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9/18/2011

Top Tables Update: Round 3

Table 1: Nicholas Arena (Gladiator Beasts) vs. Jonathan Weigle (Agents)
Table 2: Stefanos Kalopodis (Zombies) vs. Andrew Tenjum (Agents)
Table 3: Shaun Dass (Agents) vs. Ash Slaughter (Agents)
Table 4: Donny Dingwell (Tech Genus) vs. Harry Peters (Plants)
Table 5: Anders Behring (Malefic) vs. Montejo Eduardo (Elemental Hero Beat)
Table 6: Edward Rodriguez (Tech Genus) vs. Justin Wildrick (Gladiator Beasts)
Table 7: PJ Partridge (Elemental Hero Beat) vs. Michael Steinman (Agents)
Table 8: Louis Hong (Agents) vs. Sean Tohidi (Gravekeepers)

9/15/2011

Round 2 Feature Match: Harry Peters vs. Talha Khan

Table 2
Harry Peters (Tengu Tour Plant) vs. Talha Khan (Diva Hero) 

With the recent banlist, Plants have generally been regarded as an inferior deck due to the weakening of all its explosive plays. Harry Peters sets out to prove critics wrong, wielding his very own Plant deck modeled after Plant decks of old. However, will the banlist modifications on Debris Dragon, Lonefire Blossom, Pot of Avarice, Formula Synchron, T.G. Hyper Librarian and Harry Peters by Konami be too hard to overcome? Playing him is Taiha Khan, who is playing a Elemental HERO based deck, with Deep Sea Diva incorporated for access to Elemental HERO Absolute Zero. With the inclusion of Lost Blue Breaker from the most recent Generation Force booster, will Khan be able to win vs. the vanguard of Plants?

Game 1
Harry Peters going first

Peters wins the Rock Paper Scissors game and starts.
He begins with a simple T-Set on his side, setting a monster and a spell/trap.

Khan mirrors Peters' move and sets his own monsters and spell/trap.

Peters plays Mystical Space Typhoon from his hand, destroying Khan's set Bottomless Trap Hole. Peters then tributes his set Sangan for Caius the Shadow Monarch  and targets Khan's set monster. It is banished, and revealed to be another Sangan, dealing 1000 damage to Khan due to Caius' effect. Sangan's effect then resolves, and Peters adds Effect Veiler to his hand. Caius then attacks, dealing 2400 damage to Khan. Peters then solidifies his defenses, setting another backrow and ending.

Peters: 8000
Khan: 5600

Khan seems to have no answers for his opponent's push, and turtles up instead, setting a monster and backrow.

Peters continues to press, summoning Reborn Tengu! Tengu attacks the face down monster, revealing and destroying Plaguespreader Zombie. Caius then attacks Khan for 2400 Life Points, and Peters ends.

CaiustheShadowMonarchTU03-EN-UtR-UE.jpg
Caius gives Peters the early advantage in Game 1!

Peters: 8000
Khan: 3200

Khan draws to four, and seems to have found an answer! He summons Elemental HERO Neos Alius and attacks Reborn Tengu, forcing another Tengu from the deck and dealing 200 damage. However, that seems to be all as he ends after.

Peters: 7800
Khan: 3200

Peters is ready to explode. He normal summons Lonefire Blossom and tributes it for Spore. He tunes Reborn Tengu and Spore for T.G. Hyper Librarian, but Khan has the Bottomless Trap Hole! But another Reborn Tengu is still summoned, and all Peters has to do is banish Lonefire Blossom for Spore and tune for Scrap Dragon for Khan to scoop to Peters' field of Caius and Scrap Dragon!

Game 2
Harry Peters leading 1-0
Talha Khan going first

Khan starts Game 2, hoping to reverse his luck. He opens with Elemental HERO Stratos, but Peters promptly chains Effect Veiler, negating Stratos' effect. Khan then plays Pot of Duality, revealing Allure of Darkness and two Elemental HERO Neos Alius' from the top of his deck. He keeps one of the Elemental HERO Neos Alius', and ends his turn.

Peters just summons Reborn Tengu and sets a backrow and ends his turn.

Khan is through with being a doormat to Peters! He summons Deep Sea Diva and activates its effect, to special summon Lost Blue Breaker. He tributes Lost Blue Breaker to “break” his opponent's set spell/trap, destroying Call of the Haunted. He then plays Mind Control, taking Tengu, and then overlaying Stratos and Reborn tengu for Number 39: Utopia!. He then attacks with both Deep Sea Diva and Utopia for 2700 damage together.

Number39UtopiaYS11-EN-UR-UE.jpg
Lost Blue Breaker frees the way for Khan to set up Number 39: Utopia, giving him a good shot at evening up the match!

Peters: 5300
Khan: 8000

Peters, now on the other side of a rally, sets a monster and two backrows and ends.

