Top 32 Feature Match: Gary Garcia Maximus vs. Undead Andres Ochoa
After a poor showing for Gladiator Beast Decks in Charlotte, Gary Garcia has redeemed the Deck type with a Top 32 finish! His unique build running multiple copies of Gladiator Beast’s Respite and 2 copies of Gladiator Beast Murmillo has been throwing off opponents all weekend, and allowed him to secure this coveted Top 32 spot. His opponent, Andres Ochoa, made it here with his Zombie Deck. Zombie Decks typically have a tough time against Gladiator Beasts, since they Set so many monsters and are vulnerable to Gladiator Beast Retiari. This may give Gary Garcia the decisive advantage in this Match, but it isn’t an advantage that is impossible to overcome.
Ochoa started off the Duel by Summoning Card Trooper and using its effect to send Giant Trunade, Return from the Different Dimension, and Zombie Master from the top of his Deck to his Graveyard and boost the Trooper’s ATK. He Set 2 cards to his back row and ended his turn.
Garcia opened up with Gladiator Beast Darius, Enemy Controller, 2 copies of Gladiator Beast War Chariot, and 2 copies of Gladiator Proving Ground. He Summoned Darius and lost it to Bottomless Trap Hole. He Set a Chariot, Gladiator Proving Ground, and Enemy Controller before ending his turn.
Ochoa activated the effect of Card Trooper to send Zombie Master, Goblin Zombie, and Mystical Space Typhoon from the top of his Deck to his Graveyard and boost it to 1900 ATK. Then he Normal Summoned Spirit Reaper. When Spirit Reaper attacked, Garcia flipped Enemy Controller to target and destroy it. Card Trooper attacked directly, dropping Garcia down to 6100 Life Points.
Garcia drew Monster Reborn next turn! He activated Gladiator Proving Ground to search his Deck for Gladiator Beast Laquari and add it to his hand, then Summoned Laquari to his field. He attacked Card Trooper with Laquari, and Ochoa flipped Mirror Force to destroy the Laquari. Garcia activated Monster Reborn to revive Laquari in Main Phase 2 and then Set his in-hand Chariot.
Ochoa used the effect of Card Trooper next turn to send Dark Armed Dragon, Trap Dustshoot, and Foolish Burial from the top of his Deck to his Graveyard, and Garcia flipped Gladiator Beast War Chariot to destroy the Card Trooper. When Ochoa tried to draw a card with the effect of Card Trooper, Garcia flipped another Chariot to prevent it! Ochoa activated Dark Hole next, destroying Laquari. Next, Ochoa Summoned Zombie Master with Book of Life by removing Laquari from Garcia’s Graveyard, and discarded Goblin Zombie from his hand to Special Summon another Goblin Zombie from his Graveyard. Goblin Zombie and Zombie Master attacked Garcia directly, dropping Garcia down to 3200 Life Points. Goblin Zombie sent a Gladiator Beast Hoplomus from the top of Garcia’s Deck to his Graveyard with its attack. Ochoa Set a monster face-down in Main Phase 2.
Garcia drew Gladiator Beast Bestiari next turn. He activated Gladiator Proving Ground to search his Deck for Gladiator Beast Hoplomus and Set it face-down before ending his turn.
Ochoa Flip Summoned Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter. He destroyed Hoplomus with its effect and sent Caius the Shadow Monarch, Burial from a Different Dimension, and Ryko from the top of his Deck to his Graveyard. Then he activated the effect of his Zombie Master to Special Summon another Goblin Zombie from his Graveyard. Zombie Master, Ryko, and both copies of Goblin Zombie took down the rest of Garcia’s Life Points in the Battle Phase!
Ochoa’s army of Zombies is too much for Garcia’s Gladiators to handle in the first Duel. Gary Garcia will be going first in Duel 2!
