Jacob Vincent from Halifax, Nova Scotia and Neil Panfiel from Scarborough, Ontario are both currently 7-3 in the Advanced Main Event at YCS Montréal, making a victory in each of the remaining Swiss Rounds crucial for them. Now, they’re facing off in this Round 11 Feature Match. Vincent is using an Atlantean Mermail Deck, while Penafiel’s Deck is built around Light and Darkness Ritual. Atlantean Mermail Decks have waned in popularity over the years, but remain capable of taking rapid victories. Will it be able to decisively defeat Penafiel’s tried and true Light and Darkness Ritual strategy? We’re about to find out – it’s time to Duel!

Duel One

Vincent opened up Duel 1 with Poseidra, the Storming Atlantean, Abyssrhine, the Atlantean Spirit, Called by the Grave, Droll & Lock Bird, and First Penguin.

He Special Summoned First Penguin from his hand and then used its effect by discarding Droll & Lock Bird and revealing Deep Sea Repetiteur from his Extra Deck. Penafiel Chained Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring’s effect, and Vincent Chained Called by the Grave targeting Ash Blossom to make sure his First Penguin’s effect resolved. He added Atlantean Dragoons from his Deck to his hand and then activated Abyssrhine’s effect by Tributing the Abyssrhine and Dragoons from his hand. He Special Summoned Superancient Deepsea King Coelacanth from his Deck and added Neptabyss, the Atlantean Prince from his Deck to his hand with the effect of Dragoons. He Normal Summoned Neptabyss and activated its effect. He sent a Dragoons from his Deck to his Graveyard and added another Dragoons from his Deck to his hand. He then used the effect of the Dragoons he sent to the Graveyard to add Deep Sea Minstrel from his Deck to his hand. He activated the Minstrel’s effect by discarding Minstrel and Dragoons, prompting Penafiel to Chain the effect of Griffoh. He discarded it to Set Mind Shuffle from his Deck and then Vincent looked at Penafiel’s hand of Fallen of Albaz, Fallen of the White Dragon, and Celtic Mystic, banishing the Fallen of Albaz until the End Phase. In a new Chain, Vincent used the effect of his Dragoons to add Moulinglacia the Elemental Lord from his Deck to his hand. With exactly 5 WATER monsters in his Graveyard, he Special Summoned it and activated its effect, forcing Penafiel to discard the Celtic Mystic and Fallen of the White Dragon. Vincent sent First Penguin and Neptabyss to the Graveyard to Link Summon Marincess Coral Anemone and then activated the effect of his Coelacanth by discarding Poseidra. He Special Summoned Butterfly Fish, Mermail Abysspike, and Gluttonous Reptolphin Greethys from his Deck. He sent Abysspike and Greethys to the Graveyard to Synchro Summon White Aura Monoceros and activated its effect to try to Special Summon Greethys. Penafiel Chained Mind Shuffle and used its effect to add Skull Archfiend of Chaos from his Deck to his hand and discard it. After Vincent Special Summoned Greethys back to the field, Penafiel used his Skull Archfiend’s effect by sending Light and Darkness Ritual from his Deck to his Graveyard. Penafiel added Magician of Dark Chaos – Black Chaos from his Deck to his hand with the effect of the Skull Archfiend. Next, Vincent combined his two Level 3 monsters to Xyz Summon LeVirtue Dragon and used its effect to add Virtue Stream from his Deck to his hand. He detached an Xyz Material from it to activate its other effect and return a Dragoons from his Graveyard to his hand. Next, he combined Coelacanth with Monoceros to Xyz Summon Abysstrite, the Atlantean Spirit in Defense Position and used Abysstrite’s effect to Special Summon a Dragoons from his Graveyard. He activated the effect of Coral Anemone next and Special Summoned Greethys from the Graveyard. He Tuned Greethys with Dragoons to Synchro Summon Deep Sea Prima Donna in Defense Position, and used Greethys’s effect to increase Prima Donna’s ATK by 200. He used Abysstrite as an Xyz Material to Summon Poseidra Abyss, the Atlantean Dragon Lord next. He sent Coral Anemone, Poseidra Abyss, and LeVirtue to the Graveyard to Link Summon Mermail King – Neptabyss. He then used Poseidra Abyss’s effect and discarded a Dragoons to Special Summon Greethys, Butterfly Fish, and Abyssrhine back from his Graveyard. He used the effect of Dragoons to add Neptabyss, the Atlantean Prince from his Deck to his hand. He sent Greethys, Butterfly Fish, and Abyssrhine to the Graveyard to Synchro Summon Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier! Trishula gained 200 ATK from Greethys’s effect. He banished the card in Penafiel’s hand, the Mind Shuffle from the field, and the Light and Darkness Ritual in the Graveyard with Trishula’s effect. Next, he activated Prima Donna’s effect. He returned Ash Blossom from the Graveyard to Penafiel’s hand and Special Summoned Mermail Shadow Squad from his Deck. He Tuned it with Prima Donna to Summon Icejade Gymir Aegirine. Next, he activated Prima Donna’s effect to shuffle Penafiel’s banished Fallen of Albaz back into his Deck. He Set Virtue Stream and then ended his turn.