Khan, seeing a vulnerability, attempts to press his luck by summoning Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer. Peters promptly responds with Torrential Tribute! Clearing the field of Khan's Diva, Kycoo, and Utopia, while Peters only loses his Glow-Up Bulb. Khan isn't done however, and plays Miracle Fusion, banishing Stratos and Utopia for Elemental HERO The Shining. The Shining attacks with its boosted 2900 attack and Khan sets a backrow to round out his turn. However, Peters uses Mystical Space Typhoon in the End Phase to destroy his recently set, Torrential Tribute.

Peters: 2400
Khan: 8000

Peters begins his turn with a mill, activating Glow-Up Bulb's effect. He mills Enemy Controller, then uses the Bulb as tribute fodder, summoning Caius the Shadow Monarch and targeting The Shining for banishment. Khan chains Bottomless Trap Hole, banishing Caius, but still loses The Shining. Peters ends with that, having his moves stifled.

Khan just draws and passes for his turn.

Peters summons Sangan and pokes for damage, dropping Khan 1000 Life Points.

Peters: 2400
Khan: 7000.

Khan draws and passes again.

It is now time for Peters' counterattack. He normal summons Lonefire Blossom, and tributes it off for Spore. Spore and Sangan are tuned into Armory Arm, and he searches D.D. Crow with Sangan's effect. He banishes Lonefire Blosson for Spore's effect, and once Spore hits the field as a level 4 tuner, he tunes Armory Arm and Spore for Stardust Dragon! He attacks for 2500 and ends.

Peters: 2400
Khan: 4500

Khan finally gets a blocker and sets a monster to the field, but that seems to be all.

Peters attacks the set monster next turn with Stardust Dragon, and it is revealed to be Sangan. Khan searches out Destiny HERO - Malicious, and Peters sets a backrow to end.

Khan starts his turn with Destiny Draw! He discard Malicious to draw two, and he then special summons Malicious in defense mode from his deck by banishing the first in his graveyard. Khan summons Deep Sea Diva, activating its effect to special summon another Diva in defense position. He synchros for another Stardust Dragon with the Attack Position Diva and Destiny Hero – Malicious. Khan then plays Miracle Fusion, but Peters responds with D.D. Crow to remove Khan's only Destiny HERO, leaving Miracle Fusion to resolve without effect. Stardust Dragon attacks the other Stardust Dragon, but Peters responds with Enemy Controller, turning the opposing Stardust Dragon to defense. Khan, after those counters, has no choice but to pass.

Peters, on his turn, just attacks over the Stardust Dragon in defense mode and sets a backrow to end.

Khan summons Destiny HERO – Diamond Dude and activates its effect. It is revealed to be Destiny HERO – Doom Lord which goes to the bottom of the deck. Khan then tunes the defense position Diva with Diamond Dude to special summon Brioanc, Dragon of Ice Barrier. He activates its effect to discard an Effect Veiler to return Stardust Dragon to the Extra Deck. Khan just declares an attack with Brionac. However Peters responds with a  Call in the Haunted, forcing a replay. Peters special summons Sangan, which Brionac attacks over for 1300 damage to Peters. Peters uses the Sangan search to search Tour Guide from the Underworld. Khan passes with no further moves.

Peters: 1100
Khan: 4500

However, Peters is ready to win! He normal summons Tour Guide from the Underworld, then special summons another Tour Guide from the Underworld in defense mode. He overlays them for Number 17: Leviathan Dragon, which detaches one Tour Guide from the Underworld to boost Leviathan Dragon over Brionac. He attacks Brionac for 200 damage, and in Main Phase 2, he plays Foolish Burials a Dandylion for two Fluff Tokens. He ends after.

Peters: 1100
Khan: 4300

Khan is left with no moves, just passing.

Peters then tributes both tokens for Gorz the Emissary of Darkness, and attacks with both Gorz and Leviathan Dragon to win the match!

Written by: Jimmy Cheung

9/14/2011

Round 2 Feature Match: Eduardo Montejo vs. Nicholas K.

Table 4
Eduardo Montejo (Elemental HERO Beat) vs. Nicholas K. (Gladiator Beast)

Eduardo Montejo is here today piloting one of the few Elemental HERO decks in the field, while Nicholas K is using the surprisingly popular A Hero Lives Gladiator Beast Deck. Both competitors won their Round 1 matches so I decided to give these 2 decks a feature. Let's see how it turns out!

Game 1
Eduardo Montejo going first

Montejo opens with E - Emergency Call, searching out Elemental HERO Stratos. He summons Stratos, who searches out Elemental HERO Neos Alius. He then activates Pot of Duality, revealing Monster Reborn, Gorz the Emissary of Darkness, and Hero Blast; he keeps Gorz then sets 1 card to his backrow and ends.

K activates Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy Montejo's set Solemn Warning, then sets a card to each zone and ends.

Montejo activates a Mystical Space Typhoon of his own, destroying a set Mirror Force. He then normal summons Neos Alius and attacks over a set Gladiator Beast Secutor. Stratos connects directly for 1800 next and Montejo ends with no further plays.

Montejo: 8000
K: 6200

K normal summons Elemental HERO Prisma, revealing Gladiator Beast Gyzarus to send Gladiator Beast Bestari from his deck to the graveyard. He then sets 1 card to his backrow and ends.

