Robert DiMartino is currently 8-2 with Gladiator Beasts and his opponent, Tyler Nolan, holds the same record with his T.G. Deck. One of these Duelists will make it to the Top 32. The other will be eliminated right here. Which will it be?

Nolan started the Match by Normal Summoning Reborn Tengu and Setting 2 cards to his back row.

DiMartino opened up with Gladiator Beast Secutor, Gladiator Beast Murmillo, Gladiator Beast Bestiari, Gladiator Beast War Chariot, and 2 Trap Stuns. It was a weak hand for getting through a Tengu. He Set all 3 of his Traps along with Gladiator Beast Bestiari and ended his turn.

[After the Match, I asked DiMartino if he regretted Setting the Bestiari. He replied, “Oh! Definitely! Yes! Had I known I would draw that Hero Lives!” But DiMartino arguably made the right play. By Setting Bestiari and letting it be destroyed, he made it so that drawing any of his 3 Tigers, or drawing a Laquari to run over a Tengu and tag out for Darius, would let him Summon Gladiator Beast Gyzarus. Leaving Bestiari in his hand would make Gyzarus harder to Summon.]

Nolan Normal Summoned T.G. Striker next turn. He Tuned it with Reborn Tengu to Synchro Summon Gaia Knight, the Force of Earth, and then Special Summoned another Tengu from his Deck with his first Tengu’s effect. Nolan attacked and destroyed DiMartino’s face-down Gladiator Beast Bestiari with Gaia Knight, the Force of Earth, and then attacked directly with Tengu. He Set another card to his back row before ending his turn.

DiMartino drew A Hero Lives next turn. He Set Gladiator Beast Murmillo and passed.

Nolan attacked and destroyed Murmillo with Gaia, then attacked directly with Tengu. In Main Phase 2, he activated Pot of Duality, revealing Horn of the Phantom Beast, Dark Hole, and TG1-EM1, adding the Horn to his hand. He Set it before passing.

DiMartino drew Book of Moon next turn. He activated Trap Stun and then activated A Hero Lives by paying half of his Life Points! He Special Summoned Elemental Hero Prisma from his Deck and used its effect to change its name to Gladiator Beast Laquari. Then he Set Gladiator Beast Secutor and fused it with Prisma to Summon Gladiator Beast Essedarii. Essedarrii attacked and destroyed Reborn Tengu, and Nolan Special Summoned another copy from his Deck. DiMartino Set Book of Moon, and in his End Phase, lost it to Nolan’s Mystical Space Typhoon.

It was all over on Nolan’s next turn! He Summoned T.G. Warwolf, and then attacked over Essedarii with Gaia. Direct attacks from Reborn Tengu and T.G. Warwolf finished DiMartino off!

Robert DiMartino draws at least 2 Gladiator Beasts he never wants to draw in his opening hand, and quickly falls prey to Nolan’s monsters. DiMartino will be going first in Duel 2!

DiMartino opened up Duel 2 with Trap Stun, A Hero Lives, Monster Reborn, Gladiator Beast Murmillo, Solemn Warning, and Gladiator Beast Equeste. He Set Trap Stun and Solemn Warning before ending his turn.

Nolan activated Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy Trap Stun and then tried to Normal Summon T.G. Rush Rhino; but DiMartino flipped Solemn Warning to negate its Summon! Nolan Set 4 cards to his back row before ending his turn.

DiMartino drew Book of Moon next turn. He paid 3000 Life Points by activating A Hero Lives and Special Summoned Prisma from his Deck. He changed its name to Gladiator Beast Bestiari by sending Bestiari from his Deck to his Graveyard, then Normal Summoned Gladiator Beast Murmillo. Next, he activated Monster Reborn to revive Gladiator Beast Bestiari, and Nolan flipped Bottomless Trap Hole to banish it. DiMartino attacked directly with Murmillo and Prisma, tagging out Murmillo for Laquari at the end of the Battle Phase. DiMartino Set Book of Moon before ending his turn.

Nolan Set a monster and passed.

DiMartino Normal Summoned Gladiator Beast Equeste next turn. He attacked Nolan’s face-down T.G. Striker with Equeste to destroy it in battle, and then Prisma and Laquari attacked directly, dropping Nolan down to 600 Life Points. At the end of the Battle Phase, DiMartino tagged out Equeste to Summon Gladiator Beast Retiari, and targeted Nolan’s T.G. Striker with its effect’s. When Skill Drain tried to negate it (Neither Duelist noted that Nolan didn’t have enough Life Points to pay for it), DiMartino flipped Book of Moon to try to put Retiari face-down and resolve its effect; but Nolan flipped Solemn Judgment and paid 300 Life Points to negate the Book of Moon, keeping his Striker in the Graveyard. In Main Phase 2, DiMartino fused Gladiator Beast Retiari with Gladiator Beast Laquari to Summon Gladiator Beast Essedarii, and in the End Phase, Nolan added T.G. Rush Rhino from his Deck to his hand.

