I have this recurring dream. I’m back in high school and there’s a test to take in my worst subject, but that doesn’t phase me. I walk into school with swag in my step. My friends look to me with envy wishing they had my confidence. I studied for days. I’m more than ready for anything teach can throw at me. The teacher hands out the test, I reach over to grab my pencil and… it’s not there. I look around to my classmates, but I can’t speak. I look down at the test and I know all the answers. And then… the teacher says pencils down. He walks over to my blank sheet of paper, shoots an icy cold stare with a red gleaming sparkle into my eyes… then Prof. Norono says, better luck at Gen Con!

Ok, so that’s not really a dream I have. 😂However, I’m sure Mirio players felt a bit like that on Saturday. Mirio players were RAVAGING the land these past few weeks. If you have an LGS scene near you, I’m sure you’ve heard this story. Player picks up the Mirio starter deck, changes maybe 5 cards or less, and goes undefeated! I played the straight starter list at a locals just because I was between lists and gave everyone absolute fits! Mirio is a GREAT character. His offense and defense are undeniable and his support is plentiful. Players on the Good symbol woke up Saturday with Golden Toga’s on their minds. So, what happened?

It’s easy to just say “Welp, Jose happened!” But that’s not the full story is it? Mirio played well in Swiss with 17% of the making Top cuts (5 out of 29). But they went 1-4 in Top 16, with the lone survivor making it to Top 4. All in all, that’s not a bad showing! It’s underwhelming to be honest, but it’s a hell of a splash for a Starter Deck Character. I’m calling for the deck to go into a defensive transformation in the coming events.

In the matches I watched, Mirio seemed to struggle against characters that can wall up, hold enough blocks in hand to neutralize Mirio’s ability to choose his zone, and respond with enough gas to overcome Mirio’s on-face block. These are characters like Eraser Head I (Void), Nejire, Nomu, and All Might III. Notice that the Top 16 lists all commit half of their Foundatiosn to defense, with cards like Specialist of Sound, High Value Target, Self Sacrifice, It Can’t Be Fixed/Keeping Eri Safe, You’re so Obvious, Cheerleader, and Male Bonding. Mirio’s a character that is going to put enough offense out there just on his face. Just give him time to get there (u kno, by not dying) and he could see Eraser on that run back in that next event. Good Luck in your builds and games and until next time, I’ll see you on the tables!