. Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG Event Coverage » Round 5 Feature Match: Joshua Brandon Maffett vs. Stephen Roger Escobedo
Home > 2018/06 - Secaucus, NJ, Yu-Gi-Oh! Championship Series > Round 5 Feature Match: Joshua Brandon Maffett vs. Stephen Roger Escobedo

Round 5 Feature Match: Joshua Brandon Maffett vs. Stephen Roger Escobedo

June 3rd, 2018

Joshua Brandon Maffett from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania requested a Feature Match after Round 4 with a record of 2-2. It’s not often we go down to the X-2’s this early, but his Deck really piqued my interest: Vampires. Dark Saviors includes a bunch of new Vampire support cards, and Flames of Destruction includes the Link 2 monster Vampire Sucker, all of which are in Maffett’s Deck. I didn’t want to risk Maffett taking a loss and dropping without getting the chance to show off what the Vampire cards can do. Since I’m writing this intro after the Match has already concluded, I’m guaranteeing you I made the correct the decision here. Maffett’s opponent is Stephen Roger Escobedo from Miami, Florida. He’s running a Gouki Deck with a few surprises of his own. It’s time to Duel!

 

Duel 1

Escobedo won the roll and elected to go first. He activated Reinforcement of the Army to add Junk Forward from his Deck to his hand. He Special Summoned it, then Normal Summoned Gouki Suprex and used its effect to Special Summon Gouki Riscorpio from his hand. He used Junk Forward and Gouki Suprex to Link Summon Isolde, Two Tales of the Noble Knights! He used the effects of Suprex and Isolde to add Gouki Headbatt and Gouki Bearhug to his hand. He used the other effect of Isolde, Two Tales of the Noble Knights to send Divine Sword – Phoenix Blade to the Graveyard to Special Summon Gouki Octostretch from the Deck in Defense Position. Next, activated Gouki Headbatt, discarding Gouki Bearhug and targeting Gouki Riscorpio. Headbatt came down, then it and Octostretch were used to Link Summon Knightmare Cerberus. Headbatt and Octostretch’s effects were used to add Gouki Re-Match and Gouki Twistcobra from his Deck to his hand. He then used Divine Sword – Phoenix Blade’s effect, banishing Gouki Bearhug and Junk Forward to add the Sword back to his hand. Next, Gouki Re-Match Special Summoned Gouki Headbatt and Gouki Suprex from his Graveyard. Headbatt, Suprex and Isolde were used to Link Summon Firewall Dragon. Next, Knightmare Cerberus was used to Link Summon Knightmare Mermaid. In a new Chain, Mermaid’s effect discarded Divine Sword to Special Summon Knightmare Corruptor Iblee from the Deck and Firewall Dragon’s effect Special Summoned Gouki Twistcobra from his hand before Iblee hit the field. Escobedo then banished Isolde, Two Tales of the Noble Knights and Suprex from the Graveyard to bring the Divine Sword back to his hand. Next, Gouki Twistcobra and Iblee went to the Graveyard to Link Summon Knightmare Goblin. Goblin’s effect went on the Chain, Firewall’s Special Summon effect was Chain Link 2, Twistcobra was Chain Link 3, and Firewall’s other effect to return cards was Chained as Chain Link 4. He added back Iblee and Octostretch, then Iblee was Summoned from Firewall Dragon’s effect, finally he drew a card for Goblin’s effect. Next, he sent Octostretch to the Graveyard to Link Summon Linkuriboh! Firewall Dragon’s effect Special Summoned Marauding Captain from his hand. He then used Linkuriboh and Gouki Riscorpio to Link Summon Knightmare Phoenix then used Firewall Dragon’s effect to Special Summon as Chain Link 1 then Gouki Riscorpio’s effect as Chain Link 2. Another Octostretch was added from Deck to hand and it was Special Summoned as Chain Link 1. He then used Knightmare Mermaid, Octostretch, and Marauding Captain to Link Summon Knightmare Unicorn in the Extra Monster Zone. He used the extra Normal Summon on Knightmare Corruptor Iblee whose effect Special Summoned Knightmare Cerberus from the Graveyard. He then used Knightmare Cerberus and Iblee to Link Summon Knightmare Cerberus and finally passed turn.

 

 

