Round 2 of the Dragon Duel Championship pitted nine year-old Zephry from Chattanooga, Tennessee, against twelve year-old Aiden from Salem, Oregon. Aiden won his invite to this tournament back at YCS Portland in 2019, while Zephry got her invite at a recent Regional in Knoxville. Both of these competitors won their Round 1 match-ups, and are currently 1-0 for the day.

Nevermind her Tri-Brigade Ferrijit cosplay: Zephry’s actually running Floowandereeze. Meanwhile Aiden’s piloting an Adventure P.U.N.K. deck. Let’s see how this one goes!

Zephry won the roll and opened with a hand of Floowandereeze and the Advent of Adventure, Mist Valley Apex Avian, Floowandereeze and the Dreaming Town, Infinite Impermanence, and Dimension Shifter, which was going to become very relevant, very fast.  She kicked the Match off sending Shifter to the Graveyard for its effect, then used Advent of Adventure to banish Apex Avian. She searched out Floowandereeze & Robina, summoned it, and activated its effect to seek out Floowandereeze & Eglen. She summoned Eglen next and activated its ability: Aiden checked his hand, thought a moment, and then gave the okay. Zephry searched Floowandereeze & Empen, Tributed her two monsters, and summoned it. 

She made the Chain with Empen on Chain Link 1 and Robina on Chain Link 2, searched Floowandereeze and the Magnificent Map, and activated it. She Set Dreaming Town and Infinite Impermanence. “It’s your turn, good sir.”

Aiden moved to his Main Phase and used the effect of Water Enchantress of the Temple, banishing it to search his Deck for Rite of Aramesir. He Special Summoned Wandering Gryphon Rider, and Zephry responded flipping Floowandereeze and the Dreaming Town. She Normal Summoned Robina, and made Robina’s effect Chain Link 1, and Eglen Chain Link 2. 

Aiden tried to response with Forbidden Droplet, but was reminded that he couldn’t activate it under the effect of Dimension Shifter: he couldn’t send cards to the Graveyard.  

Zephry moved on, searching Barrier Statue of the Stormwinds with Robina, and then summoned Eglen. Eglen got her Raiza the Mega Monarch, and she used her next Normal Summon to play Barrier Statue! That was enough for Aiden, who didn’t have anything to out the set-up and conceded.

Zephry opens with Dimension Shifter, establishes Floowandereeze & Empen and plays into Barrier Statue of the Stormwinds for a quick victory in the first Duel! One more like that and she’d be 2-0 in Swiss.

Aiden opted to go first, and opened with Water Enchantress of the Temple: Zephry had Dimension Shifter again! She used its and Aiden’s bobbed his head a moment: “Yeah, sure.” He confirmed the effect, got his Rite of Aramesir, played Fateful Adventure, and then played Rite to summon his Adventurer Token. He used Fateful Adventure to search his Deck for Dracoback, the Rideable Dragon, then used Fateful’s other effect to get Wandering Gryphon Rider.

Aiden spent a moment considering his discard before ditching the Dracoback, then Special Summoned his Gryphon Rider next to his Adventurer Token. He paused a moment, shuffling his hand and considering his options, then Normal Summoned Red Rose Dragon to Synchro Summon Baronne de Fleur! “I can’t trigger Red Rose’s effect because it’s banished,” he explained, ending his turn. 

This time Zephry had Harpie’s Feather Duster, Raigeki, Floowandereeze & Empen, Floowandereeze & Eglen, and Floowandereeze and the Magnificent Map. She played Feather Duster to blow away Aiden’s Fateful Adventure, then forced him to activate Baronne de Fleur’s negation with Raigeki! That left her with nothing but clear skies, and Zephry activated Magnificent Map.

“Map too?” Aiden reeled, then cracked his knuckles. He was still ready to get to work if he could get the chance.

Zephry used the Map, revealed Eglen, and banished Robina from her deck; she got the Robina and  searched Mist Valley Apex Avian. She Summoned Robina, searched Barrier Statue of the Stormwinds, then Tributed both of her monsters for Empen. She took back Eglen and searched her deck for Floowandereeze and the Dreaming Town. She Normal Summoned the Statue and moved to her Battle Phase. She wanted to close this out as quick as she could.

She sent Empen to attack over Baronne de Fleur and pitched the Apex Avian to power Empen up. “That hurts,” she quipped, losing her Apex Avian for the second time to take out the Baronne. Aiden took 1200 damage, dropping to 6800 Life Points.  Zephry Set Dreaming Town and ended.

Aiden moved from his Draw Phase, to his Standby Phase, then to his Main Phase, and Zephry flipped Dreaming Town. She Normal Summoned Floowandereeze & Eglen, retrieved Robina, then searched Raiza the Mega Monarch with Eglen’s effect. She Summoned the Robina and Aiden gave her a little wave to continue. “So you don’t have the Ash…” She searched Floowandereeze & Toccan, then Tributed for Raiza! Its effect removed the Adventure Token from the field, and spun Zephry’s Dimension Shifter to the top of her Deck. She was locked and loaded, once again.

Aiden pressed on, activating the effect of Illusion of Chaos to search Magicians’ Souls from his Deck. He needed to answer that Barrier Statue, and he did have Infinite Impermanence, which he activated from his hand to negate the Statue’s effect! That let him Special Summon Magicians’ Souls, sending the Illusion of Chaos to his Graveyard. He had one card left: it was a monster, and he Set it.

Zephry drew the Shifter. She searched Floowandereeze & Stri and Summoned Eglen, but she actually had nothing left to search with it. She moved to her Battle Phase, and attacked Magicians’ Souls with Eglen, Effect Veiler with Empen, and made two direct attacks with Barrier Statue and Raiza. That dropped Aiden to 3000 Life Points. “That’s all for me.”

Aiden drew a card and passed immediately. 

Zephry drew Mystical Space Typhoon, attacked, and Aiden offered the handshake! He revealed his draw: it was Noh-P.U.N.K. Foxy Tune, which was no help without another card. The cards just did not fall in Aiden’s favor here; Dimension Shifter left him with no options, and Zephry gave him no room to escape.

Nine year-old Zephry is now 2-0 with Floowandereeze, that much closer to a seat in the Top 8!