Yesterday in our Round 8 Feature Match, we saw David Green’s Madolches oust Yuhang Li’s Fire Kings to knock Li down to an X-2 record.  Now he’s back this morning, hanging in for one last round at 7-2, just one win away from the Top 32.

 

His opponent this Round is Kenneth McCarthy, a Burning Abyss Duelist from Patterson New Jersey!  Both of these competitors are running Supply Squad, so watch for that to be a key card in this match-up: a slow start could cost either competitor if their opponent hits a big start and starts racking up free cards.

 

McCarthy won the roll and opted to go first.  He Set two cards to his Spell and Trap Card Zone.

 

Li had two Fire Formation – Tenki; Supply Squad; Soul Charge; Fire King Avatar Yaksha; and Fire King Avatar Barong.  He considered his options a moment before activating Tenki, searching out Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Bear.  He followed up with Supply Squad, then Normal Summoned Yaksha for an attack.  McCarthy stopped it with Karma Cut, pitching Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss for its cost and banishing Yaksha!  Graff’s effect let him Special Summon Scarm, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss from his Deck, leaving Li to Set his second Tenki as a bluff.

 

McCarthy activated his own Supply Squad and ended.

 

Li drew a second Supply Squad and flipped his Fire Formation – Tenki, searching his Deck for another Yaksha.  He Set it, then activated the second Supply Squad.

 

McCarthy Summoned Tour Guide from the Underworld, destroying his Scarm with its ability and Special Summoning Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss from his Deck.  Supply Squad got him a free draw for Scarm’s destruction!  McCarthy overlaid to Xyz Summon Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss and activated Rank-Up-Magic Astral Force to Summon Constellar Pleiades with Dante as Xyz Material.  McCarthy then detached Dante for Pleiades’ ability, bouncing away the Set Yaksha, keeping Li off his two Supply Squads, and triggering Dante’s effect to get back his Graff.  He made a direct attack with Constellar Pleiades, and in the End Phase his Scarm effect got him another Tour Guide from the Underworld.

 

Li drew another Fire King Avatar Barong and he Summoned Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Bear, trying to destroy Constellar Pleiades: McCarthy activated the ability of Effect Veiler, dropping it from his hand to negate Bear’s ability.  Li attacked, McCarthy bounced Bear away with Constellar Pleiades’ ability, detaching Cir and reviving Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss!  In the End Phase McCarthy flipped Phoenix Wing Wind Blast to discard Graff to Special Summon Scarm, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss.  Wind Blast spun away Li’s Set Tenki, Scarm hit the field, and it was destroyed by Constellar Pleiades’s presence on the field.  That got McCarthy a draw with Supply Squad and a search for Cir with Scarm!  Brutal.

 

McCarthy Normal Summoned Tour Guide next turn to Special Summon another Scarm, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss.  He overlaid to Xyz Summon Number 20: Giga-Brilliant, detached Scarm for its effect, and buffed his three monsters by +300 ATK each!  That was all Li needed to see to move to Game 2: he scooped his cards in concession and went straight for his Side Deck.

 

 

A huge string of Burning Abyss effects and some choice removal cards let Kenneth McCarthy keep Yuhang Li off the field completely, as McCarthy gracefully dodges Li’s double Supply Squad to keep him from building momentum!  Nicely done!  One more like that and McCarthy would be headed to the Top 32.  Li chose to let McCarthy go first in Game 2.

 

McCarthy opened with three Set cards to his back row.

 

Li had Mystical Space Typhoon; Skill Drain; Coach Soldier Wolfbark; Fire Hand; Onslaught of the Fire Kings: and Maxx “C”.  He activated Mystical Space Typhoon and selected McCarthy’s Breakthrough Skill at random, destroying it.  He Summoned Fire Hand, attacked, and scored a quick shot for 1600 Battle Damage.  Li then Set Skill Drain.

 

McCarthy Set a monster.

 

Li drew another Mystical Space Typhoon.  He turned Fire Hand to Defense Position and Set Typhoon.

