Top 32 Feature Match: Adam Belohradsky vs. Alex Cancel
This Feature Match is a battle of YCS Las Vegas Champions! Adam Belohradsky, from Stockton, CA, won YCS Las Vegas in 2016 with Dracoslayer Performapals. He’s facing Alex Cancel, from Houston, TX, who was one of the winners of TEAM YCS Las Vegas back in February, playing Kashtira. Cancel is still using Kashtira today, while Belohradsky is playing an extremely different Deck: Traptrix!
Duel 1
Cancel won the die roll and chose to play first. He drew his opening hand and passed with no play!
Belohradsky started with two copies of Traptrix Holeutea, Pot of Prosperity, Infinite Impermanence, and Traptrix Mantis. He drew another Mantis. He Normal Summoned it, activating its effect, and Cancel negated it with Infinite Impermanence. Belohradsky Link Summoned Traptrix Sera, then played Traptrix Holeutea from his hand, discarding his second Holeutea. Sera activated, and was negated by Cancel’s Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring. Belohradsky played Pot of Prosperity, banishing three cards, and added Traptrix Arachnocampa to his hand. He Special Summoned Arachnocampa, then used Sera to Set Floodgate Trap Hole. He attacked with Sera for half damage due to Pot of Prosperity. In Main Phase 2, he stacked Holeutea and Arachnocampa for Traptrix Rafflesia, and Set Infinite Impermanence.
Cancel played Cosmic Cyclone to banish the card he knew to be Floodgate Trap Hole. He Normal Summoned Kashtira Riseheart, and Rafflesia detached Arachnocampa to send Floodgate Trap Hole from the Deck to the Graveyard, applying its effect to flip Riseheart face-down. Sera activated, and Cancel conceded! Based on his first turn, he just had no options to work with, and would rather move on to the next Duel.
Duel 2
Cancel started this time by Special Summoning Kashtira Unicorn, and it was negated by Belohradsky’s Infinite Impermanence. Cancel played Pressured Planet Wraitsoth, getting Kashtira Fenrir. He played Kashtira Birth, then Normal Summoned Fenrir. Its effect searched out Kashtira Riseheart. He Xyz Summoned Kashtira Shangri-Ira. He Special Summoned Riseheart, banishing Scareclaw Kashtira from his Deck to banish three cards from Belohradsky’s Deck, and Shangri-Ira locked one of Belohradsky’s Spell & Trap Zones. He then used Riseheart to play Kashtira Arise-Heart. He used Kashtiratheosis to Special Summon Kashtira Ogre. Kashtiratheosis was banished due to Arise-Heart – Arise-Heart attached it as an Xyz Material, and Kashtiratheosis’s other effect returned Scareclaw Kashtira to his hand. Ogre searched for Kashtira Big Bang. He Special Summoned Scareclaw Kashtira, banishing Big Bang, which Special Summoned Unicorn. Arise-Heart attached Big Bang as a material. With Kashtira Birth, he Special Summoned Fenrir. He stacked Fenrir and Unicorn for Number 89: Diablosis the Mind Hacker! He used Scareclaw Kashtira and Ogre for another Shangri-Ira! He activated Diablosis’s effect to banish Divine Arsenal AA-ZEUS – Sky Thunder from the Extra Deck. That triggered Diablosis’s other effect, as well as both Shangri-Ira. He locked down two more Spell & Trap Zones, then Diablosis banished several cards from the top of Belohradsky’s Deck. That triggered the Shangri-Ira pair once again, blocking the last two Spell & Trap Zones!
Belohradsky took his first turn, with a hand of Traptrix Mantis, Pot of Prosperity, Traptrix Holeutea, and Traptrix Trap Hole Nightmare. He drew Parallel eXceed. A Traptrix Deck unable to play traps isn’t able to accomplish much – he conceded and went straight for the Side Deck.
Duel 3
Belohradsky began the final Duel with a hand of Ash Blossom, Floodgate Trap Hole, Traptrix Dionaea, and two Traptrix Pudica. He Normal Summoned Pudica, adding Traptrip Garden to his hand. Cancel activated Dimension Shifter. Belohradsky played Traptrip Garden, then Link Summoned Traptrix Sera. He Normal Summoned his second Pudica via Garden. He Set Floodgate.
Cancel went directly to his Battle Phase and activated Evenly Matched! Everything but the Floodgate Trap Hole was banished.
Belohradsky drew Cosmic Cyclone. He Normal Summoned Traptrix Dionaea and attacked with it. Cancel activated another Evenly Matched! Dionaea was banished. Belohradsky Set Cosmic Cyclone.
Cancel used a THIRD Evenly Matched! Cosmic Cyclone was banished face-down.
Belohradsky drew Infinite Impermanence and Set it.
Cancel Special Summoned Kashtira Unicorn. Belohradsky responded with Floodgate Trap Hole, and Cancel played Cosmic Cyclone to target Belohradsky’s Set Infinite Impermanence, trying to bait him into using it, but he didn’t. Cancel then used Forbidden Lance as Chain Link 3 to protect his Unicorn, and now Belohradsky flipped Infinite Impermanence to negate Unicorn. Resolving the Chain, Unicorn was negated, then Lance reduced its ATK and gave it a blanket of protection. Cyclone banished Impermanence, and finally Floodgate Trap Hole failed to apply its effect due to Lance. Unicorn attacked directly.
Belohradsky drew Parallel eXceed. He passed.
Cancel activated Unicorn. Belohradsky responded with Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring. Cancel played Kashtiratheosis, and both players knew there was no stopping the Kashtira train at this point. Belohradsky offered the handshake!
Alex Cancel is moving on to the Top 16 with Kashtira!
