Charlie Finnegan from Fayetteville, North Carolina and Brandon Sprint from Richmond, Virginia are both YCS first-timers, and both of them have fared well in this weekend’s tournament. Each of these Duelists currently has a 7-2 record. Brandon Sprint is using a Shaddoll Deck featuring Denko Sekka, while Charlie Finnegan is using a creation of his own – a Tellarknight Artifact Deck that he calls “Scythe Knights.” Finnegan’s core strategy involves using the effect of Artifact Scythe each turn to prevent his opponents from Special Summoning from their Extra Deck, while applying pressure on his opponents by using his Tellarknights. Only one of these Duelists will be able to complete the Swiss Rounds with an 8-2 record and a shot at a Top 32 finish. It’s time to Duel!

Duel One

Finnegan opened up Duel 1 with Fiendish Chain, Artifact Sanctum, Mystical Space Typhoon, Pot of Duality, and Artifact Ignition. He activated Pot of Duality to add Satellarknight Deneb to his hand and then Summoned it and activated its effect to add Satellarknight Altair to his hand. He Set Fiendish Chain, Artifact Sanctum, Mystical Space Typhoon, and Artifact Ignition before ending his turn.

Sprint drew a card and then Finnegan flipped Artifact Sanctum in his Standby Phase, Special Summoning Artifact Scythe from his Deck and activating its effect to stop Sprint from Summoning monsters from his Extra Deck during the turn. Next, Sprint activated Allure of Darkness to draw 2 cards and banish Shaddoll Falco from his hand. Sprint Summoned Mathematician next and activated its effect. Finnegan Chained Fiendish Chain, and Sprint Chained Enemy Controller to Tribute Mathematician and take control of Deneb. Finnegan Chained Artifact Ignition to destroy his own Fiendish Chain and Set Artifact Scythe from his Deck. Mathematician’s effect resolved to send Shaddoll Squamata to the Graveyard, and then Squamata’s effect activated to send Shaddoll Dragon to the Graveyard. Dragon’s effect destroyed Artifact Scythe from Finnegan’s back row and Finnegan Special Summoned it to the field. Next, Sprint banished Dragon from his Graveyard to Special Summon Wyverburster. He activated Snatch Steal to try to take control of Scythe, but Finnegan Chained Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy the Snatch Steal. Sprint attacked Scythe with Wyverburster to destroy his own monster and add Collapserpent to his hand. He banished Wyverburster from his Graveyard to Special Summon Collapserpent in Defense Position and then ended his turn.

Finnegan Summoned Satellarknight Altair next turn and then combined both copies of Artifact Scythe to Xyz Summon Number 61: Volcasaurus. Then, he activated Volcasaurus’s effect to destroy Collapserpent. He upgraded his Volcasaurus into Gaia Dragon, the Thunder Charger and then attacked directly with Gaia Dragon, Deneb, and Altair to finish Sprint off!

Charlie Finnegan takes a quick win in Duel 1! Brandon Sprint will be going first in Duel 2!

Duel Two

Sprint chose to go first in Duel 2, and started things off by Summoning Senko Sekka and passing.

Finnegan opened up with Satellarknight Altiar, Satellarknight Vega, Bottomless Trap Hole, Pot of Duality, Satellarknight Deneb, and Reinforcement of the Army. He activated Reinforcement of the Army to add Satellarknight Rigel to his hand and then Summoned it. He attacked Denko Sekka to destroy it and deal 200 points of damage to Sprint. Finnegan activated Pot of Duality in Main Phase 2, revealing Mystical Space Typhoon, Call of the Haunted, and Artifact Sanctum from the top of his Deck. He added Artifact Sanctum to his hand and shuffled the other 2 cards back into his Deck. He Set Bottomless Trap Hole and Artifact Sanctum next, and then ended his turn.

Sprint drew a card and Finnegan activated Artifact Sanctum in his Standby Phase. Sprint Chained Maxx “C”. Finnegan Special Summoned Artifact Sanctum from his Deck, allowing Sprint to draw a card. Finnegan activated his Scythe’s effect, and Sprint Chained El Shaddoll Fusion! He fused Maxx “C” with Shaddoll Beast to Fusion Summon El Shaddoll Shekhinaga in Defense Position. Next, he activated Snatch Steal to take control of Artifact Scythe and then banished Denko Sekka from his Graveyard to Special Summon Collapserpent. He attacked Rigel with Scythe to destroy Rigel and then attacked directly with Collapserpent.

Finnegan gained 1000 Life Points due to Snatch Steal in his next Standby Phase and then Summoned Satellarknight Vega. He activated its effect to Special Summon Satellarknight Altair from his hand. He activated Altair’s effect, and Sprint activated his Shekhinaga’s effect to negate Altair’s effect. He discarded Shaddoll Hedgehog and used his Hedgehog’s effect to add Shaddoll Dragon to his hand. Finnegan Set a card to his back row before ending his turn.

Sprint switched Shekhinaga into Attack Position and then attacked Vega with Collapserpent to destroy it. Next, he attacked directly with Artifact Scythe and ended his turn. In his End Phase, Finnegan activated Call of the Haunted to Special Summon Altair from his Graveyard and activated its effect. Sprint negated its effect with Shekhinaga and discarded Shaddoll Dragon, using his Dragon’s effect to destroy Finnegan’s face-down Bottomless Trap Hole.

Finnegan gained 1000 Life Points in his Standby Phase and then Summoned Satellarknight Deneb. He activated its effect to add Altair to his hand and then ended his turn.

Sprint Summoned Shaddoll Falco and Tuned it with Collapserpent to Synchro Summon HTS Psyhemuth. Finnegan quickly conceded, overwhelmed by Sprint’s field!

The Match is proceeding to a third and final Duel!

Duel Three

Finnegan opened up with Artifact Beagalltach, Call of the Haunted, Artifact Sanctum, Fiendish Chain, and Artifact Ignition. He Set all 5 to his back row and then ended his turn.

Sprint drew a card and Finnegan activated Artifact Ignition in Sprint’s Standby Phase. He destroyed his own Beagalltach and Set Scythe to his back row. He used Beagalltach’s effect to destroy his own back-row Scythe and then used Scythe’s effect to Special Summon Scythe to the field. He activated Scythe’s effect to prevent Sprint from Special Summoning monsters from his Extra Deck during the turn. Sprint Summoned Mathematician and activated its effect; but Finnegan Chained Fiendish Chain to negate its effect. Finnegan activated Artifact Sanctum in Sprint’s End Phase to Special Summon Moralltach from his Deck and activated Moralltach’s effect to destroy Mathematician.

Finnegan attacked directly with Scythe, Moralltach, and Beagalltach to drop Sprint down to 2300 Life Points and then combined Scythe with Beagalltach to Summon Constellar Pleiades. He detached Scythe to activate Pleiades’s effect and return Fiendish Chain to his hand. Then he Set the Fiendish Chain and passed his turn.

Sprint drew a card and Finnegan activated Call of the Haunted in his Standby Phase to Summon Scythe back to the field. He activated its effect once again. Sprint discarded Puppet Plant from his hand to try to take control of Constellar Pleiades, but Finnegan Chained the effect of Pleiades to return his own Pleiades to the Extra Deck. Sprint thereafter conceded, unable to Special Summon from his Extra Deck for the rest of the turn and unable to contend with Finnegan’s monsters.

Charlie Finnegan finishes the Swiss Rounds with an 8-2 record!