For our Round 2 Feature Match, Jesse Swynar was up against Chris Zhang! Both of these players won their first round here at YCS Vancouver, and were looking to stay hot at the start of the tournament by securing a 2-0 record.

It’s time to Duel!

Swynar won the dice roll and decided to go first. In his opening had, he had Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring, Kashtira Birth, Tearlaments Kashtira, Infinite Impermanence, and Dimension Shifter. He decided to pass his turn without activating a single card!

Zhang opened with Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring, Kashtira Fenrir, Crossout Designator, and two copies of Nibiru the Primal Being. Zhang drew for turn and Special Summoned Kashtira Fenrir from his hand. He activated Fenrir’s effect to search for another copy. He entered the Battle Phase and declared an attack with Fenrir, dealing 2400 damage to Swynar. He then Set a card in his backrow and ended. 

Swynar drew a copy of Kashtiratheosis. He activated Kashtira Birth, which let him Normal Summon Tearlaments Kashtira without having to Tribute any monsters. He then activated Kashtiratheosis, targeting Tearlaments Kashtira, but Zhang responoded with Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring! Unable to do anything else, Swynar Set a card to his backrow and passed. 

Zhang drew for turn and proceeded directly to the Battle Phase. He declared an attack on Tearlaments Kashtira with Kashtira Fenrir, and activated its effect to target Swynar’s Kashtira Birth. Swynar used Infinite Impermanence, targeting Kashtira Fenrir to try and negate its effect, but Zhang had Crossout Designator, banishing his own Impermanence from his deck to negate its effect! That let Zhang’s Fenrir banish Swynar’s Kashtira Birth, and he destroyed Tearlaments Kashtira in battle, dealing 100 damage. Zhang Set a card and ended. 

Swynar drew a card for his turn, but since he couldn’t activate any cards in his hand he conceded the Duel.

Swynar decided to go first in the second Duel, and opened with Triple Tactics Talent, Kashtira Fenrir, Pressured Planet Wraitsoth, and two copies of Dimensional Barrier. He activated Pressured Planet Wraitsoth, searching Kashtira Unicorn. Swynar Special Summoned the Unicorn and activated its effect to search for Kashtira Birth. He activated it and Normal Summoned Kashtira Fenrir without tributing any monsters. He activated Fenrir’s effect to search for Kashtira Riseheart, and then Special Summoned Riseheart from his hand.

Swynar continued, overlaying Unicorn and Fenrir to make Kashtira Shangri-Ira, then activated Riseheart’s effect to banish Kashtira Big Bang from his Deck and banish the top 3 cards of Zhang’s Deck face-down. He activated Shangi-Ira as Chain Link 1, attempting to block off one of Zhang’s Spell/Trap Zones, and then Big Bang as Chain Link 2 to add the Fenrir attached to Shangri-Ira back to his hand and Special Summon it to the field. Swynar used Riseheart and Fenrir to summon Mecha Phantom Beast Dracossack, stacked Dracossack and Shangri-Ira to make Number F0: Utopic Future, then used that as Xyz Material to summon Number F0: Utopic Draco Future! Birth’s effect let him Special Summon Kashtira Fenrir, which became Xyz Material to summon Kashtira Arise-Heart. Swynar Set a card to his backrow and ended.

Zhang opened with Chimera Fusion, Cornfield Coatl, Fallen of Albaz, Santa Claws, and Chimera Fusion. He drew for turn and started by tributing Swynar’s Utopic Draco Future to summon Santa Claws to Swynar’s field. He then Normal Summoned Fallen of Albaz, discarding Chimera Fusion. Swynar responded by activating Dimensional Barrier, but Zhang responded with Crossout Designator, negating Dimensional Barrier. He resolved the effect of Fallen of Albaz, fusing Albaz with Swynar’s Kashtira Arise-heart to make Mirrorjade the Iceblade Dragon. Zhang activated the effect of Cornnfield Coatl, searching for Mirror Swordknight. He entered the Battle Phase and attacked Santa Claws with Mirrorjade. In Main Phase 2, Zhang Set a card to his backrow and ended his turn. 

Swynar drew for turn. He started by activating the effect of his face-up Kashtira Birth to Special Summon Kashtira Fenrir. On the summon of Fenrir, Zhang responded with the effect of Mirrorjade, sending Rindbrumm the Striking Dragon from the Extra Deck to the Graveyard, banishing Swynar’s Kashtira Fenrir. Swynar used Triple Tactics Talent to draw 2 cards and drew into Pot of Prosperity and Infinite Impermanence. He Set two cards to his backrow and passed. 

Zhang drew for turn and Normal Summoned Mirror Swordknight. He entered the Battle Phase and attacked Swynar directly with Swordknight and Mirrorjade. Still in the Battle Phase, Zhang activated the effect of Mirror Swordknight to Special Summon Big-Winged Berfomet from his Deck. He tried to use Big-Winged Berfomet’s effect on its Summon, but Swynar responded with Infinite Impermanence. The Berfomet attacked directly, bringing Swynar down to 1700 Life Points. Zhang ended. 

Swynar drew, and activated Pot of Prosperity banishing 6 cards from his Extra Deck face-down; he revealed Kashtira Riseheart, Forbidden Lance, Kashtiratheosis, Kashtira Fenrir, Forbidden Lance, and Scareclaw Kashtira. Swynar took Kashtira Fenrir. He Special Summoned it, and on summon, tried to use the effect of his Mirrojade, sending Albion the Branded Dragon to the Graveyard. Swynar responded by activating Dimensional Barrier, forcing Zhang to respond by activating Chimera Fusion.

