Yesterday we saw Joshua Graham 2-0 Cody Gravelle, in a Feature Match that pitted Graham’s Gladiator Beasts against Gravelle’s Lightsworn.  Today, they’re paired off again right here in the Top 8.  Would we see Graham dominate Gravelle a second time, or would Gravelle win himself some redemption?

“This is familiar… strangely familiar,” smiled Gravelle, as Graham took his seat.

“Yeah, I know, eh?”  Graham grinned and shuffled up.

“Sort of deja-vu.”

Gravelle started off the Match with Charge of the Light Brigade, sending Effect Veiler, Bottomless Trap Hole, and Cyber Dragon to the Graveyard to search his Deck for Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner.  He activated Gold Sarcophagus next, removing Judgment Dragon from his Deck so he could add it to his hand 2 turns from now.  He then Set a monster.

Graham had Gladiator Beast Retiari, Solemn Warning, 2 Dimensional Prison, Gladiator Beast War Chariot, and Solemn Judgment.  He Summoned Retiari and Set everything else to his Spell and Trap Card Zone.

Gravelle Summoned Card Trooper, and activated its effect to send another Effect Veiler, Honest, and Trap Stun to his Graveyard.  Card Trooper attacked, and Graham removed it from the game with Dimensional Prison.

Graham drew Swords of Revealing Light.  Retiari attacked, revealed Gravelle’s face-down Aurkus, Lightsworn Druid, and tagged Retiari back to his Deck to Special Summon Gladiator Beast Laquari.

Gravelle added his removed from play Judgment Dragon to his hand and activated Foolish Burial to send Wulf, Lightsworn Beast to his Graveyard.  When its effect activated, Graham negated it with Gladiator Beast War Chariot.  Gravelle Tributed Aurkus for Celestia, Lightsworn Angel, and Graham negated the Summon with Solemn Warning!  He ended with a clear field.

Graham drew Elemental Hero Prisma.  “Awesome.”  He Summoned it, activated its effect to send Gladiator Beast Bestiari to the Graveyard, and Prisma took on Bestiari’s name.  He returned it and Laquari to the Deck to Summon Gladiator Beast Gyzarus, attacked for 2400 Battle Damage, and then tagged out to Special Summon Gladiator Beast Equeste and Gladiator Beast Retiari.  He removed Aurkus from his opponent’s Graveyard with Retiari, and used Equeste to retrieve his Gladiator Beast War Chariot from the Graveyard.  He Set War Chariot to end.

Gravelle discarded Ehren, Lightsworn Monk for Solar Recharge.  He drew 2 cards, and sent Solar Recharge and Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter to his Graveyard: that Ryko was his fourth Lightsworn in his Graveyard.  He Normal Summoned Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress, activated her effect, and forced Graham to Chain Gladiator Beast War Chariot.  He then tried to Special Summon Judgment Dragon, but Graham activated Solemn Judgment!  Gravelle Set 1 card to his back row and ended.

Graham drew Gladiator Beast Secutor and declared an attack, but Gravelle’s Mirror Force destroyed both his monsters. Graham Set Secutor.  He finished his turn by activating Swords of Revealing Light.

Gravelle Normal Summoned Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner, discarded Necro Gardna for her effect, and Special Summoned Lyla.  He destroyed Swords with Lyla’s ability and ended, sending Ryko, Cyber Dragon, Beckoning Light, Honest, Garoth, Lightsworn Warrior, and Jain, Lightsworn Paladin to his Graveyard in the End Phase.  He had 1 card left in hand.

Graham drew and Set Bottomless Trap Hole.

Gravelle passed, sending Judgment Dragon, Lyla, Dark Hole, Beckoning Light, Monster Reborn, and Celestia to his Graveyard.  He had just 6 cards left in his Deck.

Graham drew Elemental Hero Prisma.  He Summoned it, attacked Lyla to destroy her with Secutor, and attacked Lumina with Prisma: Gravelle negated the attack by removing Necro Gardna from his Graveyard.

Gravelle activated Cold Wave.  He discarded Bottomless Trap Hole for Lumina’s effect, Special Summoned Wulf, and destroyed Secutor and Prisma in battle.  In the End Phase he sent Wulf, Plaguespreader Zombie, and Giant Trunade to the Graveyard with Luina, Special Summoning Wulf.

Graham drew and Set a monster.

Gravelle drew and had only 1 card left in his Deck!  He placed another card back on top of his Deck to Special Summon Plaguespreader Zombie, Synchro Summoned Mist Wurm, and used its effect to clear Graham’s field! One direct attack later, the Duel was over.

Joshua Graham controls the early turns of the first Duel, but runs out of steam while Cody Gravelle takes the win with just 2 cards left in his Deck!  Both competitors made extensive use of their Side Decks.

Graham opened the second Duel with Gladiator Beast Retiari, Gladiator Beast War Chariot, Book of Moon, Mystical Space Typhoon, Gladiator Beast Darius, and Cold Wave.  He Summoned Darius and Set all of his Spell and Trap Cards, except for Cold Wave.

Gravelle activated Giant Trunade. He followed up with Charge of the Light Brigade, sending Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress, Nobleman of Extermination, and Trap Stun to the Graveyard: he added Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner from his Deck to his hand.  He Summoned Lumina, discarded Jain, Lightsworn Paladin to Special Summon her, and attacked with Jain to destroy Darius in battle.  Lumina made a direct attack for 1000 Battle Damage, and Graham was down to 6600 Life Points.  2 Set cards to the back row ended Gravelle’s turn, and he sent Solar Recharge, Monster Reborn, Wulf, Lightsworn Beast, Gorz the Emissary of Darkness, and another Solar Recharge to the Graveyard.  He Special Summoned Wulf.

