Juan Carlos Coronel Contreras is a familiar face here at the Feature Match table: you might remember him from our coverage last year, where he won the 2015 Central American Dragon Duel Championship.  Hailing from right here in Guadalajara, Contreras competed to represent Central America in the Dragon Duel Championship in Japan last year.  This year, since he was born in 2002, he’s competing in the Main Event!

His opponent is Nahum Heredia Estrada, from Moralos, Mexico, piloting Monarchs against Contreras’ Kozmos.  Both Duelists are playing conventional builds: no Fire Kings for Contreras, and no Brilliant Fusion or Ultimaya Tzolkin for Estrada.

Estrada won the roll and opted to go first, opening with Edea the Heavenly Squire to Special Summon Eidos the Underworld Squire from his Deck.  He Set two cards　in his Spell and Trap Card Zone.

Contreras had a hand of Kozmoll Wickedwitch; Solemn Warning; Kozmo Dark Destroyer; Kozmo Tincan; Mind Crush; and Kozmojo.  He Summoned Wickedwitch, attacked Edea, and destroyed it for 1100 Battle Damage.  Contreras banished it, Special Summoning Kozmo Dark Destroyer to destroy itself.  He banished it, Special Summoning Kozmo Sliprider to destroy his opponent’s Set copy of The Prime Monarch.  Sliprider attacked to destroy Eidos the Underworld Squire and Contreras Set everything but Tincan.

Estrada banished Eidos next turn for its effect, and Contreras countered with Solemn Warning!  Estrada Set a monster.

Contreras drew Kozmo Soartroopers.  He attacked Estrada’s Set Eidos with Kozmo Sliprider, destroying it, and Normal Summoned Tincan.  He moved to his End Phase to use Tincan’s ability, revealing a Sliprider, a Dark Destroyer, and a copy of Kozmo Dark Eclipser – Estrada rolled a die and gave him Dark Destroyer.

Play was to Estrada, who banished his second Eidos and revived his Edea the Heavenly Squire in defense mode.  That Special Summoned his last Eidos from his Deck, and he followed up with March of the Monarchs.  Contreras checked his Set cards a moment, then banished Tincan to Special Summon Kozmo Dark Destroyer from his hand, destroying Eidos.  Estrada activated Domain of the True Monarchs, Contreras responded by destroying Dark Destroyer to banish Edea, then banished Dark Destroyer for another Kozmo Sliprider!  He used its effect to destroy Estrada’s One for One, previously Set in his Spell and Trap Card Zone.

Contreras drew Call of the Haunted and attacked directly with both of his Slipriders, and suddenly Estrada was down to 2300 Life Points.  Contreras Set Call, overlaid his Slipriders for Cyber Dragon Nova, then overlaid that for Cyber Dragon Infinity!

Estrada activated The Monarchs Stormforth, forcing Contreras to negate it by detaching an Xyz Material from Cyber Dragon Infinity.  Estrada banished to revive The Prime Monarch as a monster, and seeing that his opponent had just one card left, Contreras flipped Mind Crush calling Ehther the Heavenly Monarch!  Estrada revealed it as his last card, dropped it to the Graveyard, and immediately conceded the first Duel.

A lopsided opening and some harassing control effects cost Estrada the first Duel.  He’d need to take two more back-to-back if he wanted to claim the Match.  And with one game already lost to what looked like a brick opening, he’d need better draws than that in two consecutive games to do it.

Estrada opened with Pantheism of the Monarchs, pitching The Prime Monarch to draw two cards.  This was already off to a far better start.  He Summoned Eidos the Underworld Squire and banished Pantheism of the Monarchs to search his Deck for two more copies plus March of the Monarchs.  Contreras gave him the March.  Estrada pressed on, activating Tenacity of the Monarchs and revealing Thestalos the Mega Monarch to search Return of the Monarchs.  He activated March and Return, then Tributed Eidos for Majesty’s Fiend!  Estrada searched his Deck for Erebus the Underworld Monarch with Return’s effect.

Contreras had Kozmo Dark Destroyer; Call of the Haunted; Mask of Restrict; Kozmo Tincan; Kozmotown; and Kozmo Strawman.  He activated Kozmotown, shuffled back his three Kozmos, and drew Mystical Space Typhoon, Kozmo Dark Destroyer, and Call of the Haunted.  Contreras ended.

