801 Duelists have been reduced to only 16! Former Dragon Duelist Dominic Couch is here from Aurora, IL, piloting a hybrid Danger! Crusadia Thunder Deck. He’s facing Joe Alvarez, from Fresno, CA, using Salamangreats.

Duel 1

Alvarez won the dice roll and played first. He started with Salamangreat Foxy, failing to get a card with its effect. He used Foxy to play Salamangreat Balelynx, and added Salamangreat Sanctuary to his hand. He activated it and used Balelynx to play another Balelynx. He Set one card in his back row.

Couch had a hand of Black Dragon Collapserpent, Thunder Dragonroar, Crusadia Arboria, Orcust Crescendo, and Sekka’s Light. He drew Thunder Dragondark. He started with Sekka’s Light, and Alvarez used Salamangreat Roar. Couch used the effect of Sekka’s Light in the Graveyard, then Chained Thunder Dragondark’s effect. He shuffled the new Dragondark into the Deck and drew… Dragondark, again. Alvarez activated Droll & Lock Bird. Couch Set Arboria and Crescendo.

Alvarez played Flame Bufferlo and used it with Balelynx to play Salamangreat Sunlight Wolf. Bufferlo’s effect sent Salamangreat Falco to the Graveyard to draw two cards. He played Will of the Salamangreat to get Foxy back, then bounced Foxy to Special Summon Falco. Sunlight Wolf attacked Arboria. In Main Phase 2 he used Sunlight Wolf to play another Wolf, and it returned Salamangreat Roar to his hand.

Couch drew Danger!? Jackalope?. He used Arboria to Link Summon Crusadia Magius, then activated Jackalope, discarding Dragonroar. He Special Summoned the Jackalope and drew another Arboria. Couch used Magius’s effect, Alvarez used Salamangreat Roar to negate it, and Couch kept Magius from being destroyed thanks to Arboria’s effect from the Graveyard. He used Jackalope and Magius to play PSY-Framelord Lambda, then Special Summoned Collapserpent by banishing Magius. He Special Summoned Arboria from his hand, using it with Collapserpent to play Knightmare Phoenix. Phoenix discarded Dragondark to destroy Will of the Salamangreat. Alvarez banished Balelynx to prevent the destruction. Collapserpent’s effect put White Dragon Wyverburster in Couch’s hand. He Special Summoned it, banishing Dragondark, and Dragondark added Thunder Dragonhawk to his hand. He discarded Dragonhawk to Special Summon Dragonroar. He then used Wyverburster to play Guardragon Elpy. Alvarez Special Summoned Fantastical Dragon Phantazmay! He got to filter his hand with a ton of new cards. Couch tried to use Elpy’s effect, but Alvarez had Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring! Couch used all four of his monsters to play Saryuja Skull Dread! He used Dragonroar to Special Summon another Dragonroar in Defense Position. Then, with Saryuja he drew Danger!? Tsuchinoko?, Jackalope, Orcust Knightmare, and Crusadia Reclusia. He returned them all except Knightmare, and Special Summoned it with Saryuja. He tributed Dragonroar to play Thunder Dragon Colossus. Then he used Knightmare and Saryuja for Galatea, the Orcust Automaton. He used Knightmare’s effect in the Graveyard, sending Gizmek Orochi, the Serpentron Sky Slasher to the Graveyard. He Special Summoned Gizmek and went to the Battle Phase. Galatea attacked Sunlight Wolf, with boosted ATK thanks to Orcust Knightmare. Gizmek destroyed Phantazmay. Colossus destroyed Falco, with its ATK boosted from Saryuja. In Main Phase 2, he used Colossus and Gizmek to Xyz Summon Dingirsu, the Orcust of the Evening Star! Its effect sent Will of the Salamangreat to the Graveyard.

Alvarez played Salamangreat Circle to get Salamangreat Gazelle. He played Flame Bufferlo, but found he had no remaining monsters to Link Summon! He sent Bufferlo to attack Galatea, and Couch used Orcust Crescendo to negate Bufferlo’s effect. Alvarez was left with nothing remaining – Couch was able to banish Orcust Crescendo on his turn to get more monsters and finish Alvarez off!

Duel 2

Alvarez started with Foxy and Salamangreat Fowl. Foxy’s effect added Salamangreat Spinny to his hand. He played Cynet Mining, discarding Spinny to add Gazelle to his hand. He Special Summoned it, and it sent Salamangreat Rage to the Graveyard. He used Foxy and Fowl to play Salamangreat Miragestallio, which Special Summoned Salamangreat Jack Jaguar, and he used both monsters to play Sunlight Wolf. He activated Sanctuary and used Wolf for another Wolf. He Special Summoned Jack Jackuar and added Rage to his hand with Sunlight Wolf’s effect. He Set two back row cards, then used Jack Jaguar to play Balelynx.

