Scant minutes ago in our Round 5 Round-Up, we saw Niagara Falls’ Matthew Laslo and Toronto’s Peter Tran win their fifth Round Matches to keep their undefeated streaks alive!  While Peter Tran is running Wind-Ups, one of the biggest Decks this weekend, Laslo is playing a Koa’ki Meiru Rock Deck with the all-new Block Golem.  This one was going to be a battle between a slower strategy-crippling Deck, and an explosive and aggressive strategy.

Tran opened up with Wind-Up Rabbit, and two Wind-Up Factories!  He Summoned Rabbit, activated its effect, and searched Wind-Up Magician and Wind-Up Shark from his Deck!  He Set one card to his back row.

Laslo had a hand of Dark Hole; Bottomless Trap Hole; Koa’ki Meiru Sandman; Koa’ki Meiru Guardian; Mystical Space Typhoon; and Monster Reborn.  He Summoned Guardian and attacked for 1900 Battle Damage.  He Set Bottomless, Set Typhoon, and ended, revealing Sandman to keep Guardian on the field.  Tran blew away his Bottomless Trap Hole with Mystical Space Typhoon in the End Phase.

Tran activated Wind-Up Rabbit’s effect next turn, and Laslo Chained Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy one of the Factories: it got Tran another Wind-Up Shark from his Deck.  He activated Dark Hole to destroy Guardian, then Normal Summoned Wind-Up Magician and Special Summoned Wind-Up Shark.  The Shark triggered Magician’s effect and Tran Special Summoned another Magician in Defense Position.  He lowered his Shark’s Level to Special Summon Wind-Up Rat from his Deck with the second Magician, then stacked the Magicians to Xyz Summon Photon Papilloperative.  Tran continued, using the Photon’s effect to turn Wind-Up Rat to attack position.  He activated the Rat’s effect to bring back the Wind-Up Magician he detached for Photon Papilloperative’s effect, then overlaid Shark and Rat for Wind-Up Carrier Zenmaity.  He detached Shark for Zenmaity’s ability, Special Summoning Wind-Up Rat from his Deck and triggering Magician’s effect, Special Summoning another Shark.  He combined the Shark with Magician for Number 39: Utopia, then turned Rat to Defense Position to bring back Shark.  He lowered the Shark’s Level to 3, made Number 20: Giga-Brilliant to use its effect, and then attacked with everything to win the Duel!

Peter Tran uses a Photon Papilloperative combo to turn his own Wind-Up Rat from Defense Position to Attack Position, allowing him to go off and continue a long string of Summons that let him capture the first Duel!  Wind-Ups are alive and kicking here in Toronto, and Tran was now one win away from a 6-0 record.

Laslo began Duel 2 with Pot of Duality; Solemn Judgment; Dimensional Prison; Neo-Spacian Grand Mole; Dark Hole; and Mystical Space Typhoon. He activated Duality to reveal Thunder King Rai-Oh, Koa’ki Meiru Guardian, and Skill Drain from the top of his Deck: he took Thunder King Rai-Oh and shuffled back the remaining two cards.  Laslo Summoned Thunder King, then Set Judgment, Prison, and Typhoon.  It was a strong start.

Tran Summoned Tour Guide from the Underworld to Special Summon his second copy from his Deck, stacking them for Wind-Up Zenmaines in Defense Position (which Laslo didn’t negate the Summon of with Thunder King).  He Set two cards to his Spell and Trap Card Zone.

Laslo drew another Mystical Space Typhoon.  He Summoned Grand Mole, and forced it through Tran’s Solemn Warning with Solemn Judgment.  The Duel stood at 6000 Life Points to 4000, with Tran leading for now.  Laslo flipped Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy Tran’s Set Wind-Up Factory, then bounced Zenmaines with Grand Mole’s effect in the Battle Phase.  Thunder King made a direct attack to knock Tran down to 4100 Life Points and Laslo ended.

Tran Summoned Wind-Up Rat.  He revealed and activated the effect of one Wind-Up Shark, then after Special Summoning it, revealing another. He then increased their Levels to 5.  He Xyz Summoned Tiras, Keeper of Genesis and Laslo let it go, drawing an inquisitive reaction from Tran, who’d expected to force Laslo to negate the Summon. In retrospect, there was a perfectly simple explanation that he discovered when  he attacked with Tiras and lost it to Tran’s Dimensional Prison.  In Main Phase 2 Tran Special Summoned back Shark, made it a Level 3, and stacked it with Rat for Wind-Up Zenmaines.

Laslo drew another Dimensional Prison; Summoned Grand Mole; bounced Zenmaines again; and made another attack with Thunder King.  This time Tran dropped to 2200 Life Points.  Laslo Set Prison and Mystical Space Typhoon.

Tran fired a blind Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy the Prison next turn, then Normal Summoned Wind-Up Rat to Special Summon Shark back yet again.  He reduced Shark to Level 3 and stacked it with Rat to bring out Wind-Up Carrier Zenmaity this time, and Laslo – seeing that Tran was entirely out of cards – gave up his Thunder King to negate the Summon.

Laslo drew Rivalry of Warlords and attacked with Grand Mole, lowering his opponent to 1300 Life Points.  He Set a Spell or Trap.

Tran drew Wind-Up Factory; Set it; and lost it to Mystical Space Typhoon.

Laslo attacked with Grand Mole and Set another Spell or Trap.

Tran drew a monster and Set it.

