Julian Wong came here from Vancouver. He’s running a Zombies/Lightsworn Deck that he’s been using at his local game store, Connection Games. Soo Yeem came here from San Diego and is one of the top Gladiator Beast Duelists left in the tournament. Both Duelists in this round are 9-1, so a win here would secure one of these Duelists a spot in the Top 16.

Yeem won the dice roll and chose to go first. He opened up with “Blackwing – Gale the Whirlwind,” “Solemn Judgment,” “Gladiator Beast Laquari,” “Mystical Space Typhoon,” “Book of Moon” and “Gladiator Proving Ground.” He Summoned “Gladiator Beast Laquari” and Set “Book of Moon” to his Spell and Trap Zone before passing to Wong.

Wong activated “Heavy Storm” to destroy Yeem’s Set “Book of Moon.” Then he activated “Charge of the Light Brigade” by sending “Wulf, Lightsworn Beast,” “Honest,” and “Goblin Zombie” from the top of his Deck to his Graveyard to search for “Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress” and add it to his hand. Wulf was Special Summoned to the field. Wong activated “Solar Recharge” next, discarding Lyla to draw 2 cards and send “Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter” and “Celestia, Lightsworn Angel” from the top of his Deck to his Graveyard. Then he activated “Charge of the Light Brigade” by sending “Judgment Dragon,” “Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter,” and “Dark Armed Dragon” from the top of his Deck to his Graveyard. He searched for “Ehren, Lightsworn Monk” with Charge’s effect and added it to his hand. Next he activated “Solar Recharge” by discarding Ehren from his hand. He drew 2 cards and sent “Zombie Master” and “Charge of the Light Brigade” from the top of his Deck to his Graveyard. Wong used his Wulf to attack Yeem’s Laquari and it was destroyed. Yeem dropped to 7700 Life Points. Wong Set “Bottomless Trap Hole” and ended his turn.

Yeem drew “Gladiator Beast Equeste” next turn. He activated “Mystical Space Typhoon” to destroy Wong’s Set “Bottomless Trap Hole” and then activated “Gladiator Proving Ground” to search his Deck for “Gladiator Beast Hoplomus” and add it to his hand. He Set it face-down before ending his turn.

Wong Tributed “Wulf, Lightsworn Beast” for “Celestia, Lightsworn Angel” next turn, sending “Necro Gardna” and 3 other cards from the top of his Deck to his Graveyard to destroy Hoplomus. Yeem dropped to 5400 Life Points after Celestia attacked him directly.

Yeem drew “Book of Moon” next turn. He Summoned Equeste and then attacked Celestia with it, but his attack was negated by “Necro Gardna.”

Wong attacked “Celestia, Lightsworn Angel” into “Gladiator Beast Equeste” on his next turn but Yeem flipped “Book of Moon” to stop the attack and flip Celestia face-down. Next, Wong activated “Solar Recharge” to discard a Lightsworn and draw 2 cards. He also sent the top 2 cards of his Deck to his Graveyard. Wong Set a monster and a face-down Spell or Trap Card before ending his turn.

Yeem drew “Gladiator Beast Bestiari” next turn. He Summoned it to the field and then used his Equeste to attack Wong’s Set Celestia. Celestia was destroyed.  Yeem attacked with “Gladiator Beast Bestiari” next and destroyed Wong’s Set “Goblin Zombie.” Wong searched his Deck for “Mezuki” with its effect. At the end of the Battle Phase, Wong tagged out “Gladiator Beast Bestiari” for “Gladiator Beast Retiari” and removed Wong’s “Judgment Dragon” from the game. Then he tagged out “Gladiator Beast Equeste” to Special Summon “Gladiator Beast Bestiari” from his Deck. Wong flipped “Bottomless Trap Hole” to remove his Bestiari from the game.

