Infernoids versus Altergeists at Table 1? Heck yeah we were featuring it.

Both of these competitors are undefeated here in Round 7, quite an accomplishment with only two Rounds left in Day 1.  Michael Dashon Kirksey is piloting Altergeists, while Lexus Masalah Wingate is playing Infernoids, a Deck that keeps cropping up at the top tables at today’s YCS. We didn’t have much time for preamble so let’s just dive right into what proved to be a drama-laden Match!

Kirksey opened the Match with Altergeist Meluseek, Normal Summoning it to Link Summon Linkuriboh.  That let him activate Meluseek’s effect to search Altergeist Multifaker. Kirksey Set a card to his back row.

Wingate had a hand of Infernoid Decatron, Infernoid Attondel, Infernoid Antra, Monster Gate, Evenly Matched and Infernoid Patrulea.  He Normal Summoned Decatron straight into Solemn Strike, and Kirksey Special Summoned Multifaker with its effect, Special Summoning Altergeist Silquitous from his Deck; both monsters were in defense mode.  Wingate continued, moving to his Battle Phase, then the end of his Battle Phase, and banished everything but Multifaker with Evenly Matched.  He banished Decatron from his Graveyard to Special Summon Infernoid Antra, Tributed it for Monster Gate and lost out to Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring.

Play was back to Kirksey, who drew to three cards in hand and Normal Summoned Altergeist Marionetter.  He searched his Deck for Altergeist Protocol to Set it with Marionetter’s effect, and attacked with both of his monsters for a combined total of 2800 damage.  He brought back Silquitous with Marionetter and Set a second card to his back row.

Wingate drew Reasoning. He activated it and Kirksey took a moment to read it. Kirksey decided to call Level 1 to dodge a possible Decatron: Wingate passed over Lava Golem and hit PSY-Frame Driver, Special Summoning it.  He banished Antra from his Graveyard to Special Summon Infernoid Patrulea, attacked Meluseek with PSY-Frame Driver and Kirksey negated the attack with Altergeist Kunquery. He Special Summoned it, activated its effect and negated Patrulea’s ability.  In Main Phase 2 Wingate used both of his monsters to Link Summon Hiita the Fire Charmer, Ablaze, used her effect and lost out to Altergeist Protocol; Kirksey Tributed Meluseek to negate and destroy Hiita and used its effect to search his Deck for another Marionetter.

Wingate searched another Decatron with Hiita’s destruction effect, then Normal Summoned it to send Infernoid Harmadik from his Deck to his Graveyard.  He used Decatron’s borrowed effect to destroy Marionetter, then banished to Special Summon Infernoid Attondel from his hand, finishing his turn.

Kirksey drew to two cards in hand and activated Pot of Extravagance!  He banished six cards from his Extra Deck to draw two more, then searched and Set Altergeist Manifestation from his Deck with Marionetter.  He entered the Battle Phase, sent Marionetter to attack Decatron, and Wingate Tributed Decatron to target Multifaker trying to banish it.  Kirksey activated the effect of Protocol to negate the banish, Tributing Kunquery.  He moved to Main Phase 2 and activated the effect of Marionetter, targeting Protocol and Meluseek, and Wingate Tributed Attondel to banish Meluseek on the Chain.  Protocol was still sent to the Graveyard for the failed Marionetter attempt and Kirksey Set his last card to his backrow.

Wingate drew and Special Summoned another Patrulea, attacking Marionetter.  Kirksey responded with Manifestation, bringing back Multifaker to search his Deck for Silquitous and Special Summoning it.  “I’ll pass.”  Kirksey bounced his Multifaker in the End Phase for Silquitous’ effect, bumping away Wingate’s Patrulea.  Wingate now had an open field. Kirksey flipped Protocol next turn and Wingate conceded, eager to move into the second Duel with as much time as possible.

Wingate opted to play second. Kirksey got things started with Pot of Duality, revealing Nibiru, the Primal Being, Solemn Strike and Altergeist Kunquery, adding Strike to his hand and shuffling back the other two. He Set two cards to his backrow, then a third, and finally a fourth.  “Your turn.”

Wingate was holding Lair of Darkness, Pot of Extravagance, Infernoid Decatron, Lava Golem and two copies of Evenly Matched.  He activated Extravagance to banish six cards from his Extra Deck, drawing Infernoid Antra and Infernoid Patrulea.  He moved to his Battle Phase and Kirskey dropped Artifact Lancea, trying to protect himself from the Evenly Matched he clearly had a read on.  Wingate passed, never actually having to use either of his two copies of Evenly Matched to draw out Kirksey’s answer.

It was a disaster and Kirksey knew it immediately.  “Not sure why I didn’t just chain that,” he remarked, laughing but clearly in face palm mode.  “That’s what happens when you’re nervous.” That would tilt just about anyone, and Kirksey needed to get himself into a better headspace as quickly as possible. He passed, unwilling to commit any more cards to the field he knew he was about to lose.

Wingate drew Infernoid Onuncu, moved to his Battle Phase and this time played the Evenly Matched: Kirksey banished three of his four Set cards. Wingate moved to Main Phase 2, Normal Summoned Decatron to send Infernoid Patrulea to his Graveyard from his Deck, then popped Kirksey’s last backrow. Kirksey decided to concede rather than reveal what it was, knowing he was so far behind in cards that there was no point continuing.  Ouch.

Michael Dashon Kirksey makes the right read but the wrong move in the heat of the moment, leaving himself wide open to a huge Evenly Matched that wins the second Duel for Lexus Masalah Wingate!  We were headed to one more Duel to decide who’d moved on undefeated.

Kirksey opted to start.  He gave up six cards from his Extra Deck for Pot of Extravagance, drew two cards and Normal Summoned Altergeist Meluseek.  He Linked it off for Linkuriboh, used Meluseek’s effect to search Altergeist Marionetter and Set one card to his backrow.

Wingate had Red Reboot, Void Feast, Evenly Matched, Galaxy Cyclone and two copies of Infernoid Onuncu – an almost entirely dead hand!  He played the Cyclone to destroy Kirksey’s Solemn Strike.  He took a look through Kirksey’s Graveyard and Set Void Feast. There wasn’t much else he could do.

Kirksey Normal Summoned Marionetter, shook his head a moment, activated its effect and shook his head some more while he searched and Set Altergeist Protocol.  He activated the effect of Marionetter targeting Meluseek and Marionetter itself, trading one for the other, and attacked with Marionetter to send Wingate’s Void Feast to the Graveyard.  He attacked for a 300 ATK poke with Linkuriboh, ended his Battle Phase and Set one more card to his backrow.

Wingate drew Lair of Darkness, shuffled his hand and passed.

Kirksey flipped Protocol in the End Phase, activated Multifaker from his hand, Special Summoned it and brought out a Marionetter from his Deck.  He drew for his turn and Linked off Meluseek and Multifaker for Altergeist Hexstia! That got him another Marionetter, he switched his on-field copy to attack mode, Normal Summoned the other one and used it to Set another Protocol from his Deck.

He used Marionetter’s effect to target Multifaker and the first Protocol, reviving Multifaker to activate its ability and Special Summon Altergeist Silquitous.  He entered his Battle Phase, attacked with Linkuriboh for another 300 damage, then Multifaker, then one Marionetter, then the second, then finally Hexstia for game!

Michael Dashon Kirksey overcomes a brutal mistake and the emotions that come with it, claiming the third Duel as Lexus Masalah Wingate struggles with a grip of dead cards. What a recovery! Kirksey was now a lock for Day 2 with a strong shot at the Top Cut.