Dale Bellido is one of the greatest Canadian Duelists of all time! A former YCS winner he has seventeen career tops in YCS and WCQ competitions, spanning 2005 to 2010. Largely retired at that point, he returned to top YCS Toronto in 2011 and 2013, and now that YCS action’s returned to his home town once again, Bellido’s back in the hunt after a long while off.

 

His opponent is another Southern Ontario Duelist! Emerson Perkins hails from Windsor Ontario, and both competitors are 5-1 thus far in today’s main event. While Bellido’s playing Performage Shaddolls, a hugely successful deck here today, Perkins is running Tellarknights – arguably the deck’s foil, and one of it worst match-ups. Could Perkins knock the oldschool legend down to X-2?

 

Perkins gave an admiring remark about the Feature Match table game mats; all Feature Matches here in Day 1 are played on the new Regional Qualifier mat. Never without his sense of humor, Dale offered some advice: “You could win one, if you decided to drop this round and enter the Regionals!” Bellido grinned, and we were off to Game 1.

 

Bellido opted to play second. Perkins started the Match with Pot of Duality, revealing Upstart Goblin; Satellarknight Deneb; and Vanity’s Emptiness. He added Deneb to his hand and shuffled the rest back. He Summoned it to search his Deck for Satellarknight Vega. He Set two cards to his Spell and Trap Card Zone.

 

Bellido had Foolish Burial; Raigeki; Vanity’s Emptiness; Glow-Up Bulb; Performage Trick Clown; and Shaddoll Fusion. He considered a moment, then activated Raigeki to clear away Deneb and all possibility of a Stellarnova Alpha. Foolish Burial let him send Shaddoll Hedgehog to his Graveyard, adding Shaddoll Beast to his hand, and he activated Shaddoll Fusion to Fuse Beast and Trick Clown. He Fusion Summoned El Shaddoll Construct, lost its effect to Fiendish Chain, but drew Performage Damage Juggler with Beast and paid 1000 Life Points to Special Summon his Trick Clown.

Bellido Normal Summoned Damage Juggler, overlaid it with Trick Clown, and Xyz Summoned Castel, the Skyblaster Musketeer. He quickly ran some numbers with his calculator, then detached to bounce away the face-up Fiendish Chain. Perkins had another, chaining down Bellido’s Castel! Bellido Set Vanity’s Emptiness.

 

Perkins Summoned Satellarknight Vega and Bellido flipped Emptiness. Perkins Set one of his three remaining cards to his back row.

 

Bellido Normal Summoned Shaddoll Dragon and Perkins flipped Torrential Tribute! That triggered Construct’s effect, getting Bellido back his Shaddoll Fusion.

 

Perkins drew to three cards in hand while Bellido had two. He Summoned Thunder King Rai-Oh and attacked, knocking Bellido down to 5100 Life Points. “Go ahead.”

 

Bellido drew Effect Veiler and Set a card.

 

Perkins Summoned Satellarknight Unukalhai to load Satellarknight Deneb to his Graveyard, then attacked with Thunder King, hitting the Glow-Up Bulb. He then made a direct attack with Satellarknight Unukalhai, Setting a Spell or Trap to finish out.

 

Bellido drew Shaddoll Squamata and activated Shaddoll Fusion. Perkins flipped Vanity’s Emptiness! That left Bellido to Set Squamata.

 

Perkins Summoned a second Unukalhai, attacked with Thunder King to hit Squamata, and Bellido bounced away one Unukalhai. The other made a direct attack.

 

Bellido drew Mathematician. “I have to get very, very lucky for this next move I want to do.” He fanned his Graveyard, looking at his options and eyeing the Glow-Up Bulb, then gave a look that said “not yet.” He Summoned Mathematician instead. Its effect went through – Perkins’ last in-hand card was clearly not an Effect Veiler – and Bellido sent Shaddoll Falco to the Graveyard. He Special Summoned it in face-down defense, then ended.

 

Perkins Summoned Satellarknight Altair! Bellido had Effect Veiler in hand as his last card, but had to let the effect go. Perkins revived Deneb, then overlaid all of his Satellarknights for Stellarknight Triverr. Bellido dropped the Veiler to fend off Triverr’s effect! He attacked over Mathematician with Thunder King, and Bellido took a moment to read the Satellarknight Altair attached as an Xyz Material to Triverr. He politely reminded Perkins that Thunder King couldn’t attack. Perkins apologized, attacked Mathematician with Triverr instead, and Bellido drew Performage Damage Juggler. Perkins Set his last card to his backrow.

 

Bellido ripped Shaddoll Fusion! He took a moment to read Stellarknight Constellar Diamond, confirming that he couldn’t Shaddoll Fusion from his Deck. He activated Glow-Up Bulb’s effect. “I need to hit Breakthrough Skill here.” He hit Performage Trick Clown instead – he had just 900 Life Points left, so that wasn’t any help. He Flip Summoned Falco, not activating its effect. He then activated Shaddoll Fusion, fusing Damage Juggler and Falco for El Shaddoll Construct!

 

 

Bellido activated Falco’s effect from the Graveyard and Perkins negated it by detaching Altair from Stellarknight Constellar Diamond. He attacked Diamond with Construct, successfully destroying it.

