Danny Bassous made his first YCS Top 32 with Gladiator Beasts, and is renowned for playing the Deck throughout his Dueling career; even now, with GB’s largely out of fashion, his last Regional Top 8 was with Gladiator Beasts.  But today he’s piloting a Cyber Dragon strategy that aims to steal games quickly with cards like Power Bond.  And a hint of irony makes the situation a little more interesting.

 

…Because Kevin Vatonyu Kamarchevakul is playing Gladiator Beasts himself!  Coming off a Top 8 finish at the Charlotte Regional Qualifier back in February, GB’s are actually a big sleeper pick this format largely on the strength of Gladiator Beast War Chariot.  Could Bassous overcome his signature strategy?

 

Kamarchevakul opened the Match with five set cards to his backrow… and Gladiator Beast Retiari!  Bassous burst out laughing – it’s famously his favorite deck of all time.

 

Bassous had Trap Stun; Threatening Roar; ; Solemn Warning; Cyber Dragon Drei; Cyber Dragon Core; and Reckless Greed.  He Set all four traps.

 

Kamarchevakul attacked with Retiari, scoring a hit for 1200 Battle Damage.  When Kamarchevakul tried to tag Retiari out, Bassous negated the effect with Solemn Warning!  Retiari went back to the deck, but nothing came out to replace it.

 

Bassous drew Mystical Space Typhoon and Summoned Cyber Dragon Core, activating its effect to search Cyber Repair Plant from his Deck.  “I’m gonna go ahead and pass my turn.”

 

Kamarchevakul Summoned Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Bear, and when he tried to move to his Battle Phase Bassous flipped Threatening Roar.

 

Bassous drew another Cyber Dragon Core and flipped his Set Reckless Greed, drawing Cyber Dragon and Mystical Space Typhoon.  “Next I’m gonna activate… Trap Stun.  Is Trap Stun good?”

 

“Trap Stun is fine.”

 

Bassous Normal Summoned Cyber Dragon Drei, but Kamarchevakul responded to the Summon with Book of Moon before Bassous could activate Drei’s effect.  Bassous blasted Kamarchevakul’s set Forbidden Lance with Mystical Space Typhoon, and Kamarchevakul chained it to reduce Cyber Dragon Core’s ATK.  A second Mystical Space Typhoon destroyed Gladiator Beast War Chariot, and Bassous Contact Fused for Chimeratech Fortress Dragon!  It attacked, Kamarchevakul flipped Mirror Force forgetting about Trap Stun, and Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Bear went down in battle!

 

Kamarchevakul destroyed Chimeratech Fortress Dragon with Dark Hole, and Normal Summoned Gladiator Beast Laquari!  It was a big topdeck.  He had one card left Set to his backrow, but tagging out let him grab Gladiator Beast Equeste, retrieving his Gladiator Beast War Chariot!  He Set it.

 

 

Bassous skipped his draw for Reckless Greed, then Special Summoned Cyber Dragon to attack over Equeste!  In Main Phase 2 he activated Cyber Repair Plant to search his Deck for Cyber Dragon Drei, then Normal Summoned it… right into Torrential Tribute!

 

Kamarchevakul drew and Set one card to his backrow.

 

Bassous didn’t draw one last time, and Normal Summoned Cyber Dragon Core to search out another Repair Plant.  He made a small attack with Core for 400 Battle Damage.

 

Kamarchevakul drew and Set a third card to his back row.

 

Bassous drew Power Bond, holding Repair Plant with Cyber Dragon Core on the field.  He searched out Cyber Dragon Drei with Cyber Repair Plant, returned Cyber Dragon to his Deck, then Normal Summoned Drei to Xyz Summon Wind-Up Arsenal Zenmaioh!  He activated its effect to target Kamarchevakul’s War Chariot and Lance, with Kamarchevakul Chaining the latter, then attacked to drop Kamarchevakul to 4900 Life Points.

 

Kamarchevakul Set Murmillo, and Bassous blew it away along with Kamarchevakul’s Set Icarus Attack, his last cards, with Zenmaioh!  Bassous then overlaid Zenmaioh with Gaia Dragon, the Thunder Charger to attack.  He attacked again next turn, was rebuked by Waboku, and a turn later he swung into Dimensional Prison!  Kamarchevakul was hanging in there!

