Final Round Feature Match: Jeff Jones vs. Renaldo Lainez
Renaldo Lainez is the surprise success of the weekend, Dueling his way to the Finals with a Gadget Deck that doesn’t run any Machina monsters. Instead it plays Doomcaliber Knight, a card played in multiples in 2 of the Top 4 Decks. “People like surprises,” remarked Lainez. “I think it’s a good way to end it, don’t you think?” Lainez himself was a tremendous surprise, coming out of nowhere to defeat some of the greatest Duelists of the weekend.
His opponent is Jeff Jones, the most successful Quickdraw Dandywarrior Duelist of the weekend! Jones has made Day 2 at 5 SHONEN JUMP Championships, and won his first victory one year ago at SHONEN JUMP Championship Anaheim, winning the first Dark End Dragon prize card.
Jones opened the match with a hand of Torrential Tribute, Starlight Road, Dust Tornado, Book of Moon, Brain Control, and Bottomless Trap Hole. He Set Dust Tornado and ended his first turn.
Lainez Summoned Red Gadget to get Yellow Gadget, and struck for 1300 Battle Damage. He Set a card to his Spell & Trap Card Zone and ended.
Jones drew Lonefire Blossom, destroyed Lainez’s face-down Royal Oppression with Dust Tornado, and Tributed Lonefire to get another, then Special Summoned Tytannial, Princess of Camellias. He attacked Red Gadget, destroyed it, and Set Starlight Road and Bottomless Trap Hole.
Lainez Summoned Yellow Gadget, got Green Gadget, and destroyed Tytannial with Smashing Ground. Yellow Gadget attacked for 1200 damage, and Lainez Set another single Spell or Trap.
Jones drew Super-Nimble Mega Hamster, Set it, and Set another Spell or Trap.
Lainez Sumoned Blackwing – Gale the Whirlwind on his turn, and Synchro Summoned Black Rose Dragon, but Jones Chained Starlight Road to the Dragon’s effect! That 1 card saved his face-down Hamster, destroyed Black Rose Dragon, and let him Special Summon Stardust Dragon. Lainez Set a second Spell or Trap and ended his turn.
Jones Flip Summoned his Mega Hamster next turn, and Special Summoned Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter in face-down Defense Position with its effect, then attacked for 1100 damage with the Hamster. Next, Stardust Dragon attacked, Lainez activated Dimensional Prison, and Jones Chained Book of Moon to turn Stardust Dragon face-down.
On his turn, Lainez Summoned Green Gadget to get Red Gadget. Green Gadget attacked the Hamster, and Jones was up again.
Jones drew Night Assailant, adding it to a hand of Ryko, Torrential Tribute, and Brain Control. He Flip Summoned Stardust Dragon, then Ryko, and targeted Lainez’s Phoenix Wing Wind Blast, which Lainez Chained, discarding Yellow Gadget to spin away Stardust Dragon off the field. Ryko’s effect sent Dandylion from Jones’ Deck to the Graveyard, which let Jones Special Summon 2 Fluff Tokens.
Lainez Summoned Red Gadget on his turn, got Yellow Gadget, and attacked Ryko and one of the Tokens.
Jones drew Super-Nimble Mega Hamster and Set it on his turn.
Lainez then Summoned Yellow Gadget, got another Green Gadget from his Deck, and sent Yellow Gadget after the Fluff Token. Green Gadget ran into the face-down Mega Hamster, inflicting damage to Lainez, so he Special Summoned Tragoedia, while Jones got another Ryko with the Hamster’s effect. Tragoedia attacked the Hamster to destroy it, and Red Gadget attacked Ryko, resulting in Tragoedia being destroyed. Jones sent Light and Darkness Dragon, Card Trooper, and Dust Tornado to the Graveyard for Ryko’s effect. Lainez ended.
Jones Set 2 cards to his Spell & Trap Card Zone, then Set Ryko.
