YCS Pasadena Dragon Duel Championship Playoff: Connor Rosenstein Versus Aiden Moneke
The Dragon Duel winners from Saturday and Sunday are facing off for the title of YCS Pasadena Dragon Duel Champion! Aiden Moneke is facing off against Connor Rosenstein. Both duelists are from Portland Oregon, so whoever wins, that beautiful Dragon Duel Championship Trophy’s coming home to the same city! Both Duelists made Top Cut of the Dragon Duel Championship back in Chicago at the 2022 North America Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG Championship , and are using their awesome mats here today, each featuring a ton of signatures from their favorite Yu-Gi-Oh creators!
The stakes are high: in addition to the Dragon Duel Championship Trophy and the title of YCS Pasadena Dragon Duel Champion, the winner of this match receives a full Super Rare set of Darklord YCS Prize Cards!
Connor decided to go first and drew a hand of 2 Pot of Prosperity, Swap Frog, Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring, and Spright Smashers. Rosenstein activated a Prosperity for 6, taking Nimble Angler. Swap Frog discarded the Angler, and both effects were used. Swap Frog sent another of his brethren to the Graveyard and Angler Summoned 2 Nimble Beavers! From there, Rosenstein used Swap Frog’s effect to return Beaver to the hand, then Normal Summoned the same one, Summoning another Angler from deck. Angler and Beaver were used to make Gigantic Spright, who Summoned Spright Blue.
Blue searched Jet, who was Summoned and searched Starter. Gigantic and Beaver were used to link into Spright Elf, Elf then Summoned back Swap Frog. The 2 Frogs were stacked to make Toadally Awesome, and the 2 Sprights were used to make Number 65: Djinn Buster. He set Smashers, Prosperity, and Starter to end his turn and Moneke was up!
During Moneke’s Standby, Toad Summoned another Swap Frog, and in his Main Phase Moneke used Primeval Planet Perlerino, but it was negated by Rosenstein’s Toad! Toad added back Nimble Beaver, and foolish was activated by Moneke next to send Tearlaments Reinoheart to the grave. Djinn Buster was used to negate the Reinoheart and dealt 500 to Moneke’s LP. He then went into Battle Phase, and at the beginning Rosenstein used Starter which prompted Moneke to chain Bystial Magnamhut, targeting Blue. Magnamhut was Summoned and Starter Summoned Spright Red in defence, dropping Rosenstein by 1200. Magnamhut was activated on Summon, and Red was Chained tributing Djinn to negate and destroy Magnamhut. In Main Phase 2 Blazing Cartesia, the Virtuous was Summoned, and Rosenstein activated Spright Elf targeting Toadally Awesome. With that, Moneke had seen enough!
Despite opening a solid grip of powerful monsters, Moneke couldn’t overcome the stability of the Sprights! Both Duelists quickly dove into their Side Decks, as they were eager for the next game.
Moneke chose to go first, and Rosenstein opened with 2 Bystial Druiswurm, Spright Starter, Dimension Shifter, and Spright Jet. Pretty solid into Tearlaments. In the Standby Phase, Rosenstein activated his Dimension Shifter but was met with Called by the Grave from Moneke. Moneke activated his Terraforming searching Primeval Planet Perlerino, which was activated to snag him Tearlaments Scheiren. Tearlaments Scream was activated, after which he followed up with Branded in High Spirits sending Tearlaments Rulkallos and Scheiren to the grave to grab Blazing Cartesia, the Virtuous from the Deck.
Scheiren’s effect was activated next, letting Moneke send back Rulkallos and itself to Summon Tearlaments Kitkallos! Kitkallos was activated as Chain Link 1, and Chain link 2 was Scream sending Super Polymerization, Tearlaments Sulliek, and Bystial Magnamhut to grave while Kitkallos added Tearlaments Merrli. Sulliek added Scheiren to hand afterwards, and Moneke used Kitkallos to target itself Summoning Merrli and sending 8 cards to grave! Havnis was activated after being sent, and Bystial Druiswurm was chained targeting that Havnis to banish it from the game!
Moneke thought briefly, before activating Tearlaments Scheiren discarding Bystial Magnamhut and sending another Havnis, another Scheiren and Foolish Burial to the Graveyard. The Tearlaments were linked together to make Spright Sprind, sending Tearlaments Merrli to the grave. Moneke used Merrli to Summon Tearlaments Rulkallos with her effect and considered his options for a moment. He Normal Summoned Blazing Cartesia and passed play to Rosenstein.
Rosenstein drew Nimble Beaver for turn and Normal Summoned it, activating its effect to Summon another monster, only to be met with Tearlaments Rulkallos effect! Rulkallos then sent itself to the Graveyard in response to its effect, then Summoned itself back.
On the Summon of Rulkallos, Tearlaments Scream was activated and sent 3 spells to the Graveyard. Rosenstein activated Spright Starter to Summon Spright Blue, which searched Spright Red!
He Summoned Red next, followed by Spright Jet which grabbed Spright Smashers. Blue and Druiswurm were linked into Spright Sprind, and Druiswurm targeted Rulkallos to send to the grave, with Sprind sending Nimble Angler. Angler Summoned 2 Nimble Beavers from Deck, and Rosenstein was in total control. Beaver and Sprind made Gigantic Spright who Summoned Spright Carrot. Spright Elf was Summoned by sending Jet and the second Beaver, and Summoned back Spright Jet. Jet and Carrot were overlaid into Onibimaru Soul Sweeper, which banished Cartesia until Moneke’s End Phase. In the Battle Phase Gigantic Spright attacked over Sprind for 1300, Elf for 900,tThen Onibimaru attacked for 1400. Moneke dropped to 4400 Life Points; he’d have to rely on the heart of the cards to find a way out of this one.
Moneke drew for turn and Normal Summoned Tearlaments Reinoheart, using its effect as Chain Link 1, with Scream Chain Link 2, to send 3 cards to the Graveyard and Rosenstein used Spright Elf as Chain Link 3 to Summon back Spright Carrot. Moneke pressed on, using the Merrli he sent with Reinoheart, but Rosenstein chained his in-hand Druiswurm to banish it from the game. Reinoheart attacked over Onibimaru for 600 damage thanks to Scream and Planet. In his End Phase, Cartesia was returned.
Rosenstein drew another Dimension Shifter for turn, and used Spright elf to Summon back Spright Blue, Blue activated its effect and Scream was chained to attempt to get Moneke into the game, but Rosenstein used his Smashers to banish it and Blue, while grabbing Spright Jet. Jet was Summoned adding Spright Starter to hand, and Rosenstein thought over his options before switching all his monsters to Attack Position. He entered the Battle Phase and attacked for game!
Connor Rosenstein is your YCS Pasadena Dragon Duel Champion!
