Today’s article is brought to you by co-founders of Super Awesome Games and co-designers of Vs. System® 2PCG®, Ben Cichoski and Danny Mandel.

Hi everyone,

Today we’re going to go over a rules update and the reasoning behind it. The central question is, which main characters do you have to bring with your deck and which are optional?

For example, let’s say your main character is Wolverine. The very first Vs. System 2PCG set (The Marvel Battles) included a Level 1 and Level 2 Wolverine. Later the Legacy expansion added an alternate Level 2 Wolverine which levels up into a Level 3 version.

So which of these cards do you need to bring to a game?

You definitely need the Level 1 version, and it will start in play.

But do you have to bring both Level 2s and the Level 3 version?

Can you just bring the old Level 2?

Can you just bring the new level 2 and Level 3?

Previously the rule was you could bring whichever ones you wanted. The reasoning was that we wanted to make the options as easy on players as possible. For example, we didn’t want to require a player who owned the Marvel Battles to be forced to buy the Legacy expansion in order to play as Wolverine.

However, since then we have designed some weirder main characters (such as Odin) who would benefit if they didn’t have to bring all their levels. As a result, we’re revising the rules. Here are the new rules:

If your starting Level 1 main character can level up, you must have at least one Level 2 version it can level up into in your Level-Up zone at the start of the game. And if that Level 2 version can level up, you must bring a Level 3 version it can level up into. And so on.

For example, if your Level 1 Wolverine can level up, you must bring at least one of his Level 2s. And if his Level 2(s) can level up, you must bring at least one of his level 3s.

Note: If you have two or more starting Level 1 main characters, the above rule applies to each of them.

If your starting Level 1 main character(s) or any of the main characters you’re required to have in your Level-Up zone (see 1. above) reference becoming, transforming, or otherwise replacing themselves with a specific other main character, you must have the other character(s) there as well.

Some examples of this (with their expansion in parentheses):

Bruce Banner transforming into Hulk ( The MCU Battles )

) Angel transforming into Archangel ( Resistance

Emma Frost leveling up into her H.A.M.M.E.R. or Resistance Level 2 – You must have both Level 2s in your Level-Up zone. ( The Utopia Battles )

) Spider-Man (black costume) becoming his Level 2 version ( Spider-Friends )

) Sister Ripley dying and being replaced by Ripley #8 ( The Alien Battles )

) Angel / Angelus transforming into each other ( The Buffy Battles ) And yes, we made an Angel in two different products that both transform – but there’s no relation.

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The bottom line is that your main character’s leveling up, transforming etc. should be intuitive – if it can level up or transform into someone, you need to bring the card(s) it can level up or transform into.