For fans of trading card games that love superheroes, Upper Deck Entertainment's VS System was a boon. In 2004, the game launched with a set featuring iconic Marvel teams like the X-Men and Brotherhood and was followed quickly by one for DC with groups like Teen Titans and the League of Assassins joining the fray. The artwork was iconic, characters utilized mechanics that flavorfully translated their powers to the game, and fans could finally team up Spider-Man with Batman just because they wanted to. All was good... until the game was canceled in early 2009.

There are several key reasons that the game did not survive. It was tough to compete with the three TCG juggernauts -- Magic: The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game, and Pokemon Trading Card Game -- that all had years of sets, passionate player-bases, and tournaments that pay out big cash prizes; for reasons unknown a couple years in, the license to publish DC cards was lost; and while the game mechanics were designed to improve on the Big Three (it was impossible to get "mana screwed," for example), there were many rules and lots of number-crunching that made a high barrier for new players to enter.Fast-forward to today and we are one week away from the release of VS System 2PCG -- a brand new version of the game redesigned to keep the core feel of the original and gut out the stuff that didn't work. While 2PCG isn't the smoothest of titles, it stands for "2 player card game" and informs the new direction of the game. It's actually been fascinating watching the Upper Deck Blog roll out card sneak peeks and new rules tutorials over the past several weeks, hearing what changes the designers made to the game. There are little things, like how Ranged characters are now more dangerous, and big things, like how life totals are gone and now you control a Main Character -- such as Captain America or Rocket Raccoon -- that fights alongside your supporting characters, uses signature super-powers, and can level-up to become more powerful. The game now ends when you defeat your opponent's Main Character... or yours falls. In general, the game sounds less complicated and more fun. Not a bad trade-off.And if none of that made sense, then worry not because you don't need to know anything about the first version of VS System in order to play the new one. All old VS System cards are obsolete, so everyone who buys the new 2PCG is on equal footing. In that same vein, another important change is the format: it's no longer a Trading Card Game but a "Living Card Game," a term coined by Fantasy Flight Games that means you purchase one box with a complete set of cards. So for VS System 2PCG, $49.99, you will receive four of every card in the game, which will allow you to build your deck with the same resources as everyone else. There's no booster packs, which means no rare cards, so complaints of people "paying to win" are non-existent as far as this game is concerned.To kick off the launch of VS System 2PCG, UDE is hosting a tournament at this weekend's Gen Con Indy with a $10,000 prize pool. There's a catch: UDE has only revealed the rulebook and a handful of cards, so when people show up to play this weekend, they will assemble their decks for the first time and pit them against their opponents in a bid to take home a cash prize. That's one way to test true skill.To learn some background on the return of VS System and the mechanics of the new game, we hopped on the phone with Jason Brenner, Brand Manager at UDE. He also teases what non-comic book property will be getting the VS System treatment next in a future expansion.But before we get to the interview, here are three cards we are excited to debut here for the first time.The first is everyone's favorite time-traveling cybernetic X-Man, Cable. His ATK might seem low, but with Ultimate Soldier he can use his high DEF to take someone out and survive the combat.And we also have Spider-Man's Level 1 and 2 cards. He's an Avenger who gains experience by keeping his supporters alive and then can actively protect them with his Level 2 ability, making a tricky obstacle for your opponent to overcome.Hope that gives those prepping for Gen Con a tiny bit more of an edge for the big 10K this weekend.Keep reading for the full interview.