Sean McCabe is playing Lightsworn, while Vincent Ralambomiadana is running French Twilight. This makes for two Lightsworn-based Decks, but two very different strategies, facing off here in the Top 8. The winner of this match will move on to the Top 4, with a 3-in-4 chance at walking away today with a copy of Dark End Dragon. The other Duelist will go no further today.

Ralambomiadana opened the match with a hand of “Allure of Darkness,” “Solar Recharge,” “Charge of the Light Brigade,” “Tragoedia”, “Celestia, Lightsworn Angel,” and “Honest.” He activated Charge, sending “Aurkus, Lightsworn Druid,” “Chaos Sorcerer,” and “Wulf, Lightsworn Beast” to his Graveyard. He searched his Deck for “Garoth, Lightsworn Warrior” and Special Summoned Wulf. He discarded Garoth for Recharge, drew another Celestia and Charge, and sent Wulf and Gardna to the Graveyard! He Summoned his second Wulf – this was already getting pretty nuts. So nuts in fact, that Ralambomiadana just ended his turn there without using the second Charge.

McCabe removed Charge from his Deck with “Gold Sarcophagus,” and Set a monster. Ralambomiadana drew “Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner.” He activated Charge, sending “Monster Reincarnation,” “Allure of Darkness,” and “Plaguespreader Zombie” to his Graveyard to get “Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress.” He Normal Summoned Lumina, discarded Lyla to bring up Aurkus, and cut off the possibility of “Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter.” One Wulf attacked, hit McCabe’s “Necro Gardna,” and then made direct attacks with Lumina, Aurkus, and Wulf. McCabe dropped to 3700 Life Points. Ralambomiadana sent “Heavy Storm,” Lumina, and another “Necro Gardna” to the Graveyard with Lumina’s effect. Aurkus then sent “Dark Armed Dragon” and “Charge of the Light Brigade” to finish out the turn.

McCabe activated Charge, sending “Beckoning Light,” “Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress,” and “Honest” to the Graveyard to get “Garoth, Lightsworn Warrior.” He discarded Garoth for Recharge, drew 2, and sent Celestia and Lumina to the Graveyard from his Deck. That let him Special Summon “Judgment Dragon,” wiping the field with its effect – Ralambomiadana lost his 4 monsters. McCabe Summoned “Honest,” attacked for 1100 damage, and attacked with “Judgment Dragon” – Ralambomiadana removed “Necro Gardna.” McCabe took back his “Honest,” activated “Foolish Burial” to send “Necro Gardna” to his Graveyard, and sent 4 cards to the Graveyard: “Mystical Space Typhoon,” “Blackwing – Gale the Whirlwind,” “Wulf, Lightsworn Beast,” and “Mirror Force.” He Special Summoned Wulf.

Ralambomiadana activated “Allure of Darkness,” drew into “Judgment Dragon,” and removed “Tragoedia” – that Dragon was exactly what he wanted to see. He discarded Celestia for “Solar Recharge,” drew 2, and sent another Recharge plus “Beckoning Light” to his Graveyard. He Special Summoned “Judgment Dragon,” paid 1000 Life Points, and destroyed his opponent’s Dragon and Wulf. Ralambomiadana followed up by Summoning Lyla, attacked with her, lost out to Gardna, and saw his “Judgment Dragon’s” attack blocked by another copy. He had 9 cards left in his Deck and sent 7 of them to his Graveyard in his End Phase: “Gorz the Emissary of Darkness,” Lumina, “Judgment Dragon,” “Jain, Lightsworn Paladin,” “Necro Gardna,” “Tragoedia,” “Honest.” He Set a card in his back row.

McCabe had another “Judgment Dragon”! He Special Summoned it, activated its effect, and Ralambomiadana Chained “Beckoning Light”! He took back 3 cards with Beckoning’s effect: “Judgment Dragon,” Lyla, and “Honest.” McCabe activated “Charge of the Light Brigade,” sending Aurkus, “Honest,” and “Solar Recharge” to his Graveyard to search his Deck for another Aurkus. He Normal Summoned Lumina, discarded Aurkus to Special Summon Garoth, and attacked with Lumina. Ralambomiadana took 1000 damage, removed “Necro Gardna” to block Garoth, and removed another to block “Judgment Dragon.” McCabe Set a card to his Spell & Trap Card Zone, and in his End Phase he sent “Necro Gardna” and Wulf to his Graveyard.

Ralambomiadana had 2 cards left in his Deck, and drew 1. His hand was “Judgment Dragon,” Lyla, and 2 copies of “Honest.” McCabe had 1700 Life points left and only had one “Necro Gardna” remaining in his Graveyard.

Ralambomiadana Special Summoned “Judgment Dragon,” didn’t use its effect, and Normal Summoned Lyla. He sent “Judgment Dragon” at his opponent’s Dragon, McCabe removed Gardna to block the attack, and Lyla attacked the Dragon – 2 copies of “Honest” ended the Duel, as Lyla punched through 4700 Battle Damage!

