We’ve arrived at our final round of Day 1, and rounded up some of the Duelists with records of 6-1 or better. Check out what’s happening at our featured tables in this final round of the day!

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At our first featured table, we have Vincent Mireles using his Dark World Deck to Duel against Steve Do’s Master Hyperion Deck.

In Duel 1, Vincent Mireles took control of the Duel with Dark Smog, banishing all of the Fairies in Do’s Graveyard from play. But Do used Monster Reborn to Special Summon Fabled Raven, activated Mind Control to take control of Sillva, Warlord of Dark World, and Tuned the 2 monsters with Mystical Shine Ball to Synchro Summon Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier and turn the Duel around. After the Match, Mireles regretted not using Mind Crush to force Do to discard Monster Reborn. Do kept asking to see Mireles’s Graveyard, potentially indicating to Mireles that Monster Reborn was in his hand. Since Mireles didn’t discard Monster Reborn with Mind Crush, Do was able to Summon the Trishula that won him the Duel by banishing an on-field Grapha. Once Mireles lost his Grapha, he just couldn’t recover.

In Duel 2, Mireles wasn’t able to draw a monster when he needed it. He got 3 Graphas in his Graveyard, but couldn’t draw the low-Level Dark World monster that would let him Summon it. Eventually, Do used Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier to finish Mireles off. Balancing low-Level Dark World monsters, high-Level Dark World monsters, and methods of discarding Dark World monsters is one of the toughest challenges in constructing a Dark World Deck.

Steve Do wins 2-0, defeating Grapha’s army by using his Master Hyperion Deck and advances with an undefeated record!

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At our second featured table, we have Samuel Jones and his Rabbit / Dinosaur Deck Dueling against Steffon Bizzell and his Synchro-heavy Deck.

In Duel 1, Jones used Maxx “C” to gain the upper hand. Bizzell activated Foolish Burial to send Dandylion to the Graveyard, and Jones Chained Maxx “C” to Dandylion’s effect in order to draw a card when the Fluff Tokens were Special Summoned. This stopped Bizzell from activating One for One and swarming the field, since Bizzell didn’t want to let Jones draw any more cards. Bizzell still could’ve gone for game by continuing to Special Summon monsters, but chose not to, fearing that Jones might have Gorz the Emissary of Darkness to stop Bizzell’s victory. (It turned out that Jones did have Gorz in his hand.)

Instead, Bizzell Normal Summoned Tengu, attacked Tour Guide, and Jones flipped Forbidden Lance to reduce Tengu’s attack and destroy it in battle. Bizzell Special Summoned another copy of Tengu from his Deck, and Jones drew a card thanks to Maxx “C”. Jones used Book of Moon to put the next Tengu face-down when it attacked. Jones activated Heavy Storm and Summoned Rescue Rabbit next turn, leading him to Summon Evolzar Laggia, and causing Bizzell to concede.

In Duel 2, Jones banished his Rescue Rabbit to Summon 2 copies of Sabersaurus that he lost to Bottomless Trap Hole. Then he refrained from using his Tour Guide From the Underworld because Bizzell searched his Deck for Maxx “C” with Sangan, and Jones didn’t want Bizzell to use that Maxx “C” to draw a bunch of cards from his Deck. Restrained from Special Summoning, Bizzell managed to win Duel 2.

Maxx “C” is an incredible card that frequently dictates which plays a Duelist is willing to make. Even if it only helps a player draw 1 card, it frequently stops an opponent from making a bunch of other players that would push him into the lead.

In Duel 3, Jones used Gold Sarcophagus on his first turn to banish Tour Guide From the Underworld. Then he activated Dimensional Fissure, Set Mirror Force, and Normal Summoned Rescue Rabbit, leading into Evolzar Laggia. Bizzell Summoned Tour Guide From the Underworld and made Number 17: Leviathan Dragon. He boosted it to 2500 ATK by detaching an Xyz Material, but didn’t attack. He correctly predicted that, since Jones let Bizzell keep the Leviathan Dragon and didn’t negate its Summon with the effect of Evolzar Laggia, Jones must’ve had Mirror Force. But when Jones retrieved Tour Guide from Gold Sarcophagus 2 turns later, it was all over. He Summoned Tour Guide using its effect to recruit a Level 3 Fiend, Xyz Summoned Leviair the Sea Dragon, and then used Leviair’s effect to Special Summon Rescue Rabbit. Rescue Rabbit Special Summoned 2 Level 4 monsters, and Jones used them to Xyz Summoned Number 39: Utopia. Utopia clashed with Leviathan dragon to take them both down, and Jones won the Duel a few turns later. After the Duel, Bizzell regretted not detaching Leviathan Dragon’s second Xyz Material to boost its ATK to 3000. If he had done so, Jones wouldn’t have been able to use his Utopia to destroy Leviathan Dragon.

