Noble Knights versus Inzektors?!  How could we resist?  Perry Jones is running Noble Knights with Noble Knight Brothers, Noble Knight Eachtar, and Noble Knights of the Round Table.  Joshua Rios is playing Inzektors with Kuribandit and Soul Charge, creating a fast, consistent, hugely resilient version of the classic strategy.

 

Rios Summoned Kuribandit, Set two cards to his Spell and Trap Card Zone, and then excavated with Kuribandit: Pot of Duality; Solemn Warning; Inzektor Ladybug; Inzektor Centipede; and Trap Stun.  He took Warning and yarded the rest.

 

Jones opened with Noble Knight Medraut; Noble Arms – Gallatin; Lady of the Lake; Soul Charge; Noble Knight Brothers; and Mystical Space Typhoon.  He launched his Typhoon to destroy Rios’ Set Typhoon, then Normal Summoned Medraut.  He equipped it with Gallatin, activated Medraut’s effect to Special Summon Noble Knight Borz, and destroyed Gallatin.  He re-equipped Gallatin to Borz, turning on its effect, and Rios blasted it with Fiendish Chain.  Jones made a direct attack with Medraut and ended.  “Should’ve held onto the Mystical Space Typhoon,” noted Jones, critiquing his own play.

 

Rios Summoned Inzektor Centipede, equipping Inzektor Hornet from his hand.  He sent Hornet to the Graveyard, destroying Borz, and Jones equipped Noble Arms – Gallatin to Medraut.  Rios searched for Inzektor Giga-Mantis with Centipede’s effect, equipped it to Centipede, then blasted Giga-Mantis with another Mystical Space Typhoon.  That let him Special Summon another Centipede, which he equipped with Hornet to destroy Medraut.  Both Centipedes made direct attacks, and in Main Phase 2 Rios Xyz Summoned Mechquipped Angineer.  He Set one card to his backrow.

 

Jones drew Noble Arms of Destiny.  He tried to Normal Summon Noble Knight Brothers, but Rios countered with Solemn Warning!  Jones activated Soul Charge for Medraut, dropping to 3800 Life Points.  He equipped it with Destiny, activated Medraut’s effect, and Special Summoned another Borz.  Jones equipped Borz with Destiny, then activated Borz’s effect to pluck Gwenhwyfar, Queen of Noble Arms, Noble Arms – Caliburn, and Noble Arms – Excaliburn from his Deck: he shuffled them face-down, presented them to Rios, and Rios gave him Gwenhwyfar!  A rough hit for Jones, who likely wanted to see either of the Noble Arms spells instead.   He pressed on, equipping her to Medraut to boost it to Level 5, then Xyz Summoned Sacred Noble Knight of King Artorigus.  Jones equipped it with Noble Arms of Destiny, Noble Arms – Excaliburn, and Noble Arms – Caliburn, then passed his turn without using Artorigus’ effect.

 

 

Rios Summoned Inzektor Dragonfly, equipping it with Inzektor Ladybug from his hand.  He sent it to the Graveyard to Special Summon Inzektor Hopper with Dragonfly, then overlaid Hopper and Dragonfly for Evilswarm Exciton Knight!  He activated Exciton Knight’s effect, wanting to use it twice overall to power through Sacred Noble Knight’s protection, but didn’t realize his first activation would create  a situation where he’d have more cards than Jones (stopping him from activating Exciton Knight’s ability a second time).  Exciton Knight’s effect left Jones with one card in hand and Sacred Noble Knight of King Artorigus on the field, which had been protected by Noble Arms of Destiny.  Rios had two cards left in hand.  He Set one and ended.

 

Jones drew another Gwenhwyfar, Queen of Noble Arms!  Ouch.  He activated Sacred Noble Knight’s effect, but Rios had Breakthrough Skill to shut it down.  Jones equipped Artorigus with Gwenhwyfar, attacked to destroy Evilswarm Exciton Knight, and Set Lady of the Lake.

 

Rios Summoned Inzektor Ladybug, attaching Inzektor Giga-Mantis.  He sent it to attack the Set Lady of the Lake, destroying it, and ended his turn by Setting one card to his Spell and Trap Card Zone.

 

Jones drew Noble Knight Medraut, and activated Sacred Noble Knight’s effect to destroy Inzektor Ladybug, depriving Rios of his Giga-Mantis effect.  He equipped the second Gwenhwyfar, then made a direct attack to drop Rios to 900 Life Points.  In the End Phase Rios brought back Inzektor Dragonfly with Call of the Haunted!

 

Rios drew to two cards in hand.  He equipped Hornet to Dragonfly, popped Sacred Noble Knight once to blow away a Gwenhwyfar, and brought out Centipede.  That led to another Hornet, which blew away another Gwenhwyfar.  Rios Summoned Inzektor Ladybug, equipped Giga-Mantis, and attacked to destroy Sacred Noble Knight of King Artorigus.  That destroyed it, finally, but Jones Special Summoned back Noble Knight Borz!  Rios moved to Main Phase 2, overlaying Centipede and Dragonfly for Number 49: Fortune Tune.  “Your go.”

