It’s been two months since we crowned a Champion at the 2022 North America Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG Championship in Chicago, and now our storied winner is back in action! Hansel Aguero is the first-ever two-time North American Champion, but he’s never won a YCS, and now he’s here in Niagara Falls looking to change that.

His opponent here in Round 1 is Ibra Ismaila Wane, a Canadian Duelist from Montreal. At just 19 years old, Wane’s got just six months of Dueling experience under his belt. But his Dueling career’s off to a great start, and he’s already secured his invite to the 2023 World Championship Qualifier. There’s a big trend right now with new competitors entering the field post-pandemic, and the new generation of Duelists is not to be underestimated.

We have 8 Rounds of Swiss-style competition today. The Round has begun, the timer is running, and it is on! Can Hansel Aguero take his first step toward another title, or is Ibra Ismaila Wane about to score the biggest win up for grabs in Round 1? Both Duelists are reaching for that first rung, and we’re about to see who’s gonna get there.

Hansel Aguero’s playing Sprights, while Ibra Ismaila Wane’s piloting Danger Tearlaments. This is a matchup we’ll see all weekend long, and this Feature could set then pace here in Day 1.

Wane opened with Danger! Mothman! dropping another copy. He used its effect and Aguero, drew Spright Pixies, tossing Dupe Frog. Wane pitched Tearlaments Scheiren, milling Tearlaments Reinoheart, Danger! Chupacabra!, and Tearlaments Havnis. He resolved his effects, and ended up Fusion Summoning Tearlaments Kitkallos and Mudragon of the Swamp. He searched Tearlaments Merrli with Kitkallos, then activated Kitkallos’s effect to mill a stack of cards, including Fairy Tail – Snow! Wane activated the effect of Tearlaments Sulliek off the mill, searched his Deck for Tearlaments Reinoheart, then Linked his two Tearlaments to Link Summon Spright Elf. He brought back Tearlaments Merrli, activated Mudragon of the Swamp to switch its Attribute and Link Summoned Curious, the Lightsworn Dominion. 

Curious let him load Spell Canceller to the graveyard, sending it from his Deck, and he milled three cards with Curious’s next ability: Destrudo the Lost Dragon’s Frisson, Dark Ruler No More, and Tearlaments Reinoheart. He Normal Summoned Tearlaments Reinoheart, used it to send Merrli to the Graveyard, and used her effect to fuse Merrli and Kitkallos, Fusion Summoning Garura, Wings of Resonant Life. He Linked it with Curious to make Apollousa, Bow of the Goddess, drew a card with Garura’s effect, then banished Ruler, Sulliek, Foolish Burial, Danger! Bigfoot!, Reinoheart, Curious, and Danger! Chupacabra!, to revive Fairy Tail – Snow from the Graveyard.

He overlaid Snow with Reinoheart, Xyz Summoned Number 60: Dugares the Timeless, detached its Xyz Materials and used Dugares’s effect to Special Summon Spell Canceller (at the cost of his next Main Phase 1). He activated Primeval Planet Perlereino, went to get Tearlaments Havnis, and remembered it was negated by the Spell Canceller. He Set a card to his back row and ended.

Aguero had a hand of Spright Carrot, Deep Sea Diva, Spright Blue, Spright Jet, Spright Pixies, and Infinite Impermanence. He activated Impermanence to negate Wane’s Spright Elf. Then he Normal Summoned Deep Sea Diva; Wane took a moment to think, then negated it with Apollousa. Aguero Special Summoned Carrot, Special Summoned Blue, and tried to use its effect. He lost that to Apollousa too, but that freed him up to Summon Spright Jet next, using its ability to fetch Spright Smashers. 

Aguero Linked Blue and Diva to Link Summon Crystron Halqifibrax. That Special Summoned the Deep Sea Diva he was denied earlier. “Enter Battle?” Wane confirmed. Aguero attacked Apollousa with Spright Jet, destroying her and dealing 1300 damage. He attacked Spell Canceller with Spright Carrot next, then tossed Spright Pixies in the Damage Step to boost it up and over, destroying the Canceller. He sent Halqifibrax after Spright Elf and Wane had no way to defend it: the Elf went down!

In Main Phase 2, Aguero Linked Halq and Diva to Link Summon Gigantic Spright. Wane banished seven to revive Fairy Tail – Snow and targeted Gigantic Spright to turn it face-down; Aguero detached to Special Summon Swap Frog, Gigantic went face-down, and Swap Frog sent his Ronintoadin to the Graveyard. He Link Summoned Spright Elf to bring back Swap Frog. That sent another Swap Frog to the Graveyard, he banished it to Special Summon Ronintoadin, and Aguero overlaid for Toadally Awesome! 

Play was back to Wane, who drew to two cards in hand. In the Standby Phase, Aguero detached Swap Frog from Toadally Awesome to Special Summon a third Swap, leaving Wane to move straight to Main Phase 2 (Dugares was keeping him from Main Phase 1 and thus his Battle Phase as well). Wane activated the effect of Destrudo, dropping to 3300 Life Points to Special Summon it, then Linked it with Snow to Link Summon Dharc the Dark Charmer, Gloomy. Wane targeted Spright Blue with Dharc’s effect, and Aguero negated and destroyed Dharc with Toadally Awesome. The destruction effect got him Diva, and Aguero brought back the Toadally Awesome with Spright Elf. Wane searched his deck for Dharc’s effect, adding Tearlaments Havnis to his hand. 

Wane had three cards in hand, one card set, Dugares on the field, and an active Primeval PlanetPerlereino.  He played another Primeval Planet Perlereino over the first, and Aguero flipped Spright Smashers, banishing Spright Blue and Swap Frog to banish Primeval Planet on the Chain. Wane took a moment to thumb through his Extra Deck, then passed play.

Aguero drew Called by the Grave. He Flip Summoned Gigantic Spright, and Wane tried to bring back Snow again in response, moving to give up Dugares from the field and Super Polymerization from his backrow… but Aguero revealed the Called by, and Wane knew it was over!

Ibra Ismaila Wane sets up big on Turn 1, but Hansel Aguero sequences his summons to play through Apollousa, pushes a series of Links and Xyz Summons, and a precise series of attacks tip the first Duel into his favor! Aguero just needed one more win like that, and 20 minutes still remained in the round. Wane was under some pressure as we headed into Game 2.

Wane opened by setting a card to his backrow, then activated the effect of Danger! Nessie!. He discarded Forbidden Droplet, drew a card, and Special Summoned the Nessie. He flipped his Set Foolish Burial and Aguero considered his hand: he was holding Dimension Shifter. He thought a moment, then Chained it! Burial resolved and Wane selected Danger! Mothman! to banish under Shifter’s effect. He Set two cards to his Spell and Trap Card Zone and ended.

This time around Aguero had a hand of Red Reboot, Swap Frog, Nibiru, the Primal Being, Effect Veiler, and Spright Jet. He Summoned Swap Frog, then Spright Jet to search Spright Gamma Burst. He overlaid to Xyz Summon Gigantic Spright, used its effect to detach Spright Jet, banishing it, and Special Summoned Spright Blue. That got him Spright Red, he Summoned it, and he entered the Battle Phase. He attacked with Gigantic Spright, Wane flipped Super Polymerization, Aguero reminded him about Gigantic Spright’s effect and Wane offered the handshake! 

Hansel Aguero kicks off his Day 1 here at YCS Niagara Falls, claiming a 2-0 victory with Spright! All 6-2 finishers today will make it to Day 2, so five more wins like that would see Aguero sittin’ pretty in this tournament.