We have quite the interesting Deck at 5-1, Chalana Bel-Air has chosen to make the trip this weekend from Miami piloting a Performage Challenger strategy that basically centers around the combo of Heroic Challenger – Thousand Blades and Performage Trick Clown giving you an easy way to make multiple Rank 4 Xyz using both the Heroic Challenger and Performage engines. His opponent is Bernado Miranda, running a 50 card Nekroz Deck that seems fairly similar to every other Nekroz list we’ve seen albeit a bit bigger. Will this new take on an Xyz strategy be able to defeat Nekroz? Or will the tried and true blue Deck be able to reign victorious?

Bel-Air won the roll and chose for Miranda to go first.

Duel One:

Miranda drew and Set a Monster before ending.

Bel-Air opened with a hand of Maxx “C”, Fiendish Chain, Bottomless Trap Hole, Performage Hat Tricker, and Foolish Burial before drawing a second copy of Maxx “C”. He activated Foolish Burial, sending Performage Damage Juggler and then banishing it to add Performage Trick Clown. He Normal Summoned the Performage Trick Clown and Special Summoned the Performage Hat Tricker but Miranda responded with Maxx “C”. Bel-Air chose to overlay for Abyss Dweller, and went to Battle Phase using its effect to destroy Miranda’s Set Performage Trick Clown. He Set two to his back row before ending.

Miranda drew and tried to Normal Summon Senju of the Thousand Hands but lost out to Bel-Air’s Fiendish Chain. When he tried to tribute away a Performage Trick Clown and Senju of the Thousand Hands for Nekroz Cycle to Special Summon, Bel-Air Chained Maxx “C” before the Nekroz of Valkyrus hit the Field. The Maxx “C” got him a Forbidden Lance and he responded to the Summon with Bottomless Trap Hole! Miranda was forced to end.

Bel-Air drew Reinforcement of the Army for turn, activated it to find Heroic Challenger – Assault Halberd and declared direct attacks with both it and Abyss Dweller. He added another copy of Heroic Challenger – Assault Halberd and Set another card to his back row before ending.

Miranda drew and slammed down Raigeki. He Set a card to his back row before ending.

Bel-Air declared an attack with Heroic Challenger – Assault Halberd and added another copy before ending.

Miranda drew for turn but could nothing but Set a Monster and end.

Bel-Air drew for turn and slammed down the second copy of Heroic Challenger – Assault Halberd, declaring an attack through the Set Maxx “C” with Piercing Damage and then directly with the second copy for game!

Being disrupted at a crucial point in the early game, Miranda falls victim to the momentum that Bel-Air was able to gain when he capitalized on the situation. Can Miranda manage to win the back two?

Miranda chose for Bel-Air to go first.

Duel Two:

Bel-Air started with a hand of Maxx “C”, Reinforcement of the Army, Heroic Challenger – Assault Halberd, Retaliating “C”, and Puppet Plant.

Miranda drew and Normal Summoned Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands, using its effect to add Nekroz of Clausolas which he then ditched to get Nekroz Kaleidoscope. He then discarded Nekroz of Brionac to add Nekroz of Unicore, but when he went to activate Nekroz Kaleidoscope Bel-Air responded with both Retaliating “C” and Maxx “C”! Miranda Special Summoned Nekroz of Unicore and Nekroz of Valkyrus with the Nekroz Kaleidoscope, letting Bel-Air draw Forbidden Lance. He attacked over Retaliating “C” with Nekroz of Unicore, letting Bel-Air add Maxx “C”, and then directly with Nekroz of Valkyrus and Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands. Miranda went to Main Phase 2, Set two to his back row, then used Nekroz of Valkyrus to tribute away his other Monsters and draw two cards. He Set another to his back row before ending.

Bel-Air drew Heroic Challenger – Thousand Blades for turn. He Special Summoned Heroic Challenger – Assault Halberd, then used Puppet Plant to steal Miranda’s Nekroz of Valkyrus. He then activated Reinforcement of the Army to add another copy, which he tried to Normal Summon but Miranda responded with Torrential Tribute! Bel-Air chose to respond with Forbidden Lance to save Nekroz of Valkyrus, and then made a direct attack with it. In Main Phase 2 he tributed away the Nekroz of Valkyrus along with the Heroic Challenger – Thousand Blades in hand to draw Maxx “C” and Jigabyte.

Miranda drew, activated Nekroz Cycle which caused Bel-Air to respond with Maxx “C”, to Special Summon Nekroz of Unicore by tributing Performage Hat Tricker. Maxx “C” drew Bel-Air Instant Fusion. Miranda made an attack directly which let Bel-Air Special Summon Heroic Challenger – Thousand Blades. Miranda ended.

Bel-Air drew Performage Damage Juggler and Normal Summoned it. He overlayed it along with Heroic Challenger – Thousand Blades for Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon and declared an attack over Nekroz of Unicore. In Main Phase 2, he used Instant Fusion to Special Summon Elder Entity Norden and then used Elder Entity Norden to Special Summon Retaliating “C”. He overlayed both for Number 80: Rhapsody in Berserk and used it to banish Nekroz of Brionac and Nekroz Cycle from Miranda’s Graveyard before he equipped it to his Xyz.