 

He was down to topdecking, but ripped Fire Formation – Tenki for Gladiator Beast Laquari!  It attacked for 1900 Battle Damage, tagged out to Special Summon Gladiator Beast Darius, and Darius brought back Gladiator Beast Equeste.  In Main Phase 2 he overlaid them both to Xyz Summon Gagaga Cowboy in Defense Position to deal 800 damage.

 

 

Bassous drew, now holding Foolish Burial, two Power Bond, and Machine Duplication.  He had Reckless Greed Set, and banished Cyber Dragon Core to Special Summon Cyber Dragon from his Deck.  Reckless Greed got him two Threatening Roars, leaving him to set a single Roar.  Next turn Kamarchevakul burned him out with a final blast from Gagaga Cowboy!

 

Book of Moon, Waboku, and a faulty Reckless Greed leave Danny Bassous scrambling for combos that just don’t come together, as Kamarchevakul survives against all odds to steal the first Duel with Gagaga Cowboy!  Kamarchevakul takes Game 1!

 

Bassous opened Game 2 with Cyber Dragon Core; Reckless Greed; Mystical Space Typhoon; Cyber Dragon; Honest; and Cyber Dragon Drei.  He Summoned Core to search Cyber Repair Plant, then Set Greed.

 

Kamarchevakul activated Fire Formation – Tenki to search Brotherhood of the Fire Fist – Bear, then Summoned Gladiator Beast Hoplomus!  Kamarchevakul wanted to get that Hoplomus back into his deck off an easy attack, but Honest turned the tables!  Kamarchevakul Set two cards to his backrow, his Hoplomus landing in the Graveyard.

 

Bassous drew another Cyber Dragon Core.  He thought a while, then Normal Summoned Drei: Kamarchevakul blew it away with Torrential Tribute.  Bassous Set Mystical Space Typhoon.

 

Kamarchevakul Summoned Gladiator Beast Equeste, attacking for 1600 Battle Damage and tagging out for Gladiator Beast Darius!  It brought back his Hoplomus in Defense Position, and Kamarchevakul overlaid them in Main Phase 2 to Summon Abyss Dweller.  He Set a second card to his Spell and Trap Card Zone, and in the End Phase Bassous destroyed it with Mystical Space Typhoon: Forbidden Lance.

 

Bassous drew another Cyber Dragon Drei, and Kamarchevakul detached to activate Abyss Dweller’s effect in the Draw Phase.  Bassous Special Summoned Cyber Dragon, then considered his Reckless before Normal Summoning Cyber Dragon Drei to overlay for Cyber Dragon Nova!

 

 

He activated its effect to Special Summon Cyber Dragon, sending it to attack and successfully destroy Abyss Dweller!  Bassous banished Cyber Dragon to pump up Nova, but lost his giant Xyz to Dimensional Prison!

 

Kamarchevakul Summoned Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Bear and attacked, dropping Bassous to 4700 Life Points and Setting Fire Formation – Tenki.  He activated it in Main Phase 2 to get Gladiator Beast Laquari.  He had 7200 Life Points left.

 

Bassous drew Cyber Eltanin and flipped Reckless Greed, drawing Threatening Roar and another Greed!  “Activate Core.”  He banished it from his Graveyard to Special Summon a Cyber Dragon from his Deck, then activated Repair Plant to search out Cyber Dragon Drei.  He Summoned it, activating its effect and overlaying for another Cyber Dragon Nova!  He Special Summoned back a Cyber Dragon, then swung to destroy Bear and drop Kamarchevakul to 2700 Life Points!  Bassous Set Roar and Reckless.

 

Kamarchevakul Special Summoned a Cyber Dragon of his own, ripping away Nova for a Contact Fusion!  Kamarchevakul Special Summoned Chimeratech Fortress Dragon, sending both Cyber Dragons to his Graveyard, depriving Bassous of Cyber Dragon Nova’s effect!  He Summoned an Equeste; Bassous denied his attacks with Threatening Roar; and when Kamarchevakul moved to his End Phase, Bassous flipped his second Greed to draw two.

