Top 32 Feature Match: Sang Bui vs. Oscar Renderos
Oscar Renderos is a long-time competitor who has competed in 5 YCS tournaments. He hadn’t topped before, but his persistence paid off today! He traveled here from Arizona and made it to his first Top 32 finish! But his opponent, Sang Bui, is looking to make sure that Renderos won’t make it any further in the tournament by beating him in an X-Saber mirror-match.
Bui won the dice roll and chose to go first. He Set a card to each zone and ended his turn.
Renderos opened up with XX-Saber Faultroll, X-Saber Pashuul, Mystical Space Typhoon, XX-Saber Boggart Knight, XX-Saber Darksoul, and Thunder King Rai-Oh. He Set Darksoul and ended his turn.
Bui passed his next turn without making a play.
Renderos drew Dark Hole next turn. Then he activated Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy Bui’s Set Trap Stun, and Bui chained it. Next, Renderos Normal Summoned XX-Saber Boggart Knight and activated its effect to Special Summon X-Saber Pashuul from his hand. Then he flipped up his Darksoul and Special Summoned XX-Saber Faultroll from his hand. Next, he Tuned Darksoul with Pashuul to Synchro Summon Ally of Justice Catastor. Then he activated Faultroll’s effect to Special Summon Darksoul back from the Graveyard. Next, Boggart Knight attacked Bui’s Set Pashuul. Then Catastor attacked and destroyed it with its effect. Finally, Darksoul and Faultroll scored direct hits, dropping Bui to 5500 Life Points. When Faultroll attacked, Bui Special Summoned Gorz the Emissary of Darkness and an Emissary of Darkness Token to his field in Defense Position. In his End Phase, Renderos searched his Deck for a Boggart Knight to add to his hand with the effect of his Darksoul.
Bui switched his Gorz and Emissary of Darkness Token into Attack Position, then attacked Faultroll with Gorz. Next, he attacked Catastor with the 2400 ATK Token, but the Token was destroyed by Catastor’s effect since it was LIGHT! Bui Set a monster and ended his turn.
Renderos drew Call of the Haunted next turn. He attacked Bui’s Set Super-Nimble Mega Hamster with Boggart Knight, destroying it so that Bui could Special Summon Darksoul face-down from his Deck. Catastor destroyed it in battle next. Renderos Normal Summoned Thunder King Rai-Oh in Main Phase 2, then Set Call of the Haunted. He ended his turn, and Renderos was unable to use Darksoul’s effect due to the effect of Thunder King Rai-Oh.
Bui thought for a while and then Summoned XX-Saber Boggart Knight to the field. He activated its effect to Special Summon XX-Saber Fulhelmknight from his hand in Attack Position. He switched Gorz to Defense Position. Then Bui used Fulhelmknight to attack and destroy Darksoul, allowing him to Special Summon Darksoul from his Graveyard with Fulhelmknight’s effect. Next, Bui’s Boggart Knight traded with Renderos’s. Bui Set Mirror Force before ending his turn. Renderos couldn’t resolve his Darksoul’s effect due to the effect of Thunder King Rai-Oh.
Renderos attacked Bui’s Fulhelmknight with Catastor next turn, but Bui activated Mirror Force to destroy all of Renderos’s monsters (Thunder King Rai-Oh and Ally of Justice Catastor). Then Renderos activated Dark Hole, wiping out Fulhelmknight, Darksoul, and Gorz. He activated Call of the Haunted next, returning Thunder King Rai-Oh to the field so Bui couldn’t search with Darksoul’s effect in the End Phase.
Bui drew a card and Set a back row before passing right back to Renderos.
Renderos attacked directly with Rai-Oh, dropping Bui to 3600 Life Points. In Main Phase 2, he Normal Summoned Fulhelmknight.
Bui activated Dark Hole next turn! Fulhelmknight and Thunder King Rai-Oh were destroyed. Then he Set a back row and passed.
Renderos drew a card, leaving him with Monster Reborn, Trap Stun, and Boggart Knight in his hand. He activated the Monster Reborn, but Bui flipped Royal Oppression to negate it! Renderos Set Trap Stun and ended his turn.
Bui Set a card to his back row and ended his turn.
