The recent Forbidden & Limited List update knocked a couple of popular cards out of competitive Dueling, while also loosening limitations on other cards. Chad Knowles from Tallapoosa, Georgia and Ryan Strickler from Harrisonburg, Virginia took advantage of some of the lifted limitations with their Deck choices this weekend. Chad Knowles is Dueling with a HERO Deck, now packed with a full 3 copies of the previously Semi-Limited Destiny HERO – Malicious. Ryan Strickler is piloting a Sky Striker Deck that uses 3 copies of the previously Semi-Limited Sky Striker Mobilize – Engage!. Many Duelists believe that the lifted limitations on previously Forbidden, Limited, or Semi-Limited cards will have a big impact on the viability of some Decks, and Chad and Ryan are here this weekend to prove it! Now, they’re Dueling against one another in a Match that will determine which Duelist will start the tournament off with a victory. It’s time to Duel!

Duel One

Strickler won the die roll, but chose to allow Knowles to go first!

Knowles opened up with Elemental HERO Liquid Soldier, Elemental HERO Stratos, Mask Change, Destiny HERO – Dreadmaster, and Miracle Fusion.

He started off the Match by Normal Summoning Elemental HERO Stratos and activated its effect; but Strickler activated the effect of Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring to negate it. Next, he Set Miracle Fusion and Mask Change face-down and ended his turn.

Strickler activated Harpie’s Feather Duster, destroying both of Knowles’s face-down cards. Next, he Normal Summoned Sky Striker Ace – Raye and used it to Link Summon Sky Striker Ace – Hayate. He attacked directly with Hayate thanks to its effect, inflicting 1500 points of damage to Knowles’s Life Points. Next, he used Hayate’s effect to send Sky Striker Mobilize – Engage! from his Deck to his Graveyard. In Main Phase 2, he sent Hayate to the Graveyard to Link Summon Sky Striker Ace – Kagari and used Kagari’s effect to return Engage from his Graveyard to his hand. He activated it to add Sky Striker Mecha – Shark Cannon from his Deck to his hand and then sent Kagari to the Graveyard to Link Summon Sky Striker Ace – Shizuku. He Set 3 cards to his back row and then used Shizuku’s effect in the End Phase to add Sky Striker Maneuver – Afterburners! to his hand.

Knowles drew another Elemental HERO Stratos and Normal Summoned it. He activated its effect to try to get another HERO from his Deck, but Strickler flipped Sky Striker Mecha – Widow Anchor to negate its effect! Next, Knowles used both copies of Stratos to Xyz Summon Number 41: Bagooska the Terribly Tired Tapir in Defense Position.

Strickler activated Afterburners to destroy Bagooska and then sent Shizuku to the Graveyard to Link Summon Kagari. He used Kagari’s effect to return Engage from his Graveyard to his hand, and then activated Engage to add Sky Striker Mobilize – Linkage! to his hand. He attacked directly with Kagari, dropping Knowles down to 4600 Life Points, and then activated Linkage in the Battle Phase to send Kagari to the Graveyard and Special Summon Hayate from his Extra Deck. He attacked directly with Hayate, dropping Knowles down to 3100 Life Points, and then used Hayate’s effect to send Sky Striker Ace – Roze from his Deck to his Graveyard. Next, he activated another copy of Linkage and sent Hayate to the Graveyard to Special Summon Sky Striker Ace – Kaina from his Extra Deck with 1000 extra Attack Points. He attacked directly for 2500 points of damage, dropping Knowles down to 600 Life Points. In Main Phase 2, Strickler activated another Engage to add Sky Striker Mecha Modules – Multirole from his Deck to his hand and draw a card. He activated Multirole and then sent Kaina to the Graveyard to Link Summon Shizuku. He Set a card to his back row and then used Shizuku’s effect to add Shark Cannon from his Deck to his hand. He activated it to banish Stratos from the Graveyard and then Set a Widow Anchor back to the field with Multirole.

Knowles drew D – Force and activated it. He added Destiny HERO – Plasma from his Deck to his hand. He Normal Summoned Elemental HERO Liquid Soldier and activated its effect to try to Special Summon Stratos; but Strickler flipped Widow Anchor and negated its effect. “On to game 2,” Knowles said as he conceded.

Ryan Strickler wins the first Duel with his Sky Striker Deck!

