Anjeev Rajendran is from the Greater Toronto Area, hailing from Markham.  He’s here this weekend piloting Tzolkin Monarchs, bolstered by the new Level 5 Tuner, Blackwing – Gofu the Vague Shadow, from The Dark Illusion.  It’s sort of like Quickdraw Synchron in Monarchs since it makes those Ultimaya Tzolkin plays happen, but its Vague Shadow Tokens also fuel combos with Kuraz the Light Monarch and provide defense.

His opponent is long-time star Duelist Alexander Vansant, representing Voltage Games in Southfield Michigan, which he co-owns with repeat Champion Jeff Jones. Voltage Games is one of many Konami Official Tournament Stores at which fans of the Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME can Duel. You can find a Konami Official Tournament Store near you by using the locator available here!

Vansant is running Domain Monarchs, but with a big new twist: The Despair Uranus, fresh off its release in Dragons of Legend: Unleashed.  Its effect lets Vansant search for March of the Monarchs or Vanity’s Emptiness, then protects it from being destroyed, creating a sort of soft lock.  The kicker is that while it’s an auto-win in most match-ups, it’s weak against other Monarch Decks, and now Vansant is in his nightmare scenario.

Vansant opened up Duel 1 with The Monarchs Stormforth; Ehther the Heavenly Monarch; Eidos the Underworld Squire; Edea the Heavenly Squire; and The Despair Uranus!  He Summoned Edea to Special Summon Eidos from his Deck.

Vansant windmilled down Uranus.  “There might be a better play, but I feel like I have to give the people what they want.”

Vansant activated its effect, and Rajendran called Continuous Spell, allowing Vansant to Set March of the Monarchs from his Deck.  He flipped it, ratcheting in that lock but knowing it was a risky gamble.  He banished Eidos from his Graveyard to Special Summon Edea in Defense Position, Set The Monarchs Stormforth, and ended his turn.

Rajendran took another moment to read The Despair Uranus, then activated Foolish Burial to send Erebus the Underworld Monarch to his Graveyard.  “Oh no,” groaned Vansant.  Rajendran discarded The Prime Monarch to retrieve his Erebus to his hand, then Special Summoned Blackwing – Gofu the Vague Shadow along with two Vague Shadow Tokens!  He activated Domain of the True Monarchs, reduced the Level of his in-hand Ehther the Heavenly Monarch with its effect, and activated The Monarchs Stormforth!

He banished Stormforth from his Graveyard to Special Summon The Prime Monarch, Tributed away Prime, and Summoned Ehther the Heavenly Monarch to send Pantheism of the Monarchs and Return of the Monarchs to his Graveyard.  He Special Summoned Kuraz the Light Monarch with its effect, popped both of his Vague Shadow Tokens, and drew two cards! There’s lots of new tech in this Domain Monarch mirror-Match.

Vansant flipped The Monarchs Stormforth and before the Battle Phase, revealed Ehther.  He Tributed his Edea and Rajendran’s Ehther, sending Pantheism and The Prime Monarch from his Deck to his Graveyard to Special Summon a Kuraz of his own.  He destroyed the Kuraz and Rajendran’s Gofu, drawing Mithra the Thunder Vassal and letting Rajendran draw a card.  His Edea got him another Stormforth from his Banished Zone.  Rajendran banished Pantheism from his Graveyard to reveal Tenacity of the Monarchs and two Stormforths from his Deck, and Vansant gave him the Tenacity.  He revealed Erebus to activate it, grabbing a Stormforth and Setting it, along with another backrow.  He activated Return of the Monarchs, ended his turn, and Vansant returned his Kuraz to his hand.

Vansant drew Reinforcement of the Army.  He activated it to search for another Edea, attempted to enter his Battle Phase, succeeded in doing so, and before he could attack, Rajendran flipped The Monarchs Stormforth, then Escalation of the Monarchs.  He Tributed Vansant’s Ehther for his own Erebus, triggering its effect and the effect of his Return, searching for another Ehther to add to his hand.  He sent Prime and Pantheism from his Deck to his Graveyard and chose to return Uranus to Vansant’s Deck with Erebus’s effect.

The Uranus was shuffled back into Vansant’s Deck, and Vansant moved to Main Phase 2, banishing his Pantheism to present another Pantheism and two copies of Tenacity.  Rajendran gave him a Tenacity.  “I was afraid of the Escalation.”  Vansant Set The Monarchs Stormforth and Edea the Heavenly Squire.  Vansant ended his turn, but Rajendran revealed Ehther the Heavenly Monarch to Tribute Erebus, sending Tenacity and Return of the Monarchs from his Deck to his Graveyard to Special Summon Kuraz the Light Monarch.  He blew away Kuraz and Return to draw two more cards, yet again.  Rajendran used Erebus’ effect from the Graveyard, then Special Summoned his Prime.

Rajendran banished Tenacity to revive his second copy of The Prime Monarch, holding four cards in hand.  Vansant flipped The Monarchs Stormforth, Rajendran Set one card to his Spell and Trap Card Zone, and he overlaid both Primes for Artifact Durendal.  He Normal Summoned Eidos the Underworld Squire, lowered his Erebus’ Level with Domain, Tributed Eidos away to Summon Erebus, and used Erebus to kick Pantheism and Stormforth to his Graveyard.  That shuffled away Vansant’s face-down Edea, and left Rajendran to attack with his Durendal.  Vansant revived his Prime, Rajendran found his attack with Durendal stymied, and he attacked over Prime with Ehther.  He made a direct attack with Erebus for 2800 points of damage.

