The 3rd Place Playoff: Cristian Urena Versus Dominic Couch
Both of these Duelists are former YCS winners! Cristian Urena became a Champion at YCS Lima in 2019, and Dominic Couch won his Championship at YCS Las Vegas in 2020. Both competitors were defeated in the Top 4, but now they’re scrapping it out for a copy of the new YCS Prize Card Anotherverse Dragon. To make matters more interesting, it’s the first time these two Duelists have ever played against each other.
Urena opened the Match with a handshake and Pot of Desires, banishing 10 cards to draw two. He Set a card to his backrow and ended.
Couch had a hand of Danger!? Jackalope?, Emergency Teleport, Tearlaments Reinoheart, Danger!? Tsuchinoko?, Noh-P.U.N.K. Deer Note, and Noh-P.U.N.K. Ze Amin. He led with Teleport, Special Summoning Amin from his hand – ouch – and when he tried to use its effect Urena blasted it with Effect Veiler. Couch Normal Summoned Reinoheart, used its effect and got hit with another Veiler! Urena activated the effect of Tsuchinoko, sent Jackalope to the Graveyard, and Special Summoned Tsuchinoko to draw. He got the Jackalope’s effect too, Special Summoning Danger! Nessie! from his Deck.
“Three in hand?”
“Yup.” Urena confirmed.
Couch riffled through his Extra Deck, fanning out his options. He Tuned Nessie and Amin for Baronne de Fleur, popped Urena’s Set Paleozoic Dinomischus, Urena Chained it targeting Baronne, and Couch negated it. He revealed Deer Note to Special Summon it and dumped Foxy Tune. Urena dropped Nibiru, the Primal Being to the field! Couch got back Amin when Deer Note hit the Graveyard, he Link Summoned Crystron Halqifibrax, and Urena responded with Ghost Mourner & Moonlit Chill.
Urena ran over Halq with the Nibiru next turn, then Set a card to his Spell and Trap Card Zone.
Play was back to Couch, who ripped Snow, and Summoned it to try and turn Nibiru face-down. “That’s so funny!” Urena flipped his Infinite Impermanence on the Chain to negate Snow’s effect. “That’s not funny.” Urena brought back Dinomischus and Couch attacked to destroy it. “Go ahead.”
Urena drew to two cards in hand, the Nibiru still on the field. Dominic had Snow and no other cards. Urena Normal Summoned D.D. Crow, Link Summoned Dharc the Dark Charmer, Gloomy, and Special Summoned Couch’s Danger! Nessie! Urena attacked to crash his Dharc into Snow, then searched his Deck for Tearlaments Scheiren. He Special Summoned it by sending another Ghost Mourner to the Graveyard, and sent Nibiru, Primeval Planet, and Merrli to the Graveyard. He used Merrli’s effect with Nessie to Fusion Summon Tearlaments Kitkallos, got Tearlaments Sulliek from his Deck, Set it, and passed.
Couch drew Super Polymerization but had nothing to discard for it. He had 5900 Life Points left and passed, keeping the Super Poly in his hand in hopes Urena couldn’t finish him off.
Urena just attacked with Scheiren, then Kitkallos! That meant Couch was still in the game! “Pass.”
Couch drew a Sulliek. He pitched it in the Draw Phase for Super Polymerization, Fused away Urena’s two monsters and made Tearlaments Kitkallos. “Chain Link 1.” Urena’s Scheiren and Kitkallos were Chain Link 2 and Chain Link 3. Urena’s effects landed his Snow in the Graveyard, and he Fusion Summoned Tearlaments Kaleido-Heart. Couch used Kitkallos to search Reinoheart, and Urena sent the Kitkallos back to the Extra Deck with his Kaleido-Heart.
Urena brought out Predaplant Dragostapelia next, Couch Summoned his Reinoheart, and Urena Chained Dragostapelia’s effect. Couch brought up Snow on the Chain, and Reinoheart sent Havnis to the Graveyard. Couch Fusion Summoned Mudragon of the Swamp, and… he conceded.
Dominic Couch hangs in there for the long haul, but a weak opening hand loaded with P.U.N.K. cards means he cannot catch a break, and cannot play through Cristian Urena’s wall of hand trap monsters! Both Duelists took a little extra time for some careful Side Decking.
