Top 16 Feature Match: Francisco (Paco) Cervantes vs. Billy Brake
Paco Cervantes’s Deck is the last Deck in the Top 16 that uses Gallis the Star Beast. But in order for him to advance to the Top 8 with his new Deck, he’ll need to defeat Billy Brake, the winner of the previous YCS! Will Cervantes take his innovative Deck to the Top 8, or will Billy Brake keep his dream of becoming a back-to-back YCS Champion alive?
Brake started off the Match by Summoning Thunder King Rai-Oh and Setting 2 cards to his back row.
Cervantes opened up with 2 copies of Gallis the Star Beast, 2 copies of The Agent of Mystery – Earth, T.G. Striker, and Effect Veiler. He Special Summoned T.G. Striker and then revealed Gallis from his hand to activate its effect. He sent Tragoedia from the top of his Deck to his Graveyard and Brake lost 2000 Life Points due to Gallis’s effect. Next, Cervantes Tuned T.G. Striker with Gallis to Synchro Summon Magical Android. He ended his turn, but Brake activated Book of Moon to put Magical Android face-down before Cervantes could gain 600 Life Points.
Brake attacked the face-down Magical Android with Thunder King Rai-Oh to destroy it. He Set a monster and passed.
Cervantes drew The Agent of Creation – Venus next turn and Normal Summoned it. He activated its effect 3 times by paying 1500 Life Points, in order to Special Summon 3 Shine Balls from his Deck: 1 in an Attack Position and 2 in Defense Position. He combined the 2 Defense Position Shine Balls to try to Xyz Summon Gachi Gachi Gantetsu, and Brake sent Thunder King Rai-Oh to the Graveyard to negate its Summon. Cervantes attacked Brake’s face-down Debris Dragon with Venus next, costing him 400 Life Points.
Brake Tributed Debris Dragon to Summon Caius the Shadow Monarch next turn, and when Brake used Caius’s effect to try to banish Venus, Cervantes discarded Effect Veiler to negate Caius’s effect. Next, Brake activated Monster Reborn to Special Summon Thunder King Rai-Oh from his Graveyard. Caius attacked and destroyed Venus in battle, and then Rai-Oh attacked Mystical Shine Ball, dropping Cervantes down to 3900 Life Points.
Cervantes drew Master Hyperion next turn! He revealed Gallis from his hand to activate its effect. He sent a Gallis from the top of his Deck to his Graveyard to Special Summon the one in his hand, and Brake lost 600 Life Points. Next, Cervantes Normal Summoned The Agent of Mystery – Earth. He Tuned Earth with Gallis to try to Synchro Summon Ally of Justice Catastor, but Brake sent Thunder King Rai-Oh to the Graveyard to negate its Summon. Next, Cervantes banished Earth from his Graveyard to try to Special Summon Master Hyperion, but Brake activated Solemn Judgment and paid half of his Life Points to negate Hyperion’s Summon!
Brake Normal Summoned Tour Guide From the Underworld next turn and activated its effect, prompting Cervantes to concede. Cervantes’s 3900 Life Points couldn’t withstand attacks from Caius, Tour Guide, and Sangan.
Billy Brake dominates Duel 1 with his Thunder King Rai-Oh! Paco Cervantes will be going first in Duel 2!
Cervantes opened up Duel 2 with Genex Ally Birdman, Monster Reborn, Herald of Orange Light, T.G. Striker, Master Hyperion, and Honest. He ended his turn without making a play.
Brake Set a card to his back row and passed.
Cervantes drew Gallis and revealed it from his hand to activate its effect. He sent The Agent of Mystery – Earth from the top of his Deck to his Graveyard, dealing 400 points of damage to Brake. He Special Summoned Gallis and then returned it to his hand to Special Summon Genex Ally Birdman. He Special Summoned Gallis again, this time by sending Archlord Kristya from the top of his Deck to his Graveyard and dealing 1600 points of damage to Brake. Cervantes attacked directly with Gallis, and Brake took the hit. Next, Cervantes attacked with Birdman, and Brake flipped Scapegoat to Special Summon 4 Sheep Tokens. Cervantes destroyed 1 Token with Birdman. In Main Phase 2, Cervantes combined Birdman with Gallis in order to Xyz Summon Number 17: Leviathan Dragon, and detached Birdman from it to boost its ATK.
[After the Match, I asked Cervantes if there was a play he regret making during the Match. “I regret not Reborning the Kristya after I milled it with Gallis. I should’ve been more aggressive.” By reviving Archlord Kristya himself, Cervantes would have been able to prevent Brake from stealing it from his Graveyard on the following turn.]
Brake Normal Summoned Glow-Up Bulb next turn. He Tuned it with a Sheep Token to Synchro Summon Formula Synchron in Defense Position and draw a card. Next, he Tuned Formula Synchron with his 2 Sheep Tokens to Synchro Summon Armory Arm. Brake activated Monster Reborn next, allowing him to Special Summon Archlord Kristya from Cervantes’s Graveyard. He equipped Archlord Kristya with Armory Arm and attacked Number 17: Leviathan Dragon. The Leviathan was destroyed and Cervantes lost 3800 Life Points.
Cervantes drew Archlord Kristya next turn. He Normal Summoned Herald of Orange Light and attacked Archlord Kristya with it. He discarded Honest in the Damage Step to boost his monster’s ATK and win the battle. Kristya was returned to the top of Cervantes’s Deck.
Brake Summoned Tour Guide From the Underworld next turn and activated its effect to Special Summon Sangan from his Deck. He combined his 2 monsters to Xyz Summon Leviair the Sea Dragon. Next, he used the effect of Glow-Up Bulb, sending Gorz the Emissary of Darkness from the top of his Deck to his Graveyard to Special Summon it to the field! With a DARK monster now in his Graveyard, he banished Gorz and Formula Synchron to Special Summon Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning. Black Luster attacked and destroyed Herald of Orange Light, and then a direct attack from Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning ended the Duel!
[After the Match, I asked Billy if there’s a play he regrets making in the Match. He replied, “I regret grabbing the wrong Xyz Monster from my Extra Deck, putting it on the field, and saying its name. I meant to get Leviathan Dragon! But I had Dimensional Prison and Leeching the Light anyway.” With Leviathan Dragon, Brake would’ve been able to guarantee a DARK monster in his Graveyard, by detaching Sangan or Tour Guide from it. Instead, he was forced to gamble Glow-Up Bulb’s effect and hope it would put a DARK monster in his Graveyard for Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning.]
Billy Brake is advancing to the Top 8 with his Synchro Summon Deck!
