Welcome to Day 2 of YCS Sacramento! We’re getting right back into the competition with this Feature Match, pitting Jason Le from Irvine, California against Julien Kehon, all the way from Nice, France! Le’s one of the highest placing Labrynth Duelists in the tournament so far, packing the brain-busting Simultaneous Equation Cannon! Kehon’s here with Fiendsmith Snake-Eye, which has remained the most popular Deck of the tournament for a reason. The strategy’s capable of huge Link Summon sequences, and it’s incredibly consistent and resilient.

Duel 1

Kehon won the dice roll. He started by Normal Summoning Snake-Eyes Poplar, adding Divine Temple of the Snake-Eye to his hand. He played it, putting Snake-Eye Oak in his back row. He activated WANTED: Seeker of Sinful Spoils to get Snake-Eyes Diabellstar to his hand. He discarded that to Special Summon Diabellstar the Black Witch, which Set Original Sinful Spoils – Snake-Eye on the field. He did some quick math before making his next move, using Diabellstar and Poplar to Link Summon I:P Masquerena. Poplar put Snake-Eyes Diabellstar in the back row. He then Special Summoned it by putting Poplar in the back row. He Link Summoned Selene, Queen of the Master Magicians, and had it Special Summon Snake-Eyes Diabellstar. He Link Summoned Apollousa, Bow of the Goddess with his two monsters.

Kehon flipped up Original Sinful Spoils – Snake-Eye, sending Oak to the Graveyard to Special Summon Snake-Eye Ash. Ash added another Poplar to his hand, and he Special Summoned it. He used Ash’s effect, sending Ash and the back row Poplar to the Graveyard to Special Summon Snake-Eyes Flamberge Dragon. Flamberge put I:P Masquerena in his back row. He used Flamberge and Poplar to Link Summon Moon of the Closed Heaven. Flamberge revived Poplar and Oak, and Oak revived Ash. He used Moon to Link Summon Fiendsmith’s Requiem, then that to Special Summon Fiendsmith Engraver. He used Engraver and Oak to Link Summon Fiendsmith’s Sequence.

Sequence fused the Engraver, Requiem, and Moon into Fiendsmith’s Desirae! He used Poplar and Sequence to Link Summon Promethean Princess, Bestower of Flames, then Special Summoned Flamberge with Promethean Princess’s effect. He equipped Sequence to Desirae. Then he used Princess and Ash to Link Summon Knightmare Phoenix, co-linked with Apollousa. Finally, he banished WANTED from his Graveyard to put Original on the bottom of his Deck and draw a card. He did a little more math before ending his turn – he knew Le was playing Simultaneous Equation Cannon, and was trying his best to play around it.

Le started with Arianna the Labrynth Servant, Welcome Labrynth, Big Welcome Labrynth, Skill Drain, and Terrors of the Overroot. In his Draw Phase he picked up… Simultaneous Equation Cannon! Time to find out if Kehon’s homework paid off! He moved to his Main Phase, then directly into the Battle Phase. Kehon had no response, and Le exited the Battle Phase. Kehon laughed at the Evenly Matched bluff, and Le Set all his Trap Cards. Before Le could move to the End Phase, Kehon used Flamberge to Special Summon I:P Masquerena. He activated I:P, using it and Flamberge to Link Summon S:P Little Knight, which banished Welcome Labrynth.

Still in the Main Phase, Le Normal Summoned Arianna, and Kehon negated it with Apollousa. Le used Arianna to Link Summon Super Starslayer TY-PHON – Sky Crisis, triggering Kehon’s Promethean Princess waiting in the Graveyard. Princess returned to the field, destroying TY-PHON and Kehon’s own Knightmare Phoenix.

Kehon drew his card, and Le started counting Kehon’s cards. He flipped Simultaneous Equation Cannon! Kehon Chained S:P’s effect, targeting itself and Promethean Princess, hoping to alter the math or at least save his monsters. Le responded with Terrors of the Overroot targeting S:P Little Knight on the field and Snake-Eyes Diabellstar in the Graveyard. Kehon responded with Desirae, trying to negate Terrors of the Overroot and Simultaneous Equation Cannon.

Now that he’d forced Desirae’s activation, Le was finally safe to flip up Skill Drain! All the monsters were negated, Overroot swapped S:P with Snake-Eyes Diabellstar, and finally, it was time for mathematics. Simultaneous Equation Cannon resolved, and Le banished Gunkan Suship Uni-Class Super Dreadnought from his Extra Deck (as a shoutout to Suship Duelist, cosplayer, and frequent YCS attendee Forbes Ku), then revealed ZW – Dragonic Halberd and Geri the Runick Fangs. Kehon’s entire field was banished! Kehon could only Set a monster. Le flipped Big Welcome, but Kehon had an Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring to stay in the game.

Le drew Trap Trick and Set it.

Kehon activated Fiendsmith Engraver from his hand, adding Fiendsmith’s Tract to his hand. He played that, finding Fabled Lurrie and discarding it. Le responded to Lurrie’s effect with Trap Trick, banishing Ice Dragon’s Prison from the Deck to Set another copy. Lurrie hit the field, and Le used Ice Dragon’s Prison to banish Lurrie and an Engraver from the Graveyard.

Le drew Lady Labrynth of the Silver Castle and passed.

Keohn Flip Summoned Effect Veiler, then used Original to send it to the Graveyard. He Special Summoned Snake-Eye Ash with nothing left to use its effect, and attacked directly.

Le drew Runick Flashing Fire. He Set it.

