Feature Match: Saturday’s Dragon Duel Finals – Jack Hoyt vs. Fisher Taylor
Twelve year-old Fisher Taylor traveled here this weekend from Albany, and has made it to Table 1 in the last round of the Saturday Dragon Duel with his Diva Zombies Deck! He’s won 1 Dragon Duel before, a previous 6-0 victory with Lightsworn. Fisher’s opponent is Dragon Dueling all-star Jack Hoyt. The twelve year-old Boston native has 12 Dragon Duel victories so far, and is looking to score a thirteenth win here today with his signature Deck: X-Sabers.
Taylor started the Match by Setting 2 cards to his back row and a monster.
Hoyt started with a hand of XX-Saber Darksoul, X-Saber Pashuul, Book of Moon, Giant Trunade, Mirror Force, and Gottoms‘ Emergency Call. He Set Pashuul, then Set everything but Trunade and Darksoul.
Taylor Tributed his Set Necro Gardna for Caius the Shadow Monarch, removing Hoyt’s face-down Pashuul from the game! Caius attacked, Hoyt flipped Mirror Force, and Caius was destroyed.
Hoyt drew My Body As A Shield and Set Darksoul.
Taylor activated Mind Control, taking Darksoul, and Normal Summoned Deep Sea Diva to Special Summon another from his Deck in Defense Position. He Flip Summoned Darksoul, and Hoyt turned it face-down with Book of Moon to stop Taylor from Synchro Summoning. Taylor then attacked with his 1 Attack Position Diva for 200 Battle Damage, and handed back the Darksoul.
Hoyt drew XX-Saber Faultroll and Set My Body As A Shield.
Taylor turned his Diva to Defense Position.
Hoyt drew another Pashuul. He took a moment to do some math, and activated Giant Trunade. Taylor Chained Phoenix Wing Wind Blast, discarded Foolish Burial, and sent Darksoul back to the top of Hoyt’s Deck. That left Hoyt without a Faultroll play, and he Set Pashuul and 2 cards to his back row.
Taylor Set his 2 cards back to his back row.
Hoyt drew Darksoul, Flip Summoned Pashuul, and Normal Summoned Darksoul. He Special Summoned Faultroll, and when Taylor flipped Bottomless Trap Hole, Hoyt Chained My Body As A Shield to negate it. Taylor activated Enemy Controller, Tributed a Diva, and took control of X-Saber Pashuul, again working to mitigate the impact of Faultroll by stopping Hoyt from Synchro Summoning and using Faultroll’s effect. Hoyt attacked Diva with Faultroll, Taylor blocked with Necro Gardna, and Hoyt crashed Darksoul into Pashuul! He activated its effect, then Special Summoned Darksoul back with Faultroll in Main Phase 2! In his End Phase, Hoyt got his Pashuul back, and searched XX-Saber Fulhelmknight from his Deck with Darksoul’s effect.
Taylor activated Dark Hole! With 2 cards left in hand, he Set a Spell or Trap, and Hoyt got Faultroll with Darksul in Taylor’s End Phase.
Hoyt drew another Fulhelmknight. He Summoned it, activated Gottoms‘ Emergency Call, and Special Summoned Pashuul and Darksoul. He Special Summoned Faultroll next, and Tuned Darksoul and Fulhelmknight together for XX-Saber Hyunlei. Her effect destroyed Taylor’s Set Book of Life, and when Hoyt tried to Special Summon with Faultroll, Taylor discarded his Effect Veiler to negate its effect. Hoyt Tuned Pashuul to Hyunlei, Synchro Summoned Stardust Dragon, and attacked with both monsters. Taylor was out of cards, and in the End Phase Hoyt got XX-Saber Emmersblade from his Deck with Darksoul.
Taylor drew and Set a card to his Spell and Trap Card Zone.
Hoyt drew Compulsory Evacuation Device and attacked with Faultroll. His next attack with Stardust was blocked with Book of Moon. He Special Summoned Darksoul with Faultroll in Main Phase 2 and Taylor reeled slightly: “I misplayed.” Hoyt Set Compulsory.
Taylor Set his next draw to his back row.
Hoyt attacked with Faultroll, and Taylor responded with Return from the Different Dimension, Special Summoning Necro Gardna in Defense Position! It would have been just enough to block Hoyt’s 2 attacks, but Hoyt responded with Compulsory Evacuation Device, removing Gardna from the field without sending it to the Graveyard. One more attack sealed the Duel!
