Round 9 Feature Match: Daniel Laube vs. Rickie Ricketts
We’ve got two California Duelists for the final round of Sealed here in Day 1. Daniel Laube is from Cypress, and has been turning heads with his awesome Yugi cosplay! He’s also a Bounty Duelist, and Rickie Ricketts from Stockton is looking to take his bounty! Each Duelist has two losses, so this is their last chance to make it to Day 2! Daniel started us off with Yugi’s trademark: “It’s time to DUEL!”
Duel 1
Ricketts led off the final round of Sealed play with a Set monster.
Laube began with Card Guard, The Tricky, Cyber Dragon, Scapegoat, Needle Ceiling, and Forbidden Lance. He Special Summoned Cyber Dragon and attacked into… Cyber Jar!
Laube played Insect Knight face-up, and Ricketts played Amazoness Sage and Jurrac Protops face-up. Since the Battle Phase was still going, Insect Knight attacked Sage, and Ricketts played Tragoedia. Laube Set Needle Ceiling, Scapegoat, and Forbidden Lance.
Ricketts used Tragoedia to steal Insect Knight, discarding Blast Sphere. Insect Knight and Protops attacked into Scapegoat, destroying two tokens. In Main Phase 2 he played Pot of Duality, revealing Naturia Strawberry, Grave Squirmer, and… ANOTHER CYBER JAR?! He took the Jar and Set a back row card.
Laube drew Gaap the Divine Soldier. He Set Ego Boost and passed.
Ricketts used Autonomous Action Unit to swipe Laube’s Cyber Dragon. He entered his Battle Phase, but Laube wiped the field with Needle Ceiling!
Laube drew Pot of Duality. He used it to reveal Nightmare Wheel, Torrential Tribute, and Blast with Chain. He took Torrential Tribute and shuffled the others back. He played Card Guard and added a Guard Counter to it, but crashed into Magic Cylinder. Laube Set Torrential Tribute to end.
Ricketts Set a monster.
Laube Tributed Card Guard for Dark Ruler Ha Des! “Cyber Jar…?” Laube questioned as he attacked. It was Grave Squirmer. “Not. Cyber Jar.”
Ricketts played Bazoo the Soul-Eater and banished three monsters from his Graveyard, but Ha Des still won the battle thanks to Ego Boost! Ricketts Set a back row card.
Laube drew Pot of Greed! He played it to draw two more cards from his Deck: Soul Exchange and Prideful Roar. Ha Des attacked directly. When Ricketts tried to use Offerings to the Doomed, Laube saved Ha Des with Forbidden Lance. But now that his field was wide open, Ricketts played Gorz the Emissary of Darkness with a 1650 ATK and DEF Emissary of Darkness Token! Laube Set Prideful Roar.
Gorz attacked Ha Des, and lost to Prideful Roar. Ricketts Set a card to each zone.
Laube drew Treeborn Frog. He played Soul Exchange, and Ricketts used Magic Drain. Laube forced Soul Exchange through by discarding Fissure. He really wanted to get rid of that second Cyber Jar. He Tribute Summoned Gaap the Divine Soldier, but Ricketts’s monster was Night Assailant! Ricketts’s Emissary of Darkness Token was turned to attack position due to Gaap’s effect.
Ricketts Set a back row card and played Zombyra the Dark.
Laube drew Ego Boost. He played Harpie’s Feather Duster, but Ricketts Chained Needle Ceiling! All monsters were destroyed. Laube discarded Treeborn for The Tricky and hit directly, then Set Ego Boost.
Ricketts Special Summoned Cyber Dragon, but The Tricky was being all… tricky… and won the battle with Ego Boost. Ricketts Set a monster.
Laube drew Beast King Barbaros. “That’s Cyber Jar…” He attacked, and it was!
Ricketts Set Greenkappa. Laube Summoned Blue Thunder T-45 and Set the others. Blue Thunder attacked to destroy Greenkappa, and Special Summoned a Thunder Option Token. The token attacked directly, and Ricketts couldn’t stop it!
Daniel Laube takes the first Duel after a dual Cyber Jar!
Duel 2
Ricketts played Doomcaliber Knight and Set a back row card.
