Sixteen Duelists remained in the tournament, and any competitor who won this Round would have a better-than-even chance at an invite to the World Championship.  Victory here in the Top 16 meant a seat in the Top 8, where 6 competitors would win their way to Worlds.  This Match pits Steven Antwan against Thomas Mak: while Mak is playing Fairies, his opponent Antwan is running a beguiling Elemental Hero Deck, complete with Elemental Hero Captain Gold; Main Decked Super-Polymerization; and Future Fusion.

Antwan kicked off the Match with a hand of Miracle Fusion; Giant Trunade; Thunder King Rai-Oh; Solemn Judgment; Cyber Dragon; and Effect Veiler.  He Normal Summoned Thunder King and Set Solemn, then Miracle Fusion.

Mak Set a monster, then Set 3 cards to his Spell and Trap Card Zone.

Antwan drew Dimensional Prison, and attacked with Thunder King: Mak destroyed it with Mirror Force.  Antwan Set the Prison, and Mak destroyed it in the End Phase with Mystical Space Typhoon.

Mak Normal Summoned The Agent of Mystery – Earth, but its effect was negated by Antwan’s Effect Veiler!  Mak activated Pot of Duality, revealing Solemn Warning; The Agent of Mystery – Earth; and Fiendish Chain from the top of his Deck.  He took Warning, then attacked with The Agent of Mystery.  Mak Set a Spell or Trap, quite likely the Warning.

Sure enough, Antwan drew Mystical Space Typhoon and destroyed Mak’s Warning next turn.  He Special Summoned Cyber Dragon and attacked The Agent of Mystery, destroying it.

Mak passed.

Antwan drew and Summoned Elemental Hero Neos Alius, attacking with it to destroy Mak’s Set Mystic Shine Ball.  Cyber Dragon made a direct attack.

Mak activated Dark Hole, and Antwan negated it with Solemn Judgment!  The Duel stood at 4800 Life Points to 3500, with Mak now in the lead.  He banished The Agent of Mystery from his Graveyard to Special Summon Master Hyperion, then banished Shine Ball to destroy Antwan’s Miracle Fusion with Hyperion’s effect.  Mak had 2 cards left in his hand: he Normal Summoned The Agent of Creation – Venus and paid 1000 Life Points total to Special Summon 2 Shine Balls in Defense Position.  Hyperion attacked to destroy Cyber Dragon.

Antwan drew another Neos Alius and Set Giant Trunade, before attacking over The Agent of Creation.

Mak drew to 2 cards, and banished The Agent of Creation to destroy Neos Alius with Hyperion.  Mak turned a Shine Ball to Attack Position, then attacked with Shine Ball and Hyperion to finish the Duel!

A rough opening hand sees no action for Steven Antwan, leaving Thomas Mak to score an academic victory with Master Hyperion.  Antwan would have to win 2 Duels back-to-back in order to stay alive in this tournament.

Antwan opened the second Duel with a hand of 2 Gemini Spark; Skyscraper; Miracle Fusion; Elemental Hero Neos Alius; and Solemn Warning.  He Summoned Neos Alius and Set everything but Skyscraper and Miracle Fusion.

Mak banished Archlord Kristya to draw 2 cards with Cards from the Sky, then Normal Summoned The Agent of Mystery – Earth to get The Agent of Creation – Venus from his Deck.  He Set 3 cards to his Spell and Trap Card Zone.

Antwan drew another Warning, and attacked over The Agent of Mystery. He Set Warning.

Mak Summoned The Agent of Creation and paid 500 Life Points for her effect: Antwan Chained Solemn Warning, paying 2000 Life Points to negate that effect and blow the Agent away.  Mak banished The Agent of Mystery from his Graveyard to try and Special Summon Master Hyperion, but Antwan negated that Summon too, flipping his second Warning!  Mak Set a fourth back row card and ended.

Antwan drew Thunder King Rai-Oh and attacked with Neos Alius for another 1900 Battle Damage.  Mak was down to 4700 Life Points, and Antwan Set Miracle Fusion.

Mak Set a monster, and a fifth card to his back row.

