Once again, Billy Brake had made it to the Top 4 – a repeat of his performance just 3 weeks ago at YCS Charlotte. Brake has been to the Top 32 tables of Championship-level tournaments countless times, but he’s never captured a Championship win. His opponent this round has. Angel Flores, winner of last year’s YCS in San Jose! Brake is running X-Sabers, while Flores is playing a his Elemental Hero / Gemini Deck, with a heavy anti-monster focus designed to take apart Decks like the one Brake’s running.

Brake opened the Match with 2 Pots of Duality, XX-Saber Faultroll, XX-Saber Emmersblade, XX-Saber Fulhelmknight, and Effect Veiler. Duality let him choose between Monster Reborn, Giant Trunade, and X-Saber Pashuul. He took Trunade. He then Set Emmersblade.

Flores Summoned D.D. Warrior Lady and attacked, removing Brake’s XX-Saber Emmersblade and the Lady from play. He Set 1 Spell or Trap.

Brake drew Torrential Tribute. Pot of Duality revealed Effect Veiler, X-Saber Airbellum, and Solemn Judgment. He took Airbellum. Brake Summoned it and attacked, forcing Flores to discard Elemental Hero Stratos! A huge loss for Flores. Brake Set Torrential Tribute.

Flores Summoned Genex Ally Duradark, and Brake took the attack, losing Airbellum.

Brake drew XX-Saber Emmersblade and Set it.

Flores Summoned Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo, and when Flores tried to move to his Battle Phase, Brake discarded Effect Veiler to negate Fossil Dyna’s effect. That curbed Flores’ aggression, and he decided not to attack.

Brake cleared the field with Giant Trunade, then Summoned Fulhelmknight to attack over Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo. Emmersblade slammed into Duradark to let Brake Special Summon XX-Saber Darksoul in Defense Position, and he moved to Main Phase 2. Brake Special Summoned Faultroll, Tuned Fulhelmknight and Darksoul together for Naturia Barkion, and Special Summoned back Darksoul with Faultroll’s effect. Brake Set Torrential and got Pashuul from his Deck in the End Phase with Darksoul’s ability.

Flores Summoned Blackwing – Gale the Whirlwind and halved the ATK of Naturia Barkion. Duradark attacked to destroy it. Flores Tuned Gale to Duradark to clear the field with Black Rose Dragon! Flores had 4 cards left in his hand, and Brake got XX-Saber Faultroll from his Deck. He was trying to puzzle out why Flores wouldn’t have Set the cards he’d had bounced away from Trunade. It was behavior that certainly suggested Gorz.

Brake drew Effect Veiler and Set a monster.

Flores Set a Spell or Trap, then destroyed Brake’s Pashuul with Dark Hole.

Brake Summoned XX-Saber Boggart Knight to Special Summon Fulhelmknight, and lost both to Flores’ Torrential Tribute!

Flores Set another Spell or Trap.

Brake Set Darksoul.

Flores Set another Spell or Trap.

Brake drew and Set Mirror Force.

Flores Set another Spell or Trap.

Brake drew another Darksoul and Summoned it. Flores activated Mystical Space Typhoon, destroying Mirror Force. Brake Flip Summoned his second Darksoul and Special Summoned Faultroll, Special Summoning Fulhelmknight with Faultroll’s effect! He Tuned it to Darksoul for XX-Saber Hyunlei, destroying Flores’ Bottomless Trap Hole and Mystical Space Typhoon. Bottomless was Chained to remove Hyunlei, and Brake refused to attack. He got Pashuul in his End Phase with Darksoul.

Flores passed.

Brake drew Gorz! He Summoned Pashuul and brought back Airbellum with Faultroll’s effect. Airbellum attacked and Flores lost Gorz the Emissary of Darkness from his hand! Darksoul, Pashuul, and Faultroll all attacked, dropping Flores to 2100 Life Points. Brake Tuned Airbellum to Faultroll for XX-Saber Gottoms, then Tributed Darksoul and Pashuul to make Flores discard Honest and Hero Blast. He got XX-Saber Boggart Knight in the End Phase.

Flores drew and activated E – Emergency Call, getting Elemental Hero Neos Alius. He Summoned it and Set his last card to his back row.

Brake drew Super-Nimble Mega Hamster, attacked, and lost Gottoms to Gemini Spark. He Set a monster.

Flores got Monster Reborn with Pot of Duality, and Set a Spell or Trap.

Brake drew Dark Hole. He Summoned Boggart Knight, and Flores conceded when Brake Flip Summoned Hamster!

Billy Brake wins a long first Duel, overcoming tons of monster hate to swarm the field with X-Sabers! One more win, and Brake would be in the Finals.

Brake offered Flores a handshake, and Flores started off Duel 2 with Pot of Duality, revealing Dark Holes, Hero Blast, and Miracle Fusion. He took Miracle Fusion, then Set 2 cards to his back row. he Summoned Thunder King Rai-Oh.

Brake had 2 XX-Saber Emmersblade, XX-Saber Darksoul, Malevolent Catastrophe, Call of the Haunted, and Giant Trunade. He Set Catastrophe and Darksoul.

