June 2022 – Ra's Head

Origami Munchkin Cat

I was not familiar with this cat breed at all, but apparently it is a regular cat with extra short legs. Sort of like the corgi of the cat world. I’m not really all about cat breeding myself, since I prefer party cats to pretty cats, but that doesn’t change the goal of the folding to capture the breed’s characteristics.

This model has a simple pose, but we can see the shortened legs easily. The face has some shaping that I am not sure really comes across well, but is trying to get the cheek fur right. It is another cute model that isn’t too hard, although I note that throughout the book there are a number of “fold to shape: no particular reference” which means that you have to practice a bit. I, of course, don’t practice at all, so these are all first takes.

VS Quarterfinals: Green Lantern Corps versus Justice League International

This match up clearly features the longest title possible! More than that, it features one of the main stall style decks in GL against one of the main rush style decks in JLI. It seems likely that if the game is over in 6 rounds or less, then JLI will have one and if the game drags on, then GL will likely take it.

This is the last quarterfinal match up and soon the semi-finals will determine the Marvel and DC champions who will face off in the ultimate final!

Origami American Wirehair

Our next cat is the American Wirehair. The distinguishing features of this cat don’t translate to paper (how its hair looks), but the model is cute and playful. After two pretty stationary and sedate cat models, it is nice to get a more active looking one.

Unlike the first two models, this one can only be looked at from one side. If you look at the back of it, the neck appears absurdly long. That is not uncommon though, and the model stands easily like the others. I like the pose, since it appears to be readying to pounce!

VS Quarterfinals Underworld vs Avengers

Both of these decks have some big plot twist cards that can change a game. Avengers ones are based on having reservist characters and Underworld’s are all about having characters in their discard pile. Both often end up close to losing only to pull out a huge round and win. It should be an exciting match up.

Next week is the last quarterfinal on the DC side, featuring Green Lantern Corps against Justice League International!

Origami Scottish Fold Cat

Next up in our book of Cat Origami by Roman Diaz is the Scottish Fold. This is the type of cat with the funny folded down ears. In reality, they are fairly cute although I don’t really see the point of the distinctive ears. This model, like the other, has dedicated paper and the result is pretty good.

You can see the distinctive ears, and I happen to like the pose and posture of this model. It stands easily, and looks good. This model was not difficult or time consuming to fold and is a good return on investment for a beginning folder. The author, Diaz, does not always give specific reference folds, meaning there are a few times you have to just eye-ball guess how much to fold which can be uncomfortable for beginners. I think overall, the level has been pretty accessible so far.

VS Quarterfinals: Teen Titans vs Revenge Squad

When VS first came out, Teen Titans was one of the strongest decks. It is a combination of lots of efficient characters and easy ways to power them up that make the deck strong. When the Superman expansion came out (Revenge Squad is from there) people noted that it was the weakest expansion. So this is the most heavily favored match up so far. However, there is always some luck of the draw and you have to actually play the games.

Next week, we return to Marvel for Underworld versus the Avengers!

Origami Ragdoll Cat

A friend of mine got me a book of origami cats by Roman Diaz and cat patterned paper so I am going to work through it and see what we get. Each model has a patterned paper which is supposed to duplicate the coloring of the breed of cat. The first model is a Ragdoll Cat with chocolate points. (There are other colored patterns for other coat configurations).

This model can sit upright and displays the wide face of the ragdoll cat breed as well as the distinctive points (that is what the Siamese cat-like coloration is technically called). The model is cute and reads cat well. The instructions were pretty easy to follow although there is some small and not completely clear folds for the face. If you look closely, you can see the cheeks and nose shape is slightly off. With a little practice, that would get better.

VS Quarterfinals: X-Men vs Sinister Syndicate

This is not a very thematic matchup; I don’t know of any significant time when the X-Men went up against any incarnation of the Sinister Six, but that is how the tournament has gone. X-Men have some individually strong drops and have bonuses to team attacks. Sinister Syndicate has strong characters that often have some drawbacks. They also have some unique ways to purchase extra attack power. May the best team win!

Next week we switch to the DC bracket for Teen Titans vs Revenge Squad!