We’re about halfway through Day 1 of the 200^th YCS, and we’re seeing a bunch of interesting strategies still in contention.  One of these is Sekka’s Light Burning Abyss that also uses the new Danger! monsters.  The Danger! monsters all have effects that Special Summon themselves, draw cards and discard cards, all of which are a good fit with the Burning Abyss theme.  John Joseph Downey from Plattsburgh, New York has Sekka’s Light Burning Abyss while his opponent, Roderick Lawton Dye from Atlanta, Georgia is using Mekk-Knight Invoked.  This Deck got a boost from Shadows In Valhalla with the Link 2 monster Aleister the Invoker of Madness. It’s time to Duel!

Duel 1

Downey won the roll and elected to go second. Dye started off with Magical Meltdown to add Aleister the Invoker from his Deck to his hand.  He then activated Sky Striker Mecha – Hornet Drones to Special Summon a Sky Striker Ace Token.  He used the Token to Link Summon Sky Striker Ace – Kagari whose effect added Hornet Drones back to his hand.  He activated Hornet Drones again to Special Summon another Sky Striker Ace Token.  He then Normal Summoned Aleister and tried to use its effect but Downey chained Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring to negate the effect.  Dye passed.

Downey started with 2 copies of Danger! Bigfoot, Scarm, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss, Rescue Cat and Sekka’s Light.  He used Sekka’s Light to draw Rescue Cat and Gallis the Star Beast.  He Normal Summoned Rescue Cat, sending it to the Graveyard to Special Summon Danger!? Jackelope? and Gallis the Star Beast.  He then banished Sekka’s Light from the Graveyard, sending Rescue Cat back to his Deck to draw another Scarm, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss.  He put the Jackelope and Gallis to Xyz Summon Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss.  He used the effect, sending Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring, Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit and Tour Guide From the Underworld from the top of the Deck to the Graveyard to increase Dante’s ATK by 1500.  He then discarded Scarm, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss to turn Dante into Beatrice, Lady of the Eternal.  He then revealed Danger! Bigfoot, Dye picked Gallis which was discarded.  Bigfoot was Special Summoned and he drew Fiendish Rhino Warrior. Beatrice, Lady of the Eternal attacked, destroying Dye’s Aleister and leaving Dye with 5100 LP.  In the End Phase, Scarm’s effect let Downey add Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss from his Deck to his hand.

Dye Normal Summoned Performage Trick Clown.  Downey activated Beatrice, Lady of the Eternal’s effect to send Farfa, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss from his Deck to the Graveyard.  Farfa and Dante’s effects activated, Farfa coming back to Downey’s hand while Farfa’s effect banished Dye’s Sky Striker Ace Token.  Dye then Set a card across from Beatrice, Lady of the Eternal then Special Summoned Mekk-Knight Purple Nightfall to that column.  He used Purple’s effect, banishing it to add Mekk-Knight Blue Sky from his Deck to his hand.  He then Special Summoned Mekk-Knight Blue Sky to that column, adding another Mekk-Knight Purple Nightfall from his Deck to his hand.  He used Trick Clown and Mekk-Knight Blue Sky to Link Summon Underclock Taker.  Dye then activated Performage Trick Clown’s effect, paying 1000 LP to Special Summon it from the Graveyard.  He then activated Invocation, banishing Aleister the Invoker from his own Graveyard and Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss from his opponent’s Graveyard to Fusion Summon Invoked Mechaba.  He then activated Invocation’s Graveyard effect, shuffling it back into the Deck to add the banished Aleister the Invoker back to his hand.  He then used Underclock Taker’s effect, reducing Danger! Bigfoot’s ATK by 2500. Underclock Taker attacked the weakened Bigfoot, then Mechaba attacked into Downey’s Beatrice, Lady of the Eternal while he used Aleister the Invoker’s in-hand effect, discarding it to give Mechaba an additional 1000 ATK, allowing it to destroy Beatrice, Lady of the Eternal.  Downey attempted to use Beatrice, Lady of the Eternal’s effect but Dye used Mechaba’s effect, discarding Mekk-Knight Blue Sky to negate and banish Beatrice, Lady of the Eternal from the Graveyard.

Downey Normal Summoned Fiendish Rhino Warrior.  He then activated Danger! Bigfoot in his hand but Dye pitched the last card in his hand, Mekk-Knight Purple Nightfall to negate and banish Bigfoot.  Downey then Special Summoned Farfa, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss and used it and Fiendish Rhino Warrior to Xyz Summon Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss.  He used the effect, sending Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss, Fiendish Rhino Warrior and Scarm, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss.  Downey activated Fiendish Rhino Warrior’s effect to send Barbar, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss from the Deck to the Graveyard then used Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss’s effect to Special Summon Libic, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss.  He then used Barbar, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss’s effect, banishing the first Scarm, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss to inflict 300 damage to Dye’s LP.  He then sent Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss and Libic, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss to the Graveyard to Link Summon Knightmare Cerberus.  Downey used Cerberus’s effect, discarding Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss to destroy Mechaba while Dante’s effect left Downey add a Burning Abyss card from his Graveyard back to his hand. Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss’s effect Special Summoned Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss from the Graveyard. He then used Knightmare Cerberus and Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss to Link Summon Knightmare Unicorn. Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss added back Farfa, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss.  He used Unicorn’s effect to spin Performage Trick Clown back to Dye’s Deck.  Unicorn then attacked and destroyed Underclock Taker.  In the End Phase, Downey added Farfa, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss from his Deck to his hand with the effect of Scarm, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss.