Montejo has another Mystical Space Typhoon in hand, and uses it destroy the set Solemn Warning. He then attacks over Prisma with Neos Alius and Stratos attacks directly for 1800. Montejo ends.

Montejo: 8000
K: 4200

K sets 2 cards to backrow next turn and ends.

Montejo attacks with both monsters next turn, the ends.

Montejo: 8000
K: 500

K sets a monster and 1 backrow then ends.

Montejo normal summons Effect Veiler, then tunes it with Stratos for Ally of Justice Catastor; K chains Bottomless Trap Hole to banish Catastor. Montejo follows up with Monster Reborn for Stratos, using the effect to destroy K's set Solemn Judgment. Next he activates Miracle Fusion, banishing Stratos and Effect Veiler for Elemental HERO The Shining but K has a Torrential Tribute to clear the field; Montejo gets back his banished Stratos with the effect of The Shining. Montejo then sets 1 card to his backrow and ends.

ElementalHEROTheShiningYG06-EN-UR-LE.jpg
The Shining goes down to Torrential Tribute but lets Montejo get an Elemental HERO Stratos back to his hand!

K summons Gladiator Beast Murmillo next turn, but when it attacks Montejo flips Hero Blast and K scoops!


Game 2
Eduardo Montejo leading 1-0
Nicholas K going first

K opens with Gladiator Beast Laquari, then sets 4 cards to his backrow and ends.

Montejo summons Thunder King Rai-Oh but K uses Solemn Warning to negate the summon. Montejo passes with no further plays.

Montejo: 8000
K: 6000

K activates Monster Reborn for Thunder King Rai-Oh in attack, then attacks directly with only Laquari. He then sets 1 more card to his backrow and ends.

Montejo: 6200
K: 6000

Montejo passes with no plays next turn.

K attacks with only Laquari again and ends.

K: 6000
Montejo: 4400

Montejo activates Heavy Storm next turn K uses Starlight Road to negate it and Special Summon a Stardust Dragon. Montejo ends with no further plays.

StardustDragonTU06-EN-R-UE.jpg
Starlight Road on Montejo's Heavy Storm turns this game into a laugher and allows K to bring out the dreaded Stardust Dragon!

K summons Gladiator Beast Equeste next. He attacks with Laquari, then Equeste and Montejo scoops!


Game 3
Match tied 1-1
Eduardo Montejo going first

Montejo opens with Pot of Duality, revealing Hero Blast, Miracle Fusion, and Honest; he keeps Miracle Fusion. He then summons Thunder King Rai-Oh and ends.

K summons Gladiator Beast Retairi, then special summons Test Tiger. He uses priority to tribute Tiger and trade Retiari for Gladiator Beast Murmillo but Montejo discards an Effect Veiler to negate Murmillo. K summons another Test Tiger, tributing it off to resummon Murmillo but Montejo discards a second Effect Veiler to negate Murmillo! K sets one card to his backrow and ends.


EffectVeilerDP10-EN-R-1E.png
Double Effect Veiler allows Montejo to take control of Game 3!
Montejo attacks over Murmillo for 1100 next turn with Rai-Oh, then sets 1 card to his backrow and ends.

Montejo: 8000
K: 6900

K sets one card to his backrow and ends.

Montejo attacks directly with Rai-Oh then ends.

Montejo: 8000
K: 5000

K passes with no plays.

Montejo again just attacks with Rai-Oh and ends.

Montejo: 8000
K: 3100

K summons Elemental HERO Prisma, revealing Gladiator Beast Gyzarus to send Gladiator Beast Bestiari from his deck to the graveyard. K passes with no further plays.

Montejo attacks over Prisma with Rai-Oh, then sets 1 more card to his backrow and ends.

Montejo: 8000
K: 2900

K summons Gladiator Beast Darius, then sets 1 card to his backrow and ends. Montejo activates Mystical Space Typhoon on the new set in the End Phase, destroying a set Gladiator Beast War Chariot.

Montejo summons Elemental HERO Neos Alius, but K uses Torrential Tribute to destroy both Montejo's monsters. Montejo then activates Miracle Fusion, banishing Effect Veiler and Elemental HERO Neos Alius for Elemental HERO The Shining but K chains Bottomless Trap Hole to banish The Shining. Montejo follows up with Monster Reborn on Thunder King Rai-Oh, who attacks for 1900. Montejo ends.

Montejo: 8000
K: 1000

K activates Heavy Storm next turn, then sets a card to each zone and ends.

Montejo sets 1 card to his backrow and passes.

K draws, then sets another monster. He reveals both set monsters, Retiari and Laquari to contact Fusion summon Gladiator Beast Essedarii; Montejo tributes Rai-Oh to negate the summon and K passes.

Montejo summons Elemental HERO Stratos next turn and K scoops!