Miranda drew and was forced to pass.

Bel-Air drew Retaliating “C”, declared a direct attack, and then ended his turn.

Miranda drew and Normal Summoned Senju of the Thousand Hands. He used its effect to add Nekroz of Trishula to his hand, and then Flipped his Set Nekroz Mirror! Bel-Air responded with both Retaliating “C” and Maxx “C”, but it wasn’t enough as the Nekroz of Trishula came down and got rid of Bel-Air’s defenses so he could win the Duel!

Dealing a ton of damage early, Miranda is able to close out a game that almost fell out of his hands. Who will take the final Duel?

Bel-Air chose for Miranda to start in the final Duel.

Duel Three

Miranda started with Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands, using its effect to add Nekroz Kaleidoscope to his hand. He activated the Ritual Spell, sending Herald of the Arc Light to the Graveyard, to Special Summon Nekroz of Unicore. The Herald of the Arc Light triggered letting him grab Nekroz of Brionac, which he then ditched to add Nekroz of Valkyrus. He ended with both Monsters in play.

Bel-Air opened with a hand of Performage Hat Tricker, Heroic Challenger – Assault Halberd, Fiendish Chain, Reinforcement of the Army, and Performage Trick Clown before he drew Maxx “C”. He Special Summoned Heroic Challenger – Assault Halberd and tried to attack over Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands, but lost out to Nekroz of Valkyrus. He Set both of his Traps before ending.

Miranda drew and Normal Summoned Performage Damage Juggler. He overlayed it along with Nekroz of Unicore for Evilswarm Exciton Knight! He used its effect and when Bel-Air tried to Fiendish Chain, Miranda had Mystical Space Typhoon to force it through! He then ended.

Bel-Air drew Raigeki for turn. He Normal Summoned Performage Trick Clown and then Special Summoned Performage Hat Tricker, overlaying both for King of the Feral Imps. He detached Performage Trick Clown to add Jigabyte, and then triggered the Performage Trick Clown to Special Summon itself. The King of the Feral Imps added Jigabyte which he Special Summoned and overlayed with the Performage Trick Clown to Xyz Summon Castel, the Skyblaster Musketeer. He used its effect to return Evilswarm Exciton Knight to the Extra Deck and then made two direct attacks before ending.

Miranda drew and banished Nekroz Kaleidoscope and Nekroz of Unicore to add Nekroz Kaleidoscope and then banished Performage Damage Juggler to add Performage Hat Tricker. He Special Summoned the Performage Hat Tricker and then Normal Summoned Senju of the Thousand Hands using its effect to add Nekroz of Unicore. He overlayed both for Castel, the Skyblaster Musketeer and used it to return King of the Feral Imps to the Extra Deck. He then activated Nekroz Kaleidoscope, to which Bel-Air responded to with Maxx “C”, and Special Summoned Nekroz of Unicore sending Herald of the Arc Light. Bel-Air drew Bottomless Trap Hole off of the Maxx “C” and Miranda added Nekroz of Brionac to his hand thanks to the Herald of the Arc Light. Miranda declared an attack with both of his Monsters to destroy the opposing Castel, the Skyblaster Musketeer and put Bel-Air down to 4700 Life Points.

Bel-Air drew Foolish Burial for turn and used it to send Performage Damage Juggler to his Graveyard, which he banished to add Performage Trick Clown. He activated Raigeki to clear away the Nekroz of Unicore and Castel, the Skyblaster Musketeer, then Normal Summoned Performage Trick Clown to declare a direct attack. He Set Bottomless Trap Hole before passing it back.

Miranda drew, used Nekroz of Brionac to add Shurit, Strategist of Nekroz, and then banished Nekroz Kaleidoscope and Nekroz of Brionac to add Nekroz Cycle. He activated Nekroz Cycle, tributing the Shurit, Strategist of Nekroz to Special Summon Nekroz of Valkyrus, but lost the Nekroz of Valkyrus to Bottomless Trap Hole. The Shurit, Strategist of Nekroz resolved letting him add Nekroz of Trishula, and then he banished Nekroz Cycle along with Nekroz of Unicore to add Nekroz Mirror. He activated the Nekroz Mirror to Special Summon the Nekroz of Trishula, and then Normal Summoned Performage Trick Clown. He made an attack over Performage Trick Clown with Nekroz of Trishula and then when Bel-Air went to Special Summon his own Performage Trick Clown back, Miranda attacked right over it with his Performage Trick Clown.

Bel-Air drew Breakthrough Skill and Set it before ending.

Miranda drew and Normal Summoned Performage Damage Juggler, and with enough damage on the Field Bel-Air conceded!

Miranda showcased how good Nekroz is at managing resources and pulls way ahead in cards at the end of the Duel! Miranda moves on with a 6-1 record!