Round 10 Feature Match: Chase Cunningham versus Richard St. Jovite
After getting 2nd at this year’s NAWCQ and a Top 4 finish at the World Championship in Kyoto, Chase Cunningham has been on a real hot streak. He has chosen to bring Burning Abyss this weekend, and while we had seen a ton of this strategy throughout the recent competitive season, it has definitely diminished in numbers this tournament. His opponent is Richard St. Jovite who is one of many players Dueling with Kozmo. Will the power of Kozmo Dark Destroyer be too much for Burning Abyss to handle? Or can Cunningham navigate correctly to claim victory?
Cunningham won the roll and chose for St. Jovite to go first.
Duel One:
St. Jovite drew and simply Set a back row before he passed turn.
Cunningham started with a hand of Raigeki, Breakthrough Skill, Dark Hole, Libic, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss, and Phoenix Wing Wind Blast before he drew Mathematician. He Normal Summoned the Spellcaster and sent Scarm, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss to his Graveyard before he moved to Battle Phase. He declared an attack with Mathematician but St. Jovite responded with Emergency Teleport to Special Summon Kozmo Farmgirl. Cunningham moved to Main Phase 2 and Set both of his back row, during the End Phase he triggered his Scarm, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss to add Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss and St. Jovite activated the effect of his Kozmo Farmgirl to Special Summon Kozmo Forerunner.
St. Jovite drew for turn and activated the effect of Kozmo Forerunner to gain some Life Points. He moved to Battle Phase and declared an attack over Mathematician with the spaceship, allowing Cunningham to draw The Traveler and the Burning Abyss off of the effect of the fallen Monster. Still during Battle Phase St. Jovite activated Emergency Teleport to Special Summon Kozmo Farmgirl, but when he went to attack with it Cunningham activated Phoenix Wing Wind Blast ditching his Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss to spin it away. The Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss triggered and he Special Summoned Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss from this Deck, and after that St. Jovite just ended.
Cunningham drew Torrential Tribute for turn and gave his hand a long look over. He chose to activate Raigeki to clear away the Kozmo Forerunner, and once it hit the bin St. Jovite activated its effect to Special Summon Kozmoll Wickedwitch in Defense Position. Cunningham continued with the Normal Summon of Libic, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss, but St. Jovite used Maxx “C” to try to stifle his progression. He moved to Battle Phase and declared an attack with Libic, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss prompting St. Jovite to activate the effect of his Kozmoll Wickedwitch, but when he did Cunningham Flipped his Set Breakthrough Skill to stop it. The Libic, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss destroyed Kozmoll Wickedwitch and Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss made a direct attack. He Set Torrential Tribute in Main Phase 2 and ended.
St. Jovite drew and Normal Summoned Kozmo Farmgirl, but in response Cunningham activated Torrential Tribute to clear the board. His Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss triggered to bring back a Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss, and then when St. Jovite tried to move to End Phase, Cunningham Flipped his Set The Traveler and the Burning Abyss to Special Summon back both his Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss and Libic, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss!
Cunningham drew Fiend Griefing for turn and thought for a moment before he overlayed Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss with Libic, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss for Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss. He detached Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss to send Scarm, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss, Breakthrough Skill, and Tour Guide from the Underworld from his Deck to the Graveyard, then triggered the effect of Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss to Special Summon Barbar, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss. He moved to Battle Phase and St. Jovite had nothing to stop the game winning damage!
After some masterful sequencing, Cunningham shows that Burning Abyss is definitely still a force to be reckoned with. Can St. Jovite mount a comeback? Or will Cunningham have as impressive of a game as before?
St. Jovite chose to go second.
Duel Two:
Cunningham had a hand of Barbar, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss, Vanity’s Emptiness, Phoenix Wing Wind Blast, and two copies of Mystical Space Typhoon. He Normal Summoned the Barbar, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss and Set everything but a single Mystical Space Typhoon before he ended.
St. Jovite drew and activated Galaxy Cyclone, blindly blowing away Cunningham’s Set Phoenix Wing Wind Blast! He didn’t have much of a follow up though as he simply Set three to his back row and ended.