The Chimera Fusion let him fuse Mirrorjade, Gazelle the King of Mythical Claws, and Berfomet into Guardian Chimera, and Mirrorjade resolved to banish Kashtira Fenrir. In a separate chain, Berfomet’s effect activated as Chain Link 1, targeting the Swordknight in the Graveyard. Guardian Chimera was Chain Link 2. The Chimera couldn’t resolve because of Dimensional Barrier, but Mirror Swordknight was Special Summoned to Zhang’s field in Defense Position. Swynar then used Kashtira Birth to Special Summon Kashtira Unicorn from the Graveyard, and used Unicorn’s effect to search for Kashtiratheosis. it was activated, targeting Unicorn, to Special Summon Kashtira Fenrir from the deck.

Fenrir’s effect searched for Scareclaw Kashtira. Swynar banished Kashtiratheosis to Special Summon Scareclaw Kashtira, and  Kashtiratheosis got back Kashtira Fenrir. He Normal Summoned another Fenrir without tributing thanks to Kashtira Birth.

Entering the Battle Phase, Swynar attacked with Kashtira Fenrir, destroying the Mirror Swordknight and using Fenrir’s effect to banish Guardian Chimera. That cleared the way: Swynar launched a direct attack at Zhang with Scareclaw Kashtira and Kashtira Unicorn. During the End Phase, Zhang activated the effect of Rindbrumm the Striking Dragon in his Graveyard, Special Summoning Fallen of Albaz from his Graveyard.

Zhang drew for turn and tributed Fallen of Albaz to Tribute Summon Big-Winged Berfomet, trying to activate its effect. But Swynar had Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring! Without any cards left, Zhang conceded. 

Zhang opened with two copies of Chimera Fusion, Branded Fusion, Cornfield Coatl, and Big-Winged Berfomet. He decided to go first in the pivotal third Duel, and started by activating the effect of Cornfield Coatl; he sent it from his hand to the Graveyard to search for a copy of Gazelle the King of Mythical Claws. Zhang then activated Chimera Fusion, fusing Gazelle with Big-Winged Berfomet to make Chimera the King of Phantom Beasts.

He activated Gazelle’s effect as Chain Link 1, Berfomet’s effect as Chain Link 2, and Chimera’s effect as Chain Link 3. Zhang would send a card from Swynar’s hand to the Graveyard during the End Phase, as well as Special Summon Cornfield Coatl out of the Graveyard and search for a Mirror Swordknight. He used the effect of Chimera Fusion to add it back to his hand, then Normal Summoned the Mirror Swordknight. He tried to use Swordknight’s effect, tributing it as cost, but Swynar had a copy of Ash Blossom in hand to negate it! Zhang Set a card, and then in the End Phase, Zhang used Chimera to send Kashtiratheosis from Swynar’s hand to the Graveyard. 

Swynar was left with Dimensional Barrier, Kashtira Riseheart, and Kumongous, the Sticky String Kaiju in his hand, and drew into Kashtira Birth for turn. He tributed Zhang’s Chimera to Special Summon Kumongous to his opponent’s field. He then Normal Summoned Kashtira Riseheart, banishing Kashtira Unicorn from his deck and the top 3 cards of Zhang’s deck. Swynar then activated Kashtira Birth, and used it to Special Summon Kashtira Unicorn.

He activated Unicorn to search for Kashtiratheosis, and then entered the Battle Phase to attack with Unicorn, destroying Kumongous. He banished Mudragon of the Swamp from Zhang’s Extra Deck in the process. During Main Phase 2, Swynar activated Kashtiratheosis targeting Unicorn, and Special Summoned Kashtira Fenrir from the Deck. Fenrir was activated to search for Scareclaw Kashtira. Swynar Set a card.

Before proceeding to the End Phase, Zhang activated the Graveyard effect of Chimera the King of Phantom Beasts, letting him Special Summon Gazelle King the King of Mythical Claws from his Graveyard. Swynar activated the effect of Kashtira Fenrir as Chain Link 1, targeting the Gazelle to banish it, and Gazelle’s effect was activated as Chain Link 2, searching for a Big-Winged Berfomet. Swynar moved to the End Phase.  

Zhang drew a card and activated Branded Fusion from hand! But Swynar responded with Dimensional Barrier, calling Fusions and stopping Zhang from Fusion Summoning. Zhang Set two cards to his backrow and then passed turn.

Swynar drew for turn and activated the effect of Kashtira Unicorn to search for Kashtira Birth. Swynar then activated Kashtira Fenrir’s effect, but Zhang responded with Infinite Impermanence, which he cleverly decided to place in the same column as Swynar’s Kashtira Birth. Swynar used Riseheart and Fenrir to make Dark Armed, the Dragon of Annihilation.

He used the Dark Armed to destroy Zhang’s Set Chimera Fusion, banishing a Kashtira Fenrir from his Graveyard. Swynar activated it again, destroying the face-up Cornfield Coatl and banishing Kashtiratheosis from the Graveyard, getting back the Fenrir. Swynar activated a second copy of Kashtira Birth that he had in hand – his first one was negated by Infinite Impermanence – and he Normal Summoned Kashtira Fenrir without tributing. He then Special Summoned Kashtira Riseheart and Scareclaw Kashtira, and with a field full of five monsters, he made a series of direct attacks to close out the Match!

Despite a rough start to the Match, Swynar pulls out the victory in Game 3 to earn a 2-0 record!