Finals Feature Match: Carl Manigat vs Shunping Xu
Carl Manigat, from Long Island, made it to the finals of last year’s Winter Invitational in Las Vegas, and in an incredible feat, has made it back to the final table! He doesn’t want to miss out on the belt twice, but his opponent is no pushover. Shunping Xu from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania won YCS Pasadena in 2018 and started this tournament 10-0, taking only two losses via immediate concessions in Rounds 11 and 12 once his record was strong enough to ensure a playoff appearance. Both players are immensely talented but only one can walk away with the championship title belt. Who will be the Ultimate Duelist? For the final time this weekend… it’s time to Duel!
Duel 1
Xu won the roll and elected to go first. He started with a hand of Quick Launch, Droll & Lock Bird, Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring, Black Dragon Collapserpent and Cosmic Cyclone. He activated Quick Launch to Special Summon Rokket Tracer from his Deck. He sent it to the Graveyard to Link Summon Striker Dragon. Xu used its effect to add Boot Sector Launch from his Deck to his hand. He Normal Summoned Droll & Lock Bird and used Striker’s effect to destroy Droll & Lock Bird and add Rokket Tracer from his Graveyard to his hand. Boot Sector Launch was next and its effect to Special Summon Rokket Tracer from his hand. Both monsters went to the Graveyard to Link Summon Dragunity Knight – Romulus. Boot Sector Launch went to the Graveyard to activated Dragon Ravine whose effect let Xu send Special Summon to the Graveyard to send Starliege Seyfert from the Deck to the Graveyard. That dragon was banished form the Graveyard to Special Summon Black Dragon Collapserpent, then it went to the Graveyard to Link Summon Guardragon Elpy. Black Dragon Collapserpent’s effect added White Dragon Wyverbuster and it was Special Summon immediately. White Dragon Wyverbuster turned into a Striker Dragon. Guardragon Elpy’s effect Special Summoned Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon from the Deck. Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon brought back Rokket Tracer whose effect destroyed Striker Dragon to Special Summon Silverrokket Dragon from the Deck. It went to the Graveyard to Link Summon Guardragon Pisty. Elpy and Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon went to the Graveyard to Link Summon Dillingerous Dragon. Guardragon Pisty Special Summoned Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon from the Graveyard then Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon Special Summoned Silverrokket from the Graveyard. Guardragon Pisty and Dillingerous Dragon turned into Triple Burst Dragon and Triple Burst Dragon and Romulus turned into Unchained Abomination. Silverrokket and Rokket Tracer were used to Synchro Summon Borreload Savage Dragon with Triple Burst Dragon equipped to it.
Manigat Normal Summoned Aleister the Invoker. He activated the effect and Xu allowed it, Manigat adding Invocation from his Deck to his hand. Aleister went to the Graveyard to Link Summon Salamangreat Almiraj. Invocation was next, and Xu negated the effect with Borreload Savage Dragon’s effect. Manigat activated Shaddoll Fusion but Xu chained Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring to negate it! A second Invocation was next, with Manigat banishing Aleister the Invoker form his Graveyard and sending Shaddoll Beast from his hand to the Graveyard to Fusion Summon Invoked Caliga. Manigat used Beast’s effect to draw a card. (Because of Caliga’s effect, Manigat can’t activate any more monster effects this turn while Caliga is on the field.) Manigat then used the Graveyard effect of Invocation, shuffling it back into the Deck and adding the banished Aleister the Invoker back to his hand. Salamangreat Almiraj turned into Secure Gardna. El Shaddoll Fusion was next, sending Secure Gardna from the field and the Shaddoll Hedgehog from his hand to Fusion Summon El Shaddoll Construct. In the End Phase, Xu’s Unchained Abomination destroyed Manigat’s Construct.
Xu used Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon’s effect to Special Summon Rokket Tracer from the Graveyard. Borreload Savage Dragon attacked over Invoked Caliga, everything else attacked directly, then Rokket Tracer’s effect destroyed the Triple Burst Dragon equipped to Borreload Savage Dragon to Special Summon Magnarokket Dragon from the Deck to end the first Duel. Xu is now one win away from becoming an Ultimate Duelist!
Duel 2
Manigat elected to go first. He started with Shaddoll Fusion, sending Naelshaddoll Ariel and Shaddoll Hedgehog to Fusion Summon El Shaddoll Winda. Ariel’s effect let Manigat add Reeshaddoll Wendi to his hand by banishing Hedgehog. Xu activated Droll & Lock Bird. Manigat Set a monster and a backrow and passed.
