Top 8 Feature Match: Gabriel Braithwaite vs. Julien Kehon
For our Top 8 Feature Match, we have an emblematic battle of YCS Orlando: Bystial Maliss versus Fiendsmith Ryzeal! We have Gabriel Braithwaite, from Brooklyn, New York, using the Maliss Deck. His opponent is Julien Kehon, here from France, using Ryzeals.
Duel 1
Braithwaite won the dice roll and played first. He led with three Set cards in his back row.
Kehon had a hand of Effect Veiler, Node Ryzeal, Bonfire, Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring, and Ext Ryzeal. He drew Ryzeal Cross, and in the Draw Phase, Braithwaite flipped Maliss <C> MTP-07 to add Maliss <P> Dormouse to his hand. Kehon played Bonfire, adding Ice Ryzeal to his hand. He Normal Summoned Ice, and Braithwaite played Dominus Impulse from his hand to negate and destroy Ice. Kehon Special Summoned Ext by sending Eclipse Twins to the Graveyard, and used its effect to add Sword Ryzeal to his hand. He Special Summoned Sword, which put another Ice in his hand. He stacked Ext and Sword for Ryzeal Detonator, which attached Eclipse Twins as a material. He Special Summoned Node Ryzeal, discarding Ash Blossom to Special Summon Ice from the Graveyard. He stacked Node and Ice for a second Detonator, then activated Cross. He attacked directly with both Detonators, dropping Braithwaite to 2000 Life Points. In the End Phase, Braithwaite flipped Maliss <C> TB-11. Kehon Chained a Detonator, targeting Braithwaite’s other Set card, and Braithwaite Chained it: Metaltronus! That let him Special Summon his own Detonator, banishing it and Kehon’s. TB-11 resolved, bringing Maliss <P> Chessy Cat to the field.
Braithwaite activated Chessy Cat’s effect, banishing Dormouse to draw two cards. He paid 300 Life Points to Special Summon Dormouse, and Kehon negated Dormouse with Ryzeal Cross, detaching his Detonator’s last material. Braithwaite Normal Summoned Maliss <P> White Rabbit, which Set Maliss <C> GWC-06. He activated Bystial Saronir next, Special Summoning it by banishing Eclipse Twins from Kehon’s Graveyard. He used all three monsters to Link Summon Maliss <Q> Hearts Crypter! Saronir’s effect sent Bystial Magnamhut to the Graveyard. He began moving to the Battle Phase, and Kehon used Veiler on Hearts Crypter while it was still the Main Phase. Braithwaite responded with Bystial Baldrake, banishing White Rabbit from the Graveyard. He was going to be able to flip GWC-06 to banish Hearts Crypter and return it with double the ATK, and Kehon knew he wasn’t going to survive this turn!
Duel 2
Kehon started the next Duel a hand of Ryzeal Cross, Fiendsmith’s Tract, Crossout Designator, Infinite Impermanence, and Ice Ryzeal. He Normal Summoned Ice and used it to Special Summon Ext from his Deck. Ext put Sword in his hand. He played Cross, then Xyz Summoned Ryzeal Duo Drive. He played Fiendsmith’s Tract to find Fabled Lurrie and discarded it. Lurrie hit the field, and he used it to Link Summon Fiendsmith’s Requiem. He tried activating Requiem’s effect, and Braithwaite had Ash Blossom. Kehon responded with Crossout Designator! Requiem resolved and brought Lacrima the Crimson Tears to the field, which sent Fiendsmith Engraver to the Graveyard. He equipped Requiem to Lacrima, then activated Duo Drive. Braithwaite negated it with Infinite Impermanence. Kehon tried to Special Summon Engraver from the Graveyard, returning Lurrie to the Deck, and Braithwaite had Bystial Druiswurm, but Kehon negated Druiswurm with Cross. Kehon Special Summoned Necroquip Princess, and Braithwaite activated Nibiru, the Primal Being! He handed over a 6300/6400 Primal Being Token in Attack Position. Kehon Special Summoned Sword, adding another Ext to his hand. He Special Summoned Ext by sending Eclipse Twins to the Graveyard. Then he used Cross, returning Ext and Ice to the Deck to draw an Engraver. Kehon stacked Sword and Ext for Detonator, which attached Eclipse Twins. He Set Infinite Impermanence to finish the turn.