Fisher Taylor takes early control of the Duel, giving Jack Hoyt a big run for his money, but Hoyt fights back to win Duel 1! Taylor clearly knows his stuff: this is the biggest competition we’ve seen in a Dragon Duel final the last few months.
Taylor started things off with a Set monster in Duel 2.
Hoyt had Solemn Warning, Compulsory Evacuation Device, X-Saber Pashuul, XX-Saber Faultroll, and 2 Book of Moon. He Set Pashuul, Set Warning, and Set Compulsory.
Taylor Tributed his Set Spirit Reaper for Caius the Shadow Monarch, but Hoyt responded with Solemn Warning!
Hoyt drew Cold Wave next turn. He set Book of Moon, still without any real attackers.
Taylor Summoned Blackwing – Gale the Whirlwind, attacking into Pashuul. He Set another card to his Spell and Trap Card Zone.
Hoyt’s next draw was XX-Saber Emmersblade: a perfect match in ATK for Gale. He Summoned it, then Special Summoned Faultroll, and Tuned Emmersblade to Pashuul for Naturia Beast! He activated Faultroll’s effect, tried to Special Summon Emmersblade, and lost out to Effect Veiler. Hoyt attacked with Faultroll, Taylor activated Mirror Force, and Hoyt Chained Book of Moon, targeting his own Naturia Beast. Faultroll was destroyed, and Hoyt Set another Spell or Trap.
Taylor Tributed his Gale for Caius, targeting Naturia Beast to remove it from the Duel. Caius attacked, and Hoyt bounced it back to Taylor’s hand with Compulsory Evacuation Device. Taylor Set a Spell or Trap.
Hoyt drew, and Set his remaining 2 cards to his back row.
Taylor Set a monster.
Hoyt drew Bottomless Trap Hole and Set it.
Taylor Set another Spell or Trap.
Hoyt drew Pot of Duality, and activated it to reveal 2 XX-Saber Fulhelmknight and Torrential Tribute. He chose a Fulhelmknight. He had Bottomless Trap Hole, Cold Wave, Book of Moon, and Gottoms’ Emergency Call Set, but couldn’t Special Summon this turn due to Pot of Duality. He passed.
Taylor activated Trap Stun next turn, and Tributed Plaguespreader Zombie for Caius. He targeted and removed Gottoms‘ Emergency Call, then attacked into Book of Moon. He Set a second Spell or Trap, then activated Allure of Darkness, losing his hand of Foolish Burial, Enemy Controller, and Deep Sea Diva.
Hoyt drew Darksoul. He activated Cold Wave, Summoned Fulhelmknight, attacked Caius with it, and Special Summoned XX-Saber Emmersblade! Emmersblade attacked for 1300 Battle Damage, and in Main Phase 2 Hoyt Tuned his 2 monsters together for XX-Saber Hyunlei, destroying Taylor’s Set Smashing Ground and Return from the Different Dimension!
Taylor was once again down to topdecking. He drew for his turn, then Set a monster.
Hoyt drew another Darksoul. He attacked into Taylor’s Pyramid Turtle with Hyunlei. Taylor Special Summoned another, and Hoyt Set Darksoul.
Taylor Set another monster.
Hoyt Summoned Thunder King Rai-Oh, attacking to destroy Taylor’s Sangan, denying him his search! He then attacked Pyramid Turtle, and Taylor got Zombie Master from his Deck, Special Summoning it.
Taylor Set a Spell or Trap.
Hoyt drew Emmersblade, and spent a moment inspecting Taylor’s Graveyard. He attacked Zombie Master with Thunder King, destroyed it, and Hyunlei attacked into Book of Moon. Hoyt had 3 monsters, a Set Spell or Trap, and 2 in-hand cards to Taylor’s blank field and empty hand.
Taylor Set Book of Moon next turn.
Hoyt attacked with Thunder King Rai-Oh into the Book, then Flip Summoned Hyunlei.
Taylor Set a monster.
Hoyt Flip Summoned Thunder King, attacked to destroy Taylor’s Goblin Zombie, and made a direct attack with Hyunlei. The Duel stood at 6000 Life Points to 4400, with Hoyt in the lead.
Taylor drew and Set a card to his back row.
Hoyt attacked with Hyunlei and Thunder King – Taylor was down to 200 Life Points.
Taylor drew, and immediately looked through his Graveyard. He placed his last card on top of his deck, Special Summoned Plaguespreader Zombie, and flipped Torrential Tribute to clear the field. That destroyed Hoyt’s Darksoul, and next turn he was attacking with XX-Saber Emmersblade for victory.
Jack Hoyt chalks up his thirteenth Dragon Duel win, all of them with X-Sabers!