Home > 2023 North America World Championship Qualifier, Championships > Top 16 Feature Match: Kamal Crooks vs. George Sacco

Top 16 Feature Match: Kamal Crooks vs. George Sacco

July 9th, 2023

For our Top 16 Feature Match, we have the only remaining Match with no Kashtira at the table. Kamal Crooks, from Ft. Lauderdale, FL, is playing the adorable (and deadly) Purrely! He’s up against George Sacco, from Oklahoma City, OK, playing Fur Hire Runick Spright! Let’s get to it: it’s time to Duel!

Duel 1

Crooks won the dice roll and played first. He started with My Friend Purrely, paying 500 Life Points to reveal from his Deck Purrely Delicious Memory and two Purrelyeap!?, getting one of them into his hand at random. He Normal Summoned Purrelyly, using its effect to add Stray Purrely Street to his hand. He played Street, then played Purrely Happy Memory, discarding Delicious Memory to Special Summon Purrely, and that added Purrely Sleepy Memory to his hand. He used Purrelyly’s effect with Delicious Memory to play Epurrely Plump, attaching Delicious. He played Sleepy Memory, discarding another copy of Sleepy Memory to Special Summon Purrely, and attached the Memory to Plump. Purrely added My Friend Purrely to his hand. He used Plump to play Expurrely Noir, then used both Purrely to play Sylvan Princessprite. Princessprite added Book of Moon to his hand. He Set two back row cards. In the End Phase, Street attached Sleepy Memory to Noir.

Kamal Crooks

Sacco had Runick Fountain, Dark Ruler No More, Spright Blue, Donpa, Marksman Fur Hire, and Rex, Freight Fur Hire. He drew Runick Tip and played it in the Draw Phase to add Runick Destruction to his hand. In the Standby Phase, Noir’s effect let Crooks draw THREE cards thanks to all of its Sleepy Memories! Sacco played Fountain, then used Destruction to Special Summon Hugin the Runick Wings. He activated Fountain, and Chained Hugin, discarding Dark Ruler No More. Crooks responded with Noir, shuffling Fountain back into the Deck, and Book of Moon to flip Hugin face-down. Hugin’s effect resolved, adding Fountain to his hand, and previously on-field Fountain failed to resolve. Sacco Normal Summoned Rex, adding Rookie Fur Hire. He Special Summoned Spright Blue, adding Spright Carrot to his hand. He Special Summoned that, then played Rookie Fur Hire, Tributing Hugin – Crooks hit it with Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring. Sacco used Blue and Rex to play Number 29: Mannequin Cat, and Crooks flipped another Book of Moon to flip the Cat face-down. Sacco played his second Fountain and skipped his Battle Phase due to his Runick Destruction. Crooks began resolving Stray Purrely Street in the End Phase, and Sacco knew this game was done – he conceded the first Duel.

Duel 2

Sacco took the first turn, with a hand of Spright Blue, Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring, Runick Freezing Curses, Rookie Fur Hire, and Dogoran, the Mad Flame Kaiju. He played Freezing Curses to Special Summon Hugin the Runick Wings, discarding Dogoran, and Crooks hit it with Ash Blossom. Sacco Special Summoned Spright Blue, adding Spright Red to his hand. He used Hugin and Blue to Xyz Summon Number 29: Mannequin Cat, which brought Ash Blossom to Crooks’s field. Mannequin Cat then Special Summoned Spright Carrot from the Deck. Sacco Special Summoned Spright Red, then played Rookie Fur Hire by Tributing Carrot. He Special Summoned Beat, Bladesman Fur Hire from the Deck. He used Red and Mannequin to play Donner, Dagger Fur Hire. Beat added Rex to his hand, and he Special Summoned it through Beat. Rex added Mayhem Fur Hire to his hand. He used all his monsters to play Folgo, Justice Fur Hire! It Special Summoned Donpa, Marksman Fur Hire. He played Mayhem to get Beat back to the field, and Donpa destroyed Crooks’s Ash Blossom. Folgo triggered, and Sacco drew Runick Destruction and… two additional copies of Ash Blossom. He Set Destruction and passed.

George Sacco

Crooks played Purrelyly, adding Stray Purrely Street to his hand. Sacco banished Rex from his Graveyard to get back Donner, triggering Beat and Donpa. Crooks responded with Happy Memory to protect Purrelyly, but Sacco used Ash Blossom to negate Happy Memory. Purrelyly was destroyed, and Beat’s effect added Rafale, Champion Fur Hire to Sacco’s hand. Crooks played My Friend Purrely, but Sacco flipped Runick Destruction to destroy it! Crooks played Street and Sleepy Memory, discarding Purrely to Special Summon Purrelyly. He used Purrelyly’s effect with Happy Memory to play Epurrely Happiness. It attacked Donner, and its effect added Delicious Memory to his hand. Crooks played Delicious Memory on Folgo, making it unable to be destroyed in battle. Epurrely Happiness attacked Folgo, cutting its ATK, and Folgo was not destroyed. Happiness’s effect let Crooks search for another Happy Memory, and he activated it, attaching it to Epurrely Happiness. He attacked Folgo again, halving its ATK once more, and got another Happy Memory. He repeated the process again and again, with Folgo stuck taking damage but unable to be destroyed. Happiness’s repeated attacks left Sacco unable to defend!

Kamal Crooks is going to the Top 8 with Purrely!