Xu went directly to the Battle Phase and activated Evenly Matched and Manigat chained El Shaddoll Fusion to Fusion Summon Another Winda using the Winda on the field and the face-down Wendi. Evenly Matched resolved and Manigat banished the activated El Shaddoll Fusion face-down leaving El Shaddoll Winda on the field. Wendi’s effect let Manigat Special Summon Shaddoll Beast from his hand face-down while Winda’s Graveyard effect let Manigat get his Shaddoll Fusion in the Graveyard back to his hand. In Main Phase 2, Xu Normal Summoned Silverrokket Dragon which turned into Striker Dragon whose effect let Xu add Boot Sector Launch. He then used Striker Dragon’s effect, destroying itself to add back Silverrokket Dragon.
Manigat Flip Summoned Shaddoll Beast, using its Flip Effect to draw 2 cards and discard Shaddoll Fusion. Xu activated Droll & Lock Bird. Both of Manigat’s monsters attacked directly and left Xu at 3600 LP. Manigat Set a backrow and passed.
Xu activated Boot Sector Launch then he Normal Summoned Silverrokket Dragon. Xu crashed Silverrokket into Winda, which thanks to 300 ATK boost from Boot Sector Launch had the same ATK as Winda. In Main Phase 2, Xu activated World Legacy Guardragon and Manigat chained Resh Shaddoll Incarnation to Special Summon El Shaddoll Winda from the Graveyard. Xu then used Boot Sector Launch effect to Special Summon Silverrokket Dragon and Magnarokket Dragon from his hand.
Manigat activated Super Polymerization, fusing Xu’s monsters into Starving Venom Fusion Dragon. In the Battle Phase, Winda attacked directly and Xu activated Quick Launch to Special Summon Rokket Recharger from the Deck. Starving Venom Fusion Dragon attacked to destroy the Rokket monster, then Beast attacked directly to leave Xu at 1400 LP. Manigat activated Pot of Desires to draw 2 then Allure of Darkness to draw 2 more and banish Shaddoll Squamata.
Xu used Boot Sector Launch’s effect to Summon Silverrokket, Magnarokket and Recharger from the Graveyard.
Manigat banished Resh Shadool Incarnation from the Graveyard to flip Beast face-down. He then flipped it back up, used its Flip Effect to drew 2 and discard Shaddoll Hedgehog. He used Hedgehog’s effect to add Shaddoll Squamata from his Deck to his hand. Manigat Normal Summoned Squamata, then attacked with his monsters to take this match to a third and final Duel! Whoever wins the next Duel will be the winner of the Ultimate Duelist Series Invitational and be declared an Ultimate Duelist!
Duel 3
Xu elected to go first. His starting hand was World Legacy Guardragon, Fantastical Dragon Phantazmay, Rokket Tracer, Chaos Dragon Levianeer and Anti-Spell Fragrance. He started with a Normal Summoned Rokket Tracer. It turned into Striker Dragon whose effect let Xu add Boot Sector Launch from his Deck to his hand. World Legacy Guardragon was next and its effect Special Summoned Rokket Tracer from the Graveyard. Both monsters turned into Dragunity Knight – Romulus whose effect let Xu add Dragon Ravine from his Deck to his hand. He activated Dragon Ravine, used its effect to discard Fantastical Dragon Phantazmay and dump Absorouter Dragon from the Deck to the Graveyard. He then activated Boot Sector Launch, Summoned Tracer form the Graveyard then used Tracer’s effect to destroy World Legacy Guardragon and Special Summon Silverrokket Dragon a then both monsters turned into Guardragon Elpy and Striker Dragon. Guardragon Elpy’s effect let Xu Special Summon Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon from his Deck. Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon brought back Rokket Tracer. Striker destroyed itself to add back a Rokket and the combo went as it did in the first Duel, with Chaos Dragon Levianeer being Special Summoned ripping a card from Manigat’s hand. The ending field was Boot Sector Launch, Borreload Savage Dragon with Triple Burst Dragon equipped to it, Unchained Abomination and Chaos Dragon Levianeer and a Set Anti-Spell Fragrance.
Manigat activated El Shaddoll Fusion in the Draw Phase, Manigat chained Borreload Savage Dragon and then chained Anti-Spell Fragrance. Manigat Set 2 to the back and Set monster. In the End Phase, Unchained Abomination destroyed Manigat’s Set Allure of Darkness.
Xu drew. He switched Borreload Savage Dragon into Attack Position. Chaos Dragon Levianeer attacked into Manigat’s face-down Shaddoll Squamata with Xu’s Borreload Savage Dragon negating the Flip Effect. Xu’s Unchained Abomination destroyed Manigat’s face-down Shaddoll Fusion. Everything else attacked directly leaving Manigat at 800 LP and with very few cards to work with, and still under Xu’s Anti-Spell Fragrance.
Manigat Set a monster and passed. Xu’s Unchained Abomination destroyed the monster.
Xu activated Foolish Burial and Manigat extended the handshake!
Shunping Xu is your UDS Invitational Winter 2020 Champion, and an Ultimate Duelist!