I gathered up the Duelists at the first 4 tables for a quick overview of what’s going on in the tournament. Check out what happened to the Duelists at the first 4 tables in Round 1!

At Table 1, Brandon Niemeyer 2-0’d Nizar Sarhan’s Dino Rabbit Deck with his T.G. Agents.

In Duel 1, Niemeyer used Trap Dustshoot on the first turn to send Tour Guide From the Underworld back to Sarhan’s Deck. Sarhan needed that Tour Guide to keep his hand functioning, and lost early in the Duel without it. A first-turn Dustshoot can be devastating to a Duelist if played right, because it can dismantle an opponent’s hand by removing a key card from it. That’s what happened to Sarhan in this Duel.

In Duel 2, Sarhan appeared to be in good shape with Evolzar Laggia on the field and Dimensional Prison face-down. Sarhan even knew that Niemeyer had Archlord Kristya and Heavy Storm in his hand, thanks to his own Trap Dustshoot. But the Duel turned around quickly when Niemeyer used Heavy Storm, and Sarhan negated it with Laggia’s effect. Unbeknownst to Sarhan, Niemeyer drew Master Hyperion that turn! He Special Summoned it and demolished Sarhan. Sarhan may have lost, but there are no plays that he regret in the Match. “I played perfect,” he told me. “I [lucked out with the Hyperion],” Niemeyer confessed.

At Table 2, Glenn Dourard’s Gladiator Beasts 2-0’d Derek Boston’s HEROs.

In Duel 1, Dourard Summoned Gladiator Beast Gyzarus twice on turn Turn 2, with some help from Elemental Hero Prisma, to destroy 4 of Boston’s Spell and Trap Cards. None of them were Chainable (or able to stop the devastation)! Boston never recovered. It’s dangerous to Set so many Trap Cards that aren’t Chainable, because destructive effects from cards like Gladiator Beast Gyzarus may destroy them all at once and leave you in the dust.

In Duel 2, Dourard controlled the Duel with his Gladiator Beast attacks and effects, and then finally ended it by using Gyzarus to destroy 2 back rows and attacking directly. Boston said he wishes he had drawn some Traps like Torrential Tribute, which could’ve disrupted Dourard’s play.

At Table 3, Timothy Ensign faced off against Alejandro Perez, in a Duel that pitted Ensign’s Wind-Ups against Perez’s Agents. Ensign won 2-0.

In Duel 1, Ensign pulled off the Wind-Up Hunter loop, forcing Dourard to pitch 2 cards from his hand. Later, he dominated the Duel with Tiras, Keeper of Genesis by overlaying Wind-Up Shark and Wind-Up Soldier. After the Match, Ensign said, “I wish I had gotten Tiras out a turn earlier. I messed up and got the wrong Xyz. I made the mistake of targeting Hunter with my last Rat instead of Shark. Then I could’ve Special Summoned my other Shark from hand and Overlayed for Tiras.” Rank 5 monsters like Tiras are extremely powerful, and when Summoned, they can often turn Duels on their own.

In Duel 2, Perez tried to Summon an early Hyperion, but was stopped by Solemn Warning. Later in the Duel, Ensign used Heavy Storm to clear Perez’s back rows and Summoned 3 Wind-Up Carrier Zenmaity. Perez couldn’t destroy them, and Ensign won on the following turn. Wind-Ups aren’t all about sending an opponent’s hand to the Graveyard – they can also swarm the field and attack for massive amounts of damage.

At Table 4, Manuel Vargas 2-0’d Michael Harris’s Synchrocentric Deck using Wind-Ups.

In Duel 1, Vargas controlled the Duel with his Wind-Up Rabbits. “He was able to get around Torrential,” Harris told me. Vargas also got around his own Dark Hole, and Harris couldn’t destroy the Rabbit by attacking with Rai-Oh, since the Rabbit was able to keep evading attacks with its effect. Wind-Up Rabbit is a tough card to get rid of, since it can dodge just about anything and then return to the field at a later time. Vargas eventually used Wind-Up Factory to build up cards in his hand, and then made one big push with Adreus, Keeper of Armageddon, Wind-Up Zenmaines, and Steelswarm Roach to end the Duel.

In Duel 2, Vargas countered Harris’s Tour Guide with Effect Veiler on Harris’s first turn, and then Special Summoned Cyber Dragon. Cyber Dragon attacked over a bunch of Harris’s monsters over the course of several turns. Harris wasn’t able to destroy it easily. A few turns later, Harris finally found a way to get rid of Cyber Dragon: he used Mind Control to take control of it and activated Monster Reborn to Special Summon Effect Veiler. Vargas Chained Maxx “C” to Monster Reborn to draw a card, and then Harris Synchro Summoned Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier by Tuning Effect Veiler and Cyber Dragon together, finally getting Cyber Dragon off of the field. Vargas drew another card thanks to Maxx “C”, and then Harris discarded a card to return Vargas’s only back row to his hand by using Brionac’s effect. But it was all over when Harris attacked directly with Brionac. Vargas Special Summoned Gorz the Emissary of Darkness and Harris never recovered.

Brandon Niemeyer, Glenn Dourard, Timothy Ensign, and Manuel Vargas are moving on with 1-0 records in the tournament!