Welcome to the Top 64! It’s Single Elimination until we have a winner! We just saw him on the livestream, but we’re featuring YCS and Ultimate Duelist Series Champion Jeff Jones, who placed first after Swiss with a Sky Striker Deck, facing off against Manav Dawar who placed 64^th after Swiss who is also running Sky Striker.  It’s a mirror match, and only the winner advances!  It’s time to Duel!

Duel 1

Dawar won the roll and elected for Jones to start. Jones’ opening hand was Ghost Belle & Haunted Mansion, Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring, Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit, Sky Striker Mecharmory – Hercules Base and Sky Striker Mech – Jamming Waves! He Set Hercules Base back and passed.

Dawar activated Sky Striker Mecha Modules – Multirole then Upstart Goblin to draw a card.  He activated Sky Striker Airspace – Area Zero, Set a card then sued Sky Striker Airspace – Area Zero to target the Set.  Jones chained Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring to negate the effect.  This let Dawar activate Pot of Desires without concern, banishing the top 10 cards to draw 2 more.  He Normal Summoned Sky Striker Ace – Raye and attacked directly for 1500.  Still in the Battle Phase, Sky Striker Ace – Raye used her effect to Special Summon Sky Striker Ace – Hayate which attacked directly, with her effect sending Sky Striker Mobilize – Engage!.  In Main Phase 2 Dawar used Sky Striker Ace – Hayate to Link Summon Sky Striker Ace – Kagari whose effect tried to pick up Sky Striker Mobilize – Engage! from the Graveyard but Jones negated the effect with Ghost Belle & Haunted Mansion.  Dawar then used Sky Striker Ace – Kagari to Link Summon Sky Striker Ace – Shizuku.  In the End Phase, Dawar activated Multirole’s effect but Jones destroyed it with Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit.  He then used Shizuku’s effect to add Sky Striker Mecha – Hornet Drones from his Deck to his hand.

Jones drew Terraforming.  He activated it to add Sky Striker Airspace – Area Zero from his Deck to his hand.  He activated it and used the effect, revealing 2 copies of Twin Twisters and Sky Striker Mecha – Widow Anchor.  He added Sky Striker Mecha – Widow Anchor and sent the Sky Striker Mecharmory – Hercules Base on his field to the Graveyard.  He then activated Sky Striker Mech – Jamming Waves!  destroying Dawar’s Sky Striker Mecha – Widow Anchor.  Jones then activated Sky Striker Mecha – Widow Anchor but Dawar chained his own to keep Sky Striker Ace – Shizuku on the field.

Dawar activated Sky Striker Mecha – Hornet Drones then Normal Summoned Phantom Skyblaster and that prompted Jones to concede and go to the second Duel!

Duel 2

Jones elected for Dawar to go first. Dawar started with Upstart Goblin giving Jones 1000 LP to let Dawar draw a card.  Dawar then activated Sky Striker Airspace – Area Zero, Set a card then used the field’s effect, revealing Sky Striker Mecha – Eagle Booster, Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring and Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit.  He Set one to the backrow and passed.

Jones’s started with Sky Striker Mobilize – Engage! to add Sky Striker Ace – Raye from his Deck to his hand.  He then activated Sky Striker Mech – Jamming Waves!  to destroy Dawar’s Set Twin Twisters.  Jones then Normal Summoned Sky Striker Ace – Raye but Dawar activated Ghost Reaper & Winter Cherries!  Jones chained Sky Striker Ace – Raye to Special Summon Sky Striker Ace – Sky Striker Ace – Kagari but Jones still lost all 3 of his Sky Striker Ace – Shizukus. Sky Striker Ace – Kagari’s effect let Jones pick up Sky Striker Mobilize – Engage! from his Graveyard.  He attacked with Sky Striker Ace – Kagari for 1600, leaving Dawar at 6400 LP.  He Set Infinite Impermanence and Twin Twisters. He then used Sky Striker Ace – Kagari to Link Summon Sky Striker Ace – Hayate and passed.

Dawar activated Reinforcement of the Army to add Sky Striker Ace – Raye form his Deck to his hand.  He Normal Summoned Sky Striker Ace – Raye then Link Summoned Sky Striker Ace – Hayate.  He went into the Battle Phase and attacked directly for 1500, using Sky Striker Ace – Hayate’s effect to send Sky Striker Mobilize – Engage! to the Graveyard.  In Main Phase 2, Dawar used Sky Striker Ace – Hayate to Link Summon Sky Striker Ace – Kagari whose effect added Sky Striker Mobilize – Engage! back to his hand which was activated to add Sky Striker Mecha Modules – Multirole. He then activated it and another copy of Sky Striker Mobilize – Engage! to add Sky Striker Mech – Jamming Waves! and draw a card.  He then activated Sky Striker Mech – Jamming Waves!  to destroy Jones’ Set Infinite Impermanence and Sky Striker Ace – Hayate.  Jones used Sky Striker Ace – Raye’s effect to Special Summon it from the Graveyard.  He then used Sky Striker Ace – Kagari to Link Summon Sky Striker Ace – Shizuku.  He Set a card then activate Sky Striker Ace – Shizuku’s effect to add Sky Striker Mecha – Shark Cannon from his Deck to his hand then used Sky Striker Mecha Modules – Multirole to Set cards but Jones chained Twin Twisters to destroy it and Dawar’s face-down Sky Striker Mecha – Eagle Booster.

