Natasha Wawrzyniak traveled from San Antonio, Texas to compete this weekend with her Gladiator Beast Deck! Gladiator Beasts have gradually faded into the background of the tournament scene since their peak in popularity nearly half a decade ago, but Cosmo Blazer recently breathed new life into the Deck! The new Fire Formations in Cosmo Blazer have natural synergy with the Gladiator Beast-Warriors, including Gladiator Beast Darius, Gladiator Beast Laquari, and Gladiator Beast Andal. Wawrzyniak is hoping that the new Fire Formations (along with 2 teched copies of Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Bear) will give her Deck the edge it needs to come out on top this weekend!

But Alan Cisneros from Atlanta, Georgia won’t make it easy for Wawrzyniak to win! Cisneros is using a Mermail Deck that packs Genex Undine and Genex Controller. Will the new Fire Formations give Wawrzyniak the advantage she needs to defeat Alan Cisneros’s Mermails?

Cisneros started off Duel 1 by Setting a card to each zone.

Wawrzyniak opened up with 2 copies of Gladiator Beast War Chariot, Heavy Storm, Monster Reborn, Forbidden Lance, and Starlight Road. She Set everything except Heavy Storm and Monster Reborn before passing.

Cisneros Summoned Mermail Abysspike and activated its effect. He discarded Atlantean Marksman to search his Deck for another Marksman and used his other Marksman’s effect to destroy Wawrzyniak’s face-down Forbidden Lance. Wawrzyniak Chained it to reduce the ATK of Abysspike. Cisneros attacked with Mermail Abysspike and Wawrzyniak lost 800 Life Points. Cisneros Set a card to his back row before passing.

Wawrzyniak drew Gladiator Beast Darius. She activated Heavy Storm and then Chained Starlight Road; but Cisneros flipped his face-down Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy the Heavy Storm so that Wawrzyniak couldn’t Special Summon Stardust Dragon! Next, Wawrzyniak Summoned Gladiator Beast Darius. She attacked Cisneros’s face-down Mermail Abysslinde with Darius and used Gladiator Beast War Chariot to try to negate Abysslinde’s effect when it was destroyed; but Cisneros flipped Solemn Judgment and paid 4000 Life Points! Cisneros Special Summoned Mermail Abysspike from his Deck and discarded Atlantean Marksman to activate its effect; but Wawrzyniak flipped another Gladiator Beast War Chariot to negate Abysspike’s effect and destroy the Abysspike! At the end of the Battle Phase, Wawrzyniak sent Darius back into her Deck to Special Summon Gladiator Beast Equeste and used the effect of Equeste to add Gladiator Beast War Chariot from her Graveyard to her hand. She Set the Chariot before ending her turn.

Cisneros activated Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy the Chariot and then Summoned Mermail Abysslinde. He attacked Equeste with Mermail Abysspike, destroying both monsters, and then attacked directly with Abysslinde to drop Wawrzyniak down to 5700 Life Points.

Wawrzyniak drew Mystical Space Typhoon next turn. She activated Monster Reborn to Special Summon Gladiator Beast Equeste from her Graveyard and then attacked Mermail Abysslinde, destroying it in battle. Abysslinde’s effect activated to allow Cisneros to Special Summon Mermail Abyssmegalo from his Deck, and at the end of the Battle Phase, Wawrzyniak tagged out Equeste to Special Summon Gladiator Beast Murmillo. She used Murmillo’s effect to destroy Mermail Abyssmegalo and then Set Mystical Space Typhoon before ending her turn.

Cisneros Summoned Genex Undine and activated its effect. He sent Atlantean Marksman from his Deck to his Graveyard to add Genex Controller from his Deck to his hand, and then used Marksman’s effect to destroy Wawrzyniak’s face-down Mystical Space Typhoon. Next, he attacked Murmillo with Genex Undine to destroy it.