Vincent Ralambomiadana captures the win with 1 card remaining in his Deck. The pressure was now on McCabe, who would need to win 2 Duels straight to stay in this tournament.

McCabe opened with “Charge of the Light Brigade,” sending “Beckoning Light,” “Wulf, Lightsworn Beast,” and “Honest” to the Graveyard to get Lumina. He Special Summoned Wulf, then activated “Solar Recharge,” discarding Aurkus, drawing 2 cards, and sending “Celestia, Lightsworn Angel” and another Recharge to the Graveyard. Another Charge sent “Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer,” Lyla, and Lumina to the Graveyard to search “Garoth, Lightsworn Warrior.” He Summoned Lumina, discarded Garoth to Special Summon it, and ended, sending “Beckoning Light,” “Necro Gardna,” “Chaos Sorcerer,” “Royal Oppression,” and Recharge to the Graveyard. No draws with Garoth.

Ralambomiadana had “Tragoedia,” “Honest,” Lumina, “Wulf, Lightsworn Beast,” “Aurkus, Lightsworn Druid,” and “Allure of Darkness.” He Summoned Aurkus, attacked Lumina, and destroyed her. In the End Phase Ralambomiadana sent Garoth and “Tragoedia” to his Graveyard with Aurkus’ effect.

McCabe Summoned Kycoo, attacked Aurkus with Garoth, and McCabe passed priority in damage calculation: Ralambomiadana activated “Honest’s” effet, destroying Garoth! McCabe ended.

Ralambomiadana drew “Torrential Tribute.” He activated “Allure of Darkness,” drawing “Dark Armed Dragon” and “Judgment Dragon,” and removed “Dark Armed Dragon” for Allure’s effect. Aurkus went to Defense Position, Ralambomiadana Set Torrential, and he sent Charge and Recharge to the Graveyard in his End Phase.

McCabe attacked with Wulf to destroy Aurkus, Kycoo made a direct hit for 1800 Battle Damage, and Ralambomiadana Special Summoned “Tragoedia”. Kycoo’s effect removed Aurkus and Garoth from Ralambomiadana’s Graveyard. In Main Phase 2 McCabe Tributed for Celestia (sending Aurkus, Lyla, and 2 “Honest” to the Graveyad for her effect), Ralambomiadana Chained “Torrential Tribute,” and McCabe ended his turn by Setting one card to his back row.

Ralambomiadana Summoned Lumina, attacked, but ran into “Mirror Force”! He ended. McCabe activated “Charge of the Light Brigade,” sent “Chaos Sorcerer,” “Gold Sarcophagus,” and “Necro Gardna” to his Graveyard, getting Lumina from his Deck. He Special Summoned “Judgment Dragon,” attacked for 3000 damage, then sent “Plaguespreader Zombie,” “D.D. Crow,” “Blackwing – Gale the Whirlwind,” and another “Necro Gardna” to his Graveyard.

Ralambomiadana Set “Necro Gardna,” drawing out “Judgment Dragon’s” wrath again next turn. McCabe dropped to 5600 Life Points to clear the field, while Ralambomiadana had 3200 Life Points remaining with that Gardna now locked and loaded. McCabe only had 3 cards left in his Deck.

But it was all over then and there! McCabe Special Summoned a second “Judgment Dragon,” Normal Summoned Lumina, discarded for her effect, and Special Summoned Wulf! Ralambomiadana couldn’t block them all, and McCabe attacked with everything for game.

Sean McCabe battles back, finishing Duel 2 with 3 cards left in his Deck courtesy of double “Judgment Dragon” and “Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner”! The third and final Duel began moments later.

Ralambomiadana had a hand of 2 “Solar Recharge,” “Tragoedia,” “Beckoning Light,” “Chaos Sorcerer,” and “Wulf, Lightsworn Beast.” He activated Recharge, discarded Wulf, and drew “Lightning Vortex” and “Allure of Darkness” before sending “Aurkus, Lightsworn Druid” and “Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress” to the Graveyard. He activated Allure, drew “Dark Armed Dragon” and “Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner,” and removed “Dark Armed Dragon.” Another Recharge with Lumina sent “Tragoedia” and another Lumina to the Graveyard to nab 2 more cards.

McCabe activated “Charge of the Light Brigade,” sending “Garoth, Lightsworn Warrior,” “Honest,” and “Blackwing – Gale the Whirlwind” to the Graveyard, searching Lumina. He Summoned her, discarded “Plaguespreader Zombie,” Special Summoned Garoth, and attacked for 1000 damage with Lumina – “Tragoedia” hit the field! McCabe Set a card to his Spell & Trap Card Zone, then sent “Necro Gardna,” “D.D. Crow,” “Mirror Force,” Recharge, and “Honest” to his Graveyard.

