This is it: the last Round of Constructed play in the tournament!   The reigning World Champion, Canadian Sehabbi Kheireddine has qualified for the Top 32, and is looking to add another Championship to his list of titles.  But his opponent is Claude Doiron, a friend of Kheireddine’s who also Duels in the Montreal area!  Only one of these competitors will make it to the Top 16.  Would Kheireddine get a shot at another title, or would Doiron go down as the Duelist who knocked the World Champion out of YCS Toronto?

 

There’s some chance that might happen, because as Doiron grinningly recounted before the Round started, this is in fact a rematch!  Doiron defeated Kheireddine 2-0 back in Day 1.  “And he’s so proud of it!” laughed Kheireddine with a grin.  Here in the Top 32 it’s Satellarknights versus Shadoll Artifacts, with one Duelist about to lock their seat in the Top 16!

 

Doiron won the roll and chose to open the Match!  He Summoned Thunder King Rai-Oh and Set two cards to his Spell and Trap Card Zone.

 

Kheireddine had Kuribandit; Stellarnova Alpha; Artifact Ignition; Satellarknight Deneb; Soul Charge; and Pot of Duality.  He Set Alpha, Ignition, and Duality, then Summoned Deneb, unable to search his Deck with its effect due to Thunder King.

 

Doiron activated Shaddoll Fusion, and Kheireddine gave up his Deneb to negate it with Stellarnova Alpha!  That got him Vanity’s Emptiness, and left Doiron to make a direct attack with Thunder King.  “Go.”

 

Kheireddine drew another Artifact Ignition and shuffled his hand a moment, considering his options.  He Set two, still not able to use that Kuribandit.

 

Doiron attacked with Thunder King, and Kheireddine responded by flipping Artifact Ignition.  It targeted Doiron’s Mystical Space Typhoon, he Chained it, and Kheireddine lost his Vanity’s Emptiness.  He Set Artifact Beagalltach with Artifact Ignition.  He launched another Ignition next, destroying his Beagalltach, but Doiron negated its effect with Breakthrough Skill!

 

Kheireddine drew a Breakthrough Skill of his own and Set it.  He shifted Beagalltach to Defense Position.

 

Doiron Set another Spell or Trap Card.

 

Kheireddine drew and Tribute Summoned Artifact Moralltach, giving up his Artifact Beagalltach.  He attacked Thunder King Rai-Oh with it and Doiron bounced Moralltach back to Kheireddine’s hand with Compulsory Evacuation Device.  “Go.”

 

Doiron made a direct attack with Thunder King Rai-Oh to drop Kheireddine to 4200 Life Points.  He Set another card to his back row.

 

Kheireddine drew another Satellarknight Deneb and flipped Breakthrough Skill, briefly shutting off Thunder King Rai-Oh’s effect.  That let him flip his Pot of Duality, revealing Vanity’s Emptiness and two copies of Satellarknight Altair from the top of his Deck!  He opted to take the Emptiness and shuffled the Altairs back, then Summoned Deneb to search Altair that way instead!  He was really making the most of that Breakthrough.  He Set Morraltach.  In the End Phase of Kheireddine’s turn, Doiron flipped Sinister Shadow Games to send Shaddol Squamata from his Deck to his Graveyard, in turn sending Shaddoll Beast to the Graveyard for a draw.

 

Doiron drew for his turn and attacked Deneb with Thunder King Rai-Oh, destroying it.  He Set a monster to end.

 

Kheireddine drew his third Satellarknight Deneb.  He Summoned Altair, revived Deneb without its effect, and overlaid the two Satellarknights to Xyz Summon Number 101: Silent Honor ARK.  He attacked Thunder King with it, but despite its defensive effect Doiron had the answer yet again: Dimensional Prison!  Kheireddine Set another card to his back row.

 

Doiron made another successful attack with Thunder King Rai-Oh, dropping Kheireddine down to 1900 Life Points.  One more shot like that and it was over.  Doiron Set one more card to his Spell and Trap Card Zone.

 

Kheireddine drew a Stellarnova Alpha, holding Deneb, Kuribandit, and Soul Charge.  He activated Charge targeting Altair, and the Summon worked!  Kheireddine used its effect to target Satellarknight Deneb for revival, then chained Breakthrough Skill to try and negate Thunder King Rai-Oh’s effect.  He was really trying to get that search with Deneb.  Doiron Chained Mystical Space Typhoon, targeting his own backrow card.  Kheireddine thought a moment and Chained Vanity’s Emptiness, making the easy read of an “Artifact” monster.  Sure enough, Doiron lost his Artifact Moralltach.  That left Kheireddine free to Deneb for another Altair, ending his turn.

 

Doiron attacked Deneb, knocking both it and Vanity’s Emptiness into the Graveard.  Kheireddine dropped to 500 Life Points.  When Doiron flipped Shaddoll Fusion Kheireddine gave up his Satellarknight Altair for another Stellarnova Alpha, negating it!  Doiron Set a monster.

 

Kheireddine drew his third Vanity’s Emptiness.  He Summoned Altair, revived Deneb, and was again locked down under the anti-search effect of Thunder King Rai-Oh.  He overlaid for Number 106: Giant Hand, and Doiron Tributed his Thunder King to negate the Summon.  Kheireddine filled his Spell and Trap Card Zone to four face-down cards.