Garcia opened up with Mystical Space Typhoon, Enemy Controller, Solemn Warning, Gladiator Beast Laquari, Gladiator Beast Hoplomus, and Gladiator Beast Equeste. He Summoned Laquari, then Set Enemy Controller, Solemn Warning, and Mystical Space Typhoon to his back row.
Ochoa Set a monster and 3 cards to his back row. In his End Phase, Garcia activated Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy Ochoa’s face-down Malevolent Catastrophe.
Garcia drew Gladiator Beast Laquari next turn. He attacked with his on-field Laquari but lost it to Mirror Force. He Summoned another Laquari to the field in Main Phase 2.
Ochoa Flip Summoned Ryko next turn, but lost out to Solemn Warning. He Set a second card to his back row and then passed.
Garcia drew Gladiator Beast Retiari. He attacked with Laquari and then tagged out for Gladiator Beast Bestiari. Bestiari targeted Ochoa’s face-down One for One with its effect to destroy it, and Ochoa flipped Bottomless Trap Hole to remove Bestiari from the Duel. In Main Phase 2, Garcia Normal Summoned Gladiator Beast Equeste.
Ochoa Set a monster and passed.
Garcia drew Gladiator Beast Darius. He Summoned Darius to the field and then attacked Ochoa’s face-down monster with Equeste. It was a Goblin Zombie! The Zombie was destroyed in battle and Ochoa searched his Deck for a copy of Zombie Master to add to his hand with its effect. Gladiator Beast Darius attacked directly next, dropping Ochoa down to 4500 Life Points. At the end of the Battle Phase, Garcia tagged out Darius to Summon Retiari and remove Goblin Zombie from Ochoa’s Graveyard. Then he tagged out Equeste to Special Summon Darius, and used Darius’s effect to Special Summon Gladiator Beast Laquari from his Graveyard. In Main Phase 2, Garcia fused Retiari, Laquari, and Equeste together to Fusion Summon Gladiator Beast Heraklinos!
Ochoa Set a card to his back row next turn.
Garcia drew Dimensional Prison. He Summoned Retiari to the field and then attacked directly with Retiari and Heraklinos, dropping Ochoa down to 300 Life Points. At the end of the Battle Phase, Garcia tagged out Retiari to Special Summon Laquari in its place.
Ochoa activated Charge of the Light Brigade next turn, sending Giant Trunade, Plaguespreader Zombie, and Card Trooper from the top of his Deck to his Graveyard to search his Deck for Ryko and add it to his hand. Then he put a card from his hand on top of his Deck to Special Summon Plaguespreader Zombie from his Graveyard. He Tributed the Plaguespreader Zombie for Caius, and used Caius’s effect to remove Heraklinos from the Duel. When Caius attacked Laquari, it was switched to Defense Position when Garcia activated Enemy Controller.
Garcia drew Giant Trunade next turn. He activated it to return Ochoa’s face-down back row card to his hand, then Summoned Gladiator Beast Hoplomus to the field. Ochoa used Effect Veiler to negate the effect of Laquari in Garcia’s Main Phase, but it made no difference! Laquari destroyed Caius in battle, and then a direct attack from Gladiator Beast Hoplomus wiped out Ochoa’s remaining 300 Life Points!
Gary Garcia wins the second Duel with a Gladiator assault, led by Gladiator Beast Heraklinos! Ochoa will be going first in this final Duel of the Match!
Ochoa started off Duel 3 by Setting a card to each zone.
Garcia opened up with Mystical Space Typhoon, Dark Hole, Gladiator Beast’s Respite, Gladiator Beast Laquari, Gladiator Beast Hoplomus, and Mirror Force. He activated his Respite to send Laquari and Hoplomus back into his Deck and draw Gladiator Beast Laquari, Gladiator Beast Equeste, and Dimensional Fissure. He activated Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy Ochoa’s face-down Torrential Tribute, and then activated Dimensional Fissure. He Summoned Laquari and attacked Ochoa’s face-down Plaguespreader Zombie, removing it from the Duel thanks to Dimensional Fissure. Next, he tagged out Laquari to Special Summon Gladiator Beast Equeste, and returned Respite from his Graveyard with Equeste’s effect. He Set Mirror Force before ending his turn.