9/13/2011

Round 2 Feature Match: Andrew Tenjum vs. Brady Olekviak

Table 8
Andrew Tenjum (Fairy Agent) vs. Brady Olekviak (Relinquished Piper)

Both these players made Top 4 at the previous Grand Prix Championship. Olekviak got the best of Tenjum then as he won and moved on to the Finals but Tenjum is a man on a mission, and now is his time to exact some revenge on the infamous Olekviak.

Tenjum is packing a Fairy Agent deck with Tour Guide From the Underworld and Tragoedia, but Olekviak has a very unique deck. He is using Tour Guide alongside Djinn the Releaser of Rituals to combo with Relinquished and the Mystic Piper engine. A bold deck choice, but is it strong enough to take Olekviak back to the Top 8? Let's find out!


Game 1
Brady Olekviak going first

Olekviak opens with Tour Guide From the Underworld, summoning Sangan to the field in defense. Olekvian ends with no further plays.

Tenjum opens with Tour Guide From the Underworld, activating the effect but Olekviak discards Effect Veiler to negate it. Tenjum then slams his Tour Guide into Olekviak's to destroy both and passes.

Olekviak turns Sangan to attack and hits directly for 1000; Tenjum summons Tragoedia after the attack in defense. Olekviak moves to his Main Phase 2 and banishes Tour Guide and Effect Veiler from his graveyard to special summon Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning. He activates Soldier's effect but Tenjum discards Master Hyperion and Herald of Orange Light to negate the effect and destroy it. Olekviak then activates Creature Swap to trade Sangan for Tragoedia and ends.



TragoediaJUMP-EN-UR-LE.png
Tenjum's Tragoedia baits Olekviak into making very awkward plays to get around it, giving him the edge in Game !

Olekviak: 8000
Tenjum: 7000

Tenjum spends some time thinking out his next turn, then eventually decides to use Monster Reborn to special summons Olekviak's Black Luster Soldier. Soldier attacks over the defense Tragoedia and then directly for 3000, then Sangan attacks for 1000. Tenjum then sets 1 card to his backrow and ends.

Tenjum: 7000
Olekviak: 4000

Olekviak activates Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy Tenjum's Solemn Judgment, then flashes a dead hand and scoops!


Game 2
Andrew Tenjum leading 1-0
Brady Olekviak going first

Olekviak opens with Mystic Piper, tributing it to draw a Creature Swap. Olekviak then passes.

Tenjum opens with Tour Guide From the Underworld, bringing out Sangan in defense. He then sets 1 card to his backrow and ends.

Olekviak summons Tour Guide from the Underworld, bringing out his own Sangan in attack. Sangan attacks into Tenjum's Tour Guide and Olekviak searches out another Tour Guide with the effect of Sangan. Olekviak moves to his Main Phase 2 and banishes Mystic Piper and Sangan from his graveyard for Chaos Sorcerer, using priority to banish Tenjum's Sangan; Tenjum chains Bottomless Trap Hole to banish the Chaos Sorcerer. Olekviak ends with no further plays.

Tenjum passes next turn.

Olekviak summons Tour Guide Next turn, summoning Djinn Releaser of Rituals to the field. He then overlays both monsters to Xyz summon Leviair the Sea Dragon, detaching a monster to activate the effect but Tenjum discards Mystical Shine Ball and Herald of Orange Light to crush Leviair's dreams. Olekviak attacks with his remaining Tour Guide for 1000 and Tenjum drops Gorz the Emissary of Darkness and a 1000 attack Emissary of Darkness token. Olekviak ends.

Olekviak: 8000
Tenjum: 7000

Tenjum summons The Agent of Mystery - Earth, activating the effect but Olekviak discards Effect Veiler to negate the effect. Tenjum then switches all his monsters to attack and attacks over Tour Guide with Gorz for 1700, then directly for 2000. Tenjum ends.

Tenjum: 7000
Olekviak: 4300

Olekviak activates Smashing Ground next turn to destroy Gorz, then summons Kinka-byo, using the effect to special summon Effect Veiler in attack. He then activates Leeching the Light! Kinka-byo runs over AoM - Earth for 400 and Effect Veiler slams into the Emissary of Darkness token. Olekviak enters his End Phase, returns Kinka-byo to his hand and ends.

LeechingtheLightTSHD-EN-C-1E.png
Olekviak's Side Tech helps him recover from Gorz in Game 2!

Tenjum: 6600
Olekviak: 4300

Tenjum banishes AoM - Earth from his graveyard to special summon Master Hyperion, then ends.

Olekviak summons Kinka-byo, summoning Effect Veiler in defense. He then uses Creature Swap to trade Kinka-byo for Master Hyperion, and ends his turn by taking back Kinka-byo.

Note: Effect Veiler remained on the field here when it shouldn't have, although neither player seemed to notice.

Tenjum sets a card to his backrow and ends.

Olekviak tributes the Effect Veiler that shouldn't be on the field for Caius the Shadow Monarch but Tenjum activates Solemn Judgment, giving up 3300 to negate the summon. Olekviak then attacks directly with Hyperion, sets a monster and ends.

