. Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG Event Coverage » Round 9 Feature Match: Michael Joseph Gold Jr. (Team Cintucky Boys) Versus Kethya Kas (Team Picked a Pickled Pepper)
Home > 2024/02 TEAM YCS Las Vegas, NV > Round 9 Feature Match: Michael Joseph Gold Jr. (Team Cintucky Boys) Versus Kethya Kas (Team Picked a Pickled Pepper)

Round 9 Feature Match: Michael Joseph Gold Jr. (Team Cintucky Boys) Versus Kethya Kas (Team Picked a Pickled Pepper)

February 25th, 2024

Snake-Eyes has elevated Fire Kings into a top contender, but it’s not the only strategy that got a boost! Michael Joseph Gold Jr. is here this weekend piloting Snake-Eyes Infernoid, still in the hunt for the Top 16 with his teammates, the Cintucky Boys! The Infernoid Deck has a lot of paths to victory right now: it can harass an opponent’s Graveyard with banishment effects, it can flood the field and pop cards, and even make big OTK’s with Phantasmal Lord Ultimitl Bishbaalkin.  We just had to see this thing in action!

Gold’s opponent this round is Kethya Kas of Team Picked a Pickled Pepper, piloting another big Deck this weekend that’s looking to tech against the most popular strategies: Kashtira. Both of these decks are packed with Graveyard hate, but Gold’s the only one depending on his Graveyard to win. Let’s see how this goes.

Michael Joseph Gold Jr. of Team Cintucky Boys

Kas started the Match with Kashtira Unicorn, searching his Deck for Kashtira Birth. Gold had Infinite Impermanence but opted to let the search go after a brief conflab with his teammate. He activated Terraforming next to go get Pressured Planet Wraitsoth, and activated it to search Kashtira Fenrir. He activated Birth, Normal Summoned Fenrir, and used its effect to fetch Kashtira Riseheart.  He Summoned it and banished Kashtira Ogre from his Deck, then used Birth to Special Summon the Ogre back to the field. Ogre continued the searching getting Kashtira Preparations. He Set 3 cards to his Spell and Trap Card Zone and ended.

Gold had a hand of Triple Tactics TalentNibiru, the Primal BeingInfernoid PatruleaInfinite ImpermanenceDivine Temple of the Snake-Eye, and Infernoid Piaty.  He activated Impermanence to blank Kas’ Fenrir, Special Summoned Patrulea banishing Piaty, and used Patrulea’s effect to target one of Kas’ Set backrow cards: Kas Chained it, and it was his own Infinite Impermanence, targeting the Patrulea. 

“On resolution, I’ll go… Chain Link 1 Unicorn, Chain Link 2 Ogre,” announced Kas.  Gold revealed five cards off the top of his Deck in order: Infernoid SeitsemasNibiru, the Primal BeingCalled by the Grave, another Seitsemas, and Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring. Kas took a moment to read Seitsemas, conferred with his teammate and banished the topmost Seitsemas face-down. Unicorn then resolved and banished Gold’s S:P Little Knight from his Extra Deck.

Play continued: Gold activated Divine Temple of the Snake-Eye, searched his Deck for Snake-Eye Ashand added it to his Spell and Trap Card Zone. He activated Triple Tactics Talent to take control of a monster, Kas had no response, and Gold took his Riseheart. He used both of his monsters to Link Summon Hiita the Fire Charmer, Ablaze, used her to Special Summon back Riseheart, and Kas tried to use Fenrir’s effect… forgetting it was negated with Infinite Impermanence! Gold entered the Battle Phase, sent Hiita into Fenrir, took 950 damage when the Hiita was destroyed, and used her effect to search his Deck for Snake-Eyes Poplar. He Special Summoned it, used its effect to search Original Sinful Spoils – Snake-Eye, and left the Battle Phase. 

From there Gold Linked off Poplar to Link Summon Linkuriboh, targeted Poplar with its own effect and put it in his backrow. Original let him send the Poplar to the Graveyard to Special Summon another Ash, and he activated its effect: Kas fanned through Gold’s Graveyard for a moment, activated Birth’s effect, and banished Poplar, Original, and Patrulea from Gold’s Graveyard. 

Gold pressed on, searching Infernoid Decatron! He Normal Summoned it, activated its effect, and Kas responded by flipping another Set Infinite Impermanence! Gold activated Ash’s effect to send it and Decatron to the Graveyard to Special Summon Snake-Eye Oak. He brought back Decatron and this time the effect resolved. Gold used Decatron to send another Infernoid Patrulea to the Graveyard, activated Decatron to destroy Kashtira Birth and looked through his Extra Deck for a moment. 

He used Oak, sending Ash to the Graveyard to bring out Snake-Eyes Flamberge Dragon from his Deck. He used it to send Kashtira Fenrir to Kas’ backrow, then Linked Flamberge Dragon, Decatron, and Linkuriboh to Link Summon Promethean Princess, Bestower of Flames! He used Flamberge Dragon to bring back Decatron and Oak, triggering Decatron again, this time sending Infernoid Seitsemas to the Graveyard. He used Kashtira Riseheart and Princess to Link Summon Salamangreat Raging Phoenixand Kas scooped it up! 