 

Perkins drew, and flipped his bluffed Upstart Goblin to draw again. He attacked Bulb with Thunder King Rai-Oh and Set two cards to his backrow.

 

Bellido drew Sinister Shadow Games and attacked again. Perkins checked his face-downs, screwed up the corner of his mouth in vexation, and lost his Thunder King! Bellido banished Damage Juggler in Main Phase 2 to search Performage Hat Tricker, then Set it, and Set Shadow Games. He ended his turn, Perkins flipped Call of the Haunted in the End Phase, and he Summoned Altair to revive Deneb. That Deneb got him Satellarknight Vega.

 

He Summoned it next turn, and when he did, Bellido flipped Shadow Games to yard Shaddoll Dragon. That destroyed Call of the Haunted, destroying Altair. Perkins had one card Set, one card in hand, and overlaid Deneb and Vega for Castel, the Skyblaster Musketeer. That bounced away El Shaddoll Construct, and it attacked to destroy Damage Juggler. He Set his last card to his Spell and Trap Card Zone.

 

Bellido ripped his last Shaddoll Fusion! “Oh my god!” He laughed through his nose, then dove into his Graveyard. He banished his second Damage Juggler to get another Hat Tricker, then activated the Shaddoll Fusion to Summon El Shaddoll Winda, fusing Shaddoll Falco and Shaddoll Beast from his Deck! That drew him El Shaddoll Fusion and Summoned Falco to the field face-down. He attacked with Winda, Perkins flipped his last Fiendish Chain to stop it, and Bellido Set the El Shaddoll Fusion. Perkins flipped Call of the Haunted for Altair in the End Phase, getting Deneb and searching another Altair with it.

Perkins activated Mystical Space Typhoon to force the El Shaddoll Fusion: Bellido Chained it, pitching his Winda and Hat Tricker for El Shaddoll Shekhinaga in defense mode. Winda’s effect got him back his Shaddoll Fusion. Perkins overlaid Altair and Deneb for Daigusto Emeral, detaching Deneb to shuffle back Vega, Deneb, and Unukalhai to draw a card. He Set one to his backrow and ended.

 

Bellido drew that Breakthrough Skill he’d been looking for turns earlier. He activated Shaddoll Fusion to fuse Effect Veiler and Shaddoll Hedgehog from his Deck, Summoning El Shaddoll Construct. Ten minutes remained in the Match. He Flip Summoned Falco to revive Shaddoll Beast, then Tuned it with Construct for Leo, the Keeper of the Sacred Tree! That got him back his Shaddoll Fusion again. He considered turning El Shaddoll Shekhinaga to attack mode, turned it back, then turned it to attack, all without removing his hand from it. Sure enough he attacked over Castel and Emeral to destroy both! Bellido was still hanging in there, by the skin of his teeth.

 

 

Perkins activated Reinforcement of the Army to get Satellarknight Vega, and when he Summoned it, Bellido flipped Breakthrough Skill. Perkins Chained Stellarnova Alpha, Tributing Vega, then used its effect to Summon Altair. That revived his Deneb, Perkins didn’t activate its effect, and he overlaid for Bujintei Tsukuyomi. He activated its effect and Bellido blew it away with El Shaddoll Shekhinaga, pitching his last card from his hand – a Shaddoll card – and giving Perkins ample cause to concede!

 

“Wow. I am so sorry!” Bellido was beside himself. “I totally sacked you.”

 

“It’s alright,” Perkins reassured him, friendly.

 

“You’re taking it better than I would,” grinned Bellido. Friendly banter followed.

 

Somebody up there must like Dale Bellido, as perfect play and lucky topdeck after lucky topdeck bail him out of a massive hole to deliver an unlikely Game 1 win! What an impressive Duel. Roughly six minutes remained in the Match.

 

Perkins opted to open Game 2. He Summoned Satellarknight Deneb to search Satellarknight Altair, then Set two cards to his backrow.

 

Bellido had Performage Damage Juggler; Mystical Space Typhoon; Shaddoll Falco; Shaddoll Squamata; and two Shaddoll Fusions. He activated one of them, and Perkins negated it with Stellarnova Alpha, Tributing Deneb to draw a card.

 

Bellido activated Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy his opponent’s Breakthrough Skill, then took a moment to confirm with the table judge that he could play the next Shaddoll Fusion. He did it, fusing Damage Juggler and Falco for El Shaddoll Construct. He sent Shaddoll Beast to the Graveyard and revived Falco face-down, then drew El Shaddoll Fusion with Beast’s effect.   He searched Hat Tricker with Damage Juggler, Special Summoned it, and Normal Summoned Squamata to overlay with Hat Tricker. He Xyz Summoned Performage Trapeze Magician. That let him detach to attack twice with Construct, and Bellido made three big attacks for game!

 

 

“That’s what the deck’s supposed to do.” Bellido grinned with relief.

 

A grueling Game 1 leaves Dale Bellido struggling to survive, but numerous twists of fate combined with some great decision-making save the first Duel, which is quickly followed by a Turn 1 blowout in Game 2! The Bellido legend is alive here in Toronto.