Wawrzyniak drew Gladiator Beast Darius next turn! She Summoned it and attacked over Genex Undine to destroy it. At the end of the Battle Phase, she tagged out Darius to Special Summon Gladiator Beast Equeste from her Deck, and used Equeste’s effect to add Gladiator Beast War Chariot from her Graveyard to her hand. She Set it before ending her turn.

Cisneros Summoned Atlantean Dragoons and attacked Equeste to destroy it.

Wawrzyniak drew Gladiator Beast Andal! She Summoned it and attacked Atlantean Dragoons to destroy it! Cisneros had 3 cards in his hand against Wawrzyniak’s on-field Andal and face-down Chariot.

Cisneros Set a monster and passed.

Wawrzyniak drew Bottomless Trap Hole. She attacked Cisneros’s face-down Genex Controller with Andal to destroy it and then Set Bottomless Trap Hole in Main Phase 2.

Cisneros Summoned Deep Sea Diva and activated its effect; but Wawrzyniak flipped Gladiator Beast War Chariot to negate it!

Wawrzyniak drew Gladiator Beast Andal and Summoned it! With only 3300 Life Points remaining, both Andals wiped out the rest of Cisneros’s Life Points!

Natasha Wawrzyniak topdecks Gladiator Beast Andal at two critical points to win Duel 1! Alan Cisneros will be going first in Duel 2!

Cisneros started off Duel 2 by Summoning Genex Undine and using its effect to send Atlantean Dragoons from his Deck to his Graveyard. He added Genex Controller to his hand and then used his Dragoons’s effect to add Mermail Abyssmegalo from his Deck to his hand. He Set a card to his back row before ending his turn.

Wawrzyniak opened up with Book of Moon, Gladiator Beast Laquari, 2 copies of Bottomless Trap Hole, Heavy Storm, and Gladiator Beast Andal. She Summoned Laquari and attacked Genex Undine to destroy it. She Set Book of Moon and both copies of Bottomless Trap Hole before ending her turn. Cisneros flipped Dust Tornado in Wawrzyniak’s End Phase to destroy a Bottomless Trap Hole.

Cisneros acticvated Heavy Storm to destroy Wawrzyniak’s second Bottomless Trap Hole and her Book of Moon. Next, he Summoned Mermail Abysspike and used its effect by discarding Atlantean Heavy Infantry. He searched his Deck for Mermail Abysslinde to add to his hand, and then used his Infantry’s effect to destroy Laquari. Cisneros discarded Mermail Abyssgunde and Mermail Abysslinde to Special Summon Mermail Abyssmegalo and used Megalo’s effect to add Abyss-sphere from his Deck to his hand. He used Mermail Abyssgunde’s effect to Special Summon Mermail Abysslinde in Attack Position, and then attacked directly with Mermail Abysslinde, Mermail Abyssmegalo, and Mermail Abysspike. Wawrzyniak dropped down to 2400 Life Points. Cisneros Set a card to his back row before ending his turn.

Wawrzyniak drew Solemn Warning next turn. She activated Heavy Storm to destroy Cisneros’s face-down Abyss-sphere and then Summoned Andal. She attacked Mermail Abysspike to destroy it with Andal and Set Solemn Warning before ending her turn.

Cisneros attacked Andal with Mermail Abyssmegalo and then attacked directly with Mermail Abysslinde, dropping Wawrzyniak down to 500 Life Points.

Wawrzyniak drew Monster Reborn! She activated it to Special Summon Gladiator Beast Laquari from her Graveyard and then attacked Mermail Abysslinde to destroy it. Cisneros Special Summoned Mermail Abyssmegalo from his Deck with Abysslinde’s effect, and then Wawrzyniak tagged out Laquari to Special Summon Darius from her Deck. She used the effect of Darius to Special Summon Andal from her Graveyard and then combined Darius with Andal to Xyz Summon Brotherhood of the Fire Fist – Tiger King! She used Tiger King’s effect to Set Fire Formation – Tenki from her Deck and then flipped Tenki to add Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Bear to her hand.