Braithwaite Normal Summoned Chessy Cat and tried using its effect. Kehon Chained Detonator to destroy it, then Chained Infinite Impermanence to also negate its effect! Braithwaite sent Nibiru to attack Detonator. Nibiru was destroyed, and Kehon chose not to use Detonator’s protection effect. Instead, he let it crash with Nibiru so the attached Eclipse Twins would go to the Graveyard. Eclipse Twins then revived Detonator with the Twins and Duo Drive attached as materials. With Detonator and a monstrous Primal Being Token, this Duel was over!
Duel 3
Braithwaite started the final Duel with Chessy Cat, using it to Link Summon Link Decoder. He used Druiswurm’s effect to banish Chessy Cat and Special Summon the Bystial, then paid 300 Life Points to Special Summon Chessy Cat. He used all his monsters to Link Summon Maliss <Q> Red Ransom, activating its effect as Chain Link 1, and Link Decoder’s as Chain Link 2. Kehon used Infinite Impermanence to negate Red Ransom, and Link Decoder hit the field. Then, Kehon used Nibiru to clear the field! Braithwaite was left with a 2600/0 Primal Being Token in Defense Position. Braithwaite Set a card in his back row.
Kehon had an opening hand of Ash Blossom, Lacrima, and Ext. He drew Fabled Lurrie. He Normal Summoned Lacrima, using it to send Engraver to the Graveyard. He used Lacrima to Link Summon Requiem, and that to Special Summon Engraver from the Deck. He used Engraver and Nibiru to Link Summon Fiendsmith’s Sequence, and activated its effect. Braithwaite flipped Metaltronus, but Kehon negated it with Ash Blossom. Sequence fused the two Engravers and Requiem into Fiendsmith’s Desirae, and Braithwaite had his own Nibiru! Kehon had everything replaced with a Primal Being Token, but used Desirae’s effect, returning Sequence to the Extra Deck to get the Token off his field. That let him Special Summon Ext, sending Mereologic Aggregator to the Graveyard. Ext put Sword in his hand, and Braithwaite revealed his last card: Droll & Lock Bird. Kehon Special Summoned Sword and Xyz Summoned Detonator, which attached Desirae as a material. Detonator attacked Nibiru, destroying it while detaching a material to survive the battle.
Braithwaite had no hand and nothing on the field. He drew his card… Dormouse! He used its effect, banishing White Rabbit from the Deck, and Kehon used Detonator’s effect to destroy Dormouse, detaching Desirae. White Rabbit hit the field and activated its effect, and the detached Desirae activated to send White Rabbit to the Graveyard. White Rabbit’s effect resolved to Set GWC-06.
Kehon drew Node Ryzeal. He Normal Summoned Lurrie and Link Summoned Requiem. That brought Lacrima to the field, which sent Engraver to the Graveyard. He Special Summoned Engraver by returning Desirae to the Extra Deck. He Link Summoned Sequence, then used its effect to fuse Engraver, Lacrima, and Lurrie into Desirae. He used Sequence and Desirae to Link Summon Fiendsmith’s Agnumday, and moved to the Battle Phase. Kehon used Agnumday’s effect to bring Desirae back, and Braithwaite Chained GWC-06 before it could be negated, reviving Red Ransom. Red Ransom was negated by Desirae instead. Kehon then equipped Desirae with Sequence and Requiem. He Special Summoned Node Ryzeal, and Braithwaite offered the handshake!
Julien Kehon is moving to the Top 4 with Fiendsmith Ryzeal!