Laslo drew Book of Moon and didn’t have another monster to take the win.  He Set Book and didn’t attack.

Tran drew and Set a card to his Spell and Trap Card Zone.

Laslo drew another Mystical Space Typhoon and passed.

Tran drew and Set a second back row card.

Laslo drew another Dimensional Prison and passed after some deliberation.

Tran drew and Set a third card to his Spell and Trap Card Zone.

Laslo drew and Set Mirror Force.

Tran Set a fourth spell or trap.

Laso drew Skill Drain and passed.

Tran Set a second monster.

Laslo finally drew another monster – Koa’ki Meiru Guardian.  He activated Dark Hole and destroyed his own Grand Mole plus Tran’s two Snowman Eaters!  He Summoned Guardian, but Tran flipped Torrential Tribute to destroy it. Tran had three Set cards left.

He drew a card and Set it to his back row.

Laslo drew Compulsory Evacuation Device.

Tran drew and Summoned Wind-Up Magician, and Laslo destroyed it with Torrential.

Laslo drew Koa’ki Meiru Wall and Summoned it.  He attacked into Mirror Force, but used Book of Moon to keep his Wall on the field face-down.  He Set two more cards to his back row.

Tran drew and Set a Bottomless Trap Hole.

Laslo destroyed it next turn with Mystical Space Typhoon, but when he attacked with Wall, Tran had another Mirror Force!  Laslo chained Compulsory Evacuation Device to take back his Wall, and Set one card to his Spell and Trap Card Zone.

Tran drew and Set a third spell or trap.  It was all over a turn later: Tran was out of defense, and finally got mowed down by Koa’ki Meiru Wall.

Duel 2 was a far cry from Duel 1, with Matthew Laslo successfully creating a controlling pace that favours his strategy, grinding out the win against Peter Tran!  Lalso presses the Match to one more Duel!

Tran started Duel 3 with Wind-Up Rabbit, Special Summoning two Wind-Up Sharks.  He stacked a Shark and Rabbit together for Wind-Up Carrier Zenmaity in Defense Position, using its effect to Special Summon Wind-Up Magician.  He lowed the Level of his second Shark to Special Summon Wind-Up Rat with the Magician’s ability, then stacked Rat and Shark for Wind-Up Zenmaines.  He Set two of his remaining three cards to his Spell and Trap Card Zone.

Laslo had Koa’ki Meiru Wall, Morphing Jar; two Mystical Space Typhoons; Pot of Duality; and Effect Veiler.  Duality revealed Koa’ki Meiru Guardian, Skill Drain, and another Duality from the top of his Deck, and he chose to add the Guardian to his hand.  He destroyed Tran’s Set Trap Stun with a Mystical Space Typhoon, then Mirror Force with his second copy, then Summoned Guardian to attack and destroy Carrier Zenmaity.  Laslo revealed Wall in the End Phase.

Tran drew to two cards, Setting one to his back row, and one to a monster zone.

Laslo drew Dimensional Prison and Summoned Koa’ki Meiru Wall, attacking Magician with Guardian.  Tran flipped Mirror Force, destroying both attackers!  

Tran attacked into Dimensional Prison with Zenmaines next turn, but Set another card to his back row.

Laslo Set Morphing Jar and a spell or trap.

Tran Set another spell or trap.

Laslo set a second spell or trap.

Tran Summoned Wind-Up Rabbit, and Lalso had to consider his possible responses: he had Torrential Tribute Set, but opted to respond to the Summon with Effect Veiler’s ability, targeting Rabbit.  He then Chained Torrential Tribute, and Tran Chained Rabbit’s effect to dodge it, unfettered by Veiler’s ability. Tran lost his Magician and his Set Snowman Eater, but Laslo lost his own Morphing Jar!

Laslo Set a Spell or Trap.

Tran brought back Wind-Up Rabbit and made a direct attack.

Laslo Set another spell or trap.

Tran Summoned Wind-Up Rat and used its effect to target Wind-Up Magician, and Tran banished Rabbit to trigger the Magician’s ability.  That got him another Rat from his Deck in defense position.

Laslo drew Koa’ki Meiru Guardian and Summoned it, but Tran banished it with Bottomless Trap Hole.

Tran brought back his Rabbit, and turned a Rat to Attack Position in order to turn it to Defense Position for its effect: that let Tran revive another Rabbit from his Graveyard, and he stacked his two Rats for a Wind-Up Zenmaines.  He turned one Rabbit to Defense Position, then attacked with Rabbit, then Zenmaines; Laslo banished the Zenmaines with Dimensional Prison, but took the damage from Rabbit.  The Duel stood at 5200 Life Points to 8000, with Tran leading.  Tran Normal Summoned another Magician in Main Phase 2, banishing a Rabbit to Special Summon his third Magician with his second.  He banished the last Rabbit to trigger the effect of the last Magician, Special Summoning Wind-Up Shark.  He Xyz Summoned Number 39: Utopia with two Magicians.

Laslo drew Effect Veiler, with Dark Bribe Set.  He Set Veiler.  Next turn Tran brought back both of his Rabbits and stacked Shark and the last Magician for Photon Papilloperative!  Laslo conceded then and there, offering Tran the handshake!

Peter Tran takes a 2-1 victory over Matthew Laslo, after Laslo makes an error in his Chaining sequence with Torrential and Veiler!  Tran follows up to capitalize, and moves on undefeated as a result!