Local Philadelphia Duelist Frazier Smith is Dueling against New Jersey’s Ned Salkovitch in our Round 9 Feature Match! Smith and Salkovitch both currently hold 5-2-1 records, leaving them in contention for a Top 8 finish for as long as they continue winning their Matches. But the dream will end for one of them, as only one of these two Duelists can gain the win needed for a Top 8 finish. It’s time to Duel!

Duel One

Salkovitch started off Duel 1 by Summoning Senju of the Thousand Hands and activating its effect to add Nekroz of Valkyrus from his Deck to his hand. He activated Nekroz Cycle, Tributing Shurit, Strategist of the Nekroz from his hand to Special Summon Nekroz of Valkyrus and then used Shurit’s effect to add Nekroz of Brionac to his hand. He activated his Valkyrus’s effect to Tribute it alongside Senju and draw 2 cards. Next, he discarded Nekroz of Brionac to add Nekroz of Unicore to his hand and discarded Nekroz of Unicore to add Nekroz of Valkyrus to his hand. He banished Nekroz Cycle and Nekroz of Unicore from his Graveyard next, in order to activate his Cycle’s effect and add Nekroz Mirror to his hand. He ended his turn with a clear field.

Smith opened up Duel 1 with Preparation of Rites, Nekroz of Unicore, Upstart Goblin, Nekroz of Clausolas, Nekroz Cycle, and Nekroz Kaleidoscope. He discarded Nekroz of Clausolas to add Nekroz Mirror to his hand. He activated Upstart Goblin next, drawing Senju of the Thousand Hands from his Deck and giving Salkovitch 1000 Life Points. He Summoned Senju to the field and activated its effect to add Nekroz of Valkyrus to his hand. Next, he activated Nekroz Kaleidoscope. He sent Herald of the Arc Light from his Extra Deck to his Graveyard to Special Summon Nekroz of Unicore and then activated the effect of his Herald to add Nekroz of Brionac to his hand. Then, he discarded Nekroz of Brionac to add Shurit, Strategist of the Nekroz to his hand. Smith activated Nekroz Cycle next, Tributing Shurit from his hand to Special Summon Nekroz of Valkyrus. He activated Shurit’s effect to add Nekroz of Brionac from his Deck to his hand. Smith attacked directly with Senju, and Salkovitch discarded Nekroz of Valkyrus from his hand and banished Nekroz of Brionac from his Graveyard to stop the attack and end Smith’s Battle Phase. In Main Phase 2, Smith combined Unicore with Senju to Xyz Summon Number 80: Rhapsody in Berserk! He detached both Xyz Materials from it to banish Shurit, Strategist of the Nekroz and Nekroz of Valkyrus from Salkovitch’s Graveyard. Smith Tributed Number 80: Rhapsody in Berserk and Valkyrus next, in order to draw Reinforcement of the Army and Upstart Goblin with Nekroz of Valkyrus’s effect. Next, Smith banished Nekroz Kaleidoscope and Nekroz of Clausolas from his Graveyard to activate his Kaleidoscope’s effect and add Nekroz Cycle from his Deck to his hand. Smith activated Upstart Goblin, drawing Nekroz of Unicore from his Deck and giving Salkovitch another 1000 Life Points. Smith discarded Unicore to add Nekroz of Valkyrus from his Graveyard to his hand. Finally, he activated Reinforcement of the Army to add Nekroz of Clausolas from his Deck to his hand and ended his turn with a clear field.

Salkovitch conceded after drawing his next card, either unwilling or unable to fight back against Smith’s incredible first turn play.

Duel Two

Smith opened up with Reinforcement of the Army, Nekroz of Clausolas, Dance Princess of the Nekroz, Nekroz of Trishula, and Nekroz of Valkyrus. He activated Reinforcement of the Army to add Shurit, Strategist of the Nekroz to his hand and then discarded Nekroz of Clausolas to add Nekroz Kaleidoscope from his Deck to his hand with Clausolas’s effect. Smith activated Nekroz Kaleidoscope, and Salkovitch Chained Maxx “C”. Smith Tributed Shurit from his hand to Special Summon Nekroz of Valkyrus, allowing Salkovitch to draw 1 card, and Smith added Nekroz of Brionac from his Deck to his hand with the effect of Shurit. Smith activated the effect of Valkyrus, Tributing it along with the Dance Princess in his hand to draw Nekroz Mirror and Nekroz of Unicore from his Deck. Next, he banished Nekroz of Clausolas and Nekroz Kaleidoscope from his Graveyard to activate his Kaleidoscope’s effect and add Nekroz Kaleidoscope from his Deck to his hand. He discarded Nekroz of Brionac next, adding Nekroz of Valkyrus from his Deck to his hand.

Salkovitch Summoned Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands and activated its effect to add Nekroz of Valkyrus from his Deck to his hand. He activated Preparation of Rites next, adding Nekroz of Brionac to his hand. He discarded Nekroz of Brionac to add Shurit, Strategist of the Nekroz from his Deck to his hand and then activated Nekroz Cycle, Tributing Shurit from his hand to Special Summon Nekroz of Valkyrus. He added Nekroz of Brionac to his hand with Shurit’s effect and then attacked directly with Manju and Valkyrus, dropping Smith down to 3700 Life Points. In Main Phase 2, Salkovitch Tributed his Manju and his Valkyrus to draw 2 cards with Valkyrus’s effect.