Note: Olekviak normal summoned twice during this turn, but again neither player seemed to notice. If you are a player, play slower and write down what happens if it will help you remember the chain of events. If you watch a tournament match and see things like this happen, please tell both players immediately. We do not want things like this to ever happen but when nobody speaks up there is nothing we can do after the match.

Olekviak: 4300
Tenjum: 600

Tenjum summons AoM - Earth, adding AoC - Venus to his hand then banishes Earth to special summon Master Hyperion. Tenjum banishes a LIGHT Fairy from his graveyard to destroy Olekviak's Master Hyperion, then attacks over a set Glow-Up Bulb with Hyperion before ending.

Olekviak summons Kinka-byo, who summons Glow-Up Bulb to the field. He then tunes both monsters to Synchro summon Formula Synchron, drawing 1 card. Next Olekviak banishes Tour Guide and Effect Veiler for Chaos Sorcerer, using priority to banish Master Hyperion. Olekviak tunes Formula Synchron with Chaos Sorcerer for Stardust Dragon, then declares an attack with Stardust Dragon; Tenjum activates Mirror Force and Olekviak tributes Stardust Dragon to negate it. Olekviak ends his turn by bringing Stardust back to the field.

Tenjum draws and scoops!


Game 3
Matched tied 1-1
Andrew Tenjum going first

Tenjum opens with The Agent of Creation - Venus, paying 1500 Life Points to special summon 3 Mystical Shine Balls in defense. He then overlays 2 of them to Xyz summon Gachi Gachi Gantetsu in defense and ends.

Olekviak summons Tour Guide, using the effect to summon Djinn Releaser of Rituals to the field. He then overlays both for Number 17: Leviathan Dragon, and detaches Djinn to boost Leviathan by 500. Leviathan declares an attack on AoC - Venus and Tenjum drops Honest in damage calculation to destroy Leviathan; Olekviak takes 2000 damage. Olekviak then spends some time thinking before deciding to end.

HonestSDLS-EN-C-1E.png
Tenjum's Honest backs his strong opener and puts him in great position to win Game 3. Would Olekviak be able to recover in time?

Tenjum: 8000
Olekviak: 6000

Tenjum summons Tour Guide, summoning another Tour Guide to the field alongside it. He then turns Shine Ball to attack and swings with everything, leaving Olekviak at 300. Ternjum ends with 2 Tour Guide, Mystical Shine Ball, AoC Venus, and a defense Gachi Gachi Gantetsu.

Tenjum: 8000
Olekviak: 300

Olekviak summons Mystic Piper, tributes it to draw Kinka-byo and another card. He then activates Dark Hole to clear the field (Gachi remains with 1 Shine Ball), then Olekviak sets a card to his backrow ends.

Tenjum summons Sangan, turns Gantetsu to attack and Olekviak scoops!


http://i762.photobucket.com/albums/xx262/tylar181/fsdaf3.png

 Olekviak finally draws his Relinquished but suffers a dead hand and loses the Match 2-1!

Meta Breakdown

http://i762.photobucket.com/albums/xx262/tylar181/piechart-1.jpg 

52 Players turned in decklists for Madrid. Here are the overall numbers:

15 Agents
8 Plant Variants
7 Gladiator Beasts
3 Chaos Variants
3 Elemental Heroes
3 Gravekeepers
3 T.G.
2 Destiny Hero
2 Dragons
2 Malefics
1 Frog Monarch
1 Gadget
1 Piper
1 Zombie

Plants are a surprising darkhorse pick, gathering a lot of late entries. Most builds are using a core Reborn Tengu, Tour Guide, and Thunder King Rai-Oh to attempt and fight off Agents.

Speaking of Agents, the consensus best deck right now took up over 28% of the field with 15 of the 52 spots. Agents are definitely the favorite here but Gladiator Beasts and Plants both look to sneak in and steal the tournament.

Only time will tell what pulls through but these are the numbers for Madrid. Round 2 Coverage will be up shortly so place your bets now!

9/10/2011

Round 1 Feature Match: Marcus Carisse vs. Daniel Kitsko

Table 32
Marcus Carisse (Gravekeeper) vs. Daniel Kitsko (Blackwing)

This Round 1 feature pits Marcus Carisse vs. Daniel Kitsko. Carisse has decided to enter with a Wonder Wand Gravekeeper deck packing mained Starlight Road, a deck choice that is seeing a surprisingly low amount of play in this tournament. Kitsko is also using a very under the radar deck, Blackwings. Kitsko is packing some Anti-Meta tech with mained copies of Thunder King Rai-Oh and hopes to ride them to victory alongside Icarus Attack. Both these decks are seeing very little usage in this tournament so it would be up to each of these players to prove their choices right. Let's see which player gets 1 step closer to putting their deck back on the map!


Game 1
Marcus Carisse going first

Carisse opens with Pot of Duality, revealing Starlight Road, Gravekeeper's Descendant, and Royal Tribute; he keeps Starlight Road. Carisse then sets a monster and 3 cards to his backrow before ending.