Yeem passed his turn and Wong was up. He drew a card and then activated “Monster Reincarnation” to return “Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress” to his hand. Next he Summoned Lyla to the field and switched it to Defense Position to destroy Yeem’s Set “Solemn Judgment.” He removed “Mezuki” from his Graveyard next to Special Summon “Zombie Master” from the Graveyard and then discarded “Mezuki” to Special Summon “Plaguespreader Zombie” with the effect of “Zombie Master.” Then he Tuned “Plaguespreader Zombie” to “Zombie Master” in order to Synchro Summon “Revived King Ha Des” from his Extra Deck. Next, he removed “Mezuki” from his Graveyard to Special Summon “Zombie Master” and discarded “Jain, Lightsworn Paladin” to Special Summon “Plaguespreader Zombie.” Then he tuned “Plaguespreader Zombie” with Ha Des to Synchro Summon “Stardust Dragon.” Next he put a card on top of his Deck to Special Summon “Plaguespreader Zombie” and Tuned it to Lyla to create “Goyo Guardian.” Yeem conceded. He couldn’t handle Wong’s “Stardust Dragon,” “Goyo Guardian,” and “Zombie Master.”

Both players Side Decked and Soo Yeem would be going first in Duel 2.

He opened up with “Dimensional Fissure,” “Smashing Ground,” “Mirror Force,” “Gladiator Proving Ground,” “Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer,” and “Gladiator Beast Bestiari.” He activated “Gladiator Proving Ground” and searched his Deck for “Gladiator Beast Hoplomus” to add to his hand. Then he Set Hoplomus and activated “Dimensional Fissure.” He passed his turn to Wong, who drew a card and then passed his turn without making a play.

Yeem drew “Book of Moon” next turn and then Flip Summoned his Hoplmous. He attacked with it and dropped Wong down to 7300 Life Points. At the end of his Battle Phase, he tagged out his Hoplomus for “Gladiator Beast Laquari.” Yeem Set “Book of Moon” before ending his turn. On Wong’s next turn, he drew a card and then Set a monster without making any other play. The “Dimensional Fissure” seemed to be pinning him down.

Yeem drew “Gladiator Beast Equeste” next turn and Summoned “Gladiator Beast Bestiari” to the field. He fused Bestiari with Laquari to Special Summon Gyzarus from his Extra Deck and destroy Wong’s Set “Card Trooper” with its effect. “Card Trooper” was removed from the game and Wong didn’t get to draw a card. Yeem attacked directly with Gyzarus and then tagged it out for 2 copies of “Gladiator Beast Laquari” in Attack Position.

Wong activated “Solar Recharge” next turn by sending Wulf to his removed-from-play pile. He drew 2 cards and sent “Mirror Force” from the top of his Deck to his Graveyard. He also sent a “Goblin Zombie” from the top of his Deck to his removed-from-play zone. He Set a monster and ended his turn, still without much he could do.

Yeem drew “Gladiator Beast Equeste” next turn. He attacked with Laquari and destroyed Wong’s Set “Necro Gardna,” sending it to the removed-from-play zone. Then Laquari attacked directly, dropping Wong to 2800 Life Points. Wong Special Summoned Gorz on the attack in Defense Position, along with an “Emissary of Darkness Token” in Defense Position. Lee tagged “Gladiator Beast Laquari” for “Gladiator Beast Murmillo” and destroyed Gorz at the end of the Battle Phase. Yeem Set Waboku and then ended his turn.

Wong Summoned “Mezuki” next turn. “Mezuki” declared an attack on “Gladiator Beast Murmillo” but Yeem flipped “Book of Moon” to turn Mezuki face-down and stop the attack. Wong Set one Spell or Trap Card to his back row and then ended his turn.

Yeem drew another “Gladiator Beast Equeste” next turn. He attacked the Set “Mezuki” with Murmillo, and then attacked “Mezuki” with Laquari to destroy it and send it to the removed-from-play zone. Yeem tagged “Gladiator Beast Murmillo” for “Gladiator Beast Bestiari” to destroy Wong’s Set “Burial from a Different Dimension” and tagged “Gladiator Beast Laquari” for Murmillo to destroy Wong’s “Emissary of Darkness Token.” He ended his turn in a dominating position.

Wong activated “Solar Recharge” next turn, discarding “Garoth, Lightsworn Warrior” with the hopes of drawing 2 cards that could help him out. He didn’t draw them. Instead, he Summoned “Goblin Zombie” and attacked Murmillo. Yeem took 300 damage and sent a “Gladiator Beast War Chariot” from the top of his Deck to his Graveyard because of the effect of “Goblin Zombie.” Wong Set 1 card to his back row before ending his turn.