Renderos drew X-Saber Airbellum next turn. He Summoned Boggart Knight and activated its effect. Bui didn’t even try to negate it with Royal Oppression. Renderos Special Summoned X-Saber Airbellum to the field with Boggart Knight’s effect and then attacked directly with Boggart Knight and X-Saber Airbellum, wiping out Bui’s remaining 2800 Life Points!
Renderos deprives Bui of all of his Darksoul searches with Thunder King Rai-Oh to gain victory in the first Duel!
Bui chose to go first in Duel 2. He Set 2 back rows and ended his turn.
Renderos opened up with Cyber Dragon, XX-Saber Boggart Knight, Thunder King Rai-Oh, XX-Saber Darksoul, Hero’s Rule 2, and Gottoms’ Emergency Call. He Summoned Darksoul and attacked directly for 100 points of damage. He Set Gottoms’ Emergency Call and Hero’s Rule 2 before ending his turn.
Bui activated Giant Trunade next turn, returning all of the Spell and Trap Cards on the field to their owners’ hands. Then he Special Summoned Cyber Dragon to attack and destroy Darksoul, triggering its effect and dropping Renderos to 6000 Life Points. He Set 2 back rows and ended his turn. Renderos searched for XX-Saber Fulhelmknight in his End Phase with Darksoul’s effect.
Renderos drew another copy of Darksoul next turn. Then he Special Summoned Cyber Dragon from his hand! Bui activated Mind Crush, forcing Renderos to discard Fulhelmknight. Next, Renderos fused his own Cyber Dragon with Bui’s Cyber Dragon and Summoned Chimeratech Fortress Dragon to the field with 2000 ATK! Chimeratech Fortress Dragon attacked directly, and Bui took the hit, dropping down to 5900 Life Points. Renderos Set Gottoms’ Emergency Call and Hero’s Rule 2 in Main Phase 2. Then he Normal Summoned Thunder King Rai-Oh and ended his turn.
Bui had 4 cards in his hand with 1 back row, while Renderos had 2 cards in his hand and 2 more cards in each zone. Bui Normal Summoned XX-Saber Boggart Knight and then attacked Thunder King Rai-Oh, destroying them both. He ended his turn without making another play.
Renderos drew another copy of Cyber Dragon next turn. Then he Normal Summoned Boggart Knight and activated its effect to Special Summon Darksoul from his hand in Defense Position. Boggart Knight and Chimeratech Fortress Dragon attacked directly, dropping Bui to 2000 Life Points. Then Renderos flipped Gottoms’ Emergency Call to try to revive a Boggart Knight and a Fulhelmknight, but Bui chained Trap Stun to stay in the Duel.
Bui Set a monster and passed his next turn.
Renderos drew a Darksoul and then Normal Summoned it to the field. Next, he attacked Bui’s face-down Super-Nimble Mega Hamster with Boggart Knight, destroying it and allowing Bui to Special Summon Darksoul from his Deck. Renderos chose not to attack it with his Fortress Dragon. Instead, he ended his turn.
Bui activated Cold Wave next turn! He flipped his Darksoul and then Summoned X-Saber Airbellum. He Tuned his 2 monsters together to Synchro Summon XX-Saber Hyunlei, then used Hyunlei’s effect to destroy Renderos’s Set Hero’s Rule 2. Next, he attacked over Boggart Knight with Hyunlei and ended his turn, searching his Deck for a Faultroll to add to his hand with Darksoul’s effect.
Renderos drew Doomcaliber Knight. He couldn’t get over Bui’s Hyunlei with any of his monsters! He switched his Darksoul to Defense Position and then Normal Summoned Doomcaliber Knight, ending his turn.
Bui Summoned Boggart Knight next turn without activating its effect. Then he attacked Renderos’s Chimeratech Fortress Dragon with Hyunlei to destroy it, and attacked Darksoul with Boggart Knight. Darksoul was sent to the Graveyard, triggering its effect and forcing Doomcaliber Knight to Tribute itself to negate the effect. In Main Phase 2, Bui Special Summoned Faultroll from his hand and used its effect to Special Summon X-Saber Airbellum from his Graveyard. Then he Tuned Airbellum with Hyunlei to Synchro Summon XX-Saber Gottoms and activated the effect of Gottoms by Tributing Boggart Knight to force Renderos to discard Cyber Dragon from his hand.
Renderos drew a card and Set it in his back row.
