Octavio Santiago is 3-0 today packing a modern deck with a classic spin; We’ve been seeing Monarchs all over the place today, but we haven’t yet seen one using the versatile Spell Card Brilliant Fusion. Gem-Knight Garnet is usually seen with Brilliant Fusion but one of latest trends in Regional Qualifiers uses Gem-Knight Lazuli and Jack’s Knight – one of Yugi’s iconic monsters – in a combo that ensures you have a Tribute Summon monster in hand and a suitable Tribute on the field with just a single successful resolution of Brilliant Fusion. He’s facing off against Steven McMearty who is also 3-0 running an Odd-Eyes Magician deck. Who’s moving on with a 4-0 record? Let’s find out!

Game 1

Santiago started off with a hand of Eidos the Underworld Squire, Maxx “C”, The Monarchs Stormforth, Jack’s Knight and Upstart Goblin. He activated Upstart, drawing Kuraz the Light Monarch and giving McMearty an additional 1000 LP. He Normal Summoned Eidos, then set The Monarchs Stormforth and used the additional Normal Summon from Eidos for Kuraz the Light Monarch! He used Kuraz’s effect to target itself and the set The Monarchs Stormforth, destroying both it and The Monarchs Stormforth, drawing another The Monarchs Stormforth and Ehther the Heavenly Monarch. He set The Monarchs Stormforth and passed.

McMearty activated Wisdom-Eye Magician and Dragonpit Magician as Pendulum Scales, then used Wisdom-Eye’s effect to destroy it and put Oafdragon Magician in its place. Santiago activated Maxx “C” at this time. McMearty used Dragonpit’s effect to discard Performapal Odd-Eyes Light Phoenix to destroy The Monarchs Stormforth which was chained. McMearty Normal Summoned Majespecter Raccoon – Bunbuku, using its effect to add Majespecter Unicorn – Kirin from Deck to hand, then McMearty Pendulum Summoned Mist Valley Apex Avian and Majespecter Unicorn – Kirin. All 3 monsters attacked, and McMearty passed with no set Spell/Traps.

Santiago drew another The Monarchs Stormforth. He Normal Summoned Edea the Heavenly Squire and activated its effect, but McMearty negated and destroyed Edea with Apex Avian by returning it to his hand. Santiago pressed on by banishing the Eidos the Underworld Squire in the Graveyard and Special Summoned the fallen Edea the Heavenly Squire, but McMearty chained Maxx “C” to get a draw.

McMearty drew for turn, then used Kirin’s effect to return Majespecter Raccoon – Bunbuku and Edea to the hand, then McMearty used Dragonpit Magician to send Majespecter Raccoon – Bunbuku to the Graveyard to destroy Santiago’s face-down The Monarchs Stormforth (which was chained again). McMearty proceeded to Pendulum Summon an additional Kirin alongside 2 Mist Valley Apex Avians which was enough for Santiago to scoop up his cards!

Game 2

Santiago elected to go first. He started by activating Brilliant Fusion, sending Jack’s Knight and Gem-Knight Lazuli to the Graveyard to Fusion Summon Gem-Knight Seraphinite. Lazuli’s effect activated, adding the sent Jack’s Knight back to his hand. He then Normal Summoned Eidos the Underworld Squire, then used the additional Normal Summon to Tribute the Eidos for Jack’s Knight. (At this point, McMearty asked if Santiago would get a third Normal Summon and was told by the Judge that Seraphinite’s additional Normal Summon and Eidos’s additional Tribute Summon were the same type of effect that could only be gained once. This was appealed and confirmed by one of the Assistant Head Judges.) Santiago proceeded to use Jack’s Knight and Seraphinite to Xyz Summon Artifact Durendal. Santiago used the effect to have both players shuffle their hands back and draw that many cards. Santiago drew The Prime Monarch and Pantheism of the Monarchs. He activated Pantheism of the Monarchs, discarded The Prime Monarch to draw The Prime Monarch and Majesty’s Fiend. Pantheism was banished from the Graveyard to reveal 3 copies of Tenacity of the Monarchs, one was added to hand and activated, revealing Majesty’s Fiend to add another Pantheism of the Monarchs from Deck to hand. Pantheism of the Monarchs number 2 was activated, discarding another The Prime Monarch, drawing Ehther the Heavenly Monarch and the third copy of The Prime Monarch. Santiago passed.