Maffett drew Vampire’s Domain. He activated it, then Normal Summoned Mezuki. He then paid 500 LP for Vampire’s Domain, giving him an additional Normal Summon for a Vampire. He used that additional Summon on Vampire Retainer. He used both monsters to Link Summon Vampire Sucker! He used her effect to Special Summon Escobedo’s Marauding Captain from his Graveyard in Defense Position as a Zombie! Because a Zombie was Special Summoned from a Graveyard, Vampire Sucker’s effect let Maffett draw a card. He then used Retainer’s effect, discarding Vampire Familiar to Special Summon Retainer from the Graveyard. He tried to activate the effect, paying 500 LP to add a Vampire Spell/Trap from the Deck to his hand, but Escobedo negated it with Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring. He used the effect of Vampire Familiar in the Graveyard, discarding Vampire Fraulein to Special Summon Familiar from the Graveyard. He then used Familiar’s effect, paying 500 LP to add another Vampire Fraulein from the Deck to his hand. He then used Mezuki’s effect, banishing it to Special Summon Fraulein from the Graveyard. In the Battle Phase, Vampire Sucker attacked Knightmare Goblin. When the attack was declared, he Special Summoned the second Vampire Fraulein from his hand. In damage calculation, he used both copies of Fraulein, paying 6000 LP total to boost Vampire Sucker to 7800 ATK. Maffett was at 500 LP after the battle, but Vampire’s Domain let Maffett gain the damage he just inflicted back as LP, putting him back to 6800 LP with Escobedo at 1700 LP. He then attacked with Vampire Familiar into Knightmare Goblin and both Frauleins triggered again and that battle was enough to wipe out the rest of Escobedo’s LP!

 

 

What an amazing comeback! Maffett put up a field of 5 Link Monsters but Escobedo was still able to put up a field of Vampires that stole the game right out from under Escobedo’s feet! We’re going into the second duel with less than 15 minutes left in the round!

 

 

Duel 2

Escobedo elected for Maffett to go first in Duel 2. He started off with a Set card to the back, then activated Vampire’s Domain, Set another card, then activated Allure of Darkness, which prompted Escobedo to Chain Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring to negate it.

Escobedo activated Twin Twisters, discarding Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit, destroying Maffett’s Set Called by the Grave and Book of Life. Escobedo then activated Instant Fusion, Special Summoning Dragoness the Wicked Knight. He then Normal Summoned Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit, then used both monsters to Xyz Summon M-X-Saber Invoker. He used its effect to Special Summon Gouki Suprex from the Deck. He then used both monsters to Link Summon Isolde, Two Tales of the Noble Knights. He used the effects to add Gouki Headbatt and Gouki Bearhug from his Deck to his hand. He then used Isolde, Two Tales of the Noble Knights’s effect, sending Divine Sword – Phoenix Blade from the Deck to the Graveyard to Special Summon Gouki Octostretch from the Deck. Next, Headbatt was Special Summoned discarding Bearhug. He used the Gouki monsters to Link Summon Knightmare Cerberus. He used the Gouki effects to add Gouki Re-Match and Gouki Riscorpio from his Deck to his hand. He then activated Gouki Re-Match to Special Summon Gouki Headbatt and Gouki Suprex from the Graveyard in Defense Position. He then used Divine Sword – Phoenix Blade from the Graveyard, banishing Dragoness the Wicked Knight and Invoker to add the Sword back to his hand. He then used Isolde, Two Tales of the Noble Knights, Suprex and Headbatt to Link Summon Firewall Dragon. He then used Knightmare Cerberus to Link Summon Knightmare Mermaid. (The rest of this turn went by very quickly since both Duelists knew that time was coming up and I didn’t want to interrupt the flow of the game. Details are very likely missing, but the end result was that Firewall Dragon’s effect was used a bunch of times and more Link Summons happened.) He then used some effects to Special Summon Iblee and Gouki Riscorpio to the field. He used Sword to add it back to his hand. He then sent Iblee and Gouki Riscorpio to the Graveyard to Link Summon Knightmare Goblin whose effect gave him another Normal Summon, more Gouki effects activated and Firewall Dragon’s effect activated again to Special Summon from the hand. Octostretch came down from Firewall’s effect, and Twistcobra was added from Riscorpio’s effect. Octostretch went to the Graveyard to Link Summon Linkuriboh. He then used Linkuriboh and Gouki Twistcobra to Link Summon Knightmare Unicorn. Its effect was used, discarding Called by the Grave. Gouki Suprex was added from the Deck to his hand. Gouki Suprex was Special Summoned and Maffett’s Vampire’s Domain was shuffled back to the Deck. Next, Iblee and Knightmare Cerberus were used to Link Summon another Knightmare Cerberus. Escobedo went to attack with Suprex, but Maffett activated the Vampire Fraulein effect in his hand to Special Summon her in Defense Position. Escobedo Set a card and passed.

 

 

Maffett drew Mezuki for turn. He Normal Summoned it and then used both monsters to Link Summon Vampire Sucker. He used the effect to Special Summon one from the Graveyard, but Escobedo Chained Effect Veiler and then Chained his Set Called by the Grave to banish Fraulein from Maffett’s Graveyard. Without a way to win, Maffett decided to concede and go to the third Duel.

Duel 3

Maffett elected for Escobedo to start.

Escobedo began making plays but time was called in the round. Neither player had a way to change Life Points in the Main Phase, so the game ended in a draw. Since the game score was tied 1-1, the Match also ended in a draw.

Post match, Maffett revealed some of the cards we didn’t get to see in the match: Super Team Buddy Force Unite! and Dragon’s Mirror to Fusion Summon Dragonecro Nethersoul Dragon!