Welcome to the Top 8! Brian Chen from the San Jose area of California and has made the Top 8 with Sky Striker. Ezequiel Carranza has Endymion Pendulum and is the only Pendulum strategy left in the tournament. Both strategies are dependent on Spell Cards, but that’s as far as the similarities go. Carranza wants to bring out Endymion, the Mighty Master of Magic as soon as possible, while Chen wants to use his Sky Striker cards to gain incremental advantage over time. Only one of these players will move on to the Top 4. It’s time to Duel!

Duel 1

Carranza won the roll and elected to go first. He started with Allure of Darkness, drawing two cards and banishing Abyss Actor – Curtain Raiser. He then activated Servant of Endymion then Chronograph Sorcerer. He used Chronograph Sorcerer’s effect, destroying it to Special Summon Timegazer Magician from the Deck. He activated Magister of Endymion then Pot of Desires, banishing the top 10 to draw 2 cards. He activated Servant’s effect but Chen negated it with Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring. Carranza then activated Terraforming to add Secret Village of the Spellcasters from his Deck to his hand which was activated. He activated a second Allure of Darkness, drawing 2 and banishing Endymion, the Mighty Master of Magic. He Normal Summoned Servant of Endymion and used both to Link Summon Heavymetalfoes Electrumite whose effect sent Supreme King Dragon Darkwurm from the Deck to the Extra Deck. Heavymetalfoes Electrumite’s effect destroyed Servant of Endymion and take it back to his hand, then draw a card. He activated Magister of Endymion’s effect, Special Summoning it and the Servant in the Extra Deck giving both a Spell Counter. He activated Servant then activated Foolish Burial, sending Magical Abductor from the Deck to the Extra Deck.

Chen drew Ghost Belle & Haunted Mansion. He Normal Summoned Sky Striker Ace – Raye, which went to the Graveyard to Link Summon Sky Striker Ace – Hayate. Hayate attacked Magister, which prompted Carranza to activate its effect, removing 3 counters to Special Summon Endymion, the Mighty Master of Magic from the Deck. Hayate switched to a direct attack, and Sky Striker Ace – Hayate’s effect sent Sky Striker Airspace – Area Zero from the Deck to the Graveyard. In Main Phase 2 he Set Mystical Space Typhoon and switched to Sky Striker Ace – Shizuku. In the End Phase, Chen activated Sky Striker Ace – Shizuku’s effect and Carranza chained Servant’s effect, discarding a card to put a Spell Counter on every card on his field that can hold a Spell Counter. Chen opted to concede.

Duel 2

Chen elected to go first. His starting hand was Sky Striker Mecha – Hornet Drones, Sky Striker Maneuver – Afterburners!, Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit, Reinforcement of the Army, and Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring. He activated Reinforcement of the Army to add Sky Striker Ace – Raye from his Deck to his hand. He Normal Summoned Sky Striker Ace – Raye and in the End Phase, Sky Striker Ace – Raye’s effect was activated to tag into Sky Striker Ace – Shizuku whose effect added Sky Striker Mobilize – Engage! from Chen’s Deck to his hand.

Carranza activated Spell Power Mastery to add Servant of Endymion from his Deck to his hand. He activated it, then followed-up with Foolish Burial which Chen negated with Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring. Carranza Normal Summoned Supreme King Dragon Darkwurm and used its effect to add Supreme King Gate Zero from his Deck to his hand. He activated Abyss Actor – Curtain Raiser, giving Servant a second counter. He Pendulum Summoned Mythical Beast Jackal King from his hand, then attacked over Sky Striker Ace – Shizuku. Chen tried to use Sky Striker Ace – Raye’s effect but Carranza used Jackal King’s effect to negate the effect, removing 2 counters from Servant. Supreme King Dragon Darkwurm attacked directly. In Main Phase 2, Carranza used his monsters to Link Summon Heavymetalfoes Electrumite, then activated the effect but Chen chained Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit to destroy it. Carranza resolved the effect, sending Magister of Endymion from the Deck to the Extra Deck.

Chen drew Sky Striker Mobilize – Engage! for turn. He activated Sky Striker Mobilize – Engage!, adding Sky Striker Mecha Modules – Multirole from his Deck to his hand. Then he activated Sky Striker Mecha – Hornet Drones to make a Token then used it to Link Summon Sky Striker Ace – Hayate. Chen then activated Sky Striker Mobilize – Engage! to add Sky Striker Mecha – Widow Anchor and draw Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring. Sky Striker Ace – Hayate tagged out for Sky Striker Ace – Kagari which brought back Engage which was activated again, this time adding Sky Striker Mecha – Shark Cannon and drawing Metalfoes Fusion. Chen activated Sky Striker Mecha – Shark Cannon to take Heavymetalfoes Electrumite from Carranza’s Graveyard. He used both Heavymetalfoes Electrumite and Kagari to Link Summon Ningirsu the World Chalice Warrior using Ningirsu’s effect to send his Set Metalfoes Fusion to the Graveyard and Carranza’s Servant of Endymion to the Extra Deck. Ningursu attacked directly, then in Main Phase 2, he Set Infinite Impermanence and Sky Striker Mecha – Widow Anchor, then in the End Phase, used Sky Striker Mecha Modules – Multirole to Set Sky Striker Mobilize – Engage! and Sky Striker Mecha – Shark Cannon from the Graveyard.