But it was all over next turn! Cisneros activated Salvage to return Mermail Abyssgunde and Atlantean Heavy Infantry to his hand and then Normal Summoned Atlantean Heavy Infantry. He used his Infantry’s effect to Normal Summon Deep Sea Diva and then used his Diva’s effect to Special Summon Marksman from his Deck. He used the effect of his Mermail Abyssmegalo to Tribute the Marksman and destroy Wawrzyniak’s face-down Solemn Warning with Marksman’s effect. Next, Cisneros Tuned Deep Sea Diva with Atlantean Heavy Infantry to Synchro Summon Armory Arm, and equipped Armory Arm to one of his Mermail Abyssmegalos. Abyssmegalo attacked over Brotherhood of the Fire Fist – Tiger King, ending the Duel!

Alan Cisneros wins Duel 2 thanks to his two copies of Mermail Abyssmegalo!

Natasha Wawrzyniak will be going first in the final Duel of the Match!

Wawrzyniak opened up Duel 3 with 2 copies of Gladiator Beast Andal, 2 copies of Rescue Rabbit, Soul Drain, and Starlight Road!

She Set Starlight Road and Soul Drain. She Summoned Andal before ending her turn.

Cisneros activated Heavy Storm, and Wawrzyniak flipped Starlight Road to negate it and Special Summon Stardust Dragon from her Extra Deck! Cisneros Set 2 cards to his back row before passing.

Wawrzyniak drew Fire Formation – Tensu! She Summoned Rescue Rabbit and then activated Tensu. Next, She Normal Summoned another Andal, and fused her 2 Andals together to Summon Gladiator Beast Essedarii! She banished Rescue Rabbit to Special Summon 2 copies of Gladiator Beast Andal from her Deck, and then combined both Andals to Summon Brotherhood of the Fire Fist – Tiger King. She tried to activate Tiger King’s effect; but Cisneros flipped Fiendish Chain to negate it. Direct attacks from Essedarii and Stardust Dragon dropped Cisneros down to 3000 Life Points.

Cisneros activated Soul Taker to destroy Stardust Dragon, and Wawrzyniak gained 1000 Life Points, boosting her up to 9000 Life Points. He Set a card to his back row before passing.

Wawrzyniak drew Compulsory Evacuation Device. She attacked with Essedarii to drop Cisneros down to 500 Life Points, and then Set Compulsory Evacuation Device in Main Phase 2.

Cisneros passed his turn.

Wawrzyniak drew Dimensional Fissure and activated it. She attacked with Essedarii, but Cisneros flipped Raigeki Break and discarded Pot of Avarice to destroy it.

Cisneros drew a card and passed.

Wawrzyniak drew another Dimensional Fissure next turn. She Summoned Rescue Rabbit and attacked directly to drop Cisneros down to 200 Life Points. She Set Dimensional Fissure before ending her turn.

Cisneros Summoned Atlantean Marksman and attacked Rescue Rabbit with it, and Wawrzyniak activated Compulsory Evacuation Device to try to return the Marksman to Cisneros’s hand; but Cisneros used Solemn Judgment to negated the Compulsory Evacuation Device by giving up 100 Life Points! Marksman destroyed Rescue Rabbit in battle, and then its effect activated to Special Summon Atlantean Dragoons from Cisneros’s Deck.

Wawrzyniak drew Book of Moon next turn. She activated it to put Brotherhood of the Fire Fist – Tiger King face-down and then flipped it face-up to release it from Fiendish Chain. With only 100 Life Points left, and a Marksman on Cisneros’s field in Attack Position, Cisneros promptly conceded!

Natasha Wawrzyniak recovers from a hand that has 2 Andals in it, to win Duel 3 and advance with a 1-0 record using Gladiator Beasts!