Round 2 of the Advanced Format Main Event at YCS Montréal is about to begin! For this Feature Match, we have two Canadian Duelists facing off, both piloting Decks using the Ryzeal engine. Youcef Islem Hamimi, a player from Quebec, is playing the Blitzclique Ryzeal strategy, while Marcus Ho, from British Columbia, is running the Mitsurugi Ryzeal Deck! Each Duelist won their respective first rounds, but will need to continue winning if they hope to make it to Day 2. It’s time to Duel!

Duel 1

Hamimi opened the first Duel with The Fallen & The Virtuous, Hideout in the Sky, Coulomb, Surge Blitzclique, Mulcharmy Purulia, and Crackle Blitzclique.

Ho won the die roll and chose to go first! During the Standby Phase, Hamimi activated the effect of Mulcharmy Purulia. Ho started his turn by Normal Summoning Ice Ryzeal, Special Summoning Star Ryzeal from the Deck. He activated Star’s effect, Setting Ryzeal Cross to the field as Hamimi activated the effect of Crackle Blitzclique, destroying Star and Special Summoning Crackle. Ho then activated Ragged Records of Rites, searching for Ame no Habakiri no Mitsurugi! He activated Habakiri’s effect, Special Summoning and Tributing Mitsurugi no Mikoto, Saji, then searched for Mitsurugi RItual. He activated Ritual, Tributing Mitsurugi no Mikoto, Kusanagi and Night Sword Serpent from the Deck to Special Summon Habakiri. He added Ritual back to hand and Special Summoned Night Sword Serpent, then used Serpent and Ice to Xyz Summon Ryzeal Duo Drive! Ho activated Cross, then activated RItual once again, Tributing Habakiri to bring out Ame no Murakumo no Mitsurugi, then brought back Habakiri and searched for Mitsurugi Prayers. 

From here, Ho activated the effect of Duo Drive, detaching two materials from it to search for both Node Ryzeal and Sword Ryzeal. He Special Summoned Sword and searched for Ext Ryzeal, then Special Summoned Ext Ryzeal by sending Evilswarm Exciton Knight to the Graveyard. Next, Ho used Duo Drive and Sword to Xyz Summon Eclipse Twins! He brought out Node Ryzeal, then sent Habakiri to the Graveyard to bring back Ice and used the two to Xyz Summon Ryzeal Detonator. Finally, he Set a card to his backrow and ended his turn. 

Hamimi drew Blitzclique – Breakaway for turn! He started Normal Summoning his own copy of Sword Ryzeal and searching for Ext Ryzeal. Here, Ho activated the effect of Detonator, destroying his own Eclipse Twins. In the following Chain, Ho used the effect of Twins, Special Summoning back Duo Drive from the Graveyard, and Hamimi Chained The Fallen & The Virtuous to destroy Ho’s Ryzeal Cross! Ho Chained the effect of Murakumo, but Hamimi discarded a copy of Coulomb so that his The Fallen & The Virtuous could resolve. Next, Hamimi used Crackle’s effect to send Blitzclique – Breakaway to the Graveyard as Ho attached Node Ryzeal to Duo Drive as Xyz Material. Hamimi then activated Breakaway, returning Crackle to hand to destroy Ho’s Set card, but Ho Chained by activating the Set Mitsurugi Prayers, paying 800 Life Points to Special Summon Mitsurugi no Mikoto, Kusanagi from the Graveyard and adding Mitsurugi Ritual back to hand. From here, Hamimi Special Summoned Ext Ryzeal by sending Mereologic Aggregator to the Graveyard, using Aggregator’s effect to negate the effect of Ho’s Detonator, as well as Ext’s effect to search for Ice Ryzeal. He used Sword and Ext to Xyz Summon his own Ryzeal Detonator and attached it with Aggregator as Xyz Material. 

With Detonator’s effect negated, Hamimi activated Hideout in the Sky, Coulomb, then Special Summoned Surge Blitzclique from hand and destroyed Ho’s Kusanagi. This allowed him to add both Coulomb and Breakaway from his Graveyard back to hand! He used the effect of Coulomb to Special Summon a Token to Ho’s side of the field and search for Whisker Blitzclique, then activated Whisker’s effect! He Special Summoned Whisker and two copies of Crackle from hand, then destroyed Ho’s Detonator, Murakumo, and Duo Drive all at once! Hamimi used Surge’s effect to search for Emi Blitzclique, then Special Summoned Emi and destroyed Ho’s Ext. Hamimi proceeded to the Battle Phase and destroyed the Token in battle, then attacked Ho’s Life Points directly with his remaining monsters to win the first Duel!

Duel 2

Hamimi opened the second Duel with Ext Ryzeal, Ice Ryzeal, Droll & Lock Bird, Pot of Prosperity, and Blitzclique – Breakaway. 

Ho chose to go first once again! He Special Summoned  Ext Ryzeal by sending Evilswarm Exciton Knight to the Graveyard and searched for Sword Ryzeal. On resolution, Hamimi activated the effect of Droll & Lock Bird, preventing Ho from adding cards from his Deck to his hand for the rest of the turn. Ho Special Summoned Sword, then used Sword and Ext to Xyz Summon Number 41: Bagooska the Terribly Tired Tapir in Defense Position. He Set a card to his backrow and ended his turn. 

Hamimi drew Surge Blitzclique for turn! He also started his turn by Special Summoning Ext Ryzeal, sending Mereologic Aggregator to the Graveyard. He used Aggregator’s effect to negate the effect of Bagooska and Ext’s effect to search for Sword. However, Ho activated the effect of his own Droll & Lock Bird! Hamimi Special Summoned Sword Ryzeal, then used Sword and Ext to Xyz Summon Ryzeal Detonator; however, Ho activated Solemn Warning, negating the summon of Detonator and destroying it. Hamimi Normal Summoned Ice and activated its effect, but Ho Chained the effect of Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring. Hamimi then activated the effect of Surge Blitzclique, destroying Ho’s Bagooska and Special Summoning Surge, then attacked Ho’s Life Points directly with both Surge and Ice. In Main Phase 2, Hamimi Set a card to his backrow and ended his turn. 

Ho drew for turn, but simply Set a monster in face-down Defense Position and ended his turn. 

Hamimi drew Lava Golem for turn! He began by activating Pot of Prosperity and adding Sword Ryzeal to hand. He Normal Summoned Sword Ryzeal and searched for Ice Ryzeal, then activated Breakaway to return Sword to hand and destroy Ho’s face-down Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring! Hamimi then used Surge’s effect to search for Whisker Blitzclique, then Normal Summoned Ice Ryzeal. He attacked Ho’s Life Points directly with Surge and both copies of Ice to wipe out the rest of Ho’s Life Points and win the second Duel! 

With the victory, Hamimi improves to 2-0 here at YCS Montréal!