Flores removed Emmersblade with Nobleman of Crossout and attacked with Thunder King. He Set another Spell or Trap.

Brake Set another Emmersblade.

Flores attacked into Malevolent Catastrophe, and lost Super Polymerization, Solemn Warning, and Torrential Tribute! Thunder King hit Emmersblade, and Brake Special Summoned XX-Saber Boggart Knight. Flores Set 2 cards to his back row.

Brake drew XX-Saber Faultroll. He rammed  Boggart Knight into Thunder King, then Set Darksoul and a Spell or Trap.

Flores had another Nobleman of Crossout! Darksoul was removed.

Brake Special summoned Thunder King Rai-Oh with Monster Reborn and attacked for 1900 Battle Damage.

Flores Set D.D. Warrior Lady.

Brake attacked it with Thunder King Rai-Oh. Both were removed. He got XX-Saber Fulhelmknight with Pot of Duality in Main Phase 2. He Summoned Fulhelmknight.

Flores Summoned Thunder King Rai-Oh and attacked. he was blocked by Fulhelmknight’s negation effect.

Brake drew another Pot of Duality. He activated Call of the Haunted, but Flores Chained Seven Tools before Brake could declare a target. Brake cleared the field with Dark Hole, then activated Pot of Duality, taking Mirror Force over Mystical Space Typhoon and Enemy Controller. Brake Set Mirror Force.

Flores Summoned Elemental Hero Neos Alius and attacked into Mirror Force.

Brake Set a Spell or Trap.

Flores activated Miracle Fusion, but Brake negated it with Solemn Warning! Flores Summoned Honest, made a direct attack, and then returned Honest to his hand with its effect.

Brake Set a Spell or Trap.

Flores made another attack with Honest, and returned it to his hand again.

Brake Set another Spell or Trap.

Flores activated E – Emergency Call. Brake Chained Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy Flores’ Set Super Polymerization, and Flores got Elemental Hero Stratos from his Deck. Stratos made a direct attack, dropping Brake to 100 Life Points!

Brake Set Book of Moon.

Flores attacked with Stratos into Enemy Controller.

Brake drew Gorz the Emissary of Darkness. Not super useful considering he only had 100 Life Points.

Flores attacked with Stratos into Book.

Brake drew and Set X-Saber Pashuul.

Flores Special Summoned Elemental Hero The Shining with Miracle Fusion. He then Summoned Elemental Hero Neos Alius and attacked into Pashuul.

Brake drew XX-Saber Darksoul. He activated Giant Trunade! He Normal Summoned Darksoul and Special Summoned Faultroll. He used Faultroll to Special Summon Fulhelmknight, then Synchro Summoned Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier. Brake discarded Gorz to bounce away The Shining with Brionac’s effect, then tuned Pashuul to Brionac to Synchro Summon Scrap Dragon. But it wasn’t enough. a turn later Flores attacked with Neo-Spacian Grand Mole and a direct attack to score the win!

Angel Flores plays out of a massive Malevolent Catastrophe, struggling back to keep himself in the Match, and the tournament! Brake would open the final Duel.

Brake started with a hand of XX-Saber Emmersblade, Cyber Dragon, XX-Saber Faultroll, Mind Control, Mystical Space Typhoon, and Reinforce Truth. He Set Truth and Typhoon.

Flores Summoned Elemental Hero Neos Alius and attacked for 1900 Battle Damage, then Set 3 cards to his back row. He lost his Bottomless Trap Hole to Space Typhoon in the End Phase, and Truth let Brake Special Summon Pashuul.

Brake drew XX-Saber Boggart Knight. He took Neos Alius with Mind Control, then Synchro Summoned Gaia Knight, the Force of Earth. It attacked for 2600 Battle Damage.

Flores activated Pot of Duality, revealing Forbidden Chalice, Super Polymerization, and Bottomless Trap Hole. He took Bottomless. He destroyed Gaia Knight with Dark Hole, then Summoned D.D. Warrior Lady for a direct attack.

Brake drew Thunder King Rai-Oh. He Special Summoned Cyber Dragon into Bottomless Trap Hole, and Summoned Thunder King Rai-Oh. He lost it to Solemn Warning.

Flores attacked again with D.D. Warrior Lady.

Brake drew Giant Trunade! He activated it, then Summoned Boggart Knight, Emmersblade, and Faultroll! He Special Summoned Pashuul with Faultroll, Tuned it to Emmersblade, and Synchro Summoned Ally of Justice Catastor. Catastor attacked to destroy Warrior Lady, Boggart Knight attacked, and Flores dropped Gorz the Emissary of Darkness! Faultroll ran over the Emissary of Darkness Token.

Flores activated Miracle Fusion to Special Summon Elemental Hero The Shining, and attacked over Faultroll and Catastor. Brake had nothing left but Boggart Knight.

He set a monster and turned Boggart Knight to Defense Position next turn.

Flores destroyed Boggart Knight, and Set a monster.

Brake Set a Spell or Trap.

Flores Flip Summoned Penguin Soldier! It bounced away Brake’s face-down monster, and The Shining attacked to finish the Duel.

Angel Flores scores the Duel 3 win with Penguin Soldier, moving on to the Finals!