Kehon activated Original’s effect in the Graveyard, adding another Ash to his hand and putting Flamberge on the bottom of his Deck. He Normal Summoned Ash and used it, sending both copies of Ash to the Graveyard to Special Summon Flamberge. It attacked directly.

Le drew another Lady and passed.

Kehon played One for One, sending Fantastical Dragon Phantazmay to the Graveyard, but only had Effect Veiler to Special Summon. He attacked with Flamberge, dropping Le to 200 Life Points!

Le drew Trap Trick! He Set it.

Kehon moved to his Battle Phase. Le flipped Trap Trick, and Chained Lady’s effect to Special Summon the Lady. Trap Trick banished Destructive Daruma Karma Cannon to Set another copy. Flamberge attacked, and Le flipped Karma Cannon to protect his monsters, turning everything face-down. Kehon Flip Summoned Veiler, then Normal Summoned Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit. He Link Summoned Moon, then Link Summoned Requiem. He Special Summoned Engraver from the Deck.

Le drew Big Welcome. He Flip Summoned Lady, then banished Big Welcome from the Graveyard to bounce Flamberge to the hand. Lady destroyed Engraver in battle, putting Kehon down to 6800. He Special Summoned the second Lady from his hand in Defense Position, and Set Big Welcome.

Kehon returned Requiem to the Extra Deck to Special Summon Engraver. He Link Summoned Requiem, using it to get a new Engraver on the field in Defense Position. In the End Phase, Le flipped Big Welcome to Special Summon Lovely Labrynth of the Silver Castle, returning Lady, then Special Summoned Lady.

Le drew another Skill Drain. He moved to the Battle Phase, then flipped Runick Flashing Fire to destroy Engraver. That opened Kehon up to direct attacks from Le’s three giant Labrynth monsters, ending the Duel!

Duel 2

Kehon started the second Duel, leading with Fiendsmith’s Tract. He found and discarded Lurrie, and Special Summoned it. He used it to Link Summon Requiem, then had that Special Summon an Engraver. He equipped Requiem to Engraver, then Normal Summoned Snake-Eye Oak. Oak sent itself and Requiem to the Graveyard to Special Summon Ash, which found Poplar. He Special Summoned Poplar, getting Original Sinful Spoils – Snake-Eye to his hand.

Engraver and Poplar were used to Link Summon Sequence, and Poplar went to the back row. Keon sent Ash and Poplar to the Graveyard to Special Summon Snake-Eyes Flamberge Dragon. He used Sequence’s effect, fusing Requiem and Lurrie into Fiendsmith’s Lacrima. Lacrima Special Summoned Engraver. He used Tract’s effect in the Graveyard, fusing Sequence, Lacrima, and Engraver into Fiendsmith’s Desirae, and Lacrima returned Sequence to the Extra Deck to deal 1200 damage. Kehon returned Lacrima to revive Engraver, then used Engraver and Flamberge to Link Summon Sequence a second time. Flamberge activated its effect in the Graveyard.

Le had a hand of Solemn Strike, Destructive Daruma Karma Cannon, Big Welcome, Arianna, and Skill Drain. Le was looking at his hand, and saw there was 16 minutes remaining on the clock. He didn’t think he had a chance to come back from this powerful opening, and chose to concede here, ensuring he had time on the clock while going first in the final Duel.

Duel 3

Le started the final Duel with Ice Dragon’s Prison, Rivalry of Warlords, Big Welcome, Arianna, and Lord of the Heavenly Prison. He Normal Summoned Arianna, and Kehon had Infinite Impermanence. Le Set all his Trap Cards, then activated Lord of the Heavenly Prison from his hand.

Kehon started with Bonfire to get Snake-Eye Ash. He Normal Summoned Ash, searching Poplar. He Special Summoned Poplar, getting Divine Temple. Le flipped up Rivalry of Warlords to lock Kehon into Pyro monsters! Kehon played Divine Temple, putting another Ash in his back row. He moved to the Battle Phase and Le flipped Big Welcome. He Special Summoned Lovely and retured Arianna. Divine Temple activated as Chain Link 1 and Lovely activated in Chain Link 2, destroying Divine Temple before it could resolve.

Le drew Lady Labrynth. He activated the effect of Lord of the Heavenly Prison, then Normal Summoned Arianna. He added Welcome Labrynth to his hand. Lovely’s effect Set Big Welcome on the field. Arianna destroyed Ash in battle, and Lovely destroyed Poplar. Poplar’s effect put itself in the back row. In Main Phase 2, he used Lady’s effect to Special Summon itself. He Set Welcome Labrynth.

Kehon discarded Fiendsmith Engraver to add Tract to his hand. He played that to find Fabled Lurrie and discarded it. He Special Summoned Lurrie and Le flipped Ice Dragon’s Prison! Then he Chained Lady’s effect to Set Terrors of the Overroot. Ice Dragon’s Prison resolved, banishing Lurrie and an Engraver from the Graveyard. In a new Chain, Arianna let him draw Solemn Judgment, and Lovely destroyed Poplar from Kehon’s hand. Poplar went to the back row. Kehon played WANTED: Seeker of Sinful Spoils to find Diabellstar the Black Witch. He Special Summoned it by sending a Poplar to the Graveyard, and its effect Set another WANTED. Diabellstar destroyed Arianna in battle.

Le drew Skill Drain. He flipped Terrors of the Overroot, putting WANTED face-down on Kehon’s field and sending Diabellstar to the Graveyard. Lovely activated and Kehon used Diabellstar’s effect, sending Poplar to the Graveyard to revive it. Lovely then destroyed Diabellstar again. Le switched Lady to Attack Position, and a moment later Kehon offered the handshake!

Jason Le takes the Match with Labrynth!