Apologies to contest entrants who were waiting patiently for their Wednesday evening scoring update. But last night belonged to Matt Cain.

Week 11 is a big deal for our Avengers vs. X-Men contest. Prior to creating the ballots, we had knowledge of the six expected fights taking place in the Vs. tie-in series. The first three issues, two bouts apiece. The other nine match-ups were created based on previewed covers and advertisements. Three of those “anticipated” bouts have become a reality: Captain America vs. Cyclops; Red Hulk vs. Colossus; and She-Hulk vs. Rogue. The other six, however, may never become viable scoring opportunities.

In other words, from here on out, all eyes on those game-changing plot twist points. And keep your fingers crossed for that Rogue/Ms. Marvel showdown. Feels like it has to happen…

Week 11

• AvX: Vs. 3
• X-Men Legacy 268
• Avengers 27

Legacy 268 is the closest we’ll ever get (I hope) to a Frenzy solo book. Other crossover comics have tangential connections to the main storyline, but, unlike this trip to imaginary Narobia, Africa, where warlords have been subjugating women and handing guns to children for decades, those crossovers have been decent. Pass.

Avengers 27, for example, continues the exploits of Protector as he betrays his fellow Avengers for the glory of the Kree Empire, turning over that little chunk of bottled Phoenix power to the Big Green Head. I’ve always been a fan of Noh-Varr, the cockroach kid, as he’s one of the few Grant Morrison creations just weird enough, and just awesome enough, to worm itself into legitimate continuity. So here’s hoping Bendis and Simonson can keep him interesting and relevant long enough to support my dark horse MVP prediction from a few months back.

Finally, and most importantly, Vs. 3 gives us the two scoring chances we were all looking forward to this week. This all-Russian, all-Blue Moon issue might be the silliest of the already literacy-optional series. In fact, the dialogue is so pointless that it didn’t even faze me that half of it was written in Cyrillic. Thing and Colossus punch a lot, and the Big Russkie reflects dramatically on the demon inside him. Decision: Colossus. In the second half of the double-feature, Peter’s little sister gets a chance to reflect on the demons around her. And Black Widow shoots them. Remember that scene in the Avengers movie where ScarJo is popping caps in alien ass, prompting all the uninitiated theater-goers in your vicinity to wonder audibly about whether or not she has any powers? It’s like that, but with limbo monsters, and a fat soulsword through her back. Because Russians fight dirty. Decision: Magik.

Leaders through Week 11:

• Carly W. 34 pts
• Ricky V. 31 pts
• Chris B. 31 pts
• Devin T. 30 pts
• Josh D. 29 pts
• Maricus C. 28 pts
• Patrick O. 27 pts
• Gus P. 26 pts
• J.R. W. 26 pts
• Tyler 24 pts

This week’s thumbs-up goes to the contest leader: Carly W. has called every one-on-one bout correctly thus far, and with only six left on the ballot (none of which are guaranteed match-ups), her perfect batting average might be assured. Of course, if it comes down to the tiebreaker, she’s screwed. Doesn’t look like we’re getting anywhere near 150 SNIKTs…

SNIKT Counter: 10