The last round of Swiss for today features two players who are guaranteed to make Day 2 since they both have 16 points, but this match is too good to pass up.  Max Reynolds hails from Milwaukee, Wisconsin and he’s using a Blue-Eyes Deck.  His opponent is Brandon Carpenter from Fargo, North Dakota who is currently 5-1-1 with a Fluffal Deck.  Yep, you read that right.  His deck is designed to Fusion Summon Frightfur monsters whose effects can end the Duel in a single Battle Phase if left unchecked.  Can Carpenter continue manufacturing wins with his Frightfur Factories?  Let’s find out!  It’s time to Duel!

Duel One

Reynolds won the roll and elected to go first.

Reynolds started off with Trade-In, discarding Dragon Spirit of White to draw 2 cards.  He then revealed a Blue-Eyes White Dragon to special Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon!  He activated another Trade-In, discarding Blue-Eyes White Dragon to draw another 2 cards then Normal Summoned Sage with Eyes of Blue, using its effect to add Effect Veiler to his hand.  He Synchro Summoned Blue-Eyes Spirit Dragon and passed.

Carpenter started off with Edge-Imp Sabers, Frightfur Factory, Pot of Desires, Fluffal Wings and 2 copies of Instant Fusion.

He activated Pot of Desires, banishing the top 10 cards of his Deck face-down to draw Polymerization and Twin Twisters.  He then activated Instant Fusion, paying 1000 Life Points to Special Summon Frightfur Sheep!  He then activated Polymerization, using Frightfur Sheep and Edge-Imp Sabers to Fusion Summon Frightfur Sabre-Tooth!  He activated Sabre-Tooth’s effect to Special Summon the Frightfur Sheep in the Graveyard and Reynolds declined to use the Effect Veiler in his hand to negate it.  Sheep hit the field and Carpenter contemplated his next move with a hand of Fluffal Wings, Frightful Factory, Instant Fusion and Twin Twisters.  He activated Frightful Factory, banishing the Instant Fusion in his Graveyard to fuse the on-field Sabre-Tooth and the in-hand Wings for another Frightfur Sabre-Tooth!

This time, Reynolds chose to use Effect Veiler to negate this Sabre-Tooth’s effect.  Carpenter Set Twin Twisters and moved to the End Phase where Reynolds activated Blue-Eyes Spirit Dragon to Special Summon Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon from the Extra Deck!

During Reynolds’s Standby Phase, Azure-Eyes’s effect activated and Special Summoned Dragon Spirit of White whose effect banished the face-down Twin Twisters.  In the Main Phase, Reynolds Normal Summoned The White Stone of Ancients and tuned it to Dragon Spirit of White to Synchro Summon Blue-Eyes Spirit Dragon. That was enough for Carpenter, who scooped up his cards to prepare for the next game.

Duel Two

Carpenter elected for Reynolds to start.

Reynolds started off with Upstart Goblin, giving Carpenter 1000 Life Points and allowing Reynolds to draw a card.  Next, Trade-In discarded a Blue-Eyes White Dragon to draw 2 more cards.  Sage with Eyes of Blue was Normal Summoned next, adding The White Stone of Legend from Reynolds’s Deck to his hand.  Cards of Consonance came down next, discarding The White Stone of Legend to draw 2 cards and then adding another Blue-Eyes White Dragon from his Deck to his hand.  Next, Reynolds activated Galaxy Soldier by discarding The White Stone of Ancients, using Soldier’s effect to add another copy of itself to his hand.  Reynolds activated that one, but Carpenter chained Maxx “C”, forcing Reynolds into a difficult situation.  Reynolds chained Silver’s Cry to Maxx “C”, Special Summoning Blue-Eyes White Dragon before Maxx “C” resolved.  Next, Reynolds Synchro Summoned Blue-Eyes Spirit Dragon giving Carpenter another draw.  Then, Reynolds activated Return of the Dragon Lords, Special Summoning Blue-Eyes White Dragon yet again and giving Carpenter another draw.  Reynolds passed without using The White Stone of Ancients’s effect.

Carpenter started off with Pot of Desires, Brilliant Fusion, Edge Imp Chain, Maxx “C”, Toy Vendor, Kumongous, the Sticky String Kaiju and Edge Imp Sabers.  He Special Summoned Kumongous to Reynolds’s field by Tributing Blue-Eyes Spirit Dragon.  He then activated Brilliant Fusion by sending Gem-Knight Garnet and Fluffal Wings to the Graveyard, Special Summoning Gem-Knight Seraphinite.  He then activated Brilliant Fusion’s effect, discarding Toy Vendor to restore Gem-Knight Seraphinite’s ATK points until the end of the opponent’s turn.  Toy Vendor’s Graveyard effect activated, adding Fluffal Bear to his hand, and then Bear was discarded to Set another Toy Vendor.  That Toy Vendor was activated, then Wings was activated from the Graveyard, banishing Wings and Bear, drawing 2 cards, sending Toy Vendor to the Graveyard and drawing another card. Then Toy Vendor activated from the Graveyard, searching for Fluffal Dog.  Dog was Normal Summoned thanks to Gem-Knight Seraphinite’s effect, and Dog’s effect searched for Fluffal Owl. Then Owl was Normal Summoned to search for Polymerization.  Pot of Desires came down next, banishing the top 10 cards to draw 2 more.  Another Toy Vendor was activated, and its effect was used to draw and reveal the top card of the deck. Instant Fusion was sent to the Graveyard since it’s not a Fluffal monster.  He followed-up with Dark Hole, clearing the field.  Blue-Eyes White Dragon was protected when Reynolds banished Return of the Dragon Lords from the Graveyard.  Next, Polymerization came down, sending Edge Imp Sabers and Fluffal Wings from Carpenter’s hand to the Graveyard to Fusion Summon Frightfur Tiger!  Next, Frightfur Fusion came down next, banishing 4 monsters from the Graveyard to Fusion Summon Frightfur Wolf!  With Wolf’s effect it could attack 4 times, and with the 600 ATK boost from Tiger, it was more than enough to wipe out Reynolds’s 8000 Life Points!  We’re going to a third and deciding game!