Gold captures a grindy first Duel with Infernoids!

Infernoids take the first Duel, as Michael Joseph Gold fights through a Kashtira field loaded with effects and negations, repeatedly activating the effect of Infernoid Decatron to power his way to a win! Feels crazy to see it here in 2024. After some swift Side Decking this Match moved to the second Duel.

Kas got Game 2 started with Kashtira Unicorn again, this time getting Kashtiratheosis from his Deck. He activated Pot of Extravagance, banishing 6 cards from his Extra Deck to reveal 6 cards from the top of his Deck: Effect VeilerDimension ShifterNibiru, the Primal BeingInfinite ImpermanenceSummon Limit, and another Kashtira Unicorn. He took Nibiru, activated Kashtira Birth, and played Pressured Planet Wraitsoth to search Kashtira Fenrir.  Kas Normal Summoned Fenrir with Birth, searched for Kashtira Riseheart, Special Summoned it, and used it to banish Kashtira Ogre; its effect banished 3 cards from the top of Gold’s Deck. Kas used Birth’s effect to bring the Ogre to the field, searched Kashtira Preparations, Set it, and Set another card to his backrow.

Gold had a hand of two Bonfire, a Sinful Spoils of Subversion – Snake-Eye, a WANTED: Seeker of Sinful Spoils, a Snake-Eyes Poplar, and Triple Tactics Talent. Kas activated Preparations in Gold’s Draw Phase, and Gold moved to his Main Phase 1. He led with Subversion to punt Fenrir to the Spell and Trap Card Zone, activated Bonfire and searched a Poplar to Special Summon it. That got him Divine Temple of the Snake-Eye and Kas used his Ogre and Unicorn effects in response. He banished Gold’s Worldsea Dragon Zealantis from his Extra Deck, then resolved Ogre to reveal Gold’s Snake-Eye AshInfernoid Patrulea, another Snake-Eye AshTriple Tactics Talent, and One for One. Kas banished the Patrulea and the rest went back on top of Gold’s Deck.

Divine Temple let Gold search Snake-Eye Ash and add it to his backrow. He activated WANTED to search Diabellstar the Black Witch, added it to his hand, activated WANTED from his Graveyard to find Infernoid Decatron and Normal Summoned it! He used its effect, Kas flipped Summon Limit and Gold was unfazed! He sent Infernoid Patrulea to the Graveyard with Decatron and used the borrowed Patrulea’s effect to blow away the Summon Limit! He activated Talent and sent Kas’ Nibiru, the Primal Being back to his Deck! Kas’ last card was Kashtiratheosis and Gold now knew he was in the clear!

Gold Special Summoned Diabellstar by discarding Bonfire, and used Diabellstar’s effect to search his Deck for Original Sinful Spoils – Snake-Eye, Setting it. He flipped it, sending Ash to the Graveyard from his backrow to bring out another Snake-Eye Ash. He used its effect to send Original Sinful Spoils to the Graveyard and Kas removed Patrulea, Ash, and Origina Sinful Spoils from Gold’s Graveyard with Birth. Gold searched Infernoid Pirmais. He activated Ash, sending Ash and Decatron to the Graveyard to Special Summon Snake-Eye Oak. He used it to bring back Decatron, triggered its effect again, sent Infernoid Sjette to his Graveyard and went to his Extra Deck! Gold started counting up monsters on the field: was he going for Phantasmal Lord Ultimitl Bishbaalkin?

He looked through his options, riffling cards back and forth, eventually pausing on Geonator Transverer. “Wait! This is game!” Gold Linked off Snake-Eyes Poplar and Diabellstar the Black Witch, backrowed the Poplar, and used Oak and Poplar to Special Summon Snake-Eyes Flamberge Dragon. He used its effect to put Riseheart in Kas’ Spell and Trap Card Zone. He banished Sjette to Summon Infernoid Pirmais from hand, swapped Pirmais for Kas’ Kashtira Unicorn with Transverer’s effect, conveniently sticking Kas with an Attack Position monster with 0 ATK, then Link Summoned with Transverser and Decatron to make Apollousa, Bow of the Goddess

Gold broght back Oak and Decatron with the effect of Snake-Eyes Flamberge Dragon and went to Synchro Summon! He Tuned Decatron to the stolen Kashtira Unicorn to make Accel Synchro Stardust Dragon, brought back Decatron, sent Seitsemas to the Graveyard, and Summoned Phantasmal Lord Ultimitl Bishbaalkin! Gold used its effect to fill the field with Utchatzimime Tokens, entered the Battle Phase, and swung over Pirmais for 10,000 damage! 

Gold clinches the entire Team Match with a 10,000 ATK Bishbaalkin!

Michael Joseph Gold Jr. takes a spectacular 2-0 win with Infernoids, clinching the Team Match for the Cintucky Boys! What a Dueling spectacle.