We are in the final round of the Advanced Format, and Duelists are duking it out to see who will advance to Day 2. 

Mario De Micco, from Montreal, Quebec, is our current TCG World Champion and is using the new Angelechy cards this weekend. These cards have been the talk of the tournament with the new support from Beyond the Brave. 

Kobe Short, from Carencro, Louisiana, is the YCS Pasadena 2019 Champion and is using a Branded Light and Darkness Ritual Deck this weekend. 

Both Duelists are sitting at 18 points, which means that only one of them can advance to Day 2. It’s Time to Duel!

Duel One

De Micco won the dice roll and chose to go first. He started with Effect Veiler, Foolish Burial Goods, Angelechy Verdict, Angelechy Opposition, and Angelechy Strategy Score. 

De Micco started the match by activating Angelechy Opposition, Short Chained Mulcharmy Fuwalos! De Micco Special Summoned Angelechy Seneschal to Short’s field and placed Angelechy Castellan into his back row. In a new Chain, Short activated Seneschal and De Micco Chained Castellan’s effect. De Micco sent Angelechy Disturbance from his Deck to the Graveyard with Castellan’s effect and chose not to Special Summon with Seneschal. He then activated the effect of Disturbance in his Graveyard, but Short negated it with Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring! 

De Micco activated Foolish Burial Goods and sent Angelechy Verdict from his Deck to the Graveyard. He then activated Angelechy Strategy Score and added Angelechy Opening to e4 from his Deck to his hand. De Micco activated the effect of Angelechy Verdict from his Graveyard and discarded Opening to e4 to place Angelechy Shatranga onto the field. He then activated Shatranga’s effect to add another copy of Angelechy Opening to e4 from his Deck to his hand. De Micco Set two cards and ended his turn.

In Short’s Standby Phase, De Micco activated Angelechy Opening to e4! He placed Angelechy Endgame Problem onto the field, Special Summoned Angelechy Enlisted, and then placed Angelechy Bastion into his back row. De Micco then activated Bastion’s effect and placed Angelechy Shatranga onto the field and used its effect to add Angelechy Disturbance from his Deck to his hand. Then, still in the Standby Phase, he activated Endgame Problem’s effect and drew Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring.

Short continued into his Main Phase and activated Gold Sarcophagus and banished Tri-Brigade Mercourier. He activated Mercourier’s effect and added Blazing Cartesia, the Virtuous, from his Deck to his hand. Short then Normal Summoned Cartesia and activated its effect to Fusion Summon Mixousia the Confounder using Cartesia and Skull Archfiend of Chaos from his hand. He activated Skull Archfiend’s effect and sent Light and Darkness Ritual from his hand to the Graveyard to add Magician of Dark Chaos – Black Chaos from his Deck to his hand. Short then shuffled it back into his Deck to Special Summon Black Chaos from his hand! On the Summon, De Micco activated Angelechy Verdict. With 5 Angelechy Monster Cards on the field, De Micco banished Short’s whole field (except for Black Chaos)!

Short activated Black Chaos’ effect and banished both of De Micco’s Shatrangas. Then, he banished Black Chaos to Special Summon Dark Magician of Destruction; he activated its effect but was stopped by De Micco’s Effect Veiler! Short activated Skull Archfiend of Chaos by targeting his banished Black Chaos, along with De Micco’s Strategy Score and Verdict. De Micco Chained the effect of his Verdict in the Graveyard and sent Disturbance to place Angelechy Destrier onto the field. Skull Archfiend was Special Summoned. De Micco then activated Destrier’s effect and added Angelechy Strategy Score from his Deck to his hand.

Short moved into the Battle Phase and attacked Enlisted with Skull Archfiend, then directly with Dark Magician of Destruction. In his Main Phase 2, Short Link Summoned S:P Little Knight and used its effect to banish Destrier. He then used the Light and Darkness Ritual in his Graveyard and added itself and Skull Archfiend back to his hand. 

Short Set 1 card and went to his End Phase. He activated and added back Blazing Cartesia before passing play. In the End Phase, De Micco activated the Disturbance in his Graveyard and added Angelechy Brilliant Move from his Deck to his hand. 

De Micco drew Dominus Impulse at the start of his turn. He went to his Main Phase and activated Brilliant Move to Special Summon his Angelechy Castellan. De Micco activated Castellan and targeted Short’s face-down Mind Shuffle. Short flipped the Mind Shuffle and activated it, but De Micco activated Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring!

In a new Chain, De Micco banished his Brilliant Move from the Graveyard and sent Endgame Problem from the field to the Graveyard to Special Summon Angelechy Destrier. He then activated Angelechy Strategy Score and added Angelechy Opposition from his Deck to his hand. De Micco then used the Opposition in his Graveyard and put five Angelechy cards back into his Deck. He then used the Opposition that he previously added to Special Summon Angelechy Seneschal to Short’s field and Destrier to his back row. Short’s Seneschal activated, and De Micco’s Destrier Chained to it. De Micco added Angelechy Problem with Destrier’s effect and then Special Summoned Angelechy Bastion. He placed Angelechy Problem onto the field, and Short conceded!

With a strategic string of plays, De Micco takes the first Duel! Both Duelists exchanged pleasantries about the first Duel while shuffling up.

Duel Two

Short chose to start the second Duel. In his Standby Phase, De Micco activated Angelechy Opening to e4, and Short Chained Fuwalos! De Micco placed Angelechy Problem and Angelechy Castellan and Special Summoned Angelechy Enlisted to the field. He activated Castellan’s effect but Short Chained The Fallen & The Virtuous and destroyed Castellan by sending Albion the Branded Dragon to the Graveyard. 

