Round 9 Feature Match: Chris LeBlanc vs. Niklos Krebs
Chris LeBlanc is a two-time Champion, having won YCS Providence in 2012 as the youngest YCS winner of all time, and then following up to win YCS Philadelphia in 2014. He’s sitting at Table 2 with a 7-1 record here in Round 9, representing Pro-Play Games of West Palm Beach, Florida. Pro-Play 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! Now, Chris LeBlanc is up against Germany’s Niklos Krebs. On vacation with his family here in Toronto, Krebs has been a Duelist for ten years, but this is his first big showing at a Yu-Gi-Oh! Championship Series.
This is an iconic match-up for the format, and a great place to kick off Day 2: LeBlanc is running Burning Abyss Phantom Knights, while Krebs is running Extra Deck Monarchs – pretty much the two biggest decks of the format. Unfortunately after a pre-game Deck check, LeBlanc was assigned a game loss penalty for unintentional marked cards. Extensive investigation led to the judgment that the violation was nothing more than a mistake, but any instance of marked cards is always handled very seriously, and LeBlanc was stuck fighting from behind in this Match as a result.
Having effectively lost the first Duel, LeBlanc chose to open the Match. He had a hand of Speedroid Terrortop; Foolish Burial; Anti-Spell Fragrance; Solemn Warning; and Alich, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss. He Special Summoned Terrortop to search for Speedroid Taketomborg, Special Summoned it, and Xyz Summoned Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss. He detached Taketomborg to send another Terrortop, Reinforcement of the Army, and The Phantom Knights of Ragged Gloves from the top of his Deck to his Graveyard, then pitched Alich to overlay Dante with Beatrice, Lady of the Eternal. He banished Gloves next, sending The Phantom Knights of Silent Boots to his Graveyard to banish that, searching for Phantom Knights’ Fog Blade.
He activated Foolish Burial next, kicking Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss to his Graveyard to Special Summon Scarm, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss and destroy it. From there he Set three cards to his Spell and Trap Card Zone and got Tour Guide from the Underworld with Scarm’s ability.
Play was to Krebs, and LeBlanc flipped the Anti-Spell Fragrance! Absolutely back-breaking in the Monarch match-up, it would keep Krebs off stuff like Pantheism of the Monarchs and The Monarchs Stormforth. Krebs Set one card to his backrow, Set a monster, ended, and LeBlanc detached Dante from Beatrice to send Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss from his Deck to his Graveyard, Special Summoning Dante with Cir and adding Cir to his hand with Dante. Textbook.
LeBlanc drew Pot of Desires and Normal Summoned Tour Guide, Special Summoning Calcab, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss. He overlaid them for another Dante, detached Calcab, and sent Solemn Strike, Barbar, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss, and another Terrortop from the top of his Deck to his Graveyard. He activated Calcab and Barbar’s effects, inflicted 900 points of damage to Krebs, and bounced away his lone back row. He dumped the Cir to make another Beatrice, Special Summoned Graff, destroyed it, Special Summoned Farfa, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss from his Deck, destroyed that, and used its effect to clear the field for three swift direct attacks.
And just like that, the Match score is even! Chris LeBlanc battles back from that game loss penalty to make it 1-1, but now he has to hope for a strong draw in the last Duel. “I just hope he bricks,” remarked LeBlanc, critically aware that he would not be going first in Game 3.
The players exchanged a handshake, wished eachother luck, and Krebs began.
He Summoned Edea the Heavenly Squire to Special Summon Eidos the Underworld Squire. LeBlanc visibly braced for impact… but Krebs had no followup! Krebs gave a groan as he Set just one card to his Spell and Trap Card Zone and passed play.
LeBlanc had Pot of Desires; Solemn Warning; Solemn Strike; Speedroid Terrortop; Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss; and The Phantom Knights of Ancient Cloak. He Special Summoned Terrortop to get Speedroid Taketomborg, Krebs dropped Maxx “C”, and LeBlanc banished ten cards to draw two with Pot of Desires: he got Twin Twisters and another Speedroid Terrortop. He Summoned Ancient Cloak, attacked to destroy both of Krebs’ monsters – crashing his Ancient Cloak in the process – and banished his Ancient Cloak from the Graveyard to search for The Phantom Knights of Ragged Gloves and Set Warning, Strike, and Twisters.
Krebs shook his head once again at his draw, and Set another monster. This one was over.
LeBlanc drew The Phantom Knights of Silent Boots. He Special Summoned Speedroid Taketomborg, overlaid for Super Quantal Mech Beast Grampulse to target Krebs’s Set The Monarchs Stormforth, and he Chained it. LeBlanc Summoned Gloves and Boots for Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss, sending Anti-Spell Fragrance, Phantom Knights’ Fog Blade, and Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss from the top of his Deck to his Graveyard with Dante’s effect. He attacked to destroy Krebs’s second Eidos with Grampulse, then made a direct attack with Dante before pitching Cir to upgrade into Beatrice, Lady of the Eternal. He banished The Phantom Knights of Silent Boots to get and Set Phantom Knights’ Fog Blade, finishing out the turn. His back row was basically insurmountable.
Krebs drew and still had nothing, sitting on three cards. He placed his hand on the table a moment, looked at the field, and LeBlanc subtly checked all of his own face-downs as if making a case for a concession on sheer card deficit. Krebs activated Eidos the Underworld Squire’s effect, LeBlanc shut it down with Solemn Strike, and Krebs revealed his hand: Return of the Monarchs; Twin Twisters; and Ehther the Heavenly Monarch.
A pair of nigh-unplayable hands from Niklos Krebs allow Chris LeBlanc to battle back through a game loss penalty, as LeBlanc claims an 8-1 record and a guaranteed seat in the Top 32 this afternoon! LeBlanc seems well on his way to a shot at his third Championship.