Smith drew Preparation of Rites next turn! He activated Nekroz Mirror, banishing Shurit from his Graveyard to Special Summon Nekroz of Valkyrus. Salkovitch Chained Maxx “C” to the activation of the Mirror, allowing him to draw a card when Smith’s Valkyrus hit the field. Next, Smith attacked directly with Valkyrus, dropping Salkovitch down to 5100 Life Points. Smith activated Preparation of Rites in Main Phase 2, adding Nekroz of Unicore from his Deck to his hand and Nekroz Mirror from his Graveyard to his hand. He activated the effect of Nekroz of Valkyrus next, Tributing his Valkyrus and the Nekroz of Unicore in his hand to draw Reinforcement of the Army and Nekroz Cycle from his Deck. Smith discarded Nekroz of Unicore from his hand to return Nekroz of Valkyrus from his Graveyard to his hand before ending his turn.

Salkovitch discarded Nekroz of Clausolas from his hand to add Nekroz Cycle to his hand and then banished a Nekroz Cycle and Nekroz of Clausolas from his Graveyard to add Nekroz Kaleidoscope from his Deck to his hand. He discarded Nekroz of Brionac to add Nekroz of Unicore to his hand and then activated Reinforcement of the Army to add Nekroz of Clausolas to his hand. Next, Salkovitch activated Nekroz Kaleidoscope, sending Herald of the Arc Light from his Extra Deck to his Graveyard to Special Summon Nekroz of Unicore to his field. He added Nekroz of Gungnir to his hand with the effect of Herald of the Arc Light. Salkovitch activated Nekroz Mirror, banishing Shurit from his Graveyard to Special Summon Nekroz of Gungnir to his field. Next, he activated Nekroz Cycle, Tributing Nekroz of Unicore and Exa, Enforcer of the Nekroz from his hand to Special Summon Nekroz of Trishula to the field. Salkovitch added Nekroz of Decisive Armor to his hand with the effect of Exa. Nekroz of Gungnir attacked Smith directly, and Smith dropped down to 1200 Life Points. Nekroz of Trishula attacked directly next, and Smith discarded Nekroz of Valkyrus and banished a Valkyrus from his Graveyard to stop the attack and end the Battle Phase! Salkovitch Set a card to his back row before ending his turn.

Smith drew Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands and then activated Reinforcement of the Army to add Nekroz of Clausolas from his Deck to his hand. He discarded Clausolas to activate its effect and add Nekroz Cycle from his Deck to his hand. Smith Summoned Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands next, activating its effect to add Nekroz of Unicore from his Deck to his hand. Next, Smith discarded Nekroz of Unicore to add Dance Princess of the Nekroz from his Graveyard to his hand. He activated Nekroz Cycle and Tributed Dance Princess from his hand to Special Summon Nekroz of Unicore from his Graveyard. He used his Dance Princess’s effect to add Shurit, Strategist of the Nekroz from his Banished Zone to his hand. Smith activated Nekroz Mirror next, Tributing Shurit from his hand to Special Summon Nekroz of Trishula to his field. He activated its effect, and Salkovitch Chained the effect of his Nekroz of Gungnir to discard Clausolas and target Unicore for destruction, and then discard Nekroz of Decisive Armor to increase the ATK of Nekroz of Gungnir. With no more cards left in his hand, Nekroz of Trishula’s effect couldn’t resolve. Smith added Nekroz of Brionac to his hand with the effect of his Shurit and discarded it from his hand to add Nekroz of Valkyrus from his Deck to his hand. Smith ended his turn without attacking.

Salkovitch attacked Smith’s Manju with his Nekroz of Trishula, and Smith discarded Nekroz of Valkyrus from his hand and banished Nekroz of Unicore from his Graveyard to stop the attack and end the Battle Phase with Valkyrus’s effect.

Smith’s Nekroz of Trishula attacked and destroyed Nekroz of Gungnir, and Smith switched Manju into Defense Position in Main Phase 2. Smith Set 2 cards to his back row before passing his turn.

Salkovitch activated Nekroz Kaleidoscope to Summon Unicore to his field by sending Herald of the Arc Light from his Extra Deck to his Graveyard, and Smith conceded. With only three minutes left in the round, Smith and Salkovitch promptly moved on to Duel 3!

Duel Three

Salkovitch started off Duel 3 by Normal Summoning Senju of the Thousand Hands to the field and activating its effect to add Nekroz of Brionac from his Deck to his hand. He discarded Nekroz of Brionac to add Nekroz of Unicore to his hand and then discarded Nekroz of Unicore to add Nekroz of Brionac from his Graveyard to his hand. He Set a card to his back row before passing.

