Round 7 is underway, and we’ve got two top tier Duelists! Michael Johnson, from Washington, D.C., is here with Labrynth. He’s facing YCS Champion Steven Santoli, from Hamilton, ON, playing Vanquish Soul. Both Duelists have strong records so far, but they’ll need to keep winning to stay in competition!

Duel 1

Johnson won the roll and played first. He led with Pot of Prosperity, banishing six cards from his Extra Deck and Santoli felt it was worth his Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring. Johnson Normal Summoned Arianna the Labrynth Servant to get Big Welcome Labrynth. He Set three cards.

Santoli had Pot of Prosperity, “Infernoble Arms – Durendal”, Vanquish Soul Razen, and Kashtira Fenrir. He drew another Durendal. He Special Summoned Fenrir, and Johnson flipped Destructive Daruma Karma Cannon to flip both players’ monsters face-down. Santoli played Pot of Prosperity, banishing six cards to add Vanquish Soul Heavy Borger to his hand. He Normal Summoned Razen and used its effect. Johnson flipped Skill Drain, and Santoli Chained Heavy Borger to return Razen to his hand. Since Skill Drain only affects face-up monsters, Razen’s effect resolved as normal and put Vanquish Soul Caesar Valius in his hand. He Special Summoned Caesar Valius by returning Heavy Borger to his hand, then destroyed Arianna in battle. In Main Phase 2 he equipped Caesar Valius with Durendal, and used it to add another Razen to his hand. In the End Phase, Johnson flipped Big Welcome Labrynth to Special Summon Lady Labrynth of the Silver Castle, returning it to his hand, and then he finally Special Summoned Lady again with its effect.

Johnson Normal Summoned Arianna and activated its effect, then Chained Big Welcome’s effect in his Graveyard to return Arianna to his hand. That let him dodge Skill Drain, and Ariana added a new Big Welcome to his hand. He switched Lady Labrynth to Attack Position and destroyed Fenrir in battle. He Set one back row card.

Santoli drew Stake your Soul! for the turn. He played Durendal and used it to add his third Razen to his hand. He Normal Summoned Razen and activated it, then Chained Heavy Borger to bounce Razen. Razen’s effect put another Caesar Valius in his hand. He used Stake your Soul! to Special Summon Vanquish Soul Pantera. He used Heavy Borger’s burn effect, then Chained Caesar Valius to get it out of Skill Drain’s effect. Heavy Borger dealt 1500 direct damage. He crashed one Caesar Valius into Lady Labrynth, destroying both monsters. He attacked with Pantera, and Johnson flipped Big Welcome to Special Summon a new Lady Labrynth and return it to his hand. He Special Summoned Lady in Defense Position with its effect. Santoli sent his second Caesar Valius to attack Lady. Pantera returned in the End Phase due to Stake your Soul!.

Johnson repeated last turn’s play with Arianna, bouncing it with Big Welcome in the Graveyard, and searching for a new Big Welcome. He Set two back row cards. In the End Phase, Santoli used Caesar Valius’s effect to destroy a card, using Heavy Borger to bounce Caesar out of Skill Drain. Caesar destroyed the final Set Big Welcome. Santoli then used Heavy Borger’s burn effect, tagging it out with Caesar.

Santoli drew Dimension Shifter. He used Caesar’s effect to destroy a card, and Chained Heavy Borger. Johnson responded with Dogmatika Punishment, sending Tri-Brigade Arms Bucephalus II to the Graveyard. Punishment destroyed Caesar before it could be returned to the hand, preventing Heavy Borger from hitting the field. Caesar’s effect then finally destroyed Skill Drain. Bucephalus then sent Garura, Wings of Resonant Life to the Graveyard, letting Johnson draw a card. Now that he had no monsters Santoli could Special Summon Pantera.  He Normal Summoned Razen and added Vanquish Soul Jiaolong to his hand. He moved to the Battle Phase, and Johnson first used Arias the Labrynth Butler to Set Trap Trick. He flipped Trap Trick, banishing a Destructive Daruma Karma Cannon from his Deck to place his final Destructive Daruma Karma Cannon on the field. He activated it to flip Santoli’s monsters face-down and survive, and Santoli chained Razen’s effect to make it not destroyed by effects this turn. That wouldn’t do anything against Karma Cannon, but it let him Special Summon Jiaolong in a new Chain. He attacked directly, then used Jiaolong’s effect to add Vanquish Soul Snow Devil to his hand. He used Jiaolong to Link Summon Rock of the Vanquisher, then Set Snow Devil.

In Johnson’s Draw Phase, Santoli flipped Snow Devil get back one EARTH, FIRE, and DARK monster and finish off the last of Johnson’s Life Points!

Duel 2

Johnson started with Pot of Prosperity again, and Santoli had Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring just like last time. Johnson Set three cards.

Santoli had Vanquish Soul Pantera, Vanquish Soul Dr. Mad Love, Lightning Storm, and Durendal. He drew Vanquish Soul Razen. He didn’t hesitate to play Lightning Storm, and Johnson flipped Solemn Judgment to protect his other two cards. Santoli Normal Summoned Dr. Mad Love, which added Vanquish Soul – Continue? to his hand. He Link Summoned Rock of the Vanquisher, then equipped it with Durendal. Johnson Chained Trap Trick to put Destructive Daruma Karma Cannon on the field, then Chained to Special Summon Lady Labrynth of the Silver Castle from his hand. Santoli used Durendal to get another Razen. He used Rock’s effect to Special Summon a monster, Johnson responded with Karma Cannon, and Santoli Chained Continue to return Dr. Mad Love to his hand. Karma Cannon flipped Lady face-down and sent Rock to the Graveyard. Then Rock’s effect Special Summoned Razen, which added Caesar Valius to his hand. Razen was in the same column as Lady, and its effect destroyed Lady. He returned Razen to Special Summon Caesar Valius, which destroyed a Set Eradicator Epidemic Virus. Johnson was wide open with no cards left, and he just paid 4000 Life Points into Solemn Judgment. He offered the handshake!

Steven Santoli comes out on top with Vanquish Soul!