McMearty drew for his first turn, activated Upstart Goblin, then activated Summoner’s Art, adding Dragonpit Magician from Deck to hand. He set a Spell/Trap, activated Dragonpit in a Pendulum Zone, then activated Dragonpulse Magician on the other side, but Santiago had Twin Twisters set! He discarded The Prime Monarch to destroy both Pendulum Scales. McMearty followed-up with Pendulum Call, discarding Performapal Odd-Eyes Light Phoenix to add Dragonpit Magician and Oafdragon Magician. Santiago activated The Prime Monarch from the Graveyard, banishing Tenacity of the Monarchs. McMearty activated Oafdragon Magician and Dragonpit Magician, then Pendulum Summoned Dragonpit Magician and Dragonpulse Magician from the Extra Deck! He Tributed both to Tribute Summon Fog King! McMearty then used Oafdragon Magician’s Pendulum Effect to add the face-up Dragonpit Magician in the Extra Deck back to his hand, then Santiago elected to use Durendal’s effect to reload both players’ hands. The 2700 ATK Fog King attacked into Durendal and destroyed it. McMearty passed.

Santiago started by banishing Pantheism of the Monarchs from the Graveyard. Return of the Monarchs was added. Pantheism of the Monarchs was then activated from the hand, discarding Return to draw 2, then Return was banished to Special Summon The Prime Monarch from the Graveyard. Both Primes were used to Xyz Summon Constellar Pleiades, whose effect was used to bounce Fog King back to McMearty’s hand. Santiago followed-up with Tenacity of the Monarchs, revealing Ehther the Heavenly Monarch and searching for Domain of the True Monarchs. He then activated Mithra the Thunder Vassal, giving McMearty a Vassal Token. Santiago then activated Return of the Monarchs and Domain of the True Monarchs, reduced Ehther the Heavenly Monarch’s Level by 2 with Domain of the True Monarchs, then Tributed Mithra for Ehther! He added Majesty’s Fiend to hand with Return, then sent The Monarchs Stormforth and Tenacity of the Monarchs to Special Summon Kuraz the Light Monarch. Santiago used Kuraz the Light Monarch’s effect to destroy Return and Brilliant Fusion to draw 2 cards, but inadvertently drew a third card which was identified right away. The card (Brilliant Fusion) was revealed and put back on top of the deck with Santiago receiving a Warning. Kuraz returned to Santiago’s hand in the End Phase, leaving him with a field with Ehther and Pleiades with one Xyz Material.

McMearty fired back by activating Sky Iris, destroying Dragonpit Magician and adding Odd-Eyes Fusion from Deck to hand. Odd-Eyes Fusion was activated, Santiago chained Maxx “C”. McMearty Sent Odd-Eyes Meteorburst Dragon and Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon from the Extra Deck to the Graveyard to Fusion Summon Odd-Eyes Vortex Dragon! Santiago used Pleiades’s last Xyz Material to bounce Odd-Eyes Vortex Dragon. (At this point, McMearty took too long to decide if he would respond, so he received a Slow Play Warning.) McMearty pressed on through the Maxx “C” by Pendulum Summoning Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, Dragonpit Magician and Fog King. He overlayed Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon and Dragonpit Magician for Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon. In the Battle Phase, the 0 ATK Fog King attacked Ehther the Heavenly Monarch and McMearty used Absolute Dragon to negate his own attack and Special Summon from his Graveyard the Odd-Eyes he detached. Absolute Dragon then crashed into Ehther the Heavenly Monarch, destroying both, allowing McMearty to Special Summon Meteorburst Dragon from the Extra Deck. When Meteorburst was Summoned, he Special Summoned Oafdragon Magician from the Pendulum Zone, and Santiago blocked an attack with The Prime Monarch from the Graveyard. McMearty ended his turn after giving Santiago 6 cards via Maxx “C”.

Santiago started his turn with Brilliant Fusion, sending Gem-Knight Garnet and Edea the Heavenly Squire to the Graveyard to Fusion Summon Gem-Knight Seraphinite. He used the Seraphinite and The Prime Monarch to Xyz Summon Number 61: Volcasaurus, who used its effect to destroy Odd-Eyes Meteorburst Dragon. Instant Fusion came down next, Special Summoning Elder Entity Norden, bringing back Gem-Knight Garnet, then overlaying for Daigusto Emeral. He detached an Xyz Material, and sent 3 monsters back to the Deck to draw 1 card. Volcasaurus was used to Xyz Summon Gaia Dragon, the Thunder Charger, which attacked into Oafdragon Magician and while Emeral attacked into Fog King. In Main Phase 2, Santiago then Tributed Gaia Dragon for Super Quantum Red Layer, then The Prime Monarch was Special Summoned, then both Level 5 monsters were overlayed for Super Quantal Mech Beast Magnaliger! He set 1 card then discarded Erebus the Underworld Monarch and Pantheism of the Monarchs for hand size limit.

McMearty drew to 3 cards but couldn’t find an out. He conceded game 2 but time in the round was called shortly after with each player having won 1 game.

A well-played match on both sides ends in a 1-1 draw. Both players will go into the next round with 13 points.