Round 9 Feature Match: Esala Wathuthantrige vs. Rob Loa
Welcome to Day 2! We’re playing 4 rounds of Swiss before cutting to a top 8. There are 32 Duelists left but it’s still anyone’s game! One of our Feature Matches this round includes 2017 World Championship competitor Esala Wathuthantrige from Los Angeles, Calfornia. Esala got his points from UDS Qualifiers at Hobbies and More in La Puente, California. His opponent, Rob Loa got most of his points from Northwest Sportscards in Tacoma, Washington and he has a True Draco Deck with him. Every win counts here, so let’s see who gets to keep his Top 8 hopes alive! It’s time to Duel!
Duel 1
Loa won the roll and elected to go first. He Set 4 and activated Card of Demise, but Esala Chained Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring! He activated one of the Set cards, Disciples of the True Dracophoenix, and passed.
Esala drew a card and started his turn with a hand of 2 Astrograph Sorcerers, Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring, Mythical Beast Jackal King, and Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit. He passed making no plays.
Loa drew and passed as well.
Esala drew and activated Mythical Beast Master Cerberus. He activated the effect, but Loa chained Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit to destroy it. When the Chain resolved, Esala activated one of the Astrograph Sorcerers in his hand and used the effect to Special Summon Astrograph Sorcerer and search for another Mythical Beast Master Cerberus. He then placed Mythical Beast Jackal King in the Pendulum Zone and used the effect to destroy itself to Special Summon Mythical Beast Master Cerberus from the Extra Deck. Esala then activated the second Astrograph Sorcerer from his hand, Special Summoning it and adding Mythical Beast Jackal King from his Deck to his hand. He attacked with one of the Astrograph Sorcerers but Loa responded with 2 copies of True Draco Apocalypse, and used one to destroy the other to shrink the ATK all of Esala’s monsters in half. He then used the Graveyard effect of True Draco Apocalypse to destroy the Astrograph Sorcerer that wasn’t attacking. In Main Phase 2, Esala used Astrograph Sorcerer and Mythical Beast Master Cerberus to Link Summon Heavymetalfoes Electrumite. He used its first effect to send Chronograph Sorcerer to the Extra Deck. He then activated Mythical Beast Jackal King and used Heavymetalfoes Electrumite’s effect to destroy it, allowing him to draw Dragon Shrine. He activated it to send Supreme King Dragon Darkwurm from the Deck to the Graveyard. He activated Mythical Beast Master Cerberus and Chronograph Sorcerer in the Pendulum Zone and then Pendulum Summoned 2 Astrograph Sorcerers from the Extra Deck. He passed there.
Loa used the effect of True Draco Apocalypse to destroy Disciples of the True Dracophoenix and shrink Esala’s field again. Loa then used Disciples’s Graveyard effect to destroy Mythical Beast Master Cerberus in the Pendulum Zone. Loa then flipped his face-down True Draco Heritage. He tried to use the additional Tribute Summon effect, but Esala Chained Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit to destroy it. Loa then Tributed True Draco Apocalypse to Tribute Summon Dreiath III, the True Dracocavalry General. It attacked into Esala’s Heavymetalfoes Electrumite.