Lainez Summoned Green Gadget on his turn, activated its effect, and Jones Chained Torrential Tribute. The field was cleared and Lainez searched his Deck for Red Gadget. Lainez Set a Spell or Trap to end his turn.
Jones drew, now holding Caius the Shadow Monarch, Night Assailant, and Brain Control. He Set Assailant.
Lainez Summoned Red Gadget, didn’t search with its effect, and attacked the face-down Night Assailant. Red Gadget was destroyed by Assailant’s effect.
Jones drew Foolish Burial and passed on his turn.
Lainez hit him with Green Gadget next turn for 1400 damage, dropping him to 2600 Life Points.
Jones took Green Gadget with Brain Control on his next turn, dropping to 1800 Life Points, then attacked to reduce Lainez to 3600 Life Points. Jones then Tributed for Caius the Shadow Monarch, but it was destroyed by Lainez’s Torrential Tribute, which cleared the field of monsters.
Lainez next Summoned Doomcaliber Knight, but it was destroyed by Jones’ Bottomless Trap Hole.
On his turn, Jones drew Pot of Avarice, and used it to send 2 Lonefire Blossoms, Tytannial, Ryko, and Mega Hamster back to his Deck to draw Quickdraw Synchron and Bottomless Trap Hole. He Set Bottomless and ended.
Lainez passed on his turn, with no possible moves.
Jones also passed, with the Duelists now seemingly in a waiting game.
On his following turn, Lainez tried to go on the offense again by Summoning another Doomcaliber Knight, but lost it to another Bottomless Trap Hole.
Jones passed again, and….
…Lainez passed again on his turn.
On his turn, Jones activated Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy Lainez’s face-down Dimensional Prison, then sent Dandylion to the Graveyard with Foolish Burial. He Special Summoned 2 Fluff Tokens, discarded Tytannial to Summon Quickdraw Synchron, then Synchro Summoned Drill Warrior. In Main Phase 2 he removed Warrior from the game by discarding Lonefire Blossom.
Lainez was up, and his Fissure destroyed the Fluff Token, then Lainez Set 3 cards to his back row. Jones activated Heavy Storm next turn after Special Summoning his Drill Warrior, and Lainez immediately scooped!
Renaldo Lainez controls the majority of the Duel from the outset, but Jones pulls out the win! Jeff Jones was now just one Duel away from potentially becoming a 2-time SHONEN JUMP Champion!
Lainez kicked off Duel 2 and Summoned Doomcaliber Knight, and Set 1 card to his Spell & Trap Card Zone.
Jones had Mirror Force, 2 Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter, 2 Super-Nimble Mega Hamster, and Debris Dragon. He Set Hamster, and Set Mirror Force.
Lainez activated Heavy Storm to destroy Jones’ face-down Mirror Force, then attacked the Hamster with Domcaliber Knight, negating Hamster’s effect by trading off his Knight. Lainez then got Yellow Gadget from his Deck by Summoning Red Gadget.
Jones Set another Hamster on his turn.
Lainez Summoned another Doomcaliber Knight, which attacked and eliminated Jones’ new Hamster, and Jones then took a direct shot from Red Gadget.
Jones drew Foolish Burial, activated it to send Dandylion to his Graveyard, and got 2 Fluff Tokens. Debris Dragon brought back Dandylion and Jones Synchro summoned Stardust Dragon. The Dragon attacked over Red Gadget and Lainez Special Summoned Tragoedia. Jones had 3 Fluff Tokens by this point.
Lainez Summoned Yellow Gadget and got Green Gadget from his Deck. Tragoedia, with 3000 ATK, attacked over Stardust Dragon, and Yellow Gadget took out a Token.
Next turn, Jones used Caius the Shadow Monarch to remove Tragoedia and attack over Yellow Gadget.
Lainez Summoned Green Gadget, got Red Gadget, and activated Smashing Ground to get rid of Caius. Green Gadget destroyed the last Fluff Token.