Antwan drew another Thunder King Rai-Oh, and Summoned it: Mak responded with Torrential Tribute, and Antwan Chained Gemini Spark, destroying Mak’s Set Solemn Warning.  Antwan drew Monster Reborn and activated it, targeting his Thunder King Rai-Oh: Mak Chained Miraculous Descent, Special Summoning Archlord Kristya to stop Thunder King’s Special Summon!

Mak activated Mystical Space Typhoon, destroying Antwan’s Miracle Fusion.  He attacked with Kristya, dropping Antwan to 1200 Life Points.

Antwan drew Dark Hole and activated it to destroy Kristya!  He Summoned Thunder King and attacked, lowering Mak to 2800 Life Points.  Antwan had Thunder King; a Set Spell or Trap; and an in-hand card.

Mak drew to 1 in-hand card and activated his Set Dark Hole.  He ended with 1 card in-hand and 1 card Set in his Spell and Trap Card Zone.

Antwan drew and activated E – Emergency Call!  He got Elemental Hero Stratos from his Deck, and searched out Elemental Hero Neos Alius.  Stratos attacked to drop Mak to 1000 Life Points.  The Duel stood at 1000 Life Points to 1200.

Mak Set another Spell or Trap.

Antwan drew another Miracle Fusion.  He Summoned Neos Alius, attacked into Mirror Force, Tributed Neos Alius for Gemini Spark, and destroyed Mak’s set Dust Tornado.  Antwan Set a Spell or Trap, then banished Stratos and Neos Alius for Miracle Fusion, Summoning Elemental Hero The Shining!

Mak Set a monter.

Antwan drew Torrential Tribute and attacked Mak’s Set The Agent of Miracles – Jupiter with The Shining.  He Set Torrential.

Mak drew to 2 cards in hand and briefly checked his Graveyard.  Antwan had 2 cards Set in his Spell and Trap Card Zone; The Shining; plus another card in hand, with 2 Heroes to take back if The Shining went down.  He was hugely outmatched, but with both Duelists so low on Life Points, he wasn’t ready to go to the third Duel just yet.  Mak Special Summoned Archlord Kristya in Defense Position, taking back Master Hyperion from his Graveyard.

Antwan drew Giant Trunade and destroyed Kristya in battle, returning it to the top of Mak’s Deck.

Mak drew Kristya again, and Special Summoned Cyber Dragon.  He banished The Agent of Miracles – Jupiter from his Graveyard to Special Summon Hyperion, then banished a Shine Ball to destroy The Shining: Antwan Chained Torrential Tribute, destroying everything, and took back his Stratos and Elemental Hero Neos Alius even though the timing was missed for The Shining’s effect. Neither Duelist realized it, so Mak, with nothing but the Kristya left in his hand, packed it in and went for his Side Deck.

More tough draws for Steven Antwan somehow turn into a win this time around, as Antwan manages to build momentum and take the second Duel!  Thomas Mak would start the third and final competition.

Mak opened with The Agent of Creation – Venus, paying 1000 Life Points total to Special Summon 2 copies of Mystic Shine Ball from his Deck.  He Set a single card to his back row.

Antwan had E – Emergency Call; Reinforcement of the Army; Miracle Fusion; 2 Gemini Spark; and Super-Polymerization.  He got Elemental Hero Stratos with Call, but when he tried to Summon it, he lost out to Solemn Warning.  Antwan Set 2 cards to his back row.

Mak Normal Summoned The Agent of Mystery – Earth, searching The Agent of Miracles – Jupiter from his Deck.  With 9 Levels of potential Synchro Materials on the field, he turned his Shine Balls to Attack Position and swung with everything.  In Main Phase 2 he Synchro Summoned Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier, banishing Antwan’s Stratos from the Graveyard; Gemini Spark from his field; and Reinforcement of the Army from his hand!  He set a single Spell or Trap to finish.

Antwan drew Elemental Hero Neos Alius and tried to Summon it: Mak had another Warning!  Antwan Set a Spell or Trap.

Mak Normal Summoned The Agent of Miracles – Jupiter, and attacked for a total of 3700 Battle Damage.  It was all over, and Thomas Mak was headed to the Top 8!