Penafiel drew a card and then used the effect of the Skull Archfiend of Chaos’s to try to Special Summon it from his Graveyard by returning his 3 banished cards to the bottom of the Deck. Vincent Chained the effect of Icejade Gymir Aegirine to banish the Skull Archfiend, and Penafiel finally conceded.

Jacob Vincent tears apart Neil Penafiel’s hand on the first turn to take a decisive win in the first Duel! Penafiel chose to go first in Duel 2.

Duel Two

Penafiel started off Duel 2 by Setting 2 cards to his back row.

He Normal Summoned Celtic Mystic and then activated its effect; but Vincent Chained the effect of Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring to negate it! Penafiel followed up by flipping up Ragged Records of Rites. He revealed Light and Darkness Ritual from his Deck and added Griffoh from his Deck to his hand. He activated its effect by discarding it and Set Mind Shuffle from his Deck. He immediately flipped it and activated its effect to add Black Chaos from his Deck to his hand and discard Skull Archfiend of Chaos. He activated the Skull Archfiend’s effect by sending Light and Darkness Ritual from his Deck to his Graveyard and added Magician of Dark Chaos – Black Chaos from his Deck to his hand. He used the effect of Light and Darkness Ritual in his Graveyard to return the Ritual and his Skull Archfiend from his Graveyard to his hand. Next, he activated Light and Darkness Ritual. He banished Griffoh from his Graveyard to Special Summon Magician of Dark Chaos from his hand. He then activated the effect of the Skull Archfiend in his hand to Special Summon it by returning Light and Darkness Ritual and Griffoh to his own Deck, and Ash Blossom to Vincent’s Deck. Next, he sent Skull Archfiend and the Mystic to the Graveyard to Synchro Summon Chaos Angel.

Vincent drew Dominus Impulse and added it to his hand of Neptabyss, the Atlantean Prince, Greethys, Mermail Abysspike, and First Penguin. In the Draw Phase, Penafiel used Mind Shuffle’s effect to add Skull Archfiend to his hand and discard it. He used its effect by sending Light and Darkness Ritual from his Deck to his Graveyard and added Black Luster Soldier – Soldier of Light and Darkness from his Deck to his hand. Vincent Special Summoned First Penguin in his Main Phase and then activated its effect by discarding Greethys and revealing Deep Sea Repetiteur from his Extra Deck. He added Atlantean Dragoons from his Deck to his hand with its effect, prompting Penafiel to activate the effect of Droll & Lock Bird. He briefly looked through his Extra Deck and looked at his hand. Unable to make any meaningful plays, he conceded.

The Match is going to a third and final Duel!