Urena started Game 2 with Primeval Planet searching Reinoheart. He pitched it for Tearlaments Scheiren, brought Reinoheart back and used it to send Tearlaments Merrli to his Graveyard. He sent Havnis and Merrli to the Graveyard, and Fusion Summoned Kitkallos. He used Kitkallos to get Sulliek, Xyz Summoned Abyss Dweller and Set two cards to his backrow.
Couch’s hand was, Reinoheart, Merrli, Scheiren, Jackalope, Emergency Teleport, and Noh-P.U.N.K. Foxy Tune. Urena used Abyss Dweller’s effect immediately and Couch moved on with his turn: he activated Teleport, Special Summoned Noh-P.U.N.K. Ze Amin, used its effect to search his Deck for Noh-P.U.N.K. Deer Note, revealed Danger!? Jackalope?, lost Foxy Tune to Jackalope’s effect, and Special Summoned the Jackalope to draw Super Polymerization.
He fanned his Extra Deck for a moment, then Linked his two monsters to Summon Crystron Halqifibrax. He used it to Special Summon PSY-Framegear Gamma, then Linked both monsters to Summon Spright Elf. He Special Summoned Scheiren by sending Merrli to the Graveyard, sent three cards to the Graveyard including a Spright Jet, and then tried to Special Summon the Jet with Spright Elf. Urena negated it with Infinite Impermanence. Couch attacked with Scheiren to destroy Dweller, and still in battle, he discarded Deer Note for Super Polymerization, Fusing Scheiren and Urena’s Kitkallos to make a Kitkallos of his own. Urena flipped the top five cards of his Deck and hit nothing of use whatsoever.
Couch searched Sulliek with his Kitkallos, attacked with it, and followed up with an attack from Spright Elf to drop Urena to 4200 Life Points. Tearlaments Kitkallos for SCheiren, Normal Summon Rein, made Abyss Dweller. Set Tearlaments Sulliek.
Urena drew for turn and Couch activated Abyss Dweller’s effect. Urena couldn’t get a break ths game and moments later he was conceding, moving to Game 3.
Cristian Urena can’t seem to hit a decent Tearlaments mill to save his life, and Dominic Couch capitalizes, taking the second Duel! Twenty-one minutes remained in the Round, plenty of time for Game 3. The winner here would take home a Super Rare copy of Anotherverse Dragon.
Urena opened with Instant Fusion for Tearlaments Kitkallos, searching his Deck for Sulliek. He activated Pot of Desires to banish 10 cards and draw two, then destroyed Kitkallos with her own effect, to Special Summon Reinoheart. This time he hit a Reinohart and two copies of Merrli! Reinhart sent Scheiren to the graveyard too, and Urena Fusion Summoned Predaplant Dragostapelia and Kaleido-Heart! He Set three cards to his backrow to finish.
Couch had Nessie, Tsuchinoko, Scheiren, Forbidden Droplet, Reinoheart, and PSY-Frame Driver. He activated Tsuchinoko’s effect, discarded Scheiren, and activated Nessie! next. He discarded Droplet, Special Summoned Nessie and drew Merrli. He Normal Summoned Reinohart, Urena flipped Impermanence in response to negate its effect, and Couch Linked Reinhart and Tsuchinoko for Dharc. He moved to the Battle Phase, attacked Reinoheart with Nessie and swung Dharc into Dragostapelia, destroying Dharc. That let him search his Deck for another Scheiren.
Couch moved to Main Phase 2. He pitched Havnis for Merrli, sent three cards to the Graveyard, used Havnis’s effect and Fusion Summoned Mudragon of the Swamp by returning Dharc to his Extra Deck. He Link Summoned Dharc again, then Linked it with Mudragon of the Swamp for Spright Elf, and used its effect to revive PSY-Framegear Gamma. Urena blanked it with Predaplant Dragostapelia and that was all Couch needed to see: he swiftly offered Urena the handshake.
Cristian Urena defeats Dominic Couch in a 2-1 victory to take 3rd Place at YCS Niagara Falls, winning one of the first-ever Super Rare copies of Anotherverse Dragon!
