The winner of this weekend’s tournament will be the U.S. National Champion for the next year. Last year, that honor went to Kris Ferber from Albany, New York with his Synchro Cat Deck. Today, he’s here defending that title with his Infernities. His opponent, Sean Eng from San Francisco, California, won’t make that easy. Eng is running a Frog Monarch Deck with Spiritual Water Art – Aoi in his Main Deck to discard Ferber’s cards as soon as he draws them. He’s also using Light and Darkness Dragon and other high-level monsters to limit Ferber’s plays.

Ferber won the dice roll and chose to begin. He opened up with Infernity Beetle, One for One, Infernity Archfiend, Infernity Inferno, Bottomless Trap Hole, and Infernity Launcher. This was his ideal opening hand! He activated One for One, discarding Infernity Beetle to Special Summon Infernity Mirage from his Deck. Then he Set Infernity Inferno and Bottomless Trap Hole before activating Infernity Launcher. He used the Launcher to discard Infernity Archfiend from his hand. Then he Tributed his Infernity Mirage to Special Summon Infernity Beetle and Infernity Archfiend from his Graveyard. Ferber used the effect of Infernity Archfiend to search his Deck for Infernity Barrier and add it to his hand before Setting it. Next, he Tributed his Infernity Beetle to Special Summon 2 more copies from his Deck and Tuned one of them to his Infernity Archfiend to Synchro Summon Gaia Knight, the Force of Earth. Then he sent his Infernity Launcher to the Graveyard to Special Summon Infernity Archfiend and Infernity Beetle from his Graveyard. He used the Archfiend’s effect to search his Deck for another copy of Infernity Launcher and activate it. Then he tuned his Beetle to his Archfiend to Synchro Summon Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier. Next, he sent his Launcher to the Graveyard again, in order to Special Summon Infernity Beetle and Infernity Archfiend back from his Graveyard. He searched his Deck for another Launcher with the Archfiend’s effect, played it from his hand, and then Tuned Beetle with Archfiend to Synchro Summon Goyo Guardian. Then he Tuned Gaia and Beetle to Synchro Summon Infernity Doom Dragon, and sent his Launcher to the Graveyard to Special Summon Infernity Archfiend and Infernity Beetle back to the field. He Set his new Infernity Barrier and then Tuned Brionac with Infernity Beetle to Synchro Summon Stardust Dragon. He ended his turn with 4 back rows and an Attack Position Infernity Archfiend, Stardust Dragon, Infernity Doom Dragon, and Goyo Guardian. An impressive first turn!

Eng was up, and he was staring down a tough field. He Summoned Substitoad to the field and activated its effect by Tributing it. Ferber flipped Infernity Barrier to negate its effect and destroy the Substitoad! Next, Eng Special Summoned Swap Frog from his hand by discarding another Swap Frog, and activated its effect to send Treeborn Frog from his Deck to his Graveyard. Eng was in trouble, and he knew it. But he wasn’t going down without a fight. Eng returned the Swap Frog to his hand before ending his turn.

Ferber drew Infernity Necromancer next turn. He Summoned it to the field and immediately switched it to Defense Position. Then he attacked with Infernity Archfiend. When Eng tried to Special Summon Battle Fader, Ferber flipped Infernity Barrier to negate it! Infernity Archfiend, Stardust Dragon, Infernity Doom Dragon, and Goyo Guardian all scored direct attacks, ending the Duel!

Eng will be going first in Duel 2!

He started things off by Setting a monster and a back row before ending his turn.

Ferber opened up with Infernity Launcher, Mind Crush, Infernity Avenger, Call of the Haunted, and 2 copies of Infernity Necromancer in his hand. It was a considerably worse hand than the one he started with in the previous Duel. During Ferber’s Standby Phase, Eng activated Spiritual Water Art – Aoi by Tributing his Set Treeborn Frog, and sent Infernity Launcher from Ferber’s hand to his Graveyard, making it even worse. Ferber proceeded to Set Mind Crush and Infernity Necromancer before ending his turn.

Eng Special Summoned Treeborn Frog from his Graveyard during his Standby Phase and Ferber activated Mind Crush, naming Caius the Shadow Monarch. Eng discarded 2 copies from his hand! This was the big break Ferber needed. Eng Normal Summoned Substitoad next and activated its effect to Tribute Treeborn Frog and Special Summon Swap Frog, sending another Treeborn Frog to the Graveyard with Swap Frog’s effect. Then he Tributed Substitoad to Special Summon another Swap Frog from his Deck, this time sending Ronintoadin from his Deck to his Graveyard with the effect of Swap Frog. Eng returned 1 Swap Frog to his hand and then Set a back row before ending his turn.

Ferber drew Trap Dustshoot next turn and Eng flipped Spiritual Water Art – Aoi, Tributing his Swap Frog to discard Call of the Haunted from Ferber’s hand. “I wish I drew it last turn,” Ferber said, acknowledging the power of drawing Trap Dustshoot and Mind Crush together. “Your call paid off anyway,” Eng replied. Ferber flipped Infernity Necromancer next and Normal Summoned Infernity Avenger. He tuned them together for Armory Arm and attacked directly, dropping Eng to 6200 Life Points. Ferber ending his turn.

Eng Special Summoned Treeborn Frog from his Graveyard in his next Standby Phase. Then he Normal Summoned Swap Frog and activated its effect to send Substitoad from his Deck to his Graveyard. Eng ended his turn with Swap Frog and Treeborn Frog on the field.

Ferber drew Infernity Archfiend next turn. He Summoned it to the field and then equipped it with Armory Arm to boost it to 2800 ATK! Infernity Archfiend attacked Swap Frog and Eng lost 2800 Life Points, dropping down to 3400 Life Points. Ferber ended his turn.

Eng drew a card next turn and Set a back row before ending. He was extremely limited on plays without those copies of Caius that Ferber discarded from his hand.

Ferber drew Dark Grepher next turn. In his Standby Phase, Eng flipped Mind Crush to get rid of Infernity Necromancer from Ferber’s hand, but it didn’t matter! Eng only had 3400 Life Points left. Ferber Normal Summoned Dark Grepher and unequipped Armory Arm. Then Dark Grepher attacked and destroyed Eng’s Defense Position Treeborn Frog, while Armory Arm and Infernity Archfiend scored direct hits to win the Duel.

Thanks to some solid draws and great reads, Kris Ferber takes a 2-0 victory over Sean Eng with his Infernity Deck. If he keeps it up, Ferber may be looking at another championship title!

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

Michael McTavish (Top 8 Finalist – 2009 Canadian National Championship)
This match shows just why Ferber is a former national champion. The ability to make a read using Mind Crush is exactly the kind of skill that seperates the good players from the great players. Knowing he was in a bind, Ferber called Caius the Shadow Monarch, because if a Caius were summoned at that point in the duel, the game might as well have been over right then and there. A great play leading to a great victory for Ferber.

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