Smith opened up Duel 3 with Shurit, Strategist of the Nekroz, Maxx “C”, Reinforcement of the Army, Raigeki, Senju of the Thousand Hands, and Nekroz of Valkyrus. He Summoned Senju to the field and activated its effect to add Nekroz of Unicore to his hand. He activated Reinforcement of the Army next, adding Nekroz of Clausolas to his hand, and discarded Nekroz of Clausolas to add Nekroz Kaleidoscope to his hand.

At this point, time in the round was called! The Duelist with the highest Life Points after five more turns will be declared the winner!

Smith continued his turn by activating Nekroz Kaleidoscope. He sent Herald of the Arc Light from his Extra Deck to his Graveyard to Special Summon Nekroz of Unicore and then used his Herald’s effect to add Nekroz Cycle from his Deck to his hand. Next, Smith combined his Unicore with Senju to Xyz Summon Number 80: Rhapsody in Berserk in Defense Position! He detached an Xyz Material to banish Unicore from Salkovitch’s Graveyard and then activated Nekroz Cycle, Tributing Shurit from his hand to Special Summon Nekroz of Valkyrus to his field. He added Nekroz of Brionac to his hand with the effect of his Tributed Shurit. Next, he attacked Senju with Valkyrus to destroy the Senju and drop Salkovitch down to 6500 Life Points. In Main Phase 2, Smith activated his Valkyrus’s effect; but Salkovitch negated it by flipping Breakthrough Skill! Smith detached another Xyz Material from Number 80: Rhapsody in Berserk to banish Breakthrough Skill from Salkovitch’s Graveyard and then discarded Nekroz of Brionac from his hand to grab Nekroz of Gungnir from his Deck. Smith Set a card to his back row before passing.

Salkovitch discarded Nekroz of Brionac to add Nekroz of Valkyrus to his hand and then activated Nekroz Mirror. He banished Nekroz of Brionac from his Graveyard and Tributed Great Sorcerer of the Nekroz from his hand to Special Summon Nekroz of Decisive Armor! He activated his Great Sorcerer’s effect to add Nekroz of Gungnir from his Deck to his hand. Nekroz of Decisive Armor activated its effect to destroy Smith’s face-down Raigeki and then Nekroz of Decisive Armor attacked Nekroz of Valkyrus; but Smith discarded Nekroz of Gungnir from his hand to protect his Valkyrus! Smith lost 400 Life Points, dropping him down to 7600 Life Points.

Smith drew Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands. He activated his Valkyrus’s effect to Tribute his Valkyrus and his Number 80: Rhapsody in Berserk in order to draw 2 cards from his Deck. Next, he banished Nekroz Cycle and Nekroz of Valkyrus from his Graveyard to use his Nekroz Cycle’s effect and add Nekroz Kaleidoscope from his Deck to his hand. He banished a Nekroz Kaleidoscope and Nekroz of Unicore from his Graveyard next, adding Nekroz Mirror to his hand with the effect of his Kaleidoscope. Smith Summoned Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands next, and activated its effect to add Nekroz of Unicore to his hand. He activated Nekroz Kaleidoscope and Special Summoned Nekroz of Unicore from his hand by sending Herald of the Arc Light from his Extra Deck to his Graveyard. He added Nekroz of Trishula to his hand with the effect of his Herald of the Arc Light. Next, Smith activated Nekroz Mirror; but Salkovitch Chained Artifact Lancea! Smith was forced to Tribute his Manju and Nekroz of Unicore to Special Summon Nekroz of Valkyrus, since he couldn’t banish monsters from his Graveyard! Smith ended his turn with no further play.

Salkovitch discarded Nekroz of Clausolas from his hand to add Nekroz Mirror to his hand and then activated it. Smith Chained Maxx “C”. Salkovitch banished Great Sorcerer of the Nekroz and Nekroz of Clausolas from his Graveyard to Special Summon Nekroz of Gungnir and sent Exa to his Graveyard with the effect of his banished Great Sorcerer of the Nekroz. Smith drew a card thanks to Maxx “C”. Nekroz of Decisive Armor attacked and destroyed Smith’s Nekroz of Valkyrus next, and then Nekroz of Gungnir attacked directly, dropping Smith down to 4700 Life Points.

Smith activated Reinforcement of the Army to add Nekroz of Clausolas to his hand and then banished Nekroz of Clausolas and Nekroz Mirror from his Graveyard to add another Nekroz Mirror from his Deck to his hand. Next, he banished Shurit, Strategist of the Nekroz and Nekroz Kaleidoscope from his Graveyard to add Nekroz of Clausolas from his Deck to his hand. He activated Nekroz Cycle, Tributing Dance Princess of the Nekroz from his hand to Special Summon Nekroz of Unicore from his Graveyard. He added Shurit back to his hand with Dance Princess’s effect. Smith activated Nekroz Mirror next, Tributing Shurit from his hand to Special Summon Nekroz of Trishula! He activated his Trishula’s effect, and Salkovitch Chained the effect of Nekroz of Gungnir to discard Nekroz of Valkyrus and destroy Smith’s Nekroz of Unicore. Smith thereafter conceded, completely devastated by Salkovitch Artifact Lancea on his preceding turn.

Ned Salkovitch is moving on with a 6-2-1 record!