Jason Koole travelled here from Kalamazoo, Michigan! His opponent is Kyle Peters, who came all the way from Kansas City, Missouri! These Duelists are participating in some of the very first Battle Pack: Epic Dawn events to run as a booster draft!

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What is Booster Draft?

Drafting is a little different from regular Sealed Play, but it’s a LOT like when you draft players for a sports team! Both formats have players open up their packs and play with only those cards. In Sealed, you take only from your packs, and that’s it. Drafting still only lets you play from the packs used for this event, but everyone is sharing their packs!

Here’s how it works: Everyone opens up two of their packs, and combines those 10 cards into a pile. Then, you get to pick one of those cards in the pile – that’s yours to keep. Once everyone has picked a card, the piles are all passed in a circle to the next Duelist. You’ll take a card from that pile (there should be 9 cards left, cuz somebody already took one), then pass once again (now there are 8 in each pile). The process repeats until every pack is opened and every card is chosen.  Then you build your Deck from the cards you chose!

After drafting and deck construction, the Duelists got down to business with their chosen cards. Here’s how this match unfolded.

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Duel 1

Koole Set a monster and two back row cards to start.

Peters opened with Ego Boost, Bazoo the Soul-Eater, Witch of the Black Forest, Fiend’s Sanctuary, and Dark Bribe. He drew Gilasaurus, then Set his Witch and Dark Bribe.

Koole Normal Summoned Voltic Kong. It attacked Witch, and that added Tanngrisnir of the Nordic Beasts to Peters’ hand. (Voltic Kong’s effect did not activate because it did not inflict any battle damage, since Witch was in Defense Position.)

Peters drew Call of the Haunted. He Set Tanngrisnir and Call.

Koole Normal Summoned Twin-Sword Marauder! It attacked Tanngrisnir, piercing for 800 damage. Tanngrisnir summoned two Nordic Beast Tokens in Defense Position, and Marauder pierced one for another 1600 damage! Voltic Kong destroyed the other. (Still no battle damage, so still no Kong effect.)

Peters drew Pot of Duality. It revealed Grave Protector, Hardened Armed Dragon, and Ancient Gear Golem. He chose to keep Ancient Gear Golem. Next, he Normal Summoned Bazoo, banishing Witch to raise Bazoo to 1900 ATK. Bazoo attacked Twin-Sword Marauder, and when Koole used Kunai with Chain, Peters countered with his Dark Bribe! Koole drew a card from Bribe, Marauder went down in defeat, and Peters Set Ego Boost.

Koole Normal Summoned Exiled Force and Tributed it to destroy Bazoo! Voltic Kong attacked directly, and Peters responded with Call of the Haunted to revive Tanngrisnir. Since this triggered a replay, Voltic Kong had a chance to reconsider its actions, and called off its attack so as not to leave Peters with 2 Tributable monsters going into his turn.

Peters drew Hardened Armed Dragon, and in his Draw Phase Peters activated Ring of Destruction to destroy his own Tanngrisnir! Peters now had 4400 Life Points to Koole’s 6500. Peters Special Summoned Gilasaurus from his hand, and that let Koole revive Exiled Force from the Graveyard in Defense Position. Peters next activated Fiend’s Sanctuary to Special Summon a Metal Fiend Token, then tributed his token and Gilasaurus for Ancient Gear Golem! It attacked to destroy Exiled Force, piercing for 2000 damage.

Koole drew and activated another Ring of Destruction to destroy the Golem! Each player took 3000 damage!

Peters drew and Normal Summoned Hardened Armed Dragon. When it attacked, Koole’s Magic Cylinder wiped out the rest of Peters’ Life Points!

Jason Koole wins the first Duel with a massive amount of burn damage!

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Duel 2

Peters started with Slate Warrior, Fiend’s Sanctuary, Gilasaurus, Hardened Armed Dragon, Tanngrisnir of the Nordic Beasts, and… Obelisk the Tormenter! He Set Tanngrisnir and ended his turn.

Koole summoned Twin-Sword Marauder and attacked Tanngrisnir, then attacked once more to destroy a Nordic Beast Token and deal a total of 2400 piercing damage! He Set two back rows.

Peters drew Call of the Haunted. He activated Fiend’s Sanctuary, then Special Summoned Gilasaurus from his hand. (With nothing in his Graveyard, Koole got nothing out of the Gilasaurus deal, this time.) He tributed Gilasaurus, his Metal Fiend Token, and his Nordic Beast Token for Obelisk the Tormenter!!! Obelisk obliterated Twin-Sword Marauder, dealing 2400 damage to even the score. Peters Set Call to finish his turn.

Koole Set a monster and a back row.

Peters drew Gyroid. He Normal Summoned Slate Warrior. Obelisk destroyed Koole’s set Voltic Kong, and when Slate Warrior attacked directly, Magic Cylinder redirected the damage.

Koole Set another monster.

Peters drew and summoned Milla the Temporal Magician. It revealed Koole’s Set Mask of Darkness. Milla then attacked, but Koole’s Nightmare Wheel locked her down. Peters then had Call of the Haunted revive Tanngrisnir, which attacked Mask. Mask’s effect gave Koole his Magic Cylinder back. Slate Warrior attacked next, and was turned to defense position by Kunai with Chain. Koole had been able to block each of Peters’ weaker monsters, but nothing can stop the wrath of Obelisk! Obelisk the Tormentor attacked directly for 4000 damage!

Koole dealt 500 damage with Nightmare Wheel in his Standby Phase, putting Peters on 3200 Life Points. But Koole had only 1600 Life Points. After considering his options, he knew he couldn’t survive against Obelisk and conceded!

Kyle Peters shows why Obelisk is called the Tormenter, winning in mere moments!

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Duel 3

Koole began the final Duel by playing Voltic Kong and two back row cards.

Peters’ opening hand was Premature Burial, Grave Protector, Solemn Judgment, Hyper Hammerhead, and Pot of Duality. He drew Exarion Universe. Pot of Duality let him see Hardened Armed Dragon, Milla the Temporal Magician, and Dark Bribe. After much thought he chose Bribe, then Set it, Judgment, and Grave Protector.

Koole summoned Twin-Sword Marauder once more! It attacked, but this time crashed into Grave Protector’s 2000 DEF.

Peters drew Bazoo the Soul-Eater and Normal Summoned Exarion Universe. It attacked Marauder, and Koole tried to use Kunai with Chain, only for Peters to negate it with Dark Bribe. Koole drew a card from Bribe, and Marauder was returned to the deck by Grave Protector.

Koole tributed Voltic Kong for Jinzo, but Peters negated the summon with Solemn Judgment!

Peters drew another Grave Protector. He attacked with Exarion Universe into Koole’s Magic Cylinder, dropping to 2200 Life Points. He Set the second Protector.

Koole Set a monster.

Peters drew Guardian Sphinx, and Koole used Ring of Destruction immediately to destroy Exarion Universe! Peters only had 400 Life Points left. He tributed his face-up Protector for Guardian Sphinx.

Koole flipped Mask of Darkness to return Ring of Destruction to his hand, and Ring destroyed Mask next turn to end the Match!

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Jason Koole is able to secure victory by drafting 2 Rings of Destruction and Magic Cylinder, using his opponent’s monsters’ strength against them! Koole story, bro!