 

 

Jones drew Reinforcement of the Army.  “Okay, so you’re at 900 Life Points.  If I attack over Ladybug for 3300 damage I win.”  Jones had Medraut and Reinforcement.  He equipped Gwenhwyfar, Queen of Noble Arms to Borz, then used its effect to reveal Noble Arms – Excaliburn, Noble Arms of Destiny, and Noble Arms – Caliburn from his Deck.  Rios gave him Destiny, and the other two Noble Arms were sent to the Graveyard.  “I think I got this.”  He activated Reinforcement, searching Noble Knight Gawayn.  “I haven’t used my Normal Summon this turn.”  He Summoned Medraut, then Special Summoned Gawayn, overlaying for Heroic Champion – Excalibur, activating its effect, and attacked over Inzektor Ladybug for game!  “That was rough!”

 

 

The first Duel is a back-and-forth contest right up until the last, but in the end Perry Jones pulls it out, resisting a fury of Inzektor Hornet stings to put Noble Knight Borz on the field, then winning out off Noble Knight Gawayn for Heroic Champion – Excalibur!  What a spectacular Duel!

 

Rios started the second Duel with Pot of Duality, revealing Breakthrough Skill; Kuribandit; and Dimensional Fissure.  He took Kuribandit and Summoned it, Setting two cards to his backrow and excavating Dimensional Fissure, Mystical Space Typhoon, Inzektor Hopper, Inzektor Ladybug, and Breakthrough Skill!  He took Dimensional Fissure, loading Breakthrough Skill.  “Your turn.”

 

Jones had Noble Arms – Excaliburn; Vanity’s Emptiness; Noble Knight Brothers; Mystical Space Typhoon; and two Noble Knights of the Round Table.  He activated Round Table, Set Emptiness and Typhoon and ended.

 

Rios flipped Dust Tornado next turn, targeting Jones’ Mystical Space Typhoon; Jones Chained it, targeted Rios’ Mystical Space Typhoon, and he Chained that to destroy Jones Vanity’s Emptiness.  Rios Summoned Inzektor Dragonfly, equipped Ladybug, boosted Dragonfly to Level 4, and Special Summoned Inzektor Centipede from his deck.  He boosted Centipede to Level 4 with Ladybug as well, searching his Deck for Inzektor Sword – Zektkaliber, and strapped it to Centipede to make two attacks.  He Set two cards to his backrow.

 

Jones drew Gwenhwyfar, Queen of Noble Arms: “Let’s go to Game 3.  I can’t do anything with this hand.”

 

A monster-deprived hand with and two dead copies of Noble Knights of the Round Table spells an early demise for Jones, and Joshua Rios capitalizes in an instant, capturing the second Duel via concession!  We were headed to Game 3.

 

Jones opened with a hand of two Vanity’s Emptiness; Torrential Tribute; Noble Arms – Excaliburn; Noble Arms – Caliburn; and Noble Arms of Destiny.  Not a Noble Knight in sight.  He Set Torrential and the two copies of Emptiness.

 

Rios sent Inzektor Hornet to his Graveyard with Foolish Burial and Set three cards to his Spell and Trap Card Zone.

 

Jones drew Ignoble Knight of Black Laundsallyn and passed.

 

Rios passed.

 

Jones drew Book of Moon and Set it.  Still no help.

 

Rios Set a fourth card to his backrow.

 

Jones drew Noble Knight Eachtar, still useless, and passed.

 

Rios Set a fifth card.

 

Jones drew Noble Knight Gawayn.  He Normal Summoned it, then equipped it with Noble Arms of Destiny.  “Battle phase…”  Jones pushed with Gawayn for 1900 Battle Damage.

 

Rios Summoned Inzektor Ladybug, but Jones fired back with Torrential Tribute!  Rios let it go, only playing his Dust Tornado afterwards, targeting Destiny.  There was some confusion about timing and intent, as Jones had mistakenly agreed to let Torrential resolve before activating Dust Tornado: he lost Dust and Ladybug, as Jones re-equipped his Destiny.  A brief slip from Rios now imperiled his chances to win.

 

Jones drew Soul Charge and activated Noble Arms – Caliburn, then activated its effect to gain 500 Life Points.  Gawayn attacked for 2400 Battle Damage, dropping Rios to 3700 Life Points.

 

Rios passed.

 

Jones drew Solemn Warning and tried to move to his Battle Phase, but Rios denied him with Threatening Roar.

 

Rios activated Soul Charge, Jones Chained Vanity’s Emptiness, and Rios Chained Mystical Space Typhoon, targeting Jones’ set card (which happened to be another Emptiness).  He was looking to force the face-up Emptiness’ self-destruction effect, but didn’t realize that since Emptiness hadn’t resolved yet, it couldn’t destroy itself.   Rios’ Soul Charge was negated and he Set a fourth Spell or Trap to close out his turn.

 

Jones gained another 500 Life Points with Caliburn, attacked with Gawayn again, and Rios was down to 1300 Life Points.  Jones Set Warning.

 

Rios tried to Summon another Ladybug, Jones blasted it with Solemn Warning, and Vanity’s Emptiness was gone… but so was any chance of Rios pulling this one out of the fire!  A clutch mistake with a misplayed Chaining opportunity lets a struggling Perry Jones steal the Duel, and the Match.

 

 

Perry Jones captures victory with Noble Knights!