Duel Three

Vincent opened up Duel 3 with Atlantean Heavy Infantry, Dominus Impulse, Butterfly Fish, and 2 copies of Mermail Abyssteus. He discarded Butterfly Fish to Special Summon Mermail Abyssteus from his hand and then activated the effects of Abyssteus and the Fish. Penafiel Chained Griffoh’s effect to Set Mind Shuffle from his Deck. The Butterfly Fish’s effect resolved, returning it to Vincent’s hand, and then Abyssteus’s effect resolved to add Abyssrhine, the Atlantean Spirit from his Deck to his hand. Penafiel flipped Mind Shuffle and used its effect to add Skull Archfiend from his Deck to his hand and discard it. He activated its effect by sending Light and Darkness Ritual from his Deck to his Graveyard and added Black Luster Soldier – Soldier of Light and Darkness from his Deck to his hand. Vincent continued his turn by Summoning another Abyssteus with its effect by discarding Butterfly Fish. Next, he combined both copies of Abyssteus to Xyz Summon Abysstrite, the Atlantean Spirit. He activated its effect to try to Special Summon Butterfly Fish from his Graveyard. Penafiel Chained the effect of Fydraulis Harmonia, but Vincent negated it by activating Dominus Impulse from his hand! Vincent Special Summoned the Fish and then upgraded Abysstrite into Poseidra Lord. He detached both copies of Abyssteus and sent Mermail Shadow Squad from his Deck to his Graveyard to activate its effect and return Mind Shuffle from Penafiel’s field to his hand. Next, he activated the Shadow Squad’s effect to Special Summon Neptabyss, the Atlantean Prince from his Deck. He activated Neptabyss’s effect by sending Dragoons from his Deck to his Graveyard and added another Dragoons from his Deck to his hand. Then he used the effect of his Dragoons to add Deep Sea Minstrel from his Deck to his hand. He activated the Minstrel’s effect by discarding it along with Dragoons, revealing Penafiel’s hand of Black Luster Soldier, Mind Shuffle, Celtic Mystic, Pot of Sloth, Harmonia, and Blazing Cartesia, the Virtuous. He banished the Pot of Sloth until the End Phase and then used the Dragoons’s effect to add Poseidra, the Storming Atlantean from his Deck to his hand. He activated Abyssrhine’s effect in his hand by Tributing the Neptabyss on his field and the Abyssrhine in his hand and Special Summoned Coelacanth from his Deck. He used the Neptabyss’s effect to Special Summon Shadow Squad from his Deck. Next, he combined his Fish with his Shadow Squad to Xyz Summon LeVirtue Dragon and used its effect to add Virtue Stream from his Deck to his hand. Next, he detached an Xyz Material from LeVirtue Dragon to add a Dragoons to his hand. He sent LeVirtue and Poseidra to the Graveyard to Link Summon Coral Anemone and then used the Poseidra’s effect by discarding Dragoons from his hand. He Special Summoned Shadow Squad, Minstrel, and Abyssrhine from his Graveyard and then used the effect of Dragoons to add a Neptabyss from his Deck to his hand. He Tuned his 3 newly Summoned monsters together to Synchro Summon Trishula and used its effect to banish Blazing Cartesia from Penafiel’s hand and Light and Darkness Ritual from his Graveyard. He discarded Poseidra to use Coelacanth’s effect next and Special Summoned Greethys and 2 copies of Mermail Abysspike from his Deck. He Tuned Greethys with an Abysspike to Synchro Summon White Aura Monoceros and used its effect to Special Summon Greethys. He then Tuned Greethys with Abysspike to Synchro Summon Deep Sea Prima Donna. Next, he combined Coelacanth with Monoceros to Xyz Summon Mermail Abyssgaios. He then activated Prima Donna’s effect. He returned Light and Darkness Ritual to Penafiel’s hand and Special Summoned Testudo erat Numen from his Deck. He then used Coral Anemone’s effect to Special Summon Butterfly Fish from his Graveyard. He sent the Fish and Prima Donna to the Graveyard to Link Summon Mistar Boy and then activated Prima Donna’s effect to shuffle the banished Pot of Sloth back into Penafiel’s Deck so that it couldn’t return to his hand. He Set Virtue Stream and then ended his turn.

Penafiel drew a card and then Normal Summoned Celtic Mystic. He activated its effect, but Vincent Chained the effect of his Abyssgaios to negate it. Penafiel conceded, completely outmatched by Vincent’s field.

Jacob Vincent wins the Match with his Atlantean Mermail Deck!