 

 

Bassous now had Cyber Eltanin, Trap Stun, Cyber Dragon, and Cyber Dragon Core.  The Duel stood at 4700 Life Points to 2700, with Bassous leading.  He Special Summoned Cyber Dragon, Normal Summoned Core, and activated its effect to search a Cyber Repair Plant.  He banished his on-field monsters plus four monsters from his Graveyard to Special Summon Cyber Eltanin with 3000 ATK!  That sent Abyss Dweller and Chimeratech Fortress Dragon to the graveyard, and Bassous attacked with Eltanin to end the Duel!

 

 

A thunderous Cyber Eltanin ends a back-and-forth confrontation in Game 2, as a calculated gambit with one Reckless Greed, then another Reckless Greed brings everything home for Danny Bassous!  We are headed to Game 3!

 

Kamarchevakul opened the last Duel with Gladiator Beast Laquari and three backrow Sets!

 

Bassous had Cyber Repair Plant; Threatening Roar; Dust Tornado; Honest; Forbidden Lance; and Cyber Dragon.  He Special Summoned the Cyber Dragon and attacked: Kamarchevakul had the Forbidden Lance to knock Cyber Dragon to 1300 ATK, but Bassous responded with Honest to win the battle!  He Set Roar, Dust, and Lance.

 

Kamarchevakul Set a monster and Set one card to his backrow: it was Fire Formation – Tenki, and Bassous blew it away with Dust Tornado.

 

Bassous drew Foolish Burial, remarking, “That Set card must be a Side Decked card.”  Bassous activated Foolish Burial to send Cyber Dragon Core to his Graveyard, then got Cyber Dragon Drei with Repair Plant, Normal Summoning it to overlay for Wind-Up Arsenal Zenmaioh.  He activated its effect to target Kamarchevakul’s monster and his Set Fiendish Chain, which Kamarchevakul Chained, losing out to Forbidden Lance!  Kamarchevakul’s Gladiator Beast Hoplomus and the Fiendish Chain were both destroyed!  Zenmaioh made a direct attack to drop Kamarchevakul to 4900 Life Points.  “Another question is, are you going to topdeck a Cyber Dragon?  Pass.”

 

Kamarchevakul flipped Dark Hole to destroy Zenmaioh, and when he tried to attack with Gladiator Beast Murmillo Bassous shut him down with Roar!  He Set his last card to his backrow.

 

Bassous Special Summoned a Cyber Dragon from his Deck by banishing Core from his Graveyard, and started talking himself through the possibilities of Kamarchevakul’s Set card.  “Attack?”  Kamarchevakul flipped Waboku, then tagged out his Murmillo to Special Summon Gladiator Beast Darius, bringing back his Laquari.

 

 

Kamarchevakul overlaid Laquari and Darius for Brotherhood of the Fire Fist – Tiger King, Setting Fire Formation – Tenki from his Deck and activating it to get Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Bear!  He Summoned it, attacked over Cyber Dragon with Tiger King, then made a direct attack with Bear to Set another Tenki… but he had no Tenkis left in his Deck!  He Set one last card to his back row.

 

Bassous drew Pot of Duality, activated it, and Kamarchevakul Chained Mistake!  Whatever Bassous would choose with Duality would go to the Graveyard: he revealed Reckless Greed, Cyber Dragon Drei, and Power Bond, sending the latter to the yard and returning the other two to his Deck: he still couldn’t Special Summon for the rest of the turn and only had one card left.  He set it to his backrow, and a turn later Kamarchevakul hit him with Tiger King and Bear, dropping Bassous to 2100 Life Points.  Kamarchevakul Set a Spell or Trap, Bassous topdecked and Set Mystical Space Typhoon, and he attacked to end the Match!  Bassous had nothing but Typhoon and Machine Duplication, and Tiger King attacked to finish the Match!

 

 

Bassous extended the handshake: “I hate GB’s” he laughed.

 

“No you don’t!”  Kamarchevakul laughed back.  “You’ve got Gladiator Beast Andal on your Deck box!”

 

 

“I’ve had this Andal here for four years,” commented Bassous.  “And I’m ripping it off of this deck box tonight.”

 

A pause.  Then a grin.

 

“…I can’t BEAR to look at it anymore.”

 

Kamarchevakul Vatonyu Kamarchevakul takes the win with Gladiator Beasts and moves on 2-0, as Danny Bassous leaves the table with a loss and a parting one-liner!  How huge was that Side Decked Chimeratech Fortress Dragon?