Jones activated Pot of Avarice, sending Debris Dragon, 2 Hamsters, Caius, and Stardust Dragon back to his Deck to draw Debris Dragon and Bottomless Trap Hole. He also had 2 Rykos and a Lonefire. He Summoned Debris Dragon, Synchro summoned Ancient Fairy Dragon, and got 2 more Fluff Tokens. Ancient Fairy attacked Green Gadget, then Jones Set Bottomless Trap Hole.
Lainez Summoned Red Gadget, got Yellow Gadget, and wiped the field with Lightning Vortex, discarding the Yellow Gadget! He attacked for another 1300 damage, and Set a card to his back row.
Jones Summoned Lonefire, Tributed it, and Lainez responded with Royal Oppression to negate the Lonefire’s Special Summon effect.
Then, on his turn, Lainez summoned Green Gadget, got Red Gadget, and attacked with both monsters backed up by Limiter Removal. Jones activated Book of Moon to keep himself in the game, turning Green Gadget face-down. Red Gadget exploded in the End Phase due to Limiter’s effect.
Jones Set a monster on his turn, and Lainez was up again. He Summoned Red Gadget, searched his Deck for Yellow Gadget, and Flip Summoned Green Gadget. He activated Creature Swap, took Ryko by giving up Red Gadget, then activated Fissure so Green Gadget could make a direct attack.
Jones drew Light and Darkness Dragon. He Set Dandylion, but Lainez destroyed it with Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter’s effect next turn, and activated Royal Oppression to stop the Special Summon of the Fluff Tokens. Then Green Gadget attacked for the win!
Renaldo Lainez wins the second Duel of the Match! It all comes down to one more Duel!
Jones opened the third duel with a hand of Solemn Judgment, Debris Dragon, Pulling the Rug, Dandylion, Pot of Avarice, and Card Trooper. He Summoned Card Trooper and activated its effect, sending Foolish Burial, Tytannial, Princess of Camellias, and Prison to the yard. He Set Pulling the Rug.
Lainez Summoned Doomcaliber Knight, attacked and destroyed Card Trooper, and Tributed Doomcaliber to negate Trooper’s card-drawing effect. He Set a Spell or Trap Card to round out his turn.
Jones drew Dust Tornado, Set it, Set Solemn, and Set Dandylion.
On his turn, Lainez Summoned Yellow Gadget and lost it to Pulling the Rug! Next, Jones lost his Dandylion to Lainez’s Nobleman of Crossout, but Jones destroyed his opponent’s Royal Oppression in the End Phase.
On his turn, Jones Summoned Debris Dragon, Special Summoned Card Trooper, and activated its effect (which wouldn’t work, due to Debris Dragon, but he could still pay the cost) to send Quickdraw Synchron, Sangan, and Bottomless Trap Hole to the Graveyard. He attacked for a combined total of 1400 damage, Set a Spell or Trap, and ended with both of his monsters still on the field.
Lainez took out Debris Dragon with Smashing Ground next turn, then Set a monster, and Jones activated Card Trooper’s effect again to send Debris Dragon, Caius, and Heavy Storm to the Graveyard. Then he activated Pot of Avarice to return 2 Debris Dragons, Caius, Sangan, and Tytannial to his Deck, drawing Dandylion and another Pulling the Rug. He turned Trooper to Defense Position, Set a monster, Set a Spell or Trap, and ended.
Lainez Summoned Yellow Gadget, and Jones destroyed it with the second Pulling the Rug! Lainez Summoned Doomcaliber Knight and ran it into Jones’ Mirror Force. He passed, with just 2 cards left in his hand.
Jones Flip Summoned Mega Hamster, Special Summoned Ryko face-down, and attacked for 1100 damage with the Hamster.
On his turn, Lainez Summoned Doomcaliber Knight, attacked Hamster, and ended.