Cunningham drew Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss; he Normal Summoned it and overlayed both Malebranches for Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss, but St. Jovite responded with Time-Space Trap Hole to shuffle it back! The Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss still hit the bin though and Cunningham triggered it to Special Summon Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss. He moved to Battle Phase and declared an attack with Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss, but St. Jovite Special Summoned Juragedo in Attack Position. Cunningham thought for a moment and chose to continue his attack, destroying Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss and using its effect to Special Summon Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss from his Graveyard in Defense Position. He Set his Mystical Space Typhoon before he ended.
St. Jovite drew to three and activated Kozmotown. He verified that Cunningham had no cards in hand, and then activated the effect of his in Graveyard Galaxy Cyclone to destroy his own Kozmotown and trigger its effect to add Kozmo Farmgirl to his hand. He Normal Summoned the freshly found Kozmo Farmgirl, and when he went to declare an attack on Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss with Juragedo he Flipped Vanity’s Emptiness to try to shut it off. Cunningham still had Mystical Space Typhoon Set though, and chose to blow away the Vanity’s Emptiness so that his Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss could triggerand find Scarm, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss. St. Jovite Stared down the Malebranche for a minute before he ended his turn.
Cunningham drew Fire Lake of the Burning Abyss for turn and immediately Set it before he ended.
St. Jovite drew back to two cards and moved to Battle Phase where he Special Summoned Juragedo, gaining some Life Points in the process. He declared an attack with Juragedo onto Scarm, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss and then used the effect of the other copy to tribute itself and pump the original. He then swung directly with Kozmo Farmgirl and got to trigger its effect to add Kozmotown to his hand. Still during the Battle Phase he tried to activate the effect of Kozmo Farmgirl prompting Cunningham to Flip his Set Vanity’s Emptiness, but St. Jovite had Mystical Space Typhoon Set to blow it away! The Kozmo Farmgirl resolved and Kozmo Forerunner hit the board. He swung in with it and moved to Main Phase 2 where he played Kozmotown and used its effect to add back Kozmo Farmgirl before he ended. During the End Phase Cunningham searched Tour Guide from the Underworld thanks to Scarm, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss.
Cunningham drew Majesty’s Fiend for turn and Normal Summoned Tour Guide from the Underworld. He used its effect to Special Summon Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss from his Deck and overlayed both Fiends for Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss. He detached the Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss to send Mystical Space Typhoon, Skill Drain, and Rubic, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss to the Graveyard before he triggered the Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss to Special Summon Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss. He passed turn.
St. Jovite drew to two and thought for a long time before he Normal Summoned Honest. In response to the Summon, Cunningham Flipped his Set Fire Lake of the Burning Abyss to blow away both Juragedo and Honest, but St. Jovite Chained the effect of Juragedo to pump his Kozmo Forerunner. Both Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss and Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss triggered, letting Cunningham add back Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss and Special Summon Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss. St. Jovite then activated the effect of Kozmotown and shuffled back his in hand Kozmo Farmgirl for a new card before he declared an attack with the spaceship over Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss, which let Cunningham add back Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss when it was destroyed.
Cunningham drew Book of Moon for turn and thought before he Set Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss along with Book of Moon and ended.
St. Jovite had another copy of Kozmo Farmgirl next turn and Normal Summoned it. He declared an attack over the Set Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss with Kozmo Forerunner which let Cunningham Special Summon Scarm, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss from his Deck. St. Jovite pushed through and activated the effect of Kozmo Farmgirl to Special Summon Kozmo Dark Destroyer from his hand to blow away the Scarm, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss, and then attack directly for 3000. In Main Phase 2 he activated Kozmotown to add back Kozmo Farmgirl and then shuffled it away via the other effect of Kozmotown to draw a new card. During his End Phase, Cunningham searched Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss thanks to Scarm, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss.
Cunninghamg drew Torrential Tribute for turn and Set it along with Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss before he ended.
St. Jovite drew and made sure to gain 1000 Life Points off of Kozmo Forerunner before he went to Battle Phase. He declared an attack with Kozmo Forerunner over the Set Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss, which triggered to Special Summon Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss. Still in the Battle Phase St. Jovite activated Emergency Teleport to Special Summon Kozmo Farmgirl from his Deck, but once it hit the Field Cunningham Flipped his Set Torrential Tribute to blow it away along with both Spaceships and his Malebranche. Both ships and the Malebranche triggered, Cunningham Special Summoned Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss from his Graveyard and St. Jovite Special Summoned Kozmo Forerunner and Kozmo Strawman. He pressed forward and declared an attack with Kozmo Forerunner over Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss which let Cunningham add back Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss. St. Jovite tried to move to Main Phase 2 but Cunningham used Book of Moon to Flip the Kozmo Strawman down and St. Jovite ended.