Bui activated the effect of Faultroll next turn to Special Summon X-Saber Airbellum back from his Graveyard. Then he used Mind Control to take control of Renderos’s Darksoul, Tuned it with Airbellum to Synchro Summon XX-Saber Hyunlei, and used Hyunlei’s effect to destroy Renderos’s Set Mirror Force! Bui attacked directly with Gottoms, Faultroll, and Hyunlei, wiping out all 5300 of Renderos’s Life Points.
Bui makes an incredible comeback to force the Match into a third Duel! Oscar Renderos will be going first.
Renderos opened up with Bottomless Trap Hole, Mirror Force, X-Saber Airbellum, XX-Saber Fulhelmknight, XX-Saber Boggart Knight, and Cyber Dragon. He Set Bottomless Trap Hole and Mirror Force, then Set X-Saber Airbellum.
Bui Set a monster and ended his turn without any back rows.
Renderos drew Dark Hole next turn. Then he Normal Summoned Boggart Knight and used its effect to Special Summon Fulhelmknight from his hand. Boggart Knight attacked the face-down monster. It was a Super-Nimble Mega Hamster. The Hamster was destroyed and Bui used its effect to Special Summon a Darksoul from his Deck face-down. Next, Renderos used Fulhelmknight to attack and destroy the Darksoul. Darksoul’s effect activated when it hit the Graveyard. Then, Airbellum attacked directly, and Bui lost 1600 Life Points and a Fulhelmknight from his hand due to Airbellum’s effect. In Renderos’s End Phase, Bui searched his Deck for X-Saber Airbellum with his Darksoul’s effect.
Bui activated Dark Hole next turn to wipe out all 3 of Renderos’s monsters! Then he Summoned X-Saber Airbellum, but lost it to Renderos’s Bottomless Trap Hole. He passed without any cards in play.
Renderos drew Call of the Haunted and Set it.
Bui Summoned Thunder King Rai-Oh and attacked directly.
Renderos Special Summoned Cyber Dragon next turn, and Bui Tributed Rai-Oh to negate the Summon. Then Renderos flipped Call of the Haunted to Special Summon X-Saber Airbellum from his Graveyard and scored a direct attack! Bui lost Emmersblade from his hand due to Airbellum’s effect. Renderos Set another back row and passed.
Bui Special Summoned Cyber Dragon and attacked X-Saber Airbellum, but lost his monster to Mirror Force! He Set a card to his back row and ended his turn.
Renderos Summoned XX-Saber Darksoul next turn and attacked directly with Darksoul and Airbellum. Bui took the damage and lost a Faultroll from his hand due to Airbellum’s effect. In Main Phase 2, Renderos Tuned Airbellum with Darksoul to Synchro Summon XX-Saber Hyunlei, but Bui flipped Solemn Judgment, dropping to 1550 Life Points in order to negate the Summon. In his End Phase, Renderos searched his Deck for X-Saber Airbellum with the effect of Darksoul.
Bui Set a monster next turn and passed without any other play.
Renderos activated Dark Hole wiping out Bui’s Set monster. Then he Normal Summoned X-Saber Airbellum and attacked directly to end the Duel and the Match!
Oscar Renderos is moving on to the Top 16!
Post-Event Analysis!
See what our panel of experts had to say about this Duel after the event was over.
Michael Kohanim (2009 World Championship Competitor)
You always have to be careful when you’re using Doomcaliber Knight. Even if you’re careful enough to not immediately trigger it yourself, you don’t want to put your opponent in a position where he can trigger it with the effect of one of your monsters. That’s exactly what Renderos did in Duel 2, when he Summoned Doomcaliber Knight while he had XX-Saber Darksoul on the field. Renderos put Bui in a position where he could destroy Darksoul and wipe out Doomcaliber Knight at the same time.
P.J. Tierney (Duelist from across The Pond)
Duelists often forget that Tokens have more stats than just their ATK and DEF. In Duel 1 Bui attacked Renderos’ Ally of Justice Catastor with his Emissary of Darkness Token, but Catastor’s effect automatically destroyed it, as the Token was a non-DARK monster. This is a prime example of how forgetting a Token’s other stats can hurt a Duelist, but for an example of how it can benefit, let’s not forget that you can boost the Emissary of Darkness Token’s ATK with Honest since it’s a LIGHT monster. Against Decks like Lightsworn, this is always something to consider if they Summon Gorz.