Nolan Set his Rhino and a card to his back row.

DiMartino drew Gladiator Beast Darius and then attacked Nolan’s face-down Rhino with Prisma. A direct attack from Gladiator Beast Essedarii ended the Duel!

DiMartino wins Duel 2 despite some bad draws, by making aggressive plays that worked out to his advantage! Tyler Nolan will be going first in Duel 3!

Nolan started off Duel 3 by activating Pot of Duality, revealing Monster Reborn, Call of the Haunted, and Solemn Warning from the top of his Deck. He added Call of the Haunted to his hand and shuffled the other 2 cards back into his Deck. He Summoned Reborn Tengu and Set 2 cards to his back row before ending his turn.

DiMartino opened up with Pot of Duality, Trap Stun, Bottomless Trap Hole, Gladiator Beast Laquari, Gladiator Beast Bestiari, and Gladiator Beast Retiari. He activated Pot of Duality, revealing Trap Stun, Solemn Judgment, and Elemental Hero Prisma from the top of his Deck. He added Solemn Judgment to his hand and shuffled the other 2 cards back into his Deck. DiMartino Set Bottomless Trap Hole, Solemn Judgment, Trap Stun, and Gladiator Beast Bestiari before ending his turn.

Nolan attacked the Bestiari with Tengu, destroying it in battle. He Set a card to each zone in Main Phase 2 and then passed.

DiMartino drew Test Tiger next turn. He flipped Trap Stun, and Nolan Chained Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy DiMartino’s Solemn Judgment. Next, DiMartino Normal Summoned Gladiator Beast Laquari and attacked over Reborn Tengu. Nolan Special Summoned another copy of Tengu from his Deck, and DiMartino tagged out Laquari for Gladiator Beast Darius at the end of the Battle Phase. Darius Special Summoned Gladiator Beast Bestiari from his Graveyard, and then DiMartino fused Darius with Bestiari to Summon Gladiator Beast Gyzarus! Gyzarus destroyed Nolan’s face-down Solemn Warning and Dimensional Prison, and DiMartino ended his turn.

[I asked Nolan after the Match if there were any plays he regret making, and he said that he regret Chaining the Mystical Space Typhoon to Trap Stun. “I thought he might have A Hero Lives Set, since he Set it in Duel 1,” Nolan told me.]

Nolan activated Dark Hole to destroy Gyzarus as well as his own Tengu and T.G. Warwolf. He Special Summoned another Tengu from his Deck, and DiMartino banished it with Bottomless Trap Hole. In his End Phase, Nolan searched for T.G. Rush Rhino with the effect of his Warwolf.

DiMartino drew Gladiator Beast Darius next turn. He Summoned it and tried attacking directly, but Nolan flipped Call of the Haunted to revive Reborn Tengu. Tengu and Darius were destroyed in battle.

Nolan Summoned T.G. Rush Rhino and attacked with it. He Set a card to his back row and passed.

DiMartino drew Heavy Storm! He activated it to destroy Nolan’s Bottomless Trap Hole and Skill Drain, and then Normal Summoned Gladiator Beast Retiari. He Special Summoned his last in-hand card, Test Tiger, and Tributed it to send Retiari back to the Deck and Special Summon Gladiator Beast Murmillo in its place. Murmillo destroyed T.G. Rush Rhino with its effect, and then tagged out for Retiari to banish T.G. Rush Rhino from Nolan’s Graveyard.

Nolan drew T.G. Warwolf next turn. He Summoned it and attacked Retiari with it, destroying them both. In the End Phase, Nolan added T.G. Rush Rhino from his Deck to his hand.

With no cards in his hand or on the field, DiMartino drew Monster Reborn!  He activated it to Special Summon Gladiator Beast Gyzarus and attacked directly. He tagged out for Gladiator Beast Equeste and Gladiator Beast Darius, using Darius’s      effect to Special Summon Retiari and Equeste’s effect to return Gladiator Beast Darius from his Graveyard to his hand. In Main Phase 2, DiMartino combined Darius with Equeste to make Number 39: Utopia, and Retiari was returned to the Deck.

Nolan Normal Summoned T.G. Rush Rhino and Set a card to his back row.

DiMartino drew Gladiator Beast War Chariot. He Summoned Gladiator Beast Darius, and Nolan flipped Solemn Judgment paying 1950 Life Points to negate its Summon. Next, Utopia attacked and destroyed Rush Rhino. DiMartino Set Gladiator Beast War Chariot, and in the End Phase, Nolan searched his Deck for a copy of T.G. Striker to add to his hand with his Rhino’s effect.

Nolan drew Starlight Road next turn and conceded with only 1950 Life Points remaining.

[After the Match, Nolan told me that he regretted conceding. DiMartino didn’t have another monster to Summon, and Nolan could’ve defended himself with his T.G. Striker and bought some turns with his T.G. defenses.]

Tyler Nolan is out, as Robert DiMartino pilots his Gladiator Beast Deck to victory using Number 39: Utopia!