Jake Quinsee is a British Duelist with a storied history in Yu-Gi-Oh, having at least eight YCS Top Cut appearances, multiple European World Championship Qualifier tops, and a Top 8 finish at the 2019 World Championship! He’s here in Canada visiting the Golden Horseshoe for the week, taking local sights and chasing a YCS win.

His opponent is Kyle Jones from Youngstown, Ohio. With more than half a dozen Top Cut finishes in Regional Qualifiers, he’s begun to turn his focus to the Yu-Gi-Oh! Championship Series and was aiming for his first YCS top this weekend. 

Both of these Duelists are playing Spright variants: Jones is running a version with Nimble monsters, while Quinsee’s running the new Runick cards. Was the new hype all it’s cracked up to be, or was he about to fall victim to an all-too-Canadian fate, beaten to death with Nimble Beavers? Let’s find out.

Quinsee opened the match with Spright Jet, Runick Freezing Curses, Runick Flashing Fire, Runick Tip, and Spright Starter. He activated Flashing Fire to Special Summon Hugin the Runick Wings, then discarded Freezing Curses to get Runick Fountain from his Deck. Spright Starter got him Spright Blue, Special Summoning it, and Quinsee used Blue’s effect to fetch Spright Red. He Summoned Red, then Summoned Spright Jet, getting Spright Smashers, then activated Runick Fountain.

He searched out another Runick Flashing Fire with Runick Tip, and banished Jones’s Swap Frog from his Deck. Quinsee used Fountain to send back all three of his Runick cards from his Graveyard and drew three cards for Fountain’s effect: Ghost Belle & Haunted Mansion, Swap Frog, and Infinite Impermanence.

Quinsee overlaid Jet and Blue for Gigantic Spright in defense mode, used its effect to detach Blue, and Special Summoned Ipiria from his Deck, using it to draw Runick Destruction. He Summoned Swap Frog, sent Ronintoadin to his Graveyard, and Linked Ipiria with Hugin the Runick Wings to Link Summon Spright Elf. That brought back Ronintoadin, Quinsee stacked it with Swap Frog and Xyz Summoned Toadally Awesome. He Set Infinite Impermanence and a Runick Spell, moved to his End Phase, and passed. 

Before Jones entered his Main Phase 1, Quinsee detached a material from Toadally Awesome to bring out Swap Frog, sending another Swap Frog to his Graveyard for the effect of the first copy. Jones activated Foolish Burial, Quinsee mused over his Toadally Awesome for a moment and let it go; Jones sent Nimble Angler to his Graveyard. Quinsee sent Swap Frog to the Graveyard to make the negate with Toadally Awesome. Jones activated Rite of Aramesir, Special Summoned his Adventurer Token, and searched Fateful Adventure, placing it on the field. Quinsee responded with Runick Destruction to destroy Fateful Adventure, banishing four cards from Jones’s Deck in the process: Spright Blue, Spright Jet, Spright Starter, and Nimble Angler. 

Jones played Pot of Prosperity for six, Quinsee cycled his Toadally Awesome in response, and Jones activated the effect of Water Enchantress of the Temple from his hand to search Rite. He followed u,p Normal Summoning Ronintoadin, and when Quinsee fired back with Spright Smashers Jones swiftly conceded. 

Jake Quinsee makes a strong opening in the First Duel, and seemingly has every answer he needs to rebut all of Kyle Jones’s plays. The Runick Spright Deck has a stunningly high power ceiling with excellent card economy thanks to Runick Fountain, and what we just saw was a masterclass in how the Deck operates. Could Quinsee keep it up? 

Jones had Water Enchantress of the Temple again, activating her effect from his hand to open the second Duel and drawing out Quinsee’s Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring! Jones pressed with Pot of Prosperity, giving up three cards from his Extra Deck to reveal Swap Frog, Foolish Burial, and Artifact Sanctum. He took the latter. 

Jones Normal Summoned Spright Blue, Special Summoned another copy, and used it to search his Deck for Spright Red. He Special Summoned Spright Jet next, getting Spright Smashers. Jones Special Summoned Spright Red, stacked Blue and Jet for Gigantic Spright, and Quinsee responded with Infinite Impermanence. Jones Linked Spright Blue and Gigantic Spright for Spright Elf, revived his Blue and Set his two cards, Smashers and Imperm.