Vansant drew The Despair Uranus again!  Oof.  Rajendran flipped The Prime Monarch from his Spell and Trap Card Zone to shuffle back Tenacity and Stormforth, drawing a card and getting him even further ahead.  Vansant Summoned Eidos, Rajendran used Artifact Durendal’s effect, and Vansant used it to destroy Rajendran’s Escalation of the Monarchs.  “You’ve got this.”  Vansant scooped his field to move to Game 2.

Alexander Vansant makes a gamble with The Despair Uranus to try and take Game 1, but hits the one match-up where Uranus just can’t get the job done!   Sanjeev Rajendran busts out some new tech of his own with Blackwing – Gofu the Vague Shadow and back-to-back Kuraz plays, and savagely out-resources Vansant to take the win.  We’re headed into Game 2.

Vansant opened with Return of the Monarchs; Pantheism of the Monarchs; The Monarchs Stormforth; and two copies of Vanity’s Fiend.  He pitched Stormforth for Pantheism, drawing Erebus the Underworld Monarch and another Pantheism.  He banished Pantheism to present three copies of Tenacity, took one, and revealed Erebus to Tenacity for The Prime Monarch.

He discarded it for his next Pantheism, drawing two more cards: Edea the Heavenly Squire and another Erebus the Underworld Monarch.  He Summoned Edea, Special Summoned Eidos the Underworld Squire from his Deck, and banished Stormforth to Special Summon The Prime Monarch.  Vansant activated Return, Tributed Prime and Edea to Summon Erebus, and resolved his effects: he searched for Ehther the Heavenly Monarch with Return, sent another Return plus his last Pantheism to his Graveyard for Erebus, and got back his Stormforth.  He Set the Stormforth.

Rajendran drew to five cards and discarded Return of the Monarchs for Pantheism of the Monarchs to draw two more cards, then banished his Pantheism to present three copies of Tenacity.  He Special Summoned Blackwing – Gofu the Vague Shadow once again!  That got him his two Vague Shadow Tokens, and he followed up with Brilliant Fusion!  He sent Gem-Knight Garnet and Edea the Heavenly Squire to his Graveyard, Special Summoned Gem-Knight Seraphinite, and Vansant flipped The Monarchs Stormforth.  Rajendran got back his Pantheism with Edea’s effect.  He discarded The Prime Monarch to activate it, drew two cards, and sent Seraphinite and Gofu to the Graveyard to unleash Ultimaya Tzolkin!

Vansant revived The Prime Monarch, and Tributed it away along with the Tzolkin for his Ehther the Heavenly Monarch.  He searched Erebus with Return and sent another Return plus Domain of the True Monarchs to the Graveyard with Ehther to Special Summon Kuraz the Light Monarch.  He destroyed his Kuraz and Eidos to draw two copies of Edea.  Rajendran revealed his own Ehther for Tenacity of the Monarchs, searched for Domain, and used Domain’s effect to reduce the Level of his Ehther.  He revived his Prime, Tributed it for Ehther, and sent Pantheism and Return to the Graveyard to Special Summon Kuraz. He destroyed his Kuraz and a Vague Shadow Token to draw two cards with Kuraz’s effect.

He followed up with another Pantheism of the Monarchs, pitching The Prime Monarch to draw two cards again, and then attacked with his Ehther to destroy Vansant’s, thanks to Domain’s ATK boost.  Time was called in the round, and Rajendran Set four cards to his back row.

In turn 1 of overtime, Vansant drew for his turn and Rajendran flipped The Prime Monarch from his Spell and Trap Card Zone, shuffling back Tenacity and Pantheism to draw a card.  Vansant banished Eidos to Special Summon Edea and brought out another Eidos with it. Then he Tributed both for Erebus the Underworld Monarch.  Rajendran cut him off from his Return, pitching The Monarchs Stormforth for Twin Twisters to destroy the Continuous Spell, and Vansant dumped Tenacity and Stormforth from his Deck to shuffle away Rajendran’s last in-hand card.

Vansant activated The Monarchs Stormforth, banished Return of the Monarchs to Special Summon The Prime Monarch, and Tributed Rajendran’s Ehther to Tribute Summon Vanity’s Fiend!  He attacked with it to destroy the last Vague Shadow Token, then made two direct attacks with the Erebuses. In Main Phase 2, he revealed his last Erebus to activate Tenecity and search his Deck for another Prime before Setting it.

In turn 2 of overtime, the Duel stood at 2400 Life Points to 7200 with Vansant in the lead.  Rajendran shuffled Stormforth and Pantheism back into his deck with The Prime Monarch, and Vansant Chained his own; both players drew a card.  Rajendran presented two copies of Stormforth and a Pantheism by banishing another Pantheism from his Graveyard, and Vansant gave him one of the Stormforths. Vansant knew Rajendran didn’t have any Monarchs left, and that led Rajendran to concede the second Duel.

“I wish you hadn’t taken that card from my hand with Erebus,”  he remarked, revealing his Set Cursed Seal of the Forbidden Spell.  “I was going to use it for this against the Stormforth.”  But Vansant had, which means this Match is a draw.

Some spicy tech from both Duelists as we see Blackwing – Gofu the Vague Shadow and The Despair Uranus in action, but in the end the Match is split right down the middle.  Both Duelists’ days just got a little tougher.