Graham drew his other Mystical Space Typhoon, activated both, and destroyed Bottomless Trap Hole and Mirror of Oaths.  He Summoned Retiari, attacked Lumina, destroyed her, and tagged out to Gladiator Beast Hoplomus, throwing it in Defense Position with 2400 DEF.  He Set Book of Moon and War Chariot.

Gravelle Set a monster, then sent Bottomless Trap Hole and Solar Recharge to his Graveyard with Jain.  “There’s all three Recharges gone.”

Graham drew Solemn Judgment and Set it.

Gravelle Flip Summoned Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter, and Graham negated its effect and destroyed it with War Chariot.  Gravelle sent Ehren, Lightsworn Monk and Cyber Dragon to his Graveyard with Jain.

Graham drew Solemn Warning and Set it.

Gravelle Set a monster, and sent Trap Stun and Mirror of Oaths to the Graveyard.

Graham drew and Set Book of Moon.

Gravelle Flip Summoned another Ryko, but Graham negated it with Solemn Warning.  Gravelle pressed on, Normal Summoning Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress: Book of Moon turned her face-down.  Jain sent Cold Wave and Plaguespreader Zombie to the Graveyard.

He drew and Set Bottomless Trap Hole.

Gravelle Flip Summoned Lyla, and lost her to the Bottomless.  He placed a card back on top of his Deck to Special Summon Plaguespreader Zombie, and Graham flipped it down with his second Book.  Gravelle tried to Special Summon Judgment Dragon, but Solemn Judgment negated the Summon!  Jain sent Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer and Aurkus, Lightsworn Druid to the Graveyard.

Graham drew Gladiator Beast Retiari, with Cold Wave in hand and Hoplomus still on the field.  He turned Hoplomus to Attack Position, attacked Plaguespreader to remove it from the field, and tagged out to Gladiator Beast Bestiari.  He Summoned Gladiator Beast Retiari in Main Phase 2, returned it and Bestiari to the Deck to Summon Gladiator Beast Gyzarus, and destroyed Wulf and Jain!  He Set Cold Wave to end, no other cards left.

Gravelle drew to 2 cards and cleared the field with Dark Hole.  He Set his last card to his Spell and Trap Card Zone.

Graham drew and Set a card to his Spell and Trap Card Zone.

Gravelle drew and Set to his Spell and Trap Card Zone too.

Graham Summoned Elemental Hero Prisma and attacked into Mirror Force.

Gravelle drew another Judgment Dragon, but Graham negated its Summon with Solemn Warning!  He was down to 300 Life Points!

Graham drew and Set a Spell or Trap Card.

Gravelle drew and Set a Spell or Trap Card.

Graham drew and Set another Spell or Trap Card.

Gravelle drew and activated Gold Sarcophagus, removing Celestia, Lightsworn Angel from his Deck.

Graham drew and Set a fourth Spell or Trap Card.

Gravelle drew Garoth, Lightsworn Warrior, Summoned it, and attacked. Graham flipped it face-down with Book of Moon.

Graham drew and Set a monster, barely holding on!

Gravelle Flip Summoned Garoth, attacked, and destroyed Test Tiger.

Graham drew another Test Tiger with Cold Wave, Solemn Warning, and Dimensional Fissure Set.  With Celestia arriving next turn, it was all over!  Graham immediately offered the handshake!

Cody Gravelle lost 2-0 to Joshua Graham in the Swiss Rounds, but paid him right back with a 2-0 victory here in the Top 8!  Lightsworn move on to the Top 4, and Cody Gravelle is now 2 wins away from becoming a YCS Winner!

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

Jason Grabher-Meyer (The Old Man of Dueling)
Gravelle used a smart strategy in the first Duel: one you can use no matter what Deck you play.  Twice we saw Gravelle play a weaker monster to try and draw out a defensive card, in order to play a stronger monster afterwards.  We first saw this when Gravelle tried to Summon Wulf with Foolish Burial, drawing out Graham’s War Chariot.  He followed up that time with Celestia, but lost out to Solemn Warning.  He tried again with Lyla a couple turns later, forcing out another War Chariot.  He then Summoned Judgment Dragon, and Graham responded with Solemn Judgment. On the surface these both look like failed situations, but by drawing out that Solemn Judgment, Gravelle left Graham with no way to stop his game-winning Mirror Force a turn later.  Remember: if you can make your opponent use their cards to stop your weaker plays, then you can follow up with stronger moves and hit ’em where it counts.

Michael Kohanim (2009 World Championship Competitor)
In Duel 1, Gravelle Normal Summoned Lyla, Lightsworn Priestess and used her effect before Special Summoning Judgment Dragon from his hand. This is a basic but powerful play for Lightsworn Duelists. Lyla can draw out Trap Cards that the opponent is planning to use against Judgment Dragon, like Graham’s Gladiator Beast War Chariot, before Judgment Dragon strikes the field and takes control of the Duel. 

P.J. Tierney (Duelist from across The Pond)
In a Lightsworn Deck, you’ve always got to be aware of how many cards are left in your Deck, so that you won’t lose unexpectedly when they’re all in the Graveyard. It’s also important to keep your Plaguespreader Zombie in your Graveyard for as long as possible, so that when you’ve got 1 or 0 cards left, you can get 1 extra turn in to try and seal the win before you run out of cards. Gravelle did just that in Duel 1, using the Plaguespreader Zombie in his Graveyard while he had only 2 cards left. If Graham had a way of stopping that Mist Wurm that Gravelle Summoned, Gravelle would have 2 turns to try and turn things around instead of 1, easing the pressure on him a little bit.

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