Duel Two

Knowles opened up Duel 2 with Elemental HERO Faris, Vision HERO Vyon, Fusion Destiny, Eradicator Epidemic Virus, and Destiny HERO – Denier. He started off the Duel by discarding Denier to Special Summon Faris. Next, he used Faris’s effect to place Vision HERO – Increase in his Spell & Trap Card Zone. He used Increase’s effect to Tribute Faris and Special Summon Increase, then used Increase’s effect to Special Summon Vision HERO – Vyon. He used Vyon’s effect to send Destiny HERO – Malicious from his Deck to his Graveyard. Next, he used Vyon’s other effect by banishing Faris from his Graveyard and added Polymerization from his Deck to his hand. He banished Malicious from his Graveyard to Special Summon another copy from his Deck next, and then sent Malicious and Increase to the Graveyard to Link Summon Xtra HERO Cross Crusader. He used its effect to Special Summon Denier from his Graveyard and then used Denier’s effect to send Malicious from his banished zone to the top of his Deck. Next, he banished Malicious from his Graveyard to Special Summon another one from his Deck. He used Cross Crusader’s effect to Tribute a Malicious and add Elemental HERO Stratos to his hand. He Normal Summoned Stratos and used its effect to add Elemental HERO Liquid Soldier to his hand. Next, he sent Cross Crusader and Vyon to the Graveyard to Link Summon Xtra HERO Infernal Devicer. He used its effect to reveal Elemental HERO Shining Neos Wingman from his Extra Deck and add Elemental HERO Neos to his hand. He sent Infernal Devicer and Stratos to the Graveyard to Link Summon Xtra HERO Wonder Driver. He activated Polymerization next, fusing Liquid Soldier with Neos to Summon Elemental HERO Flame Wingman – Infernal Rage. He used the effects of Liquid Soldier, Infernal Rage, and Wonder Driver. He Set Polymerization to his field with Wonder Driver’s effect, added Favorite Contact to his hand with Infernal Rage’s effect, and used Liquid Soldier’s effect to draw Destiny HERO – Plasma and Miracle Fusion before discarding Vision HERO – Vyon from his hand. Next, he used Infernal Rage’s effect to Tribute it and Special Summon Elemental HERO Sunrise from his Extra Deck. He flipped Polymerization next, fusing Denier with Sunrise to Summon Destiny HERO – Destroyer Phoenix Enforcer. Next, he banished a Malicious from his Graveyard to Special Summon another one from his Deck, and used Denier’s effect in the Graveyard to Special Summon it to the field. He Tributed Malicious, Wonder Driver, and Denier to Summon Destiny HERO – Plasma and then activated Miracle Fusion. He banished Infernal Rage and Elemental HERO Neos from his Graveyard to Special Summon Wake Up Your Elemental HERO in Defense Position. Next, he activated Fusion Destiny! He sent Destiny HERO – Dreadmaster, Destiny HERO – Plasma, and Destiny HERO – Celestial from his Deck to his Graveyard to Special Summon Destiny HERO – Dominance from his Extra Deck. Strickler activated the effect of Nibiru, the Primal Being on its Summon, and Knowles Chained the effect of his Destroyer Phoenix Enforcer to destroy the Destroyer Phoenix Enforcer and Dominance. Nibiru cleared the remaining monsters from the field and left Knowles with a Primal Being Token. Knowles activated the effects of Dominance and Destroyer Phoenix Enforcer. Dominance’s effect resolved to Special Summon Dreadmaster, Denier, and Destroyer Phoenix Enforcer from the Graveyard. Knowles Set Favorite Contact and Eradicator Epidemic Virus before passing his turn.

In Strickler’s Standby Phase, Knowles Special Summoned Dominance back to his field with the effect of the Destroyer Phoenix Enforcer had had activated on the previous turn. Next, he activated Eradicator Epidemic Virus by Tributing Dreadmaster and declaring Spells. Strickler Chained Forbidden Droplet by sending 2 cards from his hand and the Nibiru from his field to his Graveyard, then Chained Linkage to send Droplet to the Graveyard and Special Summon Kagari from his Extra Deck. Eradicator Epidemic Virus resolved to send Change of Heart from Knowles’s hand to his Graveyard, and then Kagari’s effect resolved to return Afterburners from his Graveyard to his hand. He used Afterburners to target Destroyer Phoenix Enforcer for destruction, and then Knowles Chained Favorite Contact to Special Summon Elemental HERO Shining Neos Wingman. After the Destroyer Phoenix Enforcer was destroyed by Afterburners, Neos Wingman cleared Strickler’s field and Strickler conceded!

The Match is going to a third and final Duel!

Duel Three

Strickler once again chose for Knowles to go first.

Knowles opened up with Reinforcement of the Army, Eradicator Epidemic Virus, Fusion Destiny, and 2 copies of Elemental HERO Stratos. He activated Reinforcement of the Army to add Elemental HERO – Liquid Soldier from his Deck to his hand and then Normal Summoned Stratos. He activated its effect, but lost out to Stricker’s Infinite Impermanence. Next, Knowles activated Fusion Destiny, but lost out to Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring! He passed, disappointed with how his turn played out.

Strickler activated Sky Striker Mobilize – Engage! and added Raye from his Deck to his hand.

He Normal Summoned it and then sent it to the Graveyard to Link Summon Sky Striker Ace – Kagari. He used Kagari’s effect to return Engage to his hand and then activated the Engage to add Widow Anchor from his Deck to his hand. He sent Kagari to the Graveyard to Link Summon Hayate and then attacked directly with Hayate using its effect. He activated Linkage next, suddenly realizing he forgot to use Hayate’s effect to send a card from his Deck to his Graveyard! He sent Hayate to the Graveyard to Special Summon Shizuku from his Extra Deck with Linkage, and then entered Main Phase 2. He Set 2 cards to his back row and then added Afterburners from his Deck to his hand with Shizuku’s effect in the End Phase.

Knowles drew Elemental HERO Neos and then Normal Summoned Stratos. He activated its effect, but Strickler flipped Widow Anchor to negate it. Next, he combined his 2 copies of Stratos to Xyz Summon Bagooska in Attack Position and attacked Shizuku to destroy it and inflict 300 points of damage. Strickler used Raye’s effect to Special Summon it from the Graveyard and then Tributed it in the End Phase to Special Summon Kagari from his Extra Deck. He used Kagari’s effect to return Engage from his Graveyard to his hand.

Strickler drew a card and then sent Kagari to the Graveyard to Link Summon Kaina. He activated Engage and then time in the round was called! With Strickler up by 1200 Life Points before gaining Life Points with Kaina’s effect, Strickler was declared the winner of the final Duel at the end of the Main Phase!

Ryan Strickler and his Sky Striker Deck defeat Chad Knowles and his HERO Deck in a close Round 1 Match! Strickler is moving on with a 1-0 record!