Couch opened with Danger! Thunderbird!, two Crusadia Reclusia, Jackalope, and Sekka’s Light. He drew Danger!? Tsuchinoko?. Sekka’s Light started things off, drawing Crusadia Maximus and PSY-Framegear Gamma. Alvarez used Droll & Lock Bird, and Couch used Gamma to negate it, but Alvarez flipped Roar to negate Gamma! Couch activated Thunderbird, discarding Jackalope. He Special Summoned Thunderbird but couldn’t draw a card due to Droll & Lock Bird. Jackalope’s effect then Special Summoned Danger! Nessie!. Since Sunlight Wolf pointed at his side of the field, Couch Special Summoned Crusadia Reclusia and had it destroy itself and Rage. However, Couch was locked down hard under the effect of Droll & Lock Bird and knew it was all over!

Duel 3

Couch chose to play first, with Sekka’s Light, Crusadia Reclusia, Thunder Dragondark, and two Chaos Dragon Levianeer. Sekka’s Light gave him Crusadia Arboria and Crusadia Leonis. He played Reclusia and Link Summoned Crusadia Magius. He Special Summoned Arboria, and Magius’s effect added Crusadia Draco to his hand. He used both his monsters to play PSY-Framelord Lambda, then Special Summoned Draco, which Special Summoned Reclusia. He used Draco to play Guardragon Elpy, then Lambda and Reclusia to play Triple Burst Dragon. Alvarez played Fantastical Dragon Phantazmay from his hand, using its effect for some fresh cards. Couch used Elpy’s effect, but Alvarez destroyed Elpy with Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit! Couch banished Sekka’s Light from his Graveyard, shuffling Chaos Dragon Levianeer into his Deck to draw Crusadia Maximus. Alvarez used Artifact Lancea to even further inhibit Couch’s options. Couch Special Summoned Leonis, using it with Triple Burst to play Knightmare Phoenix, then that for Knightmare Mermaid. Mermaid discarded Dragondark to Special Summon Orcust Knightmare. He used both monsters to play Galatea, the Orcust Automaton, and that to play Dingirsu, the Orcust of the Evening Star in Defense Position. It destroyed Fantastical Dragon Phantazmay with its effect.

Alvarez used Cynet Mining, discarding Foxy to add Gazelle to his hand. He Special Summoned Gazelle, which sent Jack Jaguar to the Graveyard. He Normal Summoned Foxy, adding Will of the Salamangreat to his hand. He used Foxy to play Balelynx, searching out Salamangreat Sanctuary. He then discarded Spinny to boost Balelynx’s ATK, He Special Summoned Spinny, combining it with Gazelle for Salamangreat Miragestallio. Miragestallio Special Summoned Falco. He used Balelynx and Miragestallio to play Sunlight Wolf, with the effect of Miragestallio bouncing away Dingirsu. He activated Sanctuary and used Sunlight Wolf to Link Summon another Wolf. It attacked, then Jack Jaguar attacked. In Main Phase 2, he used Jaguar and Falco to play Abyss Dweller. He played Will of the Salamangreat and used it to revive two Salamangreats, then had Wolf add Will back to his hand. He used all three Salamangreats to play Apollousa, Bow of the Goddess with 2400 ATK.

Couch drew Wyverburster, and Alvarez used Abyss Dweller’s effect. Couch Special Summoned Chaos Dragon Levianeer, banishing three DARK monsters and shuffling away a card from Alvarez’s hand. Couch banished Elpy to Special Summon Wyverburster, then Normal Summoned Maximus. Levianeer destroyed Apollousa in battle, then Maximus destroyed Abyss Dweller. Couch used Wyverburster and Levianeer to play Hieratic Seal of the Heavenly Spheres.

Alvarez Normal Summoned Gazelle and sent Salamangreat Rage to the Graveyard. Couch tributed Heavenly Spheres to bounce Gazelle, and he Special Summoned Omni Dragon Brotaur. Alvarez discarded Gazelle to Special Summon Foxy, then Special Summoned Spinny. He Xyz Summoned Miragestallio, which Special Summoned Fowl. He used both Salamangreats to play Sunlight Wolf, and Miragestallio bounced Brotaur. He Special Summoned Jack Jaguar, then bounced Jaguar to Special Summon Falco. He activated Will, then used Sunlight Wolf and Falco for Salamangreat Heatleo. He used Heatleo to play another Heatleo. He then sent Will to the Graveyard to Special Summon Fowl, Falco, and Foxy. He used Fowl and Falco to play Hiita the Fire Charmer, Ablaze. Heatleo destroyed Maximus and Hiita attacked directly.

Couch drew Thunder Dragon. He used it to get two more copies to his hand. He used Knightmare to send Gizmek to the Graveyard, and Special Summoned Gizmek. Before he could continue, however, the round timer ended. Couch had no way to deal damage before the end of Main Phase 1, and Alvarez was leading in Life Points.

In a very close Match, Joe Alvarez eeks out the win and advances to the Top 8 with Salamangreats!