Ralambomiadana drew, holding 2 “Chaos Sorcerers,” 2 “Honests,” “Beckoning Light,” and “Lightning Vortex.” He Summoned “Honest,” activated “Tragoedia’s” effect by discarding his second “Honest,” and took control of Garoth. “Honest” attacked Lumina, McCabe removed “Necro Gardna” to negate the attack, and was telegraphing an “Honest” of his own despite having two copies in his Graveyard already. “Tragoedia” attacked, and sure enough McCabe had his third “Honest” in hand – “Tragoedia” went down! Ralambomiadana removed “Tragoedia” and Lumina from his Graveyard in Main Phase 2, then tried to Special Summon “Chaos Sorcerer,” but McCabe responded with “Royal Oppression”! He bounced “Honest” back to his hand and Set a Spell or Trap.

McCabe Tributed Lumina for Celestia, sending 2 Aurkus, Lumina, and “Chaos Sorcerer” to his Graveyard to target Ralambomiadana’s 2 cards. Ralambomiadana Chained “Beckoning Light,” sending “Lightning Vortex,” “Honest,” and “Chaos Sorcerer” to the Graveyard to retrieve Lyla and 2 “Honest.” Celestia attacked, Ralambomiadana dropped to 3700 Life Points, and McCabe ended.

Ralambomiadana Drew “Plaguespreader Zombie,” Summoned Lyla, attacked Celestia, and he activated “Honest’s” effect with priority during damage calculation. Celestia was destroyed, and Ralambomiadana sent 2 “Charge of the Light Brigade” and Beckoning to his Graveyard in the End Phase.

McCabe Set a monster. Ralambomiadana drew “Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner,” Summoned “Honest,” and attacked with Lyla – the attack flipped “Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter,” destroying Lyla. Ryko’s effect let McCabe Special Summon “Wulf, Lightsworn Beast”! Ralambomiadana returned “Honest” to his hand and ended with an empty field.

McCabe placed a card on top of his Deck to try and Special Summon “Plaguespreader Zombie” – Ralambomiadana had just 3700 Life Points left, and had to think long and hard before choosing not to negate the Summon with “Royal Oppression.” McCabe attacked for 2100 Battle Damage with Wulf, then attacked for 400 more with “Plaguespreader Zombie.” Ralambomiadana had 1200 Life Points left. McCabe ended.

Ralambomiadana had Lumina, “Honest,” “Tragoedia” and “Plaguespreader Zombie” in hand. He Summoned Lumina, attacked Plaguespreader, and McCabe was down to 4900 Life Points. In the End Phase he sent 2 “Necro Gardna” and Wulf to the Graveyard – Wulf’s Summon was negated by “Royal Oppression.”

McCabe activated “Gold Sarcophagus,” removing “Brain Control” from his Deck. McCabe Set a card to his back row and ended. Ralambomiadana drew “Heavy Storm”! McCabe didn’t have any “Necro Gardnas” in his Graveyard. Ralambomiadana needed to capitalize right now while he had the chance.

“Heavy Storm” destroyed McCabe’s Oppression and “Torrential Tribute.” He discarded “Tragoedia” for Lumina’s effect, brought back another Lumina, and discarded “Plaguespreader Zombie” for the second Lumina to bring back Wulf. He crashed his Wulf into McCabe’s dropped “Honest” for 2100 damage, attacked for 1000 damage with one Lumina, and attacked for 1000 more damage with the second Lumina – exactly 4100 damage, and McCabe had exactly 4100 Life Points!

A huge comeback from Ralambomiadana with perfect damage ousts Sean McCabe, and France’s Vincent Ralambomiadana is off to the Top 4!

Post-Event Analysis!
See what our panel of experts had to say about this Duel after the event was over.

Michael Kohanim (2009 World Championship Competitor)
You have may noticed that Ralambomiadana was more conservative than a typical Lightsworn player in this Match. Thanks to “Tragoedia,” he can afford to be. Ralambomiadana frequently held back on playing cards in his hand instead of immediately using them, knowing that the “Tragoedia” in his hand would make sure he’d survive until his next turn. Also, by holding onto more cards, Ralambomiadana’s “Tragoedia” would have more ATK when it’s Summoned. “Tragoedia’s” ability to steal his opponent’s Lightsworn monsters in this Match also gave Ralambomiadana a huge advantage. Gaining control of McCabe’s Garoth by discarding “Honest” was a huge play that really helped Ralambomiadana win the third Duel.

Matt Peddle (2009 Canadian National Championship Runner-Up; Five-Time Top 8 National Finalist)
McCabe tries to trick his opponent into using his own “Royal Oppression” to negate the Special Summon of his “Plaguespreader Zombie.” If his opponent had negated it he would have lost the Duel. He didn’t however, and the result was that McCabe wasted his Plaguespreader and set himself back a turn by having to draw the same card he placed on the top of his Deck with the Plaguespreader. Ralambomiadana was then able to draw into a card that would help him (“Heavy Storm”) because he had more time to do so.

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