Fili Luna is one of four Duelists here today who received a free trip to this event. Luna won the Yu-Gi-Oh! Championship Series event at GenCon in 2009, his fourth Championship win over the years. But today, he’s facing a new challenge – winning a World Championship Qualifier and earning an invitation to compete in the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG World Championship. He’s chosen X-Sabers to bring him to the top, and added a personal touch that sets it apart from other Duelists’ X-Saber Decks.

Monsters:

3 X-Saber Airbellum

1 Rescue Cat

3 XX-Saber Fulhelmknight

2 XX-Saber Boggart Knight

1 XX-Saber Emmersblade

1 Sangan

3 XX-Saber Darksoul

1 X-Saber Pashuul

1 Summoner Monk

3 XX-Saber Faultroll

Spells:

1 Heavy Storm

1 Mind Control

3 Book of Moon

1 Cold Wave

1 Brain Control

1 Pot of Avarice

1 Giant Trunade

1 Mystical Space Typhoon

Traps:

2 Bottomless Trap Hole

2 Gottoms’ Emergency Call

1 Trap Stun

1 Torrential Tribute

1 Solemn Judgment

1 Mirror Force

1 Trap Dustshoot

1 Royal Oppression

1 Call of the Haunted

Fili Luna’s X-Saber Decklist is very different than Chris Bowling’s. He’s running a more traditional build, with a full X-Saber line-up including XX-Saber Fulhelmknight to add to the power of his copies of Book of Moon.

Luna’s Deck also runs Royal Oppression, even though he’s running lots of Special Summon effects including Call of the Haunted and Gottoms’ Emergency Call. Like Bowling, he’s running several cards that can stop the effect of his Royal Oppression whenever he wants to turn it off: Trap Stun, Cold Wave, Heavy Storm, Giant Trunade, and Mystical Space Typhoon are all included in Luna’s Deck.

Luna is also running Pot of Avarice in his Main Deck, an uncommon choice for most X-Saber Duelists. Luna has also foregone the Gold Sarcophagus that Bowling included in his Main Deck, attempting to make a faster build that could end a Duel with a flurry of Special Summons before 2 turns can pass.

Luna still has access to the incredible combo involving Rescue Cat and XX-Saber Faultroll, but doesn’t rely on it nearly as much as some X-Saber Decks. When Luna destroys a Defense Position monster with Fulhelmknight to Special Summon a second X-Saber from his Graveyard (often with the help of Book of Moon,) he can then Summon any copies of Faultroll in his hand, without using Rescue Cat. This is a strong and often underestimated play. Special Summoning XX-Saber Darksoul from his Graveyard with the effect of Fulhelmknight can be as dangerous as Tributing Rescue Cat to Special Summon X-Saber Airbellum and XX-Saber Darksoul.

Fili Luna’s X-Saber Deck packs all of an X-Saber Deck’s most powerful plays, but presents them differently than other X-Saber Decks. Tomorrow we’ll find out if this added spin will allow Luna to take a 5th major tournament victory.