Round 8 Roundup

March 25th, 2012

7 Rounds of Swiss have been completed and Day 2 has begun! See which Decks and Duelists are at the Top 4 Tables full of undefeated Duelists!

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At Table 1, Keita Nagano Defeated Hector Heras 2-1 in an Inzektor Mirror Match!

In Duel 1, Heras leaned on his Inzektor Dragonfly and Inzektor combos to take the victory.

In Duel 2, Heras tried to use Dragonfly’s effect to equip it with a a Hornet and win the Duel, but lost out to D.D. Crow that banished the only Hornet in his Graveyard! Heras could’ve used Foolish Burial to second a second Hornet to the Graveyard before using Dragonfly’s effect, but chose not to do so because of how unlikely he thought it was that Nagano would have the D.D. Crow. Heras explained that he wanted to leave an extra DARK monster in his Deck that he could draw, since he had Allure of Darkness in his hand, or would’ve liked to draw the Hornet to destroy another of Nagano’s cards later in the Duel. Only in hindsight, he explained, does he wish he had used the Foolish Burial to send another Hornet to the Graveyard.

In Duel 3, Nagano used Leviair the Sea Dragon to steal a Dragonfly that Heras banished with Allure of Darkness earlier in the Duel to win. Inzektor combos allowed Nagano to take the third Duel and win the Match.

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At Table 2, Angel Ascensio Beat Austyn Ruoff 2-0 in a Dino Rabbit Mirror Match!

In Duel 1, both Duelists lost a lot of Life Points in a Chain involving Solemn Warning and 2 copies of Solemn Judgment, and Ruoff took an early lead with some early attacks. But when Thunder King Rai-Oh attacked Ascensio directly, Ascensio Special Summoned Gorz the Emissary of Darkness. “I knew he had the Gorz,” Ruoff told me after the Match. “I shouldn’t have attacked. He passed with 3 cards in hand and none on the field.” Ruoff tried to fend off Gorz by making Number 39: Utopia, but Ascensio quickly forced Utopia to use its Xyz Materials. Gorz ended up winning Ascensio the Duel!

In Duel 2, Ruoff Summoned Rescue Rabbit and banished it on his first turn, but Ascensio discarded Maxx “C” to draw a card, plus an additional card when Ruoff Xyz Summoned Evolzar Laggia. Later, Ruoff Summoned a Dolkka by using Rescue Rabbit, and Ascensio had another Maxx “C” that drew him 2 more cards. Ascensio was able to use Smashing Ground to force Laggia’s negation and then Dark Hole to destroy both Laggia and Dolkka. Ascensio eventually won the Duel with a Tour Guide From the Underworld that helped to Xyz Summon Leviair the Sea Dragon, which Special Summoned a Rescue Rabbit that Summoned Dolkka. Ruoff used Maxx “C” to draw a bunch of cards that turn, but they were all irrelevant as Dolkka finished Ruoff off as soon as it was Summoned.

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At Table 3, Michael Balan’s Dark World Deck Defeated His Brother Marc Balan’s Rescue Rabbit Deck 2-1!

In Duel 1, Michael used Dragged Down into the Grave to reveal Marc’s hand of Mystical Space Typhoon, Book of Moon, Kabazauls, Jurrac Guaiba, and Gorz the Emissary of Darkness. He sent Gorz the Emissary of Darkness to the Graveyard. A few turns later, he used Mind Crush to try to discard the Guaiba, forcing Marc to reveal and discard three copies – he had drawn 2 more since Michael first saw his hand! Michael eventually won the Duel by using multiple copies of Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World.

In Duel 2, Marc Chained a Macro Cosmos to Foolish Burial early on, immediately shutting down most of Michael’s Deck. Marc also managed to Summon Laggia to the field, and Michael couldn’t turn the Duel around, pinned down by Macro Cosmos and Evolzar Laggia.

In Duel 3, Michael used Card Destruction first turn to make Marc discard a hand of Rescue Rabbit, Macro Cosmos, Mystical Space Typhoon, Smashing Ground, and Solemn Warning, while also discarding his own Broww and allowing him to draw a card. He drew more cards with The Gates of Dark World, including a Reckless Greed that drew him even more cards. Eventually, Grapha stuck the field to defeat Marc’s monsters and win the Duel for Michael Balan.

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At Table 4, Robert Joseph’s Dino Rabbit Deck Defeated David Lopez’s T.G. Deck 2-1!

In Duel 1, Lopez opened up with a T.G. Rush Rhino and 5 back rows including Skill Drain, Solemn Judgment, Horn of the Phantom Beast, and Starlight Road. Skill Drain shut down Tour Guide From the Underworld and a follow-up of Beast King Barbaros brought Lopez a quick victory over Joseph.

In Duel 2, Joseph Summoned Rescue Rabbit on his first turn to Xyz Summon Evolzar Laggia. On his second turn, he used Tour Guide From the Underworld to Xyz Summon Leviair the Sea Dragon, Special Summon Rescue Rabbit from the Banished Zone, and make another Laggia. Lopez forced both Laggias to negate the Summon of a Catastor and a TG1-EM1, and then destroyed 1 Laggia in battle with a T.G. Rush Rhino boosted by Horn of the Phantom Beast. But next turn, Joseph used Leviair to Special Summon Rescue Rabbit again, combined it with a Level 4 Normal Dino, and Xyz Summoned Number 39: Utopia. Utopia, Evolzar Laggia, and Leviair the Sea Dragon overwhelmed Lopez. After the Match, Lopez said he wishes he had attacked Leviair instead of Laggia, in order to stop Joseph from making Utopia.

In Duel 3, Lopez attacked a Kabazauls with T.G. Warwolf while he had 2 back rows. Expecting Horn of the Phantom Beast, Joseph flipped Royal Decree on the attack declaration! Lopez was unable to make his Warwolf strong enough to destroy Kabazauls, and after it fell to the Graveyard, Lopez continued to get demolished by Royal Decree. Lopez wishes he had Side Decked Mystical Space Typhoons in, but didn’t expect to see Decree. Trap-heavy Decks like most T.G. Decks are usually very vulnerable to Royal Decree. It’s usually a good idea to have some ways to destroy it after Side Decking.

Keita Nagano, Angel Ascensio, Michael Balan, and Robert Joseph are advancing undefeated in the tournament!