Quinsee had Infinite Impermanence, Runick Destruction, and two copies of Runick Flashing Fire. Not amazing. “Draw Phase…” He activated a Flashing Fire to destroy Spright Elf, banishing two cards from the top of Jones’s Deck, but he didn’t have anywhere else to go. Stymied, Quinsee skipped his Battle Phase, went to Main Phase 2 and the End Phase, and he passed holding Imperm, Destruction, and Flashing Fire. He activated Destruction to destroy Jones’s Artifact Sanctum and ended his turn.

Jones Normal Summoned Nimble Angler, overlaid it with Spright Blue for Gigantic Spright, and Jones used its effect; Quinsee responded with Infinite Impermanence. Jones used it to Link Summon Spright Elf, brought back Blue, and searched Spright Jet, summoning it. He used its effect to search Carrot, Quinsee saw the writing on the wall and with 24 minutes left in the Round, he conceded to get to Game 3.

Kyle Jones fights back, and with Jake Quinsee on a weak hand, Jones pressures him from every angle to ratchet in a quick win! This Match was headed to a third and final Duel with lots of time left to finish it out. After some swift Side Decking, Quinsee was opening Game 3.

This time Quinsee had a much more workable hand, holding Runick Destruction, Runick Tip, Swap Frog, Spright Starter, and Spright Red. He got Spright Blue with Starter, searching Spright Jet. Quinsee followed up with Destruction to Special Summon Hugin the Runick Wings, discarded the Jet for her effect, and searched Runick Fountain. He moved to his Main Phase 1, Special Summoned Spright Red, activated Fountain and Summoned Swap Frog to kick Ronintoadin to his Graveyard. He overlaid Swap and Blue to make Gigantic Spright, detached Swap Frog to Special Summon Spright Jet, searched Spright Smashers, and Linked Gigantic and Hugin for Spright Elf. 

Quentin brought back Swap Frog, sent another copy of Swap to the Graveyard, and banished it to revive Ronintoadin. He bumped Spright Jet back to his hand, overlaid the Frogs for Toadally Awesome, and searched his Deck for Runick Flashing Fire with Runick Tip; Jones banished Nimble Beaver off the Top of his Deck. Quinsee recycled his Destruction and Tip to draw two cards with Runick Fountain: D.D. Crowand Ghost Belle & Haunted Mansion! He Set Smashers to end.

Jones moved to his Standby Phase and Quinsee detached a material Toadally Awesome to Special Summon Swap Frog. Jones activated Fateful Adventure from hand, and Quinsee tried to negate it with Toadally Awesome’s effect. Jones tried to banish Toadally with Called by the Grave, and but Quinsee Chained Ghost Belle & Haunted Mansion to counter! Quinsee took the Fateful Adventure and got his Swap Frog back with Toadally Awesome’s effect. Jones Summoned Swap Frog, Quinsee banished Starters and Swap for Spright Smashers, and banished Jones’s opposing Swap Frog. Jones passed. 

Quinsee Special Summoned Spright Blue and searched Spright Carrot. He Special Summoned Carrot, Special Summoned Jet, and searched Spright Starter. He overlaid Jet and Blue for Gigantic Spright, used its effect to detach Blue, and Summoned Ipiria to draw Runick Freezing Curses. That left Quinsee with six cards in hand and six more on the field. He Set a backrow, skipped his Battle Phase, and ended.

Jones drew to four cards in hand with a blank field. He activated Water Enchantress of the Temple from his hand and Quinsee had no response; Jones got Rite of Aramesir, activated it, and Quinsee let that go too. Jones got his Adventurer Token, grabbed his deck to search for his Fateful Adventure, and Quinsee politely reminded Jones that he had it face-down on his field from his previous turn.  With no clear path forward and Quinsee set reviving his Toadally Awesome, Jones was scooping moments later.

Runick Spright defeats Nimble Spright, as Jake Quinsee takes the win over Kyle Jones! Quinsee moves on with a 5-0 record, now just one win away from a guaranteed spot in Day 2.