Round 8 Feature Match: Steven Santoli vs. Alexandre April
Day 1 is nearly complete, but that doesn’t mean these Duelists can rest! We’ve got Steven Santoli, from Hamilton, ON, play Exosisters! He’s hoping their Graveyard control will help against the Bystials in the Dragon Link Deck piloted by Alexandre April, from Montreal, QC. April will need to play carefully around all the Exosister effects if he wants to combo off!
Duel 1
April started with The Bystial Lubellion to add Bystial Saronir to his hand. He Normal Summoned Rokket Tracer, and Link Summoned Striker Dragon. Its effect searched for Boot Sector Launch. He played Chaos Space, discarding Saronir, and Santoli used Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring. Saronir’s effect sent Branded Regained to the Graveyard. April Special Summoned Bystial Magnamhut, banishing his Saronir. He then Tributed Magnamhut to Special Summon The Bystial Lubellion, which put Branded Beast on the field. He used both his monsters to play Hieratic Seal of the Heavenly Spheres. He Set one back row card, and in the End Phase his Magnamhut effect added Bystial Druiswurm to his hand. Branded Beast put Regained on the field.
Santoli had Harpie’s Feather Duster! It destroyed Beast, Regained, and a Set Infinite Impermanence. He activated Exosister Martha, Special Summoning it and bringing Exosister Elis along with it. He Normal Summoned Aratama, adding Sakitama to his hand. He stacked Aratama with Martha for Exosister Mikailis. April activated Heavenly Spheres, Tributing it to bounce Mikailis, and Mikailis Chained to banish Heavenly Spheres. Since a card left the Graveyard, Martha’s effect let him play Exosister Kaspitell. Its effect added Elis to his hand, and he Special Summoned it. He Normal Summoned Sakitama through its own effect. He stacked Elis and Sakitama for another Mikailis, adding Exosister Vadis. He used Mikailis and Kaspitell for Exosisters Magnifica. He attacked with Magnifica, and April Special Summoned Druiswurm by banishing his Striker Dragon. Magnifica banished Druiswurm with its effect, and continued to attack directly, then attacked again to drop April to 2400 Life Points. Santoli Set two back row cards.
In April’s Draw Phase, Santoli flipped Vadis to Special Summon Exosister Sophia and Exosister Irene. April banished Chaos Space, returning his Striker Dragon to draw a card. Because Chaos Space left the Graveyard, Sophia and Irene upgraded into Mikailis and Exosister Gibrine. April considered for a moment and decided to concede this Duel.
Duel 2
April took the first turn, but in the Draw Phase, Santoli had Dimension Shifter! April passed with no plays.
Santoli Normal Summoned Sophia. It attacked directly for 100 damage. He Set one back row card.
April Normal Summoned Rokket Caliber, into Santoli’s Solemn Judgment! April thought a while, and passed.
Santoli attacked directly for another 100 damage. April would be done for in a mere 78 turns.
April played Rokket Recharger, and both Duelists laughed that it wasn’t powerful enough to battle Sophia. But naturally, it was used to play a Striker Dragon, for Boot Sector Launch. He activated Striker Dragon, destroying itself to return Recharger… and then immediately realized his mistake when Santoli activated Sophia’s effect! Both Duelists laughed, and April responded with Recharger’s effect, and Special Summoned it in Defense Position. Santoli used Sophia to play Mikailis. April played Boot Sector Launch, using it to Special Summon Rokket Tracer, and used his monsters to Synchro Summon Borreload Savage Dragon. Its effect activated to equip, but it was banished by Mikailis. April played Dragon Ravine, discarding Effect Veiler for its effect, and Santoli negated it with Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring. April banished Veiler to Special Summon Black Dragon Collapserpent. He used it to play Guardragon Pisty, and Collapserpent added White Dragon Wyverburster to his hand. He banished Collapserpent for Wyverburster, then Link Summoned Hieratic Seal of the Heavenly Spheres.
Santoli drew his card, and April used Heavenly Spheres to bounce Mikailis, but its effect to Special Summon was negated by another Ash Blossom. Santoli played Lightning Storm to destroy Dragon Ravine. He Normal Summoned Elis and attacked directly.
April passed.
Santoli attacked again for 500 more damage.
April drew a third card and passed.
Santoli activated Martha’s effect from his hand, and April negated it with Ash Blossom. Santoli attacked for another 500. In Main Phase 2, he Normal Summoned Martha and Xyz Summoned Mikailis. Its effect searched for Exosister Returnia. He Set a card. In the End Phase, April Special Summoned Magnamnut by banishing an Elis. Santoli negated Magnamhut with Ash Blossom, then banished it with Mikailis.
April played Chaos Space, discarding Absorouter Dragon, adding The Bystial Lubellion. Absorouter added Rokket Tracer to his hand. He banished Chaos Space from his Graveyard, returning Collapserpent to his Deck to draw a new card. He activated Bystial Baldrake, banishing his Striker Dragon. He Normal Summoned Rokket Tracer, and Santoli flipped Returnia, banishing Tracer. April activated the last card in his hand, The Bystial Lubellion. He added Druiswurm to his hand, and Special Summoned it by banishing Sophia. He Tributed Druiswurm to bring Lubellion to the field. Since Santoli had halved his Life Points earlier with Solemn Judgment, April was able to simply attack and end this Duel!
Duel 3
Santoli started first his time, with Pot of Prosperity banishing 6 cards. He added Exosister Pax. April activated Droll & Lock Bird, and Santoli Chained Pax to get Martha. He used Martha’s effect to Special Summon it and Elis, then Special Summoned another Elis from his hand. He used both Elis to play Mikailis, which tried to banish Droll from the Graveyard, and April negated it with Veiler. Santoli Normal Summoned Aratama and stacked it with Martha for Kaspitell. He used both his Xyz Monsters for Magnifica, and Set two back row cards.
April activated The Bystial Lubellion, sending it to the Graveyard to search out Magnamhut. He activated that, banishing Martha from Santoli’s Graveyard, and Chained Infinite Impermanence on Magnifica. Santoli flipped Solemn Judgment to keep Magnifica online! Magnamhut hit the field, and Magnifica banished Magnamhut, and tagged in Kaspitell. April Normal Summoned Rokket Recharger, and Link Summoned Striker Dragon, which searched for Boot Sector Launch. Striker Dragon destroyed itself and returned Recharger to April’s hand. In the End Phase, he resolved Magnamhut to add Druiswurm to his hand.
Santoli used Kaspitell to search for Martha. He used Martha’s effect, and April activated Ash Blossom to negate it. April then Special Summoned his Druiswurm by banishing Magnifica. Santoli Normal Summoned Martha, and flipped Returnia to banish The Bystial Lubellion. Martha’s effect activated, letting him play Mikailis, and it searched for another Returnia. Mikailis banished Druiswurm, and Santoli played Magnifica. It attacked twice, putting April down to 2400 Life Points to Santoli’s 3200. In Main Phase 2, he played Pot of Prosperity, banishing 3 cards. He added Ash Blossom to his hand. He Set a card in his back row.
April Normal Summoned Recharger, using it to play Pisty. He banished Veiler from his Graveyard to Special Summon Saronir from his hand. Santoli used Magnifica to banish Saronir. April was left with just Pisty and Boot Sector Launch, which wouldn’t save him from Magnifica!
Steven Santoli is your victor, with Exosisters!