Short Set two cards to his back row, then went into his End Phase and used Albion’s effect to Set another copy of The Fallen & The Virtuous onto the field. 

De Micco had two copies of Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit, Foolish Burial Goods, and Dominus Spark. He drew Dominus Impulse at the start of his turn. 

In the Draw Phase, Short activated Mind Shuffle and used its effect to add and discard Skull Archfiend of Chaos, which he activated to add Magician of Dark Chaos – Black Chaos from his Deck to his hand.

In his Main Phase, De Micco activated Foolish Burial Goods and sent Angelechy Disturbance from his Deck to the Graveyard. He then activated Disturbance from the Graveyard and added Angelechy Opposition from his Deck to his hand. In a new Chain, Short activated Griffoh and Set Spell Shattering Sword from his Deck to the field. De Micco activated Angelechy Opposition and Special Summoned Angelechy Seneschal to Short’s field and placed Angelechy Castellan. With Seneschal and Castellan, De Micco sent Verdict from his Deck to the Graveyard and Special Summoned Angelechy Shatranga. He switched Enlisted to Attack Position and went into his Battle Phase. De Micco attacked Seneschal with Enlisted. Short activated Seneschal’s effect and negated the attack before shifting control of Seneschal back to De Micco. De Micco then attacked with both Seneschal and Shatranga directly.

Moving into Main Phase 2, De Micco Synchro Summoned Centur-Ion Legatia and activated its effect to draw Dominus Purge. He ended his turn.

Short started his turn and activated Light and Darkness Ritual to add itself back from the Graveyard. He added back Griffoh and Light and Darkness Ritual. Then, Short activated Branded in High Spirits, but De Micco activated Dominus Purge to negate it! Short activated Light and Darkness Ritual and De Micco Chained Dominus Impulse. He activated Mind Shuffle to add Celtic Mystic before discarding Magician of Dark Chaos – Black Chaos. Short then Normal Summoned Celtic Mystic and revealed Black Chaos and Griffoh to draw three new cards. He discarded Griffoh and Branded Retribution. He shuffled Magician of Dark Chaos – Black Chaos from the Graveyard back into the Deck to Special Summon Black Chaos.

Seeing how much time was left on the clock, and knowing he couldn’t stop Black Chaos, De Micco conceded the second Duel! We’re going to game three!

“Surely this game I won’t open Mind Shuffle,” Short said with a laugh.

Duel Three

De Micco chose to start the final Duel of the night. He opened Dominus Purge, Angelechy Endgame Problem, Angelechy Verdict, Angelechy Strategy Score, and Triple Tactics Talent.

De Micco activated Angelechy Strategy Score to add Angelechy Opposition, which he then activated to Special Summon Angelechy Seneschal to Short’s field and placed Angelechy Castellan onto his own. Both Angelechy cards activated, and De Micco sent Angelechy Disturbance from his Deck to the Graveyard before Special Summoning Angelechy Shatranga to the field. He then banished Disturbance to add Angelechy Problem from his Deck. De Micco activated Problem and discarded Endgame; Short activated Typhoon from his hand! De Micco Set Verdict and moved to his End Phase.

In the End Phase, and since he didn’t open it, Short activated Griffoh and grabbed Mind Shuffle! He activated Mind Shuffle and tried to add a card but was stopped by De Micco’s Dominus Purge from the hand.

Short started his turn and activated Mind Shuffle in the Draw Phase. De Micco Chained Angelechy Verdict to permanently negate Mind Shuffle! Still in the Draw Phase, Short activated another Griffoh and placed Spell Shattering Sword onto the field. He then activated Nadir Servant by sending Ecclesia and the Dark Dragon to add Fallen of the White Dragon from his Deck to his hand. Short Special Summoned Fallen by sending Titaniklad the Ash Dragon to the Graveyard and then used its effect to Special Summon Dogmatika Ecclesia, the Virtuous. He activated Ecclesia’s effect and added The Fallen & The Virtuous from his Deck to his hand.

Short changed Seneschal to Attack Position, and then went into his Battle Phase. Seneschal attacked and crashed into Shatranga. Then Short attacked directly with both Ecclesia and Fallen. In his Main Phase 2, he activated Ecclesia and the Dark Dragon in the Graveyard by trying to put Titaniklad and Castellan back into the Deck. De Micco Chained Angelechy Verdict from his Graveyard and swapped Castellan for Bastion. De Micco tried to use Bastion’s effect, but it was destroyed by Short’s Spell Shattering Sword. Short Set one card, then went into his End Phase and Special Summoned Guiding Quem, the Virtuous, using Titaniklad, and then sent Blazing Cartesia, the Virtuous, to the Graveyard with Quem’s effect.

De Micco started his turn and drew Angelechy Strategy Score. He activated it to add Angelechy Opposition from his Deck to his hand and then activated Opposition. De Micco Special Summoned Angelechy Seneschal to Short’s field and placed Angelechy Destrier onto his own. In a new Chain, Seneschal was Chain Link 1, then Destrier as Chain Link 2, Short activated Quem as Chain Link 3, and The Fallen & The Virtuous as Chain Link 4 to destroy Destrier. Destrier was destroyed, Blazing Cartesia was Special Summoned, and De Micco Special Summoned an Angelechy Destrier with Seneschal’s effect.

In another new Chain, Short activated Blazing Cartesia’s effect and Fusion Summoned Mirrorjade the Iceblade Dragon with his Seneschal and Fallen of the White Dragon. 

De Micco activated Triple Tactics Talent to draw Angelechy Opening to e4 and Foolish Burial Goods. With limited options and not enough time on the clock, De Micco conceded the match!

Kobe Short advances to Day 2 in the Advanced Format with his Branded Light and Darkness Ritual Deck!