 

McCarthy Tributed his Set Scarm, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss for Mobius the Frost Monarch!  McCarthy targeted Li’s two Set cards in his Spell and Trap Card Zone; Li flipped Skill Drain, paying 1000 Life Points; McCarthy Chained Phoenix Wing Wind Blast, discarding Effect Veiler to target Skill Drain; Li Cahinde Mystical Space Typhoon to target McCarthy’s last Set card; and McCarthy Chained that too, pitching Breakthrough Skill to activate Karma Cut, banishing Fire Hand!

 

 

That left McCarthy to make a direct attack for 2400 Battle Damage with Mobius, and no cards in hand.  He used Scarm to search Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss.

 

Li drew to four cards in hand: Onslaught; Skill Drain; Max “C” ; and Coach Soldier Wolfbark.  He activated Onslaught to Special Summon Fire King High Avatar Garunix, then Normal Summoned Coach Soldier Wolfbark to make two attacks on McCarthy’s Life Points!  McCarthy dropped to 4500 Life Points.  Li had 4600 and Set Skill Drain.

 

 

McCarthy drew for his normal draw and Li flipped Skill Drain in the Draw Phase, dropping to 3600 Life Points.  McCarthy Set a monster.

 

Li drew Full House – not very useful in such a simplified game with so few cards on the table.  Li attacked Graff with Coach Soldier Wolfbark, allowing McCarthy to Special Summon Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss from his Deck, and Li opted not to attack with Garunix.  He Set Full House.

 

McCarthy Normal Summoned Tour Guide from the Underworld, knowing Li’s Skill Drain would allow his Graff to survive on the field.  Skill Drain would keep Tour Guide’s effect from working too, but Li smelled a Rank 3 Xyz Summon coming and dropped Maxx “C”.  McCarthy played into it, Xyz Summoning Number 30: Acid Golem of Destruction to attack over Coach Soldier Wolfbark.  Li drew Supply Squad.

 

Li drew another Maxx “C” and activated his new Supply Squad, ramming Garunix into Number 30: Acid Golem of Destruction.  He took 300 Battle Damage, triggering Garunix’s effect and Supply Squad: he Special Summoned Fire King Avatar Yaksha in Defense Position from his Dekc and drew Shadow-Imprisoning Mirror.  He Set the Mirror, Set Maxx “C” and ended.

 

McCarthy Normal Summoned Mathematician and attacked with it to destroy Yaksha; that let Li draw Soul Charge, and Yaksha destroyed Skill Drain, which was doing more favors for McCarthy’s Acid Golem than anything else.  McCarth attacked the Set Maxx “C” with Number 30: Acid Golem of Destruction to destroy it, then Set one back row card.

 

Li drew another Yaksha and activated Soul Charge, reviving Coach Soldier Wolfbark from his Graveyard.  He Special Summoned Yaksha with Wolfbark’s effect, overlaid for Number 101: Silent Honor ARK in Defense Position, and used its ability to take Number 30: Acid Golem of Destruction as an Xyz Material.  That triggered Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss’ effect as an Xyz Material, Li Chained Shadow-Imprisoning Mirror; and McCarthy negated it with Wiretap!  Cir Special Summoned Scarm, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss, and it promptly destroyed itself due to McCarthy’s Mathematician.  Li Flip Summoned Yaksha and moved to his End Phase, where McCarthy’s Scarm got him another Tour Guide from the Underworld.

 

McCarthy Normal Summoned it to Special Summon Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss from his Deck: “You’re at 900, correct?”  Li confirmed he was down to 900 Life Points.  McCarthy Xyz Summoned Number 47: Nightmare Shark!  He detached for its effect to let the Shark make direct attacks, then launched one final press against Li’s Life Points to close the Duel!

 

 

Kenneth McCarthy overcomes Yuhang Li’s Fire Kings with his Burning Abyss Deck, now moving on with a strong shot at the Top 32!