Carisse gets Starlight Road turn 1 off of Pot of Duality, allowing him to protect his backrows from Heavy Storm!

Kitsko summons Thunder King Rai-Oh, then attacks with it into a set Gravekeeper's Spy. Kitsko takes 100 and Spy special summons a Gravekeeper's Descendant from the deck in attack. Kitsko sets 1 card to his backrow and ends.

Carisse: 8000
Kitsko: 7900

Carisse normal summons Gravekeeper's Recruiter, tributing it with priority for Descendant to destroy Rai-Oh; Carisse searches out another Recruiter with the effect. Descendant attacks directly for 1500, then Carisse sets a backrow and ends.

Carisse: 8000
Kitsko: 6400

Kitsko summons Blackwing - Shura the Blue Flame but Carisse pays 2000 to negate the summon with Solemn Warning. Kitsko passes with no further plays.

Kitsko: 6400
Carisse: 6000

Carisse summons another Recruiter, tributing it off with Descendant to destroy Kitsko's set Trap Dutshoot. Carisse searches out Gravekeeper's Commandant with Recruiter, then immediately pitches it to search out Necrovalley and activate it. Carisse turns Spy to attack and swings with Spy for 1700, then Descendant for 2000. After Descendant's attack Kitsko drops Gorz the Emissary of Darkness in attack and an Emissary of Darkness Token in defense. Carisse tributes Spy to destroy Gorz with Descendant, then ends.

GorztheEmissaryofDarknessDLG1-EN-ScR-LE.png
Would an unexpected Gorz be enough to let Kitsko back into the game?

Carisse: 6000
Kitsko: 2700

Kitsko turns his token to attack, then slams it into Descendant to destroy both monsters. Kitsko ends after setting 2 cards to his backrow.

Carisse summons another Recruiter, attacks directly for 1700 then sets a backrow and ends.

Carisse: 6000
Kitsko: 1000

Kitsko activates Dark Hole next turn to destroy Recruiter, allowing Carisse to search out Gravekeeper's Assailant with the effect. Kitsko then sets 2 cards to his backrow before ending.

Carisse summons Assailant next turn but Kitsko activates Solemn Judgment, paying 500 to negate the summon. Carisse passes.

Carisse: 6000
Kitsko: 500

Kitsko draws Pot of Duality and activates it, revealing Blackwing - Bora the Spear, Blackwing - Gale the Whirlwind, and another Pot of Duality; he keeps Bora. Kitsko normal summons Bora but Carisse uses Bottomless Trap Hole to banish it from play. Kitsko passes.

Carisse sets a backrow and ends.

Kitsko sets a backrow and ends.

Carisse sets a fifth card to his backrow and passes.

Kitsko passes, and Carisse passes back.

Finally something interesting happens next turn when Kitsko normal summons Thunder King Rai-Oh, although Carisse gives up 2000 Life Points to negate the summon with Solemn Warning. Kitsko ends.

Carisse: 4000
Kitsko: 500

Carisse normal summons Gravekeeper's Spy and attempts to attack for game but Kitsko uses Book of Moon to turn the Spy face-down. Carisse ends.

Kitsko draws and scoops, revealing 3 set copies of Icarus Attack that were pinned down the entire game by Starlight Road!



 
Kitsko has 3 Icarus Attack but is unable to use any of them because of Carisse's turn 1 Starlight Road!
 

Game 2
Marcus Carisse leading 1-0
Daniel Kitsko going first

Kitsko opens with Pot of Duality, revealing Blackwing - Shura the Blue Flame, Effect Veiler, and Blackwing - Kalut the Moon Shadow; he keeps Kalut. Kitsko then normal summons Blackwing - Shura the Blue Flame, then sets 1 card to his backrow and ends.

Carisse draws and Kitsko flips Trap Dustshoot, getting a nice look at Carisse's hand before sending Gravekeeper's Assailant back to the deck. Carisse sets 1 card to his backrow and ends.

TrapDustshootDT04-EN-DNPR-DT.jpg
Kitsko opens with the devastating Trap Dustshoot turn 1. Would his knowledge of Carisse's cards be enough to let him even up the match?

Kitsko swings for 1800 with Shura then ends.

Kitsko: 8000
Carisse: 6200

Carisse sets a monster then 1 card to his backrow and ends.

Kitsko activates Allure of Darkness next turn, drawing 2 cards then banishing a Blackwing - Shura the Blue Flame from hand. Kitsko sets 1 card to his backrow and ends.

Carisse activates Pot of Duality next turn, revealing Gravekeeper's Stele, Pot of Duality, and Heavy Storm; he keeps the Duality then ends his turn.

Kitsko activates a Pot of Duality of his own, revealing Thunder King Rai-Oh, Black Whirlwind, and Blackwing - Blizzard the Far North; he keeps Rai-Oh. Kitsko then activates Icarus Attack, tributing his Shura to destroy Carisse's set Gravekeeper's Spy and Bottomless Trap Hole. Thunder King Rai-Oh is summoned next, and it attacks into a Mirror Force. Kitsko ends with no further plays.