Jones then activated Card Trooper, but it was negated by Doomcaliber, which was Tributed for its effect while Trooper was destroyed. Jones Set Dandylion, Set a Spell or Trap, and ended.
Lainez summoned Green Gadget, got Red Gadget, and attacked Ryko. Ryko destroyed it with his effect.
Jones Summoned Debris Dragon on his turn, brought back Trooper, then Flipped Dandylion to Synchro Summon Ancient Fairy Dragon and 2 Fluff Tokens. He attacked for 2500 damage total, lowering Lainez to 2300 Life Points.
Lainez activated Hammer Shot, destroying Ancient Fairy Dragon. Red Gadget got him Yellow Gadget, Red Gadget destroyed Card Trooper, and Jones was down to 4800 Life Points. Lainez had 2300.
But Jones drew, Tributed for Caius the Shadow Monarch, removed Red Gadget from play with Caius’ effect, and attacked for the win!
“That’s nice!” replied Lainez, immediately offering a handshake and a genuine smile.
Jeff Jones is our last SHONEN JUMP Champion!
See what our panel of experts had to say after the Duel.
Jason Grabher-Meyer (The Old Man of Dueling)
Even after Jones won the SHONEN JUMP Championship, many Duelists doubted his decision to run 3 Pot of Avarice. This Match really showed how he got away with doing that. In the first Duel, we saw Jones turn around a slow opening hand with Lonefire Blossom. When he activated Lonefire’s effect he reflexively used it to get another, and then used that one to bring out Tytannial, Princess of Camellias. This was a reflex action for Jones throughout the tournament – he never had to think about whether to send both of his Lonefires to the Graveyard. Sure enough, that move lead to a successful Pot of Avarice later on. In the third Duel we see another tactic: Jones activated Card Trooper’s effect 3 times in his first 4 turns, and that once again led into Pot of Avarice. There were 3 Quickdraw Duelists in the Top 16, but only Jones played 3 Avarice. It was definitely a difference-maker.
Michael Kohanim (2009 World Championship Competitor)
Both of these Duelists made it to the finals with Decks that several competitors didn’t expect to face. Jeff Jones’s Quickdraw Dandywarrior Deck had never been entered into a SHONEN JUMP Championship before, while Renaldo Lainez’s Gadget Deck surprised many Duelists who were expecting to face Machina Decks that would be extra vulnerable to Chimeratech Fortress Dragon and System Down. The impressive Deck building skills of these Duelists earned them the chance to compete in the finals. Congratulations to both of them!
Michael McTavish (Top 8 Finalist – 2009 Canadian National Championship)
This finals Match was played well by both players, and it all came down to cards drawn, and who got to their side Deck choices. In this Match you were able to see Starlight Road win another game single-handedly. You also got to see Pulling the Rug used twice, shutting down any attempt at an offensive push by Lainez. Great side Deck choices, great draws, and great playing led Jeff Jones to his victory in the final SHONEN JUMP Championship of all time. Congrats!
P.J. Tierney (Duelist from across The Pond)
Doomcaliber Knight was an interesting Deck choice by Lainez. With 1900 ATK, Doomcaliber can take down almost everything in battle, and its effect can negate any other monster effect. Most Duelists don’t expect to see their monster effects negated unless they’re playing against Gladiator Beasts, which use Gladiator Beast War Chariot, so Doomcaliber Knight can take Duelists by surprise whenever it’s Summoned. It can even take care of effects that activate in the Damage Step, like Jeff’s Super-Nimble Mega Hamsters, which were negated in Duel 2.
Creature Swap was another unusual card to see in Lainez’s deck. With it, he could exchange his weaker Gadgets for one of his opponent’s stronger monsters. He could also use it to take face-down monsters, which he did in Duel 2 to take Jones’ Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter. That Swap won him the Duel, as it kept his Royal Oppression safe, which he then used to negate the effect of the Dandylion he destroyed with Ryko.