Yeem drew a card next turn and then attacked “Goblin Zombie” with “Gladiator Beast Bestiari.” “Goblin Zombie” was removed from the game. Yeem Set a card to each zone in Main Phase 2 and play passed back to Wong.

Wong drew a card and then Set a monster with no other play available.

Yeem drew his card and then contact fused his face-down “Gladiator Beast Equeste” and “Gladiator Beast Bestiari” for “Gladiator Beast Gyzarus”! Gyzarus destroyed both of Wong’s cards and ended the Duel with an attack!

Julian Wong would be going first in this final Duel of the Match! Both players dipped back into their Side Decks and play began shortly after.

Wong started his turn by activating “Charge of the Light Brigade.” He sent “Mezuki,” “Goblin Zombie,” and “Honest” from the top of his Deck to his Graveyard to pay the cost and then searched his Deck for Lyla with Charge’s effect. He Set a card to each zone and ended his turn.

Yeem opened up with “Gladiator Beast Bestiari,” “Emissary of Darkness Gorz,” “Dimensional Prison,” “Thunder King Rai-Oh,” “Gladiator Beast Laquari,” and “Gladiator Beast Retiari.” Yeem Summoned “Thunder King Rai-Oh” and attacked Wong’s face-down monster. Wong flipped “Mirror Force” to stop the attack and destroy Rai-Oh. Yeem Set “Dimensional Prison” to his back row before ending his turn.

Wong Summoned Lyla next turn and attacked. Yeem flipped “Dimensional Prison” to stop the attack and remove Lyla from the game. Wong ended his turn and Yeem was up again.

Yeem drew “Blackwing – Gale the Whirlwind” on his next turn. Then he Summoned “Gladiator Beast Retiari” and attacked Wong’s Set “Necro Gardna” with it. He lost 100 Life Points, but gained the opportunity to tag it out. He returned it to his Deck to Special Summon “Gladiator Beast Laquari” in its place. He ended his turn with no Set Spell or Trap Cards. Wong ended his next turn without making a play.

Yeem was back up and drew “Torrential Tribute.” Then he Summoned “Gladiator Beast Laquari” and attacked Wong’s “Necro Gardna” with his 2100 ATK Laquari. “Necro Gardna” was destroyed and then the 1800 ATK “Gladiator Beast Laquari” attacked. Its attack was negated by the “Necro Gardna” that was just destroyed. Yeem tagged his “Gladiator Beast Laquari” for “Gladiator Beast Retiari” and removed “Mezuki” from Wong’s Graveyard. Yeem Set “Torrential Tribute” before ending his turn.

Wong activated “Burial from a Different Dimension” on his next turn to put Lyla, “Necro Gardna,” and “Mezuki” back in his Graveyard. Then he removed “Mezuki” from play to Special Summon “Zombie Master” from his Graveyard. Next, he Normal Summoned “Plaguespreader Zombie” and Tuned it to “Zombie Master” in order to Special Summon “Revived King Ha Des” from his Extra Deck. Then he put a card on top of his Deck to Special Summon “Plaguespreader Zombie” from the Graveyard. Yeem flipped “Torrential Tribute” to destroy all monsters on the field before Wong could Synchro Summon “Stardust Dragon.” Wong activated another “Burial from a Different Dimension” next to send his removed “Plaguespreader Zombie” and “Mezuki” back to the Graveyard. He removed “Mezuki” to Special Summon Ha Des and put a card on top of his Deck to bring “Plaguespreader Zombie” back again. Then he tuned them together for “Stardust Dragon.”

But Yeem Summoned Gale next turn and halved the ATK and DEF of “Stardust Dragon.” Gale attacked “Stardust Dragon” and Wong blocked the attack with “Necro Gardna.” Wong drew a card next turn and switched “Stardust Dragon” to Defense Position before ending.

Yeem drew Banisher of the Radiance next turn and Summoned it. He attacked “Stardust Dragon” with Banisher and then attacked Wong directly with Gale. He Set “Dimensional Prison” in his second Main Phase and ended his turn.

