Nearly 300 Duelists competed in the Ultimate Time Wizard TEAM Tournament this weekend, Dueling in three eras the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG: 2005, 2010, and 2011. Now just two teams were left: one team would walk away with over-sized foil versions for Caius the Shadow Monarch, Mobius the Frost Monarch, and Raiza the Storm Monarch, but the winners would claim fully-fledged GIANT CARD printings! 

Joshua Lytle of Team Lytle To No Tops is up against Rudy Gonzalez of Team TMT, taking a classic Reborn Tengu Deck against Gonzalez’s Tengu Tech Genus build. It’s 2011 all over again and these competitors are ready to throw down: it’s time to Duel!

Gonzalez opened the Match activating Pot of Duality, revealing another Pot of Duality, a Reborn Tengu, and a Dark Hole; he took the Dark Hole and shuffled the rest back. Gonzalez Set a monster, then Set four to his Spell and Trap Card Zone.

Lytle had a hand of Maxx “C”, Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning, Monster Reborn, Sangan, Enemy Controller , and Solemn Judgment. He Set Judgment and then Set everything else he could. 

Gonzalez Normal Summoned T.G. Rush Rhino. He swung into Sangan, Lytle searched Spirit Reaper, and Gonzalez moved to Main Phase 12. He Flip Summoned Morphing Jar and Lytle Chained Maxx “C” – both Duelists got new hands.

Lytle drew for turn: he now had Gorz the Emissary of Darkness, Tour Guide from the Underworld, Debris Dragon, Chaos Sorcerer, Thunder King Rai-Oh, and another Maxx “C”.  He Summoned Debris Dragon targeting Reaper, Gonzalez fired back with Skill Drain and the Dragon’s effect was negated. Gonzalez dropped to 7000 Life Points. Lytle targeted Spirit Reaper with Monster Reborn, brought it back in defense, and Gonzalez responded with Torrential Tribute to wipe the field! Lytle still had two cards Set in his Spell and Trap Card Zone and ended.

Play was back to Gonzalez. “Setting Monster Reborn…” he was a bit baffled by Lytle’s moves. He searched T.G. Striker with Rush Rhino’s effect, drew for his turn, and Normal Summoned Beast King Barbaros with its full 3000 ATK, courtesy of Skill Drain, He attacked with it and Lytle blocked with Enemy Controller. Gonzalez passed.

Lytle drew Dark Hole and Normal Summoned Thunder King. He sent it to attack the defense mode Barbaros and destroyed it. “You can go.”

Gonzalez Special Summoned T.G. Striker, Normal Summoned a Rai-Oh of his own and attacked to trade it into Lytle’s Rai-Oh. In Main Phase 2 Gonzalez shuffled back every monster in his Graveyard for Pot of Avarice, drawing two more cards to get ahead of his opponent. He Set another card to his Spell and Trap Card Zone to finish out.

Lytle drew Trap Dustshoot and Normal Summoned Tour Guide from the Underworld. He couldn’t use her effect due to Skill Drain, but did manage to run over T.G. Striker! Lyle ended his turn by Setting a second Spell or Trap and Gonzalez searched his Deck for T.G. Warwolf with Striker’s ability. 

“My turn…Draw Phase…” Lytle flipped Dustshoot, sending back Gonzalez’s Thunder King Rai-Oh over Warwolf and Rush Rhino; he also revealed four traps in Gonzalez’s hand along the way. Gonzalez Normal Summoned Rush Rhino to attack over Tour Guide, destroying her. 

Lytle drew Effect Veiler. “Main Phase.” He Special Summoned Chaos Sorcerer, banishing Rai-Oh and Spirit Reaper and drawing out a Solemn Warning from Gonzalez. Lytle shut it down with Solemn Judgment!  He dropped to 3700 LP while Gonzalez had 5000 LP. Lytle Normal Summoned Effect Veiler! 

“I know what you’re trying to do,” remarked Gonzalez. He bumped the Veiler away with Compulsory Evacuation Device, denying Lytle a Synchro Summon. Lytle passed, stymied, with no backrow left and nothing but Chaos Sorcerer on the field. He still had four cards in hand.

Gonzalez drew to six cards in hand with a Set Spell or Trap Card, Skill Drain active, and Rush Rhino on the field. He Normal Summoned Striker, Synchro Summoned Gaia Knight, the Force of Earth to attack over the Chaos Sorcerer. He Set two more cards to his backrow. 

Lytle drew Solemn Warning and cleared the Gaia Knight with Dark Hole. “I’ll pass my turn.”

Gonzalez Normal Summoned another Warwolf, attacked, and Lytle Special Summoned Gorz! Gonzalez moved to Main Phase 2, cleared the field with Dark Hole, and searched Rush Rhino with Warwolf’s effect. “It’s your turn.”

Lytle drew another Solemn Warning! He Set both copies and ended, but he only had enough Life Points to play one of them.

Gonzalez tried to Normal Summon Rush Rhino and Lytle blasted it with Solemn Warning. He was down to just 200 Life Points, and when Gonzalez flipped Call of the Haunted Lytle moved to the scoop phase! 

Rudy Gonzalez plays the aggressor for the majority of the first Duel, and Josh Lytle collapses under the weight of a few too many mismatched Solemn traps. Could he fight his way back into the Match? We were about to find out.

Lytle opened with Forbidden Lance, Monster Reborn, Enemy Controller, and two copies of Mystical Space Typhoon. He drew Dimensional Prison for turn, Set it and passed. He wasn’t off to a great start. He’d need to try and tease this one out and see some more cards to even out monster-deprived hand.

Gonzalez Set two cards to his Spell and Trap Card Zone.

Lytle drew  And Set a Mystical Space Typhoon.

Gonzalez Normal Summoned Barbaros and ran it into Dimensional Prison.

Lytle drew Heavy Storm and Set his second Mystical Space Typhoon.

Gonzalez passed.

Lytle drew Tour Guide from the Underworld, and he flipped Mystical Space Typhoon to target… Gonzalez’s Mystical Space Typhoon… which he Chained to target Lytle’s other Mystical Space Typhoon… which he finally Chained to destroy the last Set card on the field, Gonzalez’s Dimensional Prison.  Lytle Summoned Tour Guide, Gonzalez responded with Maxx “C”, Lytle Special Summoned Sangan, Gonzalez drew for the Maxx “C” effect, and Lytle attacked with his two monsters for 2000 damage.  Lytle Set two more cards to his backrow.

Gonzalez Normal Summoned Reborn Tengu, attacked Tour Guide and took her down. Gonzalez Set two more cards to his Spell and Trap Card Zone, matching Lytle.

Lytle drew, Tributed Sangan for Caius and targeted one of Gonzalez’s two face-down cards in his back row. The effect resolved and the Caius effect banished Gonzalez’s Dimensional Prison. Lytle searched another Tour Guide with Sangan’s effect, attacked Tengu with Caius, and Gonzalez Special Summoned another Tengu from his Deck with the effect of the first.  Lytle ended.

Gonzalez Set a card to his backrow, Set a monster, and turned Reborn Tengu to defense mode.

Lytle drew a Tengu of his own. He Normal Summoned it, Gonzalez checked his face-downs, thought for a moment, and then flipped Solemn Warning… And then the Match was over! Lytle’s teammates had just won both of their Matches, securing the Team Match victory. Team Lytle To No Tops wins the Ultimate Time Wizard TEAM Tournament here at TEAM YCS Las Vegas!