Laube had Scapegoat, Beast King Barbaros, Jinzo, Blast with Chain, Fissure, and Insect Knight. He played Insect Knight, then Set Blast with Chain and Scapegoat.
Ricketts had Pot of Duality, revealing Magic Drain, Amazoness Sage, and Cyber Jar. He really wanted that Cyber Jar, but after much thought, chose Magic Drain. He Tributed Doomcaliber Knight for Zaborg the Thunder Monarch, which destroyed Insect Knight. It tried attacking directly, and was blocked by Scapegoat. Zaborg destroyed one token. In Main Phase 2, Ricketts played Bait Doll! Laube was forced to activate Blast with Chain and equip it to one of his Sheep Tokens. Ricketts Set a second back row card to finish.
Laube drew Needle Ceiling and Set it.
Ricketts played Ape Fighter. In the Battle Phase, Laube cleared the field with Needle Ceiling.
Laube drew Cyber Dragon. He played Beast King Barbaros and attacked directly, dealing the first damage of the Duel.
Ricketts Set a monster.
Laube drew Prideful Roar. Barbaros attacked into Night Assailant, and both monsters were destroyed. Laube Set Prideful Roar.
Ricketts punished Laube next turn with Autonomous Action Unit, reviving Beast King Barbaros with 3000 ATK! It struck directly. “It’s like a White Lightning from a Blue-Eyes!” Laube cried.
Laube drew Snowman Eater. He Special Summoned Cyber Dragon and attacked Barbaros, emerging victorious with Prideful Roar. He Set Snowman Eater.
Ricketts Set a monster and a third back row card.
Laube drew Ego Boost. He Tributed Cyber Dragon for Jinzo and attacked into Mysterious Guard! Jinzo was spun back to the top of the Deck, and Laube Set Ego Boost.
Ricketts Set a fourth back row card.
Laube drew Jinzo again, and Tributed Snowman Eater to bring it out once more. It attacked directly.
Ricketts Set a monster.
Laube drew Pot of Greed! He used it to draw two cards from his Deck: Nightmare Wheel and Kunai with Chain. Jinzo destroyed Ricketts’s Witch of the Black Forest, and Ricketts searched out… Cyber Jar! Laube Set his new traps.
Ricketts Set a monster. “I wonder what that is…” Laube said.
Laube drew Soul Exchange. He knew what was coming, and sent Jinzo to destroy Cyber Jar!
Laube Set Mask of Darkness, and Summoned Card Guard and Blue Thunder T-45. Ricketts Summoned Naturia Strawberry and Set Greenkappa.
Laube was still in his Battle Phase and sent Blue Thunder T-45 to attack Greenkappa. Ricketts deflected the attack with Magic Cylinder. Card Guard attacked Strawberry next, and powered over it with Ego Boost and Kunai with Chain, leaving Ricketts with 500 Life Points. In Main Phase 2, Laube moved the Guard Counter from Card Guard to Blue Thunder T-45.
Ricketts thought a while before flipping up Greenkappa. It targeted one Set card on each side of the field. Laube Chained his targeted Nightmare Wheel, and Laube Chained his targeted Needle Ceiling. All face-up monsters were destroyed, except for Blue Thunder T-45 thanks to its Guard counter. Ricketts Special Summoned Cyber Dragon, then Doomcaliber Knight came down. Cyber Dragon destroyed Blue Thunder T-45, then Doomcaliber Knight destroyed Mask of Darkness and negated its effect. Ricketts Set a third back row card.
“Heart of the cards…. Guide me!”
He drew Battle Fader! He played Fissure to destroy Cyber Dragon, then Pot of Duality revealed Dark Ruler Ha Des, Torrential Tribute, and Botanical Lion. He took the Lion. He played it, and it fell to Torrential Tribute. Laube Set Shadow Spell.
Ricketts destroyed Shadow Spell with Bait Doll, right as the time in the round was called. Ricketts played Bazoo the Soul-Eater. He banished three monsters and tried to take the win, but Laube survived with Battle Fader!
And Laube drew… Ego Boost. He Set it and Soul Exchange, his only cards besides Fader.
Ricketts played Amazoness Sage, then powered up Bazoo once again. Sage destroyed Fader, and Bazoo ended the Duel!
This Match is a Draw! Both Duelists are moving on to Day 2!