Dye brought back the Mekk-Knight Purple Nightfall from the previous turn and used it to attack over Knightmare Unicorn.

Downey Normal Summoned Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss, then Special Summoned Farfa, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss.  He Special Summoned Scarm, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss in Defense Position and ended.  (He knew right away that the Special Summon of Farfa, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss was a misplay but he couldn’t retract the move having already committed to it.)

Dye activated Brilliant Fusion but Downey negated it with Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring.  Dye attacked into Farfa, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss which banished Mekk-Knight Purple Nightfall.  It was brought right back in the End Phase.

Downey Normal Summoned Farfa, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss then used Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss and Farfa, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss to Special Summon Knightmare Phoenix. Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss brought back Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss and Farfa, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss banished Mekk-Knight Purple Nightfall to clear Dye’s field and attack for game!

Duel 2

Dye elected for Downey to go first. Downey started with Rescue Cat but its effect was negated by Dye’s Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring.

Dye started with Terraforming but Dye had an Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring of his own!

Downey had another Rescue Cat!  This time its effect resolved, with Downey Special Summoning Elephun and Danger!? Jackelope?.  He used the 2 to Link Summon Underclock Taker.  He then activated Danger! Nessie.  Dye missed, discarding Sauravis, the Ancient and Ascended which allowed Downey to Special Summon Nessie in Defense Position and drawing another Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring to go with the in-hand Fairy Tail – Snow. Underclock Taker attacked for 1000.

Dye activated Brilliant Fusion but Downey negated it with Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring.  He then activated Mind Control to take control of Danger! Nessie.  He then Normal Summoned another Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring and used the monsters to Link Summon Aleister the Invoker of Madness and attacked over Downey’s Underclock Taker.

Downey Normal Summoned Fairy Tail – Snow and attacked over Aleister for 50 damage.

Dye activated Invocation, banishing Aleister the Invoker of Madness from his own Graveyard and Dye’s Sauravis, the Ancient and Ascended from Downey’s Graveyard to Fusion Summon Invoked Mechaba.  Mechaba attacked over Fairy Tail – Snow, sending Downey to 6550.

Downey activated Danger! Nessie but Dye used Mechaba’s effect to negate and banish the cryptid.

Dye Special Summoned Mekk-Knight Purple Nightfall in the same column as Brilliant Fusion and Mechaba.  Both monsters attacked directly.

Downey attempted to use Danger!? Jackelope?, Dye chained Mechaba and Downey chained Fairy Tail – Snow, banishing 6 other cards and the activated Danger!? Jackelope? to Special Summon Fairy Tail – Snow from the Graveyard.  He used Fairy Tail – Snow’s effect to turn Mechaba face-down then Tributed Fairy Tail – Snow for Vanity’s Fiend. Vanity’s Fiend attacked over and destroyed the Defense Position Mechaba.

Dye activated Mind Control to take control of Vanity’s Fiend, clearing the way for a game-ending attack.  We’re off to a third and final Duel!

Duel 3

Downey elected for Dye to go first. Dye started with Pot of Desires, banishing the top 10 cards to draw 2 more.  He Set a backrow and a monster and passed.

Downey Normal Summoned Rescue Cat, using its effect but Dye chained the Set Called by the Grave, banishing Rescue Cat and negating its effect.  Next, Downey used Gallis the Star Bird, sending Vanity’s Fiend and Special Summoning it.  Next, he used another Gallis, sending Calcab, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss.  He used both beasts to Xyz Summon Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss.  Dante’s effect sent another Rescue Cat, Sekka’s Light and another card to the Graveyard. Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss attacked and destroyed Dye’s Set Performage Trick Clown.  In Main Phase 2, Downey discarded Farfa, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss to Summon Beatrice, Lady of the Eternal.

Dye Special Summoned Cyber Dragon and Downey tried to use Beatrice, Lady of the Eternal but Dye chained Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring.  Downey used Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss’s effect to add Farfa, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss back to his hand.  Dye activated a second Pot of Desires, banishing another 10 cards to draw 2 more.  At this point, time was called.  Dye used Cyber Dragon and Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss to Special Summon Chimeratech Megafleet Dragon.  But since the game would end at the end of the Main Phase, Megafleet Dragon wouldn’t have a chance to attack.  Downey’s Gallis burn damage was enough to decide the match!

John Downey moves on with a 4-1 record!