with color-coded frames: "Character" (usually red, but black for "concealed" characters), "Equipment" (gray), "Location" (green), and "Plot Twist" (blue). All four types of cards share a common layout.
After the player with the initiative completes their steps within the Build Phase, each other player completes theirs in turn. Once each player finishes, the Build Phase ends and the Combat Phase begins.
Card sets.
All cards are marked in the lower left with an expansion code or set code, a three-letter code identifying the set in which the card was published. The first letter of the set code indicates the setting (D for DC Comics and M for Marvel Comics), except for the Essential Collection set, which starts with the letter E.
Most Vs. System cards are released in expansion sets, of which there were a total of 18. The first 14 expansion sets all had either 165 or 220 cards, but starting with "Marvel Legends", which had 273 cards, the size of expansion sets grew larger, peaking at 330 cards of the "Marvel Universe" set. "Marvel Legends" also debuted a card face layout redesign.
The game was also periodically supplemented by the release of starter deck sets, of which there were a total of 6. The starter deck sets each contained two playable 40 card mini-decks. They pitted two teams against each other, typically a "hero" team versus a "villain" team. The first 3 ("X-Men vs. the Brotherhood", "Spider-Man vs. Doc Ock", and "Batman vs. the Joker") drew all their cards from other expansion sets. However, the last 3 ("Batman", "Fantastic Four", and "X-Men") contained new cards not in expansions sets. Each of the last 3 starter sets also were published to coincide with an associated film also released that year ("Batman Begins", "Fantastic Four", and "", respectively). UDE had originally planned to release a 7th starter set, for Superman (to coincide with the 2006 "Superman Returns" movie), but that set ended up being cancelled and never released.
Additionally, UDE planned an Essential Collections line geared towards introducing characters from outside the Marvel and DC Universes. However, only one such set ever ended up being released, the "Hellboy Essential Collection". It contained two pre-constructed 60-card decks, a comprehensive rule book, and a number of other extras. Like the starter decks, the Hellboy Essential Collection is tournament-legal.
UDE also planned a Giant-Size line. However, the only set ever published in the line was "The Coming of Galactus", a set geared toward multiplayer play in which multiple players would be pitted against a single powerful player taking on the role of Galactus. All cards in the set were legal for tournament play, with the exception of an oversized Galactus card and "Planet" cards.
Finally, there were exclusive sets, consisting of promotional cards associated with a particular expansion set released through venues such as conventions and tournaments. The exclusives sets are listed here rather than in the table below. The 5 exclusive sets (with set codes in parentheses) were:
The following table lists all non-exclusive sets in chronological order of release:
Organized Play.
In tournament play, there are three common formats:
Upper Deck Entertainment planned the year-round professional $1 million Organized Play Pro Circuit prior to the release of the game.
Notable players in UDE Organized Play.
The following is a listing of players who have won more than one 10K event or have won a Pro Circuit event.
Banned list.
As with most TCGs, the ever-increasing card pool leads to more and more combinations and possibilities. While this is generally considered to be a positive factor, sometimes these combinations bring a degeneracy that is unhealthy for tournament play and the long term health of the game. When this occurs, organized play intervenes and the offending cards are usually banned. The first card to be banned was "Overload" banned because of its synergy with various attackpumps. Used in tandem, players were able to stun their opponent's board at minimal cost. UDE later released a fixed—playable but unremarkable—version of the card called System Failure, released in MAV.
Unlike most CCGs which have banned lists unique to various formats, UDE has chosen to have one universal all-encompassing banned list.
Video game.
A video game based on the Vs. System was released on February 27, 2007 for the PC, PSP and Nintendo DS. It was developed by Vicious Cycle Software and published by Konami. The game has been named as the "Marvel Trading Card game" and only includes cards from "Marvel Origins" and Marvel-based expansions up to the Avengers set.
Awards.
In 2004, Vs. System won the "Gamers' Choice Award" and was also nominated for "Best Collectible Card Game or Expansion" both from Origins Awards. In 2005 it received the "Game of the Year" award from InQuest Gamer.
References.
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