Here in Round 5, a slim crop of undefeated Duelists have emerged with 4-0 records… and none of them appear to be reigning Champions.  With so many star Duelists struggling at the tournament’s mid-way point, we decided to check in at Table 1.  Jonathan Alfonso Aquino Quispe is from Peru, and is undefeated with Kozmos.  His opponent is Sergio Castaneda Ramirez from Colombia, Dueling this weekend with Domain Monarchs.

This is a classic pairing that’s really come to be the defining match-up for competition today.  So far today we’ve seen Tzolkin Monarchs versus Burning Abyss; a Burning Abyss Phantom Knights mirror match; and a Kozmo mirror match.  This is our first Monarch versus Kozmo Feature Match, and could set the tone for the remainder of the tournament.

Aquino opened the Match with two Kozmo Tincans; Kozmojo; Anti-Spell Fragrance; and Twin Twisters.  He Summoned Tincan, Set Fragrance, Twisters, and Kozmojo, and used Tincan’s End Phase effect to present three cards to Ramirez: Kozmo Dark Destroyer, Kozmo Forerunner, and Kozmo Landwalker.  Tincan’s random effect gave him Forerunner.

Ramirez drew for his turn and Aquino flipped Anti-Spell Fragrance.  He Set two cards to his Spell and Trap Card Zone and Special Summoned Mithra the Thunder Vassal, giving his opponent a Vassal Token.  Aquino got another card with Tincan in the End Phase, this time getting Kozmo Farmgirl over Kozmo Dark Destroyer and Kozmo Soartroopers.  He flipped Twin Twisters next, discarding Kozmo Tincan to destroy Ramirez’s Tenacity of the Monarchs and Pantheism of the Monarchs.  What a blowout: making that kind of 2-for-2 when you’re the aggressor is always good, because it makes it tougher for your opponent to regain momentum.  But when it sets you a full turn back due to Anti-Spell Fragrance?  Brutal.

Still in Ramirez’s End Phase, Aquino banished Tincan to Special Summon Kozmo Forerunner, then destroyed it with Kozmojo to banish Ramirez’s Mithra.  He banished Forerunner from the Graveyard to Special Summon Kozmo Soartroopers and finish Ramirez’s turn.

Moving to his own turn, Aquino drew Kozmo Strawman.  He Summoned Farmgirl, activated Soartroopers’ effect to Special Summon another Soartroopers, and Ramirez dropped Maxx “C” to draw a card.  Aquino attacked with his two Soartroopers first, then Farmgirl, and used her ability to search Kozmo Dark Destroyer from his Deck.  He attacked with the Vassal Token, banished Soartroopers, and Special Summoned the Dark Destroyer for another direct attack, dropping Ramirez to 700 Life Points.  Ramirez got another draw with Maxx “C”.

Ramirez drew to five cards in hand and banished his Pantheism of the Monarchs, presenting Aquino with a choice of two copies of The Prime Monarch and one Escalation of the Monarchs.  Aquino gave him a Prime Monarch, and Ramirez Set a monster, then Set two cards to his back row.

Aquino drew Kozmo Tincan and Ramirez thought he could activate his freshly Set The Monarchs Stormforth – Ramirez couldn’t, since a full turn cycle has to pass before you can get a Spell Card through Anti-Spell Fragrance.  He conceded immediately once he realized his mistake, and the fact that there was no way out.

Jonathan Alfonso Aquino Quispe’s decision to Main Deck Anti-Spell Fragrance clearly pays off, as Sergio Castaneda Ramirez simply never gets his strategy off the ground and takes a swift beating as a result.   And that was without Side Decking.  Both players went straight for their Side Decks, and Ramirez decided to play second.

Aquino had Kozmourning; Twin Twisters; Kozmo Dark Destroyer; and two Mask of Restrict!  He Set everything but Dark Destroyer.  If Ramirez didn’t have some serious removal, or a very lucky Twin Twisters, this one might be over before it starts.

Ramirez activated Domain of the True Monarchs, then used its effect to lower the Level of his Ehther the Heavenly Monarch.  He Normal Summoned Eidos the Underworld Squire, and Aquino fired back with Mask of Restrict!  That left Ramirez to attack with Eidos and end his turn.  No answer to Mask.

Aquino drew Kozmo Soartroopers, Summoned it, and flipped Kozmourning.  He attacked over Eidos to shuffle it away, then banished Soartroopers to Special Summon Kozmo Dark Destroyer.  He destroyed it with its own effect, banished it to Special Summon Kozmo Farmgirl, and attacked with her to drop Ramirez to 6300 Life Points.  Aquino searched Kozmotown with Farmgirl’s ability, then activated it and paid to retrieve his Dark Destroyer.

Ramirez Set a second card to his Spell and Trap Card Zone, still locked down under Mask of Restrict.  Then Ramirez moved to the End Phase, Aquino pitched Dark Destroyer for Twin Twisters to destroy his opponent’s Prime Monarch and The Monarchs Stormforth.

Aquino drew Drowning Mirror Force and used Kozmotown to get back his Kozmo Soartroopers, then shuffled them back to draw Kozmo Tincan.  He attacked with Farmgirl, drawing out Ramirez’s Prime Monarch to block it, and he Set Drowning.  Aquino activated Tincan’s effect in the End Phase, presenting Kozmo Dark Destroyer, Kozmo Sliprider, and Kozmo Forerunner to get Forerunner.

Ramirez activated a second Domain of the True Monarchs to destroy his first, then Set a monster.  He ended, and Aquino revealed Kozmo Dark Destroyer, Kozmo Sliprider, and Kozmoll Dark Lady with Tincan’s effect, nabbing Dark Destroyer.

Aquino drew another Kozmo Tincan.  He shuffled it away with Kozmotown, drew Solemn Strike, and banished Tincan to Special Summon his Forerunner.  He ran over The Prime Monarch to send it back to Ramirez’s Deck with Kozmourning, then attacked Ramirez’s face-down monster to shuffle it away, too: it was Eidos.  Aquino banished his Kozmo Farmgirl to Special Summon Kozmo Dark Destroyer, blew away his Kozmo Sliprider to Special Summon another Kozmo Farmgirl, and attacked with both monsters, this time searching Kozmojo with Farmgirl’s effect.  Aquino Set it and retrieved Kozmo Forerunner with Kozmotown, and when Ramirez saw his next draw he conceded and shook Aquino’s hand.

Jonathan Alfonso Aquino Quispe takes a quick pair of back-to-back Duel wins off a massive line-up of floodgate cards, dominating Duel 1 with Anti-Spell Fragrance and controlling Duel 2 from the get-go with two copies of Mask of Restrict, backed by the uncommon pick of Kozmourning.

Aquino moves on with an undefeated 5-0 record, with four more Rounds of Swiss remaining today, before the cut to Top 64 tomorrow!