Welcome to Day 2 of YCS Raleigh! We’re starting the day with Douglas Haddad, from New Jersey, playing Runick Plunder Patroll! Haddad is known for being a Plunder Patroll aficionado, sporting a pirate hat at every YCS. His opponent is William Wei, from Indiana, playing Branded Voiceless Voice. Will his mix of Rituals and Fusions carry him to victory, or will the Plunder Patroll sink that ship?

Duel 1

Haddad won the dice roll and started first, with two copies of Runick Slumber, Runick Freezing Curses, Evenly Matched, and Goldenhair, the Newest Plunder Patroll. In his Draw Phase, he used Slumber to Special Summon Hugin the Runick Wings, which discarded Evenly Matched. Wei had Ghost Mourner & Moonlit Chill to negate Hugin. Haddad Normal Summoned Goldenhair, tuning it to Hugin for Coral Dragon. He used Freezing Curses to Special Summon another Hugin, discarding his last Slumber, and Wei had Effect Veiler to negate that one too! Haddad tuned Coral Dragon to Hugin for Plunder Patrollship Jord, and Coral Dragon’s effect let him draw Runick Destruction. He used Jord’s effect to return Goldenhair to his hand, moving Jord to the Pendulum Zone. Then he used Jord’s Pendulum effect to give each player an EARTH Plunder Patroll Token. He used Destruction to Special Summon his third Hugin, discarding Goldenhair, and it finally wasn’t negated! He added Runick Fountain to his hand. He used Hugin and his Token to Link Summon Blackbeard, the Plunder Patroll Captain. He used its effect to Special Summon Plunder Patrollship Lys and draw another Runick Destruction. He played Fountain to finish the turn.

In Wei’s Draw Phase, Haddad used Blackbeard’s effect. He Special Summoned a new Jord and equipped Blackbeard to it, then drew Plunder Patroll Shipyarrrd. Wei used Ghost Mourner & Moonlit Chill to try and negate Jord, and Haddad used Lys, discarding Shipyarrrd to negate Ghost Mourner. Wei played Barrier of the Voiceless Voice, and Haddad destroyed it in response with Runick Destruction. Wei had already spent most of his hand with multiple Ghost Mourners and and Effect Veiler, so that Barrier was his only real play. With no followup, he conceded the first Duel!

Duel 2

Wei started this time, with Branded Fusion! He fused Lo, the Prayers of the Voiceless Voice and Fallen of Albaz into Albion the Branded Dragon. Albion then fused itself with Fallen of Albaz, into Predaplant Dragostapelia! He Set two in his back row.

Haddad had Cosmic Cyclone, Runick Slumber, Runick Fountain, Droll & Lock Bird, and Runick Fountain. He drew Runick Smiting Storm. He started with Fountain, then played Smiting Storm to Special Summon Hugin. He activated Fountain, but not Hugin. Fountain returned his spell to the Deck to draw Runick Destruction. He used Cosmic Cyclone to banish Wei’s Set Solemn Judgment. Then he used Runick Destruction on the other Set card, a second Solemn Judgment, and banished some cards from Wei’s Deck. Haddad played Fountain, replacing his other Fountain. Then he played Smiting Storm to banish more cards from Wei’s Deck. He triggerd Fountain, but Wei had Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit to destroy Fountain, and Dragostapelia to place a Predator Counter on Hugin. There was some confusion over what effects Dragostapelia negated, Haddad let the Fountain be destroyed (Dragostapelia only negates activated effects, and Hugin’s protection effect is a Continuous Effect that doesn’t activate). Haddad continued by Normal Summoning Droll & Lock Bird, using it and Hugin to Link Summon S:P Little Knight. He tried to have it banish Dragostapelia, but Wei had Effect Veiler! Haddad had nothing left but Little Knight in the face of Wei’s Dragostapelia, and decided to move on to the third Duel.

Duel 3

Haddad began with Runick Flashing Fire, Freezing Curses, Smiting Storm, Rivalry of Warlords, and Whitebeard, the Plunder Patroll Helm. In his Draw Phase he used Smiting Storm to Special Summon Hugin. He used Hugin’s effect, discarding Flashing Fire, and Wei had Ghost Mourner & Moonlit Chill to negate it. Haddad moved to the Main Phase and Normal Summoned Whitebeard. He Synchro Summoned Coral Dragon, then Chained to Whitebeard’s effect with Freezing Curses to Special Summon Hugin. Whitebeard Special Summoned Goldenhair. Hugin did not activate. He used Hugin and Coral Dragon to play Jord, and Coral’s effect let him draw Crossout Designator. He used Jord’s effect, targeting Whitebeard, but Wei had Infinite Impermanence. Haddad used Jord and Goldenhair to Link Summon Blackbeard. He Set Rivalry and Crossout Designator.