Estrada played another Tenacity, again revealing Thestalos and this time searching Domain of the True Monarchs.  He was building momentum.  He activated Domain’s effect to reduce the Level of Erebus the Underworld Monarch, revived The Prime Monarch, and Tributed it off for Erebus.  That triggered Return of the Monarchs’ effect to get him another Majesty’s Fiend, and Estrada attacked with both of his monsters.  Contreras dropped to 2800 Life Points.  This one could be winding down already.

Contreras drew Kozmo Sliprider and used Domain’s effect to shuffle away that and another Kozmo. He drew Kozmo Tincan and Allure of Darkness, with no Darks in hand.  He blasted his own Kozmotown with Mystical Space Typhoon to search another copy, then activated it to shuffle away his Tincan.  He direly needed to see removal to get that Majesty’s Fiend off the field, but his one draw was just Effect Veiler.  He Set everything he could save the Veiler, activated Allure of Darkness, and scooped moments later.

Nahum Heredia Estrada settles the score with a decisive win in the second Duel, demonstrating that powerful Monarch early game that’s been so defining this format!  With the Match at 1 and 1, we were headed to Game 3.

Contreras opted to go first, holding Kozmo Farmgirl; Solemn Warning; Kozmo Dark Destroyer; Chaos Trap Hole; and Mask of Restrict.  He Summoned Farmgirl, banished her, and Special Summoned Kozmo Dark Destroyer, destroying it and banishing it to Special Summon Kozmo Strawman.  He activated its effect to revive Dark Destroyer and Set his remaining three cards, destroyed Dark Destroyer in his End Phase and Special Summoning Kozmo Tincan.  That let him reveal Dark Destroyer, Kozmotown, and Kozmo Dark Eclipser from his Deck, landing him with Kozmotown.

Estrada revealed Majesty’s Fiend for Tenacity of the Monarchs, searching Pantheism of the Monarchs.  He activated it, pitching The Prime Monarch to draw two cards and following up with The Monarchs Stormforth.  Contreras responded with Mask of Restrict to keep his monsters on board, and Estrada had no chainable counter.  He banished Pantheism of the Monarchs for two Pantheism and The Prime Monarch, and Contreras gave him the latter.  Estrada tried to Normal Summon Edea the Heavenly Squire, but Contreras shut him down with Chaos Trap Hole.  Estrada Set one card to his backrow.

Contreras ripped Emergency Teleport!  He banished Tincan for its effect, Estrada activated the effect of Maxx “C”, and Contreras Special Summoned Kozmo Dark Destroyer.  He destroyed it to Special Summon Kozmo Sliprider, targeted Estrada’s lone backrow, and he flipped it to activate it: The Prime Monarch.  Estrada then Chained the Graveyard effect of his other Prime Monarch, but  Contreras negated it with Solemn Warning.  Estrada didn’t get his Special Summon, but he did get his draw with the on-field copy of The Prime Monarch before Sliprider destroyed it.

Contreras brought back his Kozmo Dark Destroyer with Kozmo Strawman and made three direct attacks to drop Estrada to 2200 Life Points.  Emergency Teleport got him Kozmo Soartroopers, feeding more draws to Estrada along the way, and attacked to drop Estrada to 1200 Life Points.  Strawman’s ability destroyed Dark Destroyer in the End Phase, and that let Contreras Special Summon Kozmoll Dark Lady.  But having given Estrada so many cards with Maxx “C”, was the damage already done?

Estrada drew to ten cards!  He activated Typhoon from his hand to destroy Contreras’ Mask of Restrict, then activated Domain of the True Monarchs.  He revealed Ehther the Heavenly Monarch to reduce its Level, then activated The Monarchs Stormforth.  Estrada Tributed Kozmoll Dark Lady for the Ehther, used Ehther’s ability to Special Summon another copy, and when he pressed to attack Contreras conceded the Match!

Nahum Heredia Estrada battles back from a rough loss in Game 1 to take a quick win in the second Duel, and then battle through Mask of Restrict with Maxx “C” and Typhoon to take the Match.  Estrada moves on, undefeated with Monarchs.