Cunningham drew Rubic, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss for turn and chose to activate his Set Mystical Space Typhoon on St. Jovite’s Kozmotown so that he would control no Spells or Traps and be able to go on the offensive with his Malebranches. St. Jovite activate the effect of Kozmotown and added another copy to his hand. Cunningham Normal Summoned Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss and Special Summoned Rubic, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss, but St. Jovite had Maxx “C” to make sure things didn’t get too crazy. Cunningham clarified the DEF of Kozmo Strawman before he overlayed both Malebranches for Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss, detaching Rubic, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss and sending three useless cards to the Graveyard. He destroyed Kozmo Strawman and ended his turn.
St. Jovite drew and used the effect of Kozmotown to add back Kozmo Dark Destroyer. He Normal Summoned Kozmo Farmgirl next and used its effect to Special Summon the Kozmo Dark Destroyer and that was it! He had enough damage to finish Cunningham off thanks to the effect of Kozmo Dark Destroyer blowing away Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss.
After an intensely close game, St. Jovite shows how powerful Kozmos how become now that they have access to the DARK side. Only one of these Duelists can advance to the Top 32 cut, who will it be?
Duel Three:
St. Jovite Set Kozmotown and then activated Galaxy Cyclone to destroy it so he could add a copy of Kozmo Forerunner to his hand. Time was called, and St. Jovite Set three to his back row before he ended.
Cunningham started with Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss, Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss, Farfa, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss, Mind Crush, Mystical Space Typhoon and Solemn Warning. He Normal Summoned Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss and Special Summoned Farfa, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss before he moved to Battle Phase, but once he did St. Jovite Flipped his Set Emergency Teleport to Special Summon Kozmo Farmgirl from his Deck. Cunningham moved to Main Phase 2 and overlayed both Malebranches for Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss, and then used its effect to send Phoenix Wing Wind Blast, Raigeki, and Mathematician to the Graveyard by detaching Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss. The Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss triggered and Cunningham Special Summoned Scarm, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss from his Deck. He then activated Mystical Space Typhoon to blindly blow away St. Jovite’s Set Dark Hole, and kept going with the Special Summon of Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss. He overlayed it along with Scarm, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss for Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss, and then used the effect of the Xyz to detach just Scarm, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss and send The Traveler and the Burning Abyss from his Deck to the Graveyard. He Set Mind Crush and Solemn Warning but during the End Phase St. Jovite Flipped a Set Mystical Space Typhoon to blow away Mind Crush. Cunningham added Tour Guide from the Underworld to his hand with Scarm, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss and St. Jovite activated his Kozmo Farmgirl to Special Summon Kozmo Forerunner.
St. Jovite drew and activated the effect of Kozmo Forerunner to gain 1000 Life Points, quite useful as this was the second turn of time. He considered his options but ultimately chose to shift his Kozmo Forerunner to Defense Position and end.
Cunningham drew Dark Hole and surveyed the board as his mind planned his possible routes. He Normal Summoned Tour Guide from the Underworld and used its effect to Special Summon Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss from his Deck, then immediately stacked them to Xyz Summon Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss. He activated the effect of the Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss that had Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss as a material, sending Breakthrough Skill and two other cards to the Graveyard, then Special Summoning Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss off of the triggered effect of Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss. He activated the effect of another Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss by detaching Farfa, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss, sending Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss and Barbar, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss to the Graveyard as well. He triggered both Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss and Barbar, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss, Special Summoning a Scarm, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss from his Deck and dealing some direct damage as well. He used the effect of his last Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss and sent some more cards to his Graveyard but none of them were of use. He overlayed Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss along with Scarm, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss for Number 20: Giga-Brilliant and used its effect to pump his whole team. He moved to Battle Phase and swung into the Kozmo Forerunner, and when it triggered he had Solemn Warning to not only stop it from Special Summoning, but clear the way so he could deal enough damage to win the game!
Chase Cunningham manages to squeak out a win thanks to some tight play and finish the Swiss Rounds with an 8-2 record looking good for Top Cut!