Esala topdecked Pot of Desires and activated it, banishing 10 cards to draw Duelist Alliance and another Pot of Desires. The Duelist Alliance was unplayable since there was no card in the Pendulum Zone. Esala sent his weakened Astrograph Sorcerer into Dreiath III, the True Dracocavalry General. In Main Phase 2, He used Supreme King Dragon Darkwurm’s Graveyard effect to Special Summon it and used the effect to add Supreme King Gate Zero from his Deck to his hand, and activated it then activated Duelist Alliance, adding Pendulum Call to his hand. He then activated Pendulum Call, discarding Pot of Desires to add Harmonizing Magician and Black Fang Magician from his Deck to his hand. Esala activated Black Fang Magician in the other Pendulum Zone and then Pendulum Summoned Mythical Beast Jackal King from the Extra Deck and Harmonizing Magician from his hand. He used Harmonizing Magician’s effect to Special Summon Purple Poison Magician from the Deck. He sent Mythical Beast Jackal King and Supreme King Dragon Darkwurm to the Extra Deck to Link Summon Heavymetalfoes Electrumite and used its effect to destroy Supreme King Gate Zero and add Astrograph Sorcerer from his Extra Deck to his hand. Astrograph Sorcerer’s effect let him add another Supreme King Gate Zero to his hand and Heavymetalfoes Electrumite’s effect drew him Time Pendulumgraph. Esala then sent Harmonizing Magician and Purple Poison Magician to the Extra Deck to Synchro Summon Ignister Prominence, the Blasting Dracoslayer! He used the effect to destroy the Supreme King Gate Zero in his Pendulum Zone and shuffle Loa’s Dreiath III, the True Dracocavalry General back to his Deck where its effect couldn’t activate! Without any cards in his hand to combat the field, Loa opted to concede and go to the second Duel.
Duel 2
Loa elected to go first in Duel 2. He started with Pot of Duality, revealing Anti-Spell Fragrance, Dragonic Diagram, and Disciples of the True Dracophoenix. He instantly picked Anti-Spell Fragrance and shuffled the rest back into the Deck. He activated Dragonic Diagram, Set 2 cards and activated Card of Demise, drawing 2 cards. Loa tried to use Dragonic Diagram’s effect, but Esala Chained Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit to destroy the Field Spell. Loa Set another card to the back row, then Tributed his Set Skill Drain for Ignis Heat, the True Dracowarrior. In the End Phase he discarded Dreiath III, the True Dracocavalry General due to the effect of Card of Demise.
In Esala’s Standby Phase, Loa flipped up Anti-Spell Fragrance. Esala Normal Summoned Black Fang Magician and sent it into Ignis Heat, the True Dracowarrior. Black Fang Magician was destroyed and Esala used Chronograph Sorcerer’s effect to Special Summon itself and Mythical Beast Master Cerberus from his hand. He then used Mythical Beast Master Cerberus to attack Ignis Heat the True Dracowarrior, then attacked with Chronograph Sorcerer.
Loa topdecked Pot of Duality and activated it, but Esala shut it down with Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring.
Esala drew Chronograph Sorcerer. He attacked with Chronograph Sorcerer and Mythical Beast Master Cerberus then passed.
Loa Tributed his face-down True Draco Apocalypse to Tribute Summon Majesty Maiden, the True Dracocaster. He used True Draco Apocalypse’s effect to destroy Esala’s Mythical Beast Master Cerberus then Majesty Maiden, the True Dracocaster attacked and destroyed Esala’s Chronograph Sorcerer. At the end of the Battle Phase, Esala activated Evenly Matched from his hand and Loa Chained Majesty Maiden to add another Majesty Maiden, the True Dracocaster from his Deck to his hand. Life Point count was Esala’s 7000 to Loa’s 800 LP so deciding what to keep for Evenly Matched was a critical decision. Loa elected to keep Anti-Spell Fragrance on the field, banishing the Majesty Maiden the True Dracocaster face-down.
Esala drew Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring. He passed.
Loa drew to 2 cards in hand, Set Disciples of the True Dracophoenix and Tributed it to Summon Majesty Maiden, the True Dracocaster. He attacked for 2300 and passed.
Esala drew another Evenly Matched. He went into the Battle Phase, and at the end of the Battle Phase, he activated Evenly Matched, but Loa Chained the effect of Majesty Maiden, the True Dracocaster to add Master Peace, the True Dracoslaying King from his Deck to his hand. He again chose to keep Anti-Spell Fragrance on the field.
Loa Normal Summoned Amano-Iwato and attacked, leaving Esala at 2800 LP. He returned it to his hand in the End Phase.
Esala topdecked Purple Poison Magician and Summoned it! He attacked, and that was enough to end it!
Esala fights back against Anti-Spell Fragrance and takes the win in Duel 2! His record is now 6-3, and he’s still fighting for a Top 8 spot!