Galo Guillermo Orbea Davila hails from Quito, Ecuador, and roughly five years ago he won the Yu-Gi-Oh! Championship Series in that country!  His opponent here in the Top 32 is Renzo Nazario Avalos Ulloa from Lima, Peru, and while Orbea is running Brilliant Monarchs, Avalos is playing the Deck of the tournament: Burning Abyss Phantom Knights.  Orbea won the roll and opted to go second.

Avalos opened the Match with two Set cards to his backrow.

Orbea had a hand of Ehther the Heavenly Monarch; Erebus the Underworld Monarch; Tenacity of the Monarchs; two copies of The Monarchs Stormforth; and Gem-Knight Lazuli.  He activated Tenacity, revealing Ehther to search his Deck for Pantheism of the Monarchs.  He pitched The Monarchs Stormforth for Pantheism, drawing Eidos the Underworld Squire and Super Quantum Red Layer.  He considered his options for a moment, then banished Pantheism to present three Return of the Monarchs, adding one to his hand.  Orbea tried to Special Summon Red Layer and Avalos blasted it with Solemn Strike.  Orbea Set Lazuli, activated Return, and Set Stormforth.

Avalos passed with his one Set card in his Spell and Trap Card Zone.

Orbea drew Brilliant Fusion and Summoned Eidos the Underworld Squire; Avalos negated its ability with Effect Veiler.  Orbea Flip Summoned Lazuli to make a direct attack for 600 Battle Damage, then another with Eidos for 800.  Might as well, right?

Avalos Normal Summoned The Phantom Knights of Ragged Gloves and Orbea flipped The Monarchs Stormforth.  Avalos fingered his face-down card, but gave it the okay after a moment’s thought.  Orbea Tributed his Lazuli and his opponent’s Gloves for Ehther the Heavenly Monarch, activating its effect and triggering Return’s search; Avalos Chained Twin Twisters, pitching The Phantom Knights of Silent Boots to destroy Return and stop the search.  That left Orbea to send Pantheism of the Monarchs and The Prime Monarch to his Graveyard, Special Summoning Kuraz the Light Monarch with Ehther’s effect.  

Orbea blew away his Eidos and Kuraz to draw Twin Twisters and The Prime Monarch.  He now had four cards in hand plus Ehther on the field, with Pantheism and The Prime Monarch in his Graveyard, to Avalos’ two cards and bare field.  That was enough for Avalos, who clearly saw the writing on the wall and immediately conceded.

Renzo Nazario Avalos Ulloa hits a slow start with his Phantom Knights, and Galo Guillermo Orbea Davila picks him apart card by card with just a handful of moves.  Bad luck for Avalos, who’ll need his Deck to work a lot better in the next two Duels to win out.  Meanwhile Orbea might be headed to his second Championship.

Avalos chose to go first, opening with a Set monster and two Set backrows.

Orbea had Flying “C”; Pantheism of the Monarchs; The Monarchs Stormforth; two copies of The Prime Monarch; and Erebus the Underworld Monarch.  He discarded The Prime Monarch for Pantheism, drawing Ehther the Heavenly Monarch  and Kuraz the Light Monarch.  He banished Pantheism next, revealing three copies of Tenacity of the Monarchs.  He took one, revealed Erebus to activate it, and searched his Deck for another Pantheism.  He activated it to yard his second Prime Monarch, this time drawing Edea the Heavenly Squire and another Tenacity.  

Orbea continued, activating The Monarchs Stormforth.  Avalos gave him the thumbs-up, and Orbea banished Tenacity to Special Summon his Prime Monarch.  He Tributed that and his opponent’s Set Scarm, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss to Summon Erebus, and Avalos shut it down with Phantom Knights’ Fog Blade.  Avalos searched Tour Guide from the Underworld with Scarm’s effect in the End Phase.

Avalos Summoned Tour Guide to Special Summon Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss, and Orbea Special Summoned Flying “C” to Avalos’ side of the field, locking him out of Xyz Summons!  Avalos had three cards left in hand with one still Set in his Spell and Trap Card Zone, controlling Tour Guide, Graff, and Flying “C”, plus Fog Blade.  He activated Raigeki from his hand to clear Erebus alone, and attacked with Tour Guide. Orbea responded with The Prime Monarch, Special Summoning it to block the attack.  Avalos Set two more backrow.  

Orbea drew his third Prime Monarch and Avalos flipped Anti-Spell Fragrance!  That cut Orbea off from his in-hand Tenacity, at least for the moment.  Orbea banished Pantheism of the Monarchs to present Domain of the True Monarchs and two Return of the Monarchs from his Deck, and Avalos gave him one of the Returns.  Orbea pitched the Return to get his Erebus back from the Graveyard, then banished the Return to Special Summon his second Prime Monarch.  He overlaid them both for Constellar Pleiades, Normal Summoned Edea, and Avalos let him Special Summon Eidos the Underworld Squire.  

Orbea shuffled his hand a bit, considering his next moves and how he’d use Constellar Pleiades’ ability.  He Tributed Edea and Eidos to Summon Erebus the Underworld Monarch, sending Pantheism and Domain to his Graveyard, shuffling away Avalos’ Graff from the field.  He attacked over Tour Guide with Pleiades, then detached a Prime Monarch to bounce his Flying “C” back to his hand, so he could make a direct attack with Erebus.  Brutal; Orbea would just drop the Flying “C” back to the field whenever he needed to.  He Set The Monarchs Stormforth and The Prime Monarch .

Avalos drew to two cards in hand, controlling Anti-Spell Fragrance and a Set card in his backrow.  He Set a monster and another backrow.  Orbea activated the effect of Ehther the Heavenly Monarch, banishing Domain, and tried to flip his Stormforth, not realizing he couldn’t due to Anti-Spell Fragrance.  He banished Pantheism to Special Summon The Prime Monarch, then Tributed Erebus for Ehther.  Orbea kicked Return and Tenacity to his Graveyard from his Deck, to Special Summon Erebus with Ehther, and flipped The Prime Monarch to return both of those Spells back to his Deck.  That drew him Majesty’s Fiend.  He took back Erebus in the End Phase.

Orbea drew Gem-Knight Lazuli and now he could flip the Stormforth… but Avalos fended it off with Magic Deflector.  Orbea Chained, bouncing the last Set backrow off Avalos’ field with Constellar Pleiades.  That left him with Fragrance and his Set monster.  Orbea revived his second Prime Monarch, Tribute Summoned Erebus, sent Return and Tenacity to his Graveyard, and shuffled away Avalos’ Set monster!  

With nothing left to defend his Life Points and facing a field of Erebus, Ehther, and Pleiades, Avalos was quick to offer the handshake!  

Galo Guillermo Orbea Davila does an expert job of grinding his opponent out, creating a level of card advantage so extreme as to be insurmountable.  Clever control tactics with Constellar Pleiades and Flying “C” kept Avalos completely immobile, and sends Orbea to the Top 16!  

Four more wins like that and the one-time YCS Champion will become the South American Champion too.