Carisse activates Pot of Duality, revealing Mystical Space Typhoon, Necrovalley, and Gravekeeper's Descendant; he keeps Descendant and summons it. Descendant hits direct for 1500, then Carisse moves to his Main Phase 2 and equips Descendant with Wonder Wand. Carisse sends Wand and Descendant to the graveyard to draw 2 cards, then sets 1 card to his backrow and ends.

WonderWandGENF-EN-UR-1E.jpg
Wonder Wand makes an appearance in Game 2, allowing Carisse to tribute off his Descendant for 2 new cards!

Kitsko: 6500
Carisse: 6200

Kitsko activates Monster Reborn next turn to special summon Thunder King Rai-Oh, but Carisse flips Bottomless Trap Hole to banish it. Kitsko normal summons another Thunder King Rai-Oh, which attacks directly for 1900. Kitsko ends.

Kitsko: 6500
Carisse: 4300

Carisse activates Gravekeeper's Stele next turn, adding Spy and Descendant to his hand. He then sets 1 card to each zone before ending.

Kitsko normal summons Breaker the Magical Warrior, then removes the counter from it to destroy Carisse's set Mystical Space Typhoon. Breaker swings into the set Gravekeeper's Spy and Kitsko takes 400; Carisse special summons another Spy to the field in defense. Kitkso sets 1 card to his backrow and ends.

Kitsko: 6100
Carisse: 4300

Carisse summons Gravekeeper's Descendant next turn, tributing a Spy off with priority to destroy Thunder King Rai-Oh. Kitsko has no response so Carisse tributes the remaining Spy to destroy Kitsko's set Solemn Judgment. Carisse then equips Descendant with Wonder Wand and attacks over Breaker for 400. Carisse ends with Descendant and Wand on the field.

Kitsko: 5700
Carisse: 4300

Kitsko summons Blackwing - Gale the Whirlwind, using the effect to reduce Descendant to 1000 attack. Gale swings over Descendant for 300 and Kitsko ends.

Kitsko: 5700
Carisse: 4000

Carisse discards Gravekeeper's Commandant to add Necrovalley to his hand, then activates Gravekeeper's Stele to return Spy and Commandant to his hand. Carisse activates Necrovalley, then sets a monster and ends.

Kitsko sets 1 card to his backrow and ends.

Carisse normal summons Gravekeeper's Recruiter for 400 next turn, attacking over Gale with it for 400. In his Main Phase 2 Carisse equips Recruiter with Wonder Wand, then sends both to the graveyard to draw 2 cards and add Gravekeeper's Assailant to his hand. Carisse then activates Pot of Duality, revealing Solemn Warning, Torrential Tribute, and Cyber Dragon; he keeps Warning then sets 1 card to his backrow before ending.

Kitsko passes with no plays.

Carisse flip summons Gravekeeper's Spy but Kitsko activates Solemn Warning, paying 2000 to negate the summon. Carisse sets a monster and ends.

Kitsko passes.

Carisse flips another Gravekeeper's Spy but Kitsko discards Effect Veiler to negate the effect. Carisse then normal summons Gravekeeper's Assailant and attacks with both monsters to win the match!

 
Carisse's Gravekeeper deck just wears down Blackwings, and he emerges from Round 1 with a 2-0 victory!

9/08/2011

Round 1 Feature Match: Michael Steinman vs. Jimmy Cheung

Table 4
Michael Steinman (Fairy Agent) vs. Jimmy Cheung (Malefic)

This Round 1 feature match features our defending Grand Prix Champion, Michael Steinman. After dominating with Gravekeepers last tournament Steinman has, like many others, decided Agents are the deck for him today. Will Agents take Steinman to a repeat Championship?

Aiming to put a damper on Steinman's repeat dreams in Round 1 is Jimmy Cheung. Cheung is an unknown at this point but he is armed with a dangerous Anti-Meta Malefic deck that could be very troublesome for Michael Steinman's Agent deck. Let's find out now if his deck can do what its designed for!



Game 1
Michael Steinman going first

Steinman opens the match with Tour Guide From the Underworld, using the effect to special summon Sangan in defense. He then sets 1 card to his backrow and passes.

Cheung opens with Pot of Duality, revealing Starlight Road, Malefic Cyber End Dragon, and Ancient Gear Gadjiltron Dragon; he chooses to keep Starlight Road. Cheung then sets 4 cards to his backrow and passes.
 
Steinman summons another Tour Guide next turn, causing Cheung to pay 1000 and chain Skill Drain, Steinman flips Mystical Space Typhoon on the Skill Drain and Cheung pays 1000 to chain another! Tour Guide's effect is negated but Steinman presses on, turning Sangan to attack and attacking with everything for 3000 before ending.

Steinman: 8000
Cheung: 3000

Cheung plays another Pot of Duality, revealing Ancient Gear Gadjiltron Dragon, Solemn Warning, and Terraforming; he keeps Terraforming and plays it to add Necrovalley to his hand. Cheung activates Necrovalley, sets 1 card to his backrow and ends.