Jones used Sky Striker Ace – Raye to Link Summon Sky Striker Ace – Hayate.  He then activated Sky Striker Mobilize – Engage! to add Sky Striker Mecha – Shark Cannon and draw Sky Striker Mecha – Eagle Booster.  He activated Sky Striker Mecha – Shark Cannon to steal the Sky Striker Ace – Kagari in Dawar’s Graveyard.  He used the stolen Sky Striker Ace – Kagari’s effect to add the same Sky Striker Mecha – Shark Cannon back to his hand.  He then activated Mind Control to steal Dawar’s Sky Striker Ace – Shizuku then used all 3 monsters to Link Summon Ningirsu the World Chalice Warrior.  Ningirsu attacked directly, leaving Dawar at 3900 to Jones’s 7500 LP.  Jones Set 2 cards and passed.

Jones activated Sky Striker Mobilize – Engage! He used it to add Sky Striker Mecha – Widow Anchor to his hand and draw a card.  Dawar then activated Sky Striker Mecha – Shark Cannon to steal the Sky Striker Ace – Kagari in Jones’ Graveyard and used its effect to add back Sky Striker Mobilize – Engage! to his hand.  Jones activated Sky Striker Mecha – Eagle Booster targeting his own Ningirsu.  Dawar then used Area Zero’s effect adding Sky Striker Mecha – Widow Anchor to his hand and sending Sky Striker Ace – Kagari to let him activate Sky Striker Mobilize – Engage! to add Sky Striker Mecha – Widow Anchor to his hand and draw a card.  Next, he activated Sky Striker Mecha Modules – Multirole and used its effect to send the Field Spell away which let him Special Summon Sky Striker Ace – Raye from the Deck. Sky Striker Ace – Raye was used to Link Summon Sky Striker Ace – Hayate who attacked directly.  In Main Phase 2, Dawar activated Terraforming for another Sky Striker Airspace – Area Zero which was activated.  Hataye came out for Sky Striker Ace – Shizuku, then Dawar Set 2 cards and in the End Phase, Sky Striker Mecha Modules – Multirole’s effect let Dawar Set Sky Striker Mecha – Shark Cannon to his field.  Still in the End Phase, Jones activated Sky Striker Mecha – Shark Cannon to Special Summon Sky Striker Ace – Kagari from Dawar’s Graveyard.  Dawar then used Sky Striker Ace – Shizuku’s effect to add Sky Striker Maneuver – Afterburners! from his Deck to his hand.

Jones drew for turn holding Sky Striker Maneuver – Afterburners! and Sky Striker Ace – Raye.  He used Ningirsu’s effect but Dawar chained Sky Striker Mecha – Widow Anchor on Ningirsu to negate its effect and take control of it then chained Sky Striker Mecha – Eagle Booster on Shizuku to protect it from battle and make it unaffected by card effects this turn.  Jones now only had Sky Striker Ace – Kagari on his field (in a Main Monster Zone) with Sky Striker Maneuver – Afterburners! and Sky Striker Ace – Raye in hand.  He used Sky Striker Ace – Kagari to Link Summon Sky Striker Ace – Hayate then activated Sky Striker Maneuver – Afterburners! to destroy Dawar’s Sky Striker Mecha Modules – Multirole and the stolden Ningirsu.  Jones’ Sky Striker Ace – Hayate attacked directly.  In the End Phase, Dawar activated Sky Striker Mecha – Shark Cannon to steal the Sky Striker Ace – Kagari in Jones’ Graveyard. Sky Striker Ace – Kagari’s effect let p2 add Multirole to his hand.

Dawar used Shizuku to Link Summon Sky Striker Ace – Kagari whose effect added Sky Striker Mecha – Widow Anchor to his hand.  Widow Anchor was used to steal Jones’s Sky Striker Ace – Hayate.  Dawar then Normal Summoned Phantom Skyblaster whose effect Summoned 3 Skyblaster Tokens! Sky Striker Ace – Kagari and a Skyblaster Token were used to Link Summon Space Insulator then he used another Token to Link Summon Link Spider, then used Link Spider, Space Insulator and Sky Striker Ace – Hayate were used to Link Summon Borrelsword Dragon!  The remaining Skyblaster Token attacked, then Phantom Skyblaster, then Borrelsword Dragon’s effect let it attack twice and that was enough to end the match!

Manav Dawar moves on to the Top 32!