Duel Three

Reynolds elected to go first.  He started off with Cards of Consonance, discarding The White Stone of Ancients to draw 2 cards.  The Melody of Awakening Dragon came down next, discarding another Melody to add Blue-Eyes White Dragon and Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon to his hand.  After it resolved, Carpenter activated Maxx “C”.  Trade-In came down next, discarding Blue-Eyes White Dragon to draw 2 cards.  Pot of Desires was the next play, banishing the top 10 cards face-down to draw 2 cards.  Sage with Eyes of Blue was Normal Summoned next, adding The White Stone of Legend to his hand.  He Set a card, then moved to the End Phase where he activated the effect of The White Stone of Ancients, Special Summoning a Blue-Eyes White Dragon from his Deck and giving Carpenter a draw for Maxx “C”.

Carpenter had a hand of Instant Fusion, Fluffal Dog, Fluffal Cat, Kumongous, the Sticky String Kaiju, Fluffal Bear and Edge Imp Chain.  He Normal Summoned Fluffal Dog and activated the effect but was shut down by Reynolds’s Skill Drain!  Next, Fluffal Bear’s effect was activated, Setting Toy Vendor from the Deck.  Toy Vendor was flipped up, and its effect was activated, discarding Edge Imp Chain, drawing and revealing Gem-Knight Garnet from the top of the Deck which was sent to the Graveyard.  Chain’s effect added Frightfur Fusion from Deck to hand.  Frightfur Fusion came down next, banishing Fluffal Bear and Edge Imp Chain to Fusion Summon Frightfur Sheep!  Kumongous was dropped next, Tributing Reynolds’s Blue-Eyes White Dragon.  In the Battle Phase, Sheep attacked into Kumongous and Frightfur Sheep was destroyed, and its effect activated bringing it back and gaining 800 ATK.  (The Sheep’s ATK gain is part of the same effect that Special Summons Frightfur Sheep from the Graveyard, so Sheep gets to keep the ATK boost even though Skill Drain was active.)  Frightfur Sheep then attacked over Kumongous, and then Fluffal Dog attacked over Sage with Eyes of Blue.

Reynolds drew for turn, Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon was Special Summoned by revealing a Blue-Eyes White Dragon.  Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon attacked over Fluffal Dog and in Main Phase 2, The White Stone of Ancients was Normal Summoned and Blue-Eyes Spirit Dragon was Synchro Summoned.  In the End Phase, The White Stone of Ancients was activated, Special Summoning Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

Carpenter drew Maxx “C” for turn, discarding it to use Toy Vendor’s effect which revealed Edge Imp Chain.  Chain’s effect activated next, adding Frightfur Fusion from the Deck to his hand.  He switched Sheep to Defense Position, Set Fluffal Cat, and passed his turn.

Reynolds revealed Blue-Eyes White Dragon to Special Summon a second Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon.  He then used an in-grave Ancients to add back another Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon.  He switched Blue-Eyes Spirit Dragon to Attack Position and attacked the Sheep, then attacked the Sheep again after it brought itself back. Then he attacked over the face-down Fluffal Cat.

Carpenter activated Pot of Desires!  He banished the top 10 to draw Fluffal Wings and Raigeki.  He used Toy Vendor sending Wings to the Graveyard and drawing and revealing Brilliant Fusion which was sent to the Graveyard.  Wings’s effect was activated, banishing itself.  Reynolds chained Blue-Eyes Spirit Dragon’s negation effect, then chained its Special Summon effect to Special Summon Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon.  (This sequence allowed Reynolds to use Blue-Eyes Spirit Dragon’s negation effect.  By removing Blue-Eyes Spirit Dragon from the field before its effect resolved, it was no longer affected by Skill Drain which only negates the effects of face-up monsters as long as they’re on the field.)  Frightfur Fusion came down next, banishing Chain and Fluffal Dog for another Sheep.  Raigeki cleared Reynolds’s field and Sheep attacked for 2000 points of damage.  Time was called during this turn.  In the End Phase, Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon was destroyed because of Blue-Eyes Spirit Dragon’s effect.

Reynolds drew to 5 cards and activated Cards of Consonance by discarding The White Stone of Legend to draw 2 cards.  He activated Soul Charge next, Special Summoning Blue-Eyes White Dragon and Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon while dropping down to just 900 Life Points.

Carpenter drew Fluffal Bear.  He checked his banished cards to see what was left in his Deck and then activated Toy Vendor’s effect, discarding Instant Fusion and revealing Gem-Knight Garnet, which was sent to the Graveyard.  He switched Sheep to Defense Position and Set Fluffal Bear before passing.

Reynolds Special Summoned another Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon.  He then Special Summoned Galaxy Soldier by discarding Blue-Eyes White Dragon, and Tribute Summoned a second Galaxy Solider by Tributing the first one.  Reynolds then attacked with all monsters, clearing all of the monsters and hitting for 3000.

Carpenter mused, “What are the odds this draw is Dark Hole?”. Reynolds responded, “DON’T SAY THAT!”.

Carpenter’s final draw was not Dark Hole – it was Polymerization.  He used Toy Vendor’s effect, discarding Polymerization to draw and reveal the next card: Dark Hole.  It was sadly sent to the Graveyard by Toy Vendor’s effect.  Carpenter extended the handshake, unable to deal with the field.

Max Reynolds takes the 2-1 victory, advancing to Day 2 with 19 points!