Wei activated Saffira, Dragon Queen of the Voiceless Voice’s effect, discarding it. Haddad Chained Blackbeard’s effect to Special Summon Lys, and he drew Plunder Patroll Booty. Saffira’s effect sent Prayers of the Voiceless Voice to the Graveyard. Wei used Saffira’s Graveyard effect, and Haddad used Lys, discarding Booty to negate it. Wei activated Prayers from the hand, and Haddad Chained Lys’s effect to Special Summon his equipped Blackbeard. Prayers Tributed Lo from his hand to Ritual Summon Skull Guardian, Protector of the Voiceless Voice! He tried to revive Lo from the Graveyard, and Haddad flipped Rivalry to keep Lo there. Skull Guardian’s effect added another Lo to Wei’s hand. Skull Guardian attacked and destroyed Blackbeard, dropping Haddad to 5500 Life Points.

Haddad drew Bluebeard, the Plunder Patroll Shipwright. He Special Summoned it with its effect, then used Bluebeard and Lys to Link Summon another Blackbeard. He used Blackbeard to play a new Lys and drew Runick Fountain. He played Fountain, then had Lys Special Summon the equipped Blackbeard.

Wei played Pot of Prosperity, banishing six cards from the Extra Deck to add Cosmic Cyclone to his hand! He played it on Rivalry, but Haddad flipped Crossout Designator, banishing his own Cosmic Cyclone to negate it! Wei had Skull Guardian destroy the new Blackbeard, dealing half damage due to Pot of Prosperity, dropping Haddad down to 4250 Life Points.

Haddad drew Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit. He passed.

Wei Set a monster, and Skull Guardian destroyed Lys.

Haddad drew Runick Tip! He played it in the Draw Phase, adding Freezing Curses to his hand. He used Fountain’s effect to recycle three spells, drawing Freezing Curses, Destruction, and Flashing Fire. He used Freezing Curses to Special Summon Hugin, which discarded Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit to get his second Fountain in his hand. He moved to the Main Phase and played his second Fountain. He used Flashing Fire, targeting Skull Guardian, and Wei discarded Sauravis, the Ancient and Ascended to negate it. Haddad skipped his Battle Phase and passed the turn.

Wei sent Skull Guardian to destroy Hugin, which returned to the Extra Deck. In the End Phase, Haddad used Runick Destruction to Special Summon Geri the Runick Fangs. Geri returned his other Fountain to the hand, and his on-field Fountain let him draw Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring, Goldenhair, and Blackeyes, the Plunder Patroll Seaguide.

Haddad drew Bluebeard. He Set Freezing Curses and skipped his Battle Phase. Wei Set another monster and moved Skull Guardian to Defense Position.

Haddad drew Runick Slumber. He used it in the Draw Phase, targeting Geri and banishing cards from Wei’s Deck – this was the new gameplan. Fountain let him draw another Slumber and a Flashing Fire. He Set Flashing Fire to avoid discarding a card in the End Phase.

Wei Set a back row card. In the End Phase, Haddad destroyed Skull Guardian with Flashing Fire. Wei used the Graveyard effect of Prayers, and Haddad negated it with Ash Blossom. Then he used Slumber to banish more cards, and Fountain let him draw Runick Tip and Cosmic Cyclone. He played Tip to get Destruction.

Haddad drew Slumber. He used Destruction to destroy a Set Pre-Preparation of Rites and banish four cards. Slumber banished three more cards, and Fountain drew Slumber, Flashing Fire, and Freezing Curses. He Set Cosmic Cyclone and skipped his Battle Phase. He discarded Goldenhair to his hand size limit.

Wei Set a back row card and passed with just 7 cards in his Deck. Haddad flipped Slumber to banish three more, then used Fountain to draw Blackeyes.

Haddad drew Plunder Patroll Shipyarrrd. He Set Blackeyes and skipped his Battle Phase.

Wei flipped Infinite Impermanence to negate both Geri and Rivalry! He Flip Summoned Lo, then Normal Summoned Ghost Mourner. He Link Summoned Lyna the Light Charmer, Lustrous, trying to use its effect, and Haddad used Freezing Curses to negate it and banish the last cards of Wei’s Deck! Wei needed to win right now, and… he offered the handshake!

Douglas Haddad sails to victory with Runick Plunder Patroll!