 SanganTU06-EN-UR-UE.jpg 
The fearsome Sangan wins Game 1 for Steinman alongside his dearest Tour Guide From the Underworld.

Steinman attacks with all 3 monsters next turn to win the game!



Game 2
Michael Steinman leading 1-0
Jimmy Cheung going first

Cheung begins the second game by summoning Beast King Barbaros, then activating Geartown face-up. He sets a Field Spell face-down over it, triggering Geartown to special summon an Ancient Gear Gadjiltron Dragon from his deck in attack. Cheung then flips Necrovalley and plays Royal Tribute, forcing Steinman to reveal Gold Sarcophagus while discarding Gorz the Emissary of Darkness, Mystical Shine Ball, The Agent of Mystery - Earth, and Genex Ally Birdman from his hand. Cheung ends with no further plays.

 RoyalTributeDR1-EN-C.jpg 
Cheung's Royal Tribute allows him to make quick work of Steinman in game 2, forcing Steinman to discard 4 of his 5 cards!

Steinman draws and summons Breaker the Magical Warrior, then suicides it into Beast King Barbaros. Steinman then activates Gold Sarcophagus to banish Dark Hole and ends.

Cheung banishes a Cyber End Dragon from his Extra Deck next turn to special summon Malefic Cyber End Dragon, which attacks for 4000. Cheung ends his turn.

Cheung: 8000
Steinman: 4000

Steinman sets a monster and passes.

Cheung attacks over a set The Agent of Creation - Venus with Malefic Cyber End Dragon then ends.

Steinman draws and adds Dark Hole to his hand, immediately playing it to destroy Malefic Cyber End Dragon and Ancient Gear Gadjiltron Dragon. He then sets 1 card to his backrow and ends.

Cheung banishes a Stardust Dragon from his Extra Deck to special summon Malefic Stardust Dragon next turn, then attacks directly for 2500 before ending.

Cheung: 8000
Steinman: 1500

Steinman looks at his next draw and scoops!


Game 3
Match tied 1-1
Michael Steinman going first

Steinman begins the third game with Gold Sarcophagus, banishing Heavy Storm from his deck. He then sets a monster and ends.

Cheung activates Pot of Duality, revealing Smashing Ground and 2 copies of Ancient Gear Gadjiltron Dragon; he keeps Smashing Ground. Cheung then activates Geartown and passes.

Steinman flips Sangan, who attacks directly for 1000. He then activates another Gold Sarcophagus to banish Dark Hole and ends.

 GoldSarcophagusSJCS-EN-UR-LE.png 
Steinman plays 2 Gold Sarcophagus in the first 2 turns, allowing him to search out his power Spell Cards. Would this be enough to make the difference in Game 3?

Steinman: 8000
Cheung: 7000

Cheung summons Thunder King Rai-Oh and attacks with it but Mirror Force protects Steinman's beloved critter. Cheung passes with no further plays.

Steinman draws and adds Heavy Storm to his hand, then attacks directly with Sangan before setting 1 card to his backrow and ending.

Steinman: 8000
Cheung: 6000

Cheung banishes a Cyber End Dragon from his Extra Deck to special summon Malefic Cyber End Dragon next turn. Malefic Cyber End Dragon attacks over Sangan for 3000, allowing Steinman to search out The Agent of Mystery - Earth. Cheung then sets 1 card to his backrow and ends.

Cheung: 6000
Steinman: 5000

Steinman adds Dark Hole to his hand to start his turn. After some thought he decides to Summon AoM - Earth, searching out The Agent of Creation - Venus. He then sets 1 card to his backrow, activates Smashing Ground to destroy Malefic Cyber End Dragon and attacks with AoM - Earth for 1000 before ending.

Cheung: 5000
Steinman: 5000

Cheung activates Trade-In next turn, discarding Malefic Stardust Dragon to draw 2 cards. He then banishes a Cyber End Dragon from his Extra Deck to special summon Malefic Cyber End Dragon, who attacks over AoM - Earth for 3000. Cheung sets 1 card to his backrow and ends.

Cheung: 5000
Steinman: 2000

Steinman activates Heavy Storm from his hand, forcing out Cheung's Dark Bribe; unfortunately for Cheung Steinman chains Solemn Judgment, paying 1000 to force Storm through! Cheung loses Solemn Warning and Geartown while Steinman loses his set Forbidden Lance. Geartown special summons Ancient Gear Gadjiltron Dragon to the field, and Steinman activates Dark Hole to clear it. Steinman then banishes Sangan and AoM - Earth from his graveyard to special summon Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning and then banishes AoC - Venus from his hand for Master Hyperion, and attacks with both monsters to win the match!

 BlackLusterSoldierEnvoyoftheBeginningGLD4-EN-GUR-LE.png 
Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning announces his presence in Round 1, allowing Steinman to wipe Cheung out in 1 turn to win the match!

Jimmy Cheung's Anti-Meta Malefic deck falls just short to Michael Steinman, allowing the defending champion to move on with a 1-0 record!