Wong drew a card and passed right back to Yeem. Yeem drew “Gladiator Beast Equeste” and Summoned “Gladiator Beast Bestiari” to the field. Gale attacked directly and dropped Wong to 5400 Life Points. Then Bestiari attacked and dropped Wong to 3900 Life Points. Yeem didn’t attack with his Banisher, fearing Gorz, and instead ended his Battle Phase to tag Bestiari out for Equeste and return Retiari from his Graveyard to his hand.

Wong was up again. He activated “Solar Recharge” and discarded Wulf to draw 2 cards and send the top 2 cards of his Deck to his removed from play pile. Wong Set a monster before ending his turn.

Yeem drew “Call of the Haunted” next turn. He Summoned “Gladiator Beast Retiari” to the field and then attacked Wong’s Set “Goblin Zombie” with “Gladiator Beast Equeste.” Retiari attacked directly and Wong dropped “Gorz the Emissary of Darkness” in Defense Position. Gale attacked and destroyed the Defense Position “Emissary of Darkness Token” that Gorz Summoned. At the end of the Battle Phase, “Gladiator Beast Equeste” tagged out for “Gladiator Beast Murmillo” to destroy Gorz. Next, “Gladiator Beast Retiari” tagged out for “Gladiator Beast Equeste” to return “Gladiator Beast Laquari” from Yeem’s Graveyard to his hand. Yeem Set “Call of the Haunted” in Main Phase 2 and Wong conceded after seeing his next card.

Soo Yeem wins the Match and moves on to Top 16, proving that Gladiator Beasts are still a powerful force. Julian Wong’s fate in the tournament is left up to his tie-breakers.

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See what our panel of experts had to say about this Duel after the event was over.

Michael Kohanim (2009 World Championship Competitor)

Yeem played masterfully in this Match. His conservative play style allowed him to maintain control of each Duel with his Gladiators. In Game 3, he made a slight error when he attacked “Necro Gardna” with his 2100 ATK Laquari and then had the attack of his 1800 ATK Laquari negated by the “Necro Gardna” he destroyed. If Yeem had attacked with the 1800 ATK Laquari first instead of the 2100 ATK Laquari, the attack of the 2100 ATK Laquari would have been negated by “Necro Gardna” instead, so the Laquari with 300 fewer Attack Points would be able to tag-out. Other than that minor misplay, Yeem did an awesome job playing his Gladiator Beast Deck. If more Duelists played their Gladiator Beast Decks as well as Yeem, I think we’d see a lot more of them in the Top 16.

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Matt Peddle (2009 Canadian National Championship Runner-Up; Five-Time Top 8 National Finalist)

Julian Wong shows a great deal of discipline in the first game by not flipping “Bottomless Trap Hole” to remove “Gladiator Beast Bestiari” when it is Normal Summoned. A Gladiator player that has Bestiari removed from play is in big trouble, but Wong knows his opponent is in even bigger trouble if he destroys the face-down “Goblin Zombie” on Wong’s side of the field. Wong is prepared to remove the “Gladiator Beast Gyzarus” instead, allowing his Zombie to be destroyed in the process. Yeem doesn’t end up making that play, but he does destroy the “Goblin Zombie” and then loses his Bestiari to “Bottomless Trap Hole” anyways after tagging him out to his own effect and back in thanks to the effect of “Gladiator Beast Equeste.” Wong wins next turn, using the “Mezuki” he searched for with “Goblin Zombie.”

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Michael McTavish (Top 8 Finalist – 2009 Canadian National Championship)

During Game 1, Wong made a great play by holding on to his “Bottomless Trap Hole” instead of using it when the “Gladiator Beast Bestiari” was Summoned to the field. He wanted his “Goblin Zombie” to be attacked, and he knew if he destroyed the Bestiari immediately, Yeem would only destroy the “Celestia, Lightsworn Angel”. This way, he eliminated the Bestiari from play (and as a result, “Gladiator Beast Gyzarus” as well) as well as got his search from “Goblin Zombie”. He then went on to win the game next turn. Brilliant setup, brilliant execution.

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P.J. Tierney (Duelist from across The Pond)

“Blackwing – Gale the Whirlwind” is a card you rarely see in Gladiator Beast Decks, but it helps get rid of one of their biggest threats, “Stardust Dragon,” in an instant. Yeem showed us just how useful it could be in Duel 3, and it helped him win the Match.

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