Carranza Normal Summoned Denko Sekka! He then activated Servant of Endymion. He then Pendulum Summoned Mythical Beast Jackal King and Servant of Endymion form the Extra Deck. (Chen’s Ningirsu the World Chalice Warrior was pointing up at one of Carranza’s Main Monster Zones)

Chen drew There Can Be Only One. Carranza used Servant’s effect, discarding Supreme King Gate Zero to put a Spell Counter on his cards that can have Spell Counters. Chen used Sky Striker Mecha Modules – Multirole’s effect, sending his Set Infinite Impermanence to the Graveyard, which freed up a Spell & Trap Zone to activate Sky Striker Maneuver – Afterburners! on Denko Sekka and Carranza conceded. We’re going to the third Duel and the winner will move on to Top 4!

Duel 3

Carranza elected to go first. He started with Magical Citadel of Endymion, then activated Pot of Desires, banishing the top 10 to draw 2 cards. He activated Magical Abductor, then activated Terraforming to add Secret Village of the Spellcasters to his hand. Allure of Darkness came down next, drawing two cards and banishing Mythical Beast Jackal King form his hand. Another Allure of Darkness was activated, drawing another 2 cards and banishing Supreme King Gate Zero from his hand. He tried to activate Servant’s effect, removing 3 Spell Counters but Chen chained Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit to destroy Servant before it could Special itself form the Pendulum Zone and Endymion, the Mighty Master of Magic from the Deck. Dragon Shrine was next, sending Supreme King Dragon Darkwurm from the Deck to the Graveyard. Supreme King Dragon Darkwurm’s Graveyard effect Special Summoned itself from the Graveyard. Carranza then activated Endymion, the Mighty Master of Magic from his hand and used the effect, removing 6 Spell Counters to Special Summon it and destroy his own Field Spell. He activated Secret Village of the Spellcasters and passed.

Chen Normal Summoned Effect Veiler to put a Spellcaster on his field, allowing him to activate Pot of Desires! He banished the top 10, and Carranza Chained Endymion, the Mighty Master of Magic’s effect bounced itself to Carranza’s hand to negate Pot of Desires. But Chen activated another Pot of Desires! He banishing another 10 to draw 2! He crashed Effect Veiler into Supreme King Dragon Darkwurm, then in Main Phase 2 he activated Sky Striker Mecha – Hornet Drones to Link Summon Sky Striker Ace – Shizuku. He Set Cosmic Cyclone and in the End Phase added Sky Striker Mobilize – Engage! to his hand with Sky Striker Ace – Shizuku’s effect.

Carranza activated Spell Power Mastery. He activated it to add Servant of Endymion from his Deck to his hand. Servant was activated, then Endymion, the Mighty Master of Magic. Chen chained Cosmic Cyclone to banish Servant. Carranza activated Destrudo the Lost Dragon’s Frission from his hand, targeting Supreme King Dragon Darkwurm. He then used both monsters to Synchro Summon F.A. Dawn Dragster.

Chen activated Sky Striker Mobilize – Engage! and Carranza negated it with Dawn Dragster, then Sky Striker Ace – Shizuku attacked over the Synchro Monster. In Main Phase 2, Sky Striker Ace – Kagari swapped in, and added back Sky Striker Mobilize – Engage! from the Graveyard which was activated. He added Sky Striker Mecha Modules – Multirole and drew Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit. Sky Striker Ace – Shizuku came back in, and in the End Phase, Chen used Sky Striker Ace – Shizuku’s effect to add Sky Striker Mecha – Shark Cannon from his Deck to his hand which was activated to Special Summon the F.A. Dawn Dragster in Carranza’s Graveyard. Still the end End Phase, Chen used Sky Striker Mecha Modules – Multirole’s effect to Set Sky Striker Mobilize – Engage! from the Graveyard.

Carranza drew and passed.

Chen Normal Summoned Sky Striker Ace – Raye and attacked with Raye and Sky Striker Ace – Shizuku. In Main Phase 2, Chen sent Sky Striker Ace – Raye and Sky Striker Ace – Shizuku to the Graveyard to Link Summon Knightmare Phoenix whose effect let Chen discard Sky Striker Airspace – Area Zero to destroy Carranza’s Endymion, the Mighty Master of Magic.

Carranza activated Allure of Darkness to banish Supreme King Dragon Darkwurm. He then activated Servant of Endymion from his hand, then tried to activate Abyss Actor – Curtain Raiser which Carranza negated with Dawn Dragster and Carranza extended the handshake!

After the match:

Carranza: “How many Effect Veiler do you run?”

Chen: “One.”

Chen moves on to the Top 4!