Ochoa Summoned Zombie Master next turn and attacked Equeste with it, but Garcia flipped Mirror Force to destroy Zombie Master and remove it from the Duel.
Garcia drew Gladiator Beast Murmillo next turn. He activated Respite to send Murmillo and Equeste back into his Deck and draw Gladiator Proving Ground, Book of Moon, and Gladiator Beast War Chariot. He activated the Proving Ground to search his Deck for Laquari and then Summoned Laquari to the field. Equeste attacked directly first, dropping Ochoa down to 6200. Then Laquari attacked directly, and Ochoa Special Summoned Gorz the Emissary of Darkness from his hand, along with an 1800 ATK Token. At the end of the Battle Phase, Garcia tagged out his Laquari and Equeste to Summon 2 copies of Gladiator Beast Murmillo and destroy Gorz and the Emissary of Darkness Token. Incredible! In Main Phase 2, Garcia Set Book of Moon and Gladiator Beast War Chariot.
Ochoa Set a monster and 2 back rows before ending his turn.
Garcia drew another Chariot next turn. He attacked Ochoa’s face-down Ryko with Murmillo, negating its effect with his face-down Chariot. Then he attacked directly with his other Murmillo, dropping Ochoa down to 3800 Life Points. He tagged out the first Murmillo to Summon Equeste from his Deck and retrieve a copy of Gladiator Beast’s Respite from his Graveyard, then tagged out his other Murmillo to Summon Bestiari and destroy Ochoa’s face-down Foolish Burial with its effect. In Main Phase 2, Garcia fused Bestiari with Equeste to Summon Gladiator Beast Gyzarus, and used Gyzarus’s effect to destroy Ochoa’s face-down Return from the Different Dimension.
Ochoa Set Ryko next turn and passed to Garcia.
Garcia drew Solemn Warning. He attacked Ochoa’s face-down Ryko with Gyzarus, and Ryko destroyed Gyzarus and sent 2 copies of Bottomless Trap Hole and a Malevolent Catastrophe from the top of Ochoa’s Deck to his Graveyard. Garcia didn’t Set Chariot on his previous turn, so he couldn’t negate its effect! Garcia Set Solemn Warning and passed.
Ochoa Summoned Goblin Zombie next turn. He attacked directly with it, dealing 1100 points of damage to Garcia and sending Gladiator Beast Bestiari from the top of Garcia’s Deck to his removed-from-play pile.
Garcia drew Gladiator Beast Equeste next turn. He activated Respite to send Gladiator Beast War Chariot and Gladiator Beast Equeste from his hand to his Deck and draw Forbidden Lance, Solemn Judgment, and Dimensional Prison. He Set the Solemn Judgment and Dimensional Prison, ending his turn.
Ochoa attacked with Goblin Zombie next turn, but lost his monster to Dimensional Prison. Ochoa Set another Goblin Zombie and passed.
Garcia drew Gladiator Beast Hoplomus next turn. He activated Dark Hole to destroy Ochoa’s face-down Goblin Zombie and remove it from the Duel, then Summoned Hoplomus and attacked directly with it to tag out for Equeste and return Chariot from his Graveyard to his hand. He Set the Chariot before passing.
Ochoa ended his next turn without playing anything.
Garcia drew Solemn Warning and attacked with Equeste next turn, dropping Ochoa down to 1500 Life Points. At the end of the Battle Phase, Garcia tagged out Equeste to Summon Gladiator Beast Laquari.
Ochoa drew a card and Set it.
It was all over on the next turn! Garcia attacked directly with Laquari, wiping out Ochoa’s last 1500 Life Points!
Ochoa is unable to get rid of Garcia’s early Dimensional Fissure and mount a comeback in Duel 3! Gary Garcia and his Gladiator Beasts are moving on to the Top 16!