Round 1 Feature Match: Sehabi Kheireddine Versus Bryan Lucier
One month ago in Rimini Italy, Canada’s own Sehabi Kheireddine captured the 2014 World Championship title! Since then the native Montrealer has celebrated his 19th birthday, and now he’s back in action gunning for another Championship. His deck of choice? Satellarknights with Artifacts.
His opponent is 27 year-old Bryan Lucier from Windsor Ontario! This is Lucier’s fourth YCS event, and he’s playing an under-the-radar Deck that’s put in a couple notable finishes lately in Regional Qualifiers: Harpies. That could be trouble, as the destruction effect of his Harpies’ Hunting Ground might go horrendously wrong if he plays into an Artifact card. Let’s see how it turns out!
Lucier got things started, winning the roll and choosing to open the first Duel. He Summoned Harpie Channeler and used its effect, pitching Harpie Lady 1 to Special Summon Harpie’s Pet Dragon. He overlaid Pet Dragon and Channeler for Mecha Phantom Beast Dracossack in Defense Position, then detached for its effect to Special Summon two Mecha Phantom Beast Tokens. He Set two cards to his Spell and Trap Card Zone.
Kheireddine had a hand of Breakthrough Skill; Soul Charge; Satellarknight Deneb; Artifact Beagalltach; Call of the Haunted; and Satellarknight Altair. He Summoned Deneb to search his Deck for a second copy of that all-important Altair, then Set Beagalltach, looking to draw out a Mystical Space Typhoon.
Lucier Summoned Cyber Harpie Lady, and activated Elegant Egotist to Special Summon Harpie Lady 1 from his Deck. He didn’t have a second one, and Special Summoned a second Cyber Harpie Lady instead. He turned Mecha Phantom Beast Dracossack to Attack Position, attacked over Deneb, and made two direct attacks with the Cyber Harpies to drop Kheireddine to 4700 Life Points. In Main Phase 2 Lucier Xyz Summoned Lightning Chidori and used its ability, blasting away Kheireddine’s Artifact Beagalltach back to the bottom of his Deck! He’d outplayed Beagalltach’s effect without even knowing that’s what he was doing.
Kheireddine drew Artifact Ignition and fired back, Summoning Altair to bring back Deneb! He paused a moment, then chose to search Satellarknight Vega with Deneb’s ability. He overlaid Deneb and Altair to Xyz Summon Number 101: Silent Honor ARK, then detached to grab Mecha Phantom Beast Dracossack as an Xyz Material!
Kheireddine activated Soul Charge, reviving Altair and Deneb to Xyz Summon Castel, the Skyblaster Musketeer! Its effect bounced away Lightning Chidori, and Kheireddine Set three cards to his back row.
Lucier was up. He had two Mecha Phantom Beast Tokens and two backrow cards Set on the field, drawing to one card in hand. He took a few moments to consider his position. Lucier ended his turn, but Kheireddine flipped Call of the Haunted in the End Phase: Lucier countered with Wiretap to shut it down!
Kheireddine drew Forbidden Lance. He shuffled his hand a few times at a measured pace, holding Vega and his second Altair. He Summoned Vega, Lucier had no response, and he Special Summoned Altair to revive Deneb! That got Kheireddine his third Altair from his Deck. He attacked to clear the two Mecha Phantom Beast Tokens with Vega and Altair, then overlaid Vega and Deneb in Main Phase 2 for Number 80: Rhapsody in Berserk. He detached for its effect, banishing Harpie Channeler first, then one of the Cyber Harpie Ladies. That would keep Lucier off any potential Soul Charge plays: if his Set card was Hysteric Party that would be weaker as well, and if Party became an actual problem, Kheireddine had Artifact Ignition to Chain to a Party activation and keep it from resolving anyways.
Lucier activated Harpies’ Hunting Ground and sure enough, he followed up with Hysteric Party! Kheireddine Chained Artifact Ignition to stop it, and Lucier conceded immediately.
A Turn 1 Satellarknight Deneb for a second copy of Satellarknight Altair gets the ball rolling for the World Champion, as Sehabi Kheireddine controls the first Duel to capture his first win of the tournament! For Lucier, the pressure was on.
Lucier opened the second Duel Summoning Harpie Channeler and Setting two cards to his Spell and Trap Card Zone.
Kheireddine had Vanity’s Emptiness; Mystical Space Typhoon; Artifact Sanctum; Artifact Moralltach; Satellarknight Altair; and Satellarknight Deneb. He Summoned Deneb to grab Satellarknight Altair from his Deck, then attacked into Dimensional Prison. Mystical Space Typhoon in Main Phase 2 cleared out Lucier’s Set Hysteric Party, and Kheireddine Set Emptiness, Sanctum, and Moralltach to finish out.
Lucier attacked with Harpie Channeler next turn, scoring a direct shot to knock Kheireddine down to 6600 Life Points. He Set two more cards to his back row. Kheireddine flipped Artifact Sanctum in the End Phase, bringing out Artifact Beagalltach to destroy his Set Artifact Moralltach! That triggered Moralltach’s ability; Kheireddine used it to destroy Harpie Channeler; and play moved to Kheireddine’s turn.
Kheireddine drew Forbidden Lance. He Summoned Altair, turned Beagalltach to defense mode, and attacked with Altair into a second Dimensional Prison! He attacked with Moralltach and Set Lance.
Lucier Summoned Harpie’s Channeler, then pitched his last card – Harpies’ Hunting Ground – in a bid to make a Special Summon. Kheireddine responded by Chaining Vanity’s Emptiness. Faced with the Beagalltach Lucier evaluated his options before swiftly deciding he didn’t have any: “You’ve got a big booty! I’ve gotta pass.”
Kheireddine drew Maxx “C”. He Summoned another Altair, prompting Lucier to flip Bottomless Trap Hole. He ran over Harpie’s Channeler with Artifact Moralltach and suddenly Lucier was down to topdecking.
Kheireddine drew Reinforcement of the Army and activated it to search Satellarknight Deneb. He Summoned it and Lucier’s one backrow card held no answers. Deneb got Kheireddine a Satellarknight Altair, he turned everything to Attack Position, and attacked with all three monsters to knock Lucier down to 200 Life Points! In Main Phase 2 he made Constellar Pleiades and it was all over moments later, as Pleiades kept Lucier off the table and Kheireddine sealed the deal.
A quick 2-0 victory sees World Champion Sehabi Kheireddine win his first Match of the weekend, starting him off at a 1-0 record with Satellarknights!