Samuel Jones is advancing in the tournament with a 7-1 record!

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At our third featured table, Michael Boyd is pitting his Synchro-heavy Deck against Tyler Jonson’s Gladiator Beasts.

In Duel 1, Jonson had Gladiator Beast War Chariot and A Hero Lives in his back row, with an Equeste on the field. Boyd had 3 Sheep Tokens. Boyd Special Summoned Spore with One for One and Tuned it with a Sheep Token to Synchro Summon Formula Synchron and draw a card. Jonson chose not to use his Chariot, planning to save it for Spore’s effect instead. Next, Boyd activated Enemy Controller to Tribute a Sheep Token and take control of Equeste.

I asked Boyd why he didn’t use Enemy Controller first, to take control of Equeste so that Chariot couldn’t be used against Formula Synchron, and he said that he wanted to bait out the Chariot to be used against his Formula Synchron. He also said that he feared Jonson’s second Set card.

After taking control of Equeste, Boyd banished Lonefire Blossom from his Graveyard to Special Summon Spore as a Level 4 monster. Then he Tuned Equeste with Spore and a Sheep Token in order to Synchro Summon Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier. He Normal Summoned Tour Guide From the Underworld next, using it to finish Jonson off.

In Duel 2, Jonson Normal Summoned Thunder King Rai-Oh and Set Dimensional Prison on his first turn. Boyd Special Summoned Cyber Dragon and Jonson chose not to negate its Summon with Rai-Oh. This tipped off Boyd that Jonson had an attack stopper, so he chose not to attack with Cyber Dragon. He ended his turn instead. Jonson used Smashing Ground to destroy Cyber Dragon next turn. Then Jonson Summoned Gladiator Beast Murmillo and Special Summoned Test Tiger. He Tributed Test Tiger to send Murmillo back to the Deck and get Gladiator Beast Secutor. Boyd used Effect Veiler to negate Secutor’s effect in Main Phase 1, and Jonson chose not to attack, correctly fearing Gorz. Jonson cleared the field with Dark Hole on the next turn, and Boyd mounted a return by eventually Synchro Summoned Stardust Dragon and Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier to win the Match!

Michael Boyd defeats Gladiator Beasts with his Synchro-heavy plays Deck!

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At our last featured table, Zakary Kramer is facing off against Eelijah Chon, in a Match that pits Kramer’s Piper Chaos Deck against Chon’s Synchro Summon Deck.

In Duel 1, Kramer pulled off his Mystic Piper / Kinka-Byo combo to draw several cards from his Deck. He eventually Summoned T.G. Hyper Librarian with some help from Mind Control and Symphonic Warrior Basses, and Special Summoned Chaos Sorcerer. Chon couldn’t break through Kramer’s field.

In Duel 2, Chon Synchro Summoned T.G. Hyper Librarian, followed by Formula Synchron, to draw a pair of cards. He later Summoned Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier to seal the Duel.

In Duel 3, both Duelists used Trap Dustshoot against one another to see each other’s hands. Chon attacked with Thunder King Rai-Oh and Kramer Special Summoned Tragoedia. Chon thought his Shadow-Imprisoning Mirror would reduce its ATK to 0, so he didn’t activate his face-down Debunk to negate Tragoedia’s Summon. But Tragoedia’s effect is Continuous, and Shadow-Imprisoning Mirror is powerless against it. Tragoedia proved to be instrumental in Kramer’s victory, and Chon thinks that he most likely would’ve won if he had used Debunk against the Tragoedia.

Kramer is moving on with a 7-1 record using Piper Chaos!

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Do, Jones, Boyd, and Kramer are moving on to Day 2, each with no more than a single loss!