 

Doiron Flip Summoned Shaddoll Hedgehog!  He found he had nothing left in his Main Deck to search, so he attacked with Hedgehog in a bid to make game. Kheireddine responded by reviving Satellarknight Altair with Call of the Haunted!  In Main Phase 2 Doiron activated Shaddoll Fusion; Kheireddine flipped Vanity’s Emptiness on the Chain, and Doiron was just left to Tribute Set a monster.

 

Kheireddine drew Reinforcement of the Army and used it to search for Satellarknight Altair.  He Normal Summoned it to revive Satellarknight Deneb, then searched out Satellarknight Vega.

 

 

Call of the Haunted let him complete the Synchro Summon of Stellarknight Delteros, and Delteros destroyed Doiron’s Set Shaddoll Beast!

 

Doiron Set a monster.

 

Kheireddine drew another Call of the Haunted and detached another Xyz Material, destroying Doiron’s Artifact Moralltach!  Doiron revived it, and when its effect triggered Kheireddine lost his Satellarknight Delteros.  He Set his Call and his Satellarknight Vega.

 

Doiron Summoned Shaddoll Dragon and attacked with Artifact Moralltach, destroying Vega.  When Doiron attacked with the Dragon Kheireddine flipped his second Call of the Haunted to bring back Delteros, blocking the attack!

 

Kheireddine drew a second Kuribandit.  He ran Shaddoll Dragon over with Stellarknight Delteros, then Summoned Kuribandit in Main Phase 2 to yard it during the End Phase.  He revealed two Forbidden Lance; two Artifact Sanctum; and one Artifact Ignition.

 

 

He took Artifact Sanctum and ended.

 

Doiron drew for his turn, riffled through his Graveyard, and Set a second Spell or Trap Card.  He now had two Set backrows and Artifact Moralltach; nothing else.

 

Kheireddine drew a useless Soul Charge, with Delteros, two Set Spells or Traps on the field, Delteros in Attack Position, Artifact Sanctum in hand, and two Kuribandits.  Doiron flipped Artifact Sanctum to Special Summon another Artifact Moralltach, succeeded, and destroyed Delteros.

 

Kheireddine Set Sanctum and Kuribandit, fighting to stay in the Match with ten minutes remaining!  But Doiron attacked next turn, and when Kheireddine went to flip his Sanctum Doiron had Vanity’s Emptiness to shut him down.  That sent Kheireddine into scoop mode in an instant, barreling towards a Game 2 he now had very little time to win!

 

 

Kheireddine opened with Reinforcement of the Army; two Vanity’s Emptiness; Artifact Beagalltach; and Satellarknight Deneb.  He searched Satellarknight Vega with Reinforcement, Special Summoned Deneb, and searched his Deck for Satellarknight Altair.  He overlaid Deneb and Vega for Cairngorgon, Antiluminescent Knight and Set Beagalltach plus both copies of Emptiness!

 

Doiron activated Shaddoll Fusion next turn.  Kheireddine Chained Vanity’s Emptiness, and Doiron Chained Mystical Space Typhoon to target it, trying to eliminate Emptiness before it could resolve and stop his Shaddoll Fusion.  The Chain continued, as Kheireddine responded with Cairngorgon, Antiluminescent Knight’s effect to redirect the Typhoon to his Set Artifact Beagalltach!  Beagalltach was destroyed but after some brief deliberation between the competitors and the table judge, the Emptiness survived the exchange!  (It wasn’t resolved at the time when Beagalltach hit the Gravyard, so its effect wouldn’t destroy it.)  Doiron Set three cards to his Spell and Trap Card Zone, Set a monster, and play was to Kheireddine.

 

Kheireddine Summoned Kuribandit, attacked with Cairngorgon to destroy Shaddoll Hedgehog, and Doiron got Shaddoll Fusion from his Deck with its effect.  He made a direct attack with Kuribandit, then ended his turn without using Kuribandit’s ability, keeping his Vanity’s Emptiness around.  Doiron flipped an End Phase Sinister Shadow Games to send Shadoll Beast to his Graveyard, drawing for its effect.

 

Doiron Summoned Mathematician to send Shaddoll Dragon to his Graveyard from his Deck.  Doiron targeted Kheireddine’s Set Vanity’s Emptiness, Kheireddine tried to switch the target with Cairngorgon’s effect, but Doiron Chained Breakthrough Skill!  Kheireddine lost both copies of Vanity’s Emptiness.  Doiron activated Shaddoll Fusion, finally pushing one through and Fusing Artifact Moralltach and Shaddoll Falco from his Deck to Fusion Summon El Shaddoll Construct!  He Special Summoned Falco in face-down Defense Position and dumped another Beast to the Graveyard with Construct’s effect, drawing a card.  Doiron then attacked over Cairngorgon, Antiluminescent Knight with Construct, and took out the Kuribandit with Mathematician.  Time was called.

 

Turn 1 of time.  Kheireddine Summoned Satellarknight Altair straight into Pulling the Rug.  He’d only have one turn beyond this to try and even the score.

 

Turn 2 of time.  Doiron flipped Falco, Summoned Shaddoll Dragon, and Tuned Mathematician and Falco for Armades, Keeper of Boundaries.  He attacked with all three of his monsters.  Kheireddine was down to 600 Life Points with one turn left, and his rip of Artifact Moralltach next turn didn’t help!

 

 

The World Champion’s run is cut short, as Claude Doiron deals Sehabi Kheireddine his second 2-0 loss of the tournament!  Doiron moves on to the Top 16, with a story to tell the folks back in Montreal.