The Top 8 approaches! We’re in the penultimate Swiss round with two Duelists hungry for the top cut. Safwaan Rahman is here from Dallas, playing a K9 Dark Time Wizard Deck. His opponent is Pedro Rodriguez, here from Puerto Rico playing Power Patron Elfnotes.

Duel 1

Rahman won the dice roll and played first. Rodriguez had a hand of Elfnote Lucina, Elfnote Tinia, Theorealize, Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring, and Droll & Lock Bird.

Rahman started out with Fire Formation – Tenki, adding Swiftwind Panther Warrior to his hand, and Rodriguez used Droll to slow him down this turn. Rahman Normal Summoned Swiftwind Panther Warrior, then Special Summoned K9-17 Izuna from his hand. He tried using Izuna’s effect, but Rodriguez negated it with Ash Blossom. Swiftwind Tributed Mulcharmy Fuwalos from Rahman’s hand to Special Summon Alligator’s Dragon Knight. He stacked it with Izuna for N.As.H. Knight, then used that for CXyz N.As.Ch. Knight. He used its effect to bring in Number C104: Umbral Horror Masquerade. He used that to drop CXyz Hope Chaos Barian Dragon! He activated its effect, attaching materials from Rodriguez’s Deck to bring it up to 5000 ATK!

Rodriguez drew Pendulum Treasure. He activated it, and Rahman Chained Swiftwind’s effect, Tributing Nibiru, the Primal Being from his hand to Special Summon Alligator’s Dragon Knight from his Deck. Pendulum Treasure resolved, putting Nervedo the Shadebeast Power Patron in the Extra Deck. Rahman’s Dragon Knight added Dark Time Wizard and Graceful & Skull Dice to his hand, and he discarded the Dice. Nervedo then brought Elfnote Power Patron to the field. Rahman banished the Dice from his Graveyard, but only rolled a 5, so Rodriguez’s monster survived. Rodriguez Special Summoned Tinia, placing Elfnotes: Welcome Home on the field. He used Elfnote Power Patron’s effect, using both of his monsters to bring Elfnote June Pride to the field. He used its effect, tagging it out for Elfnote Power Patron, Elfnote Regina, and Lucina. He used Regina’s effect to Special Summon Elfnote Fortuna. Fortuna placed Elfnotes: Rhapsodia of Madness on the field. He used Regina and Elfnote Power Patron to Synchro Summon Elfnote Seraphim Strelitzia, and Regina went back to his hand. He used Rhapsodia of Madness, sending Regina to the Graveyard to Special Summon Elfnote Power Patron, negating Hope Chaos Barian Dragon. He Synchro Summoned Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon, then Link Summoned Purifcation Power Patron. That added Theorealized Medius to his hand, and he Special Summoned it. Medius added Theorealized Past Lull, which brought Medius the Pure to the field, and that added Vidolium the Unstable Power Patron of Unity to his hand.

Rodriguez used Medius the Pure and Purification Power Patron to Link Summon S:P Little Knight, banishing Rahman’s Alligator’s Dragon Knight. That let him use Theorealized Medius’s effect to add Ars Magna the Finite and the Infinite to his hand. He used that to get Ars Magna the Corruption and the Purification, and that to add Ars Magna “Citrinitas”. He played that to get Ars Magna the Division and the Union, and used its effect to Special Summon the Corruption. Corruption banished Rahman’s Tenki. He used Corruption and Little Knight to Link Summon Mediclius the Extraordinary Powerr Patron, then Special Summoned the Division and the Finite to the zones it points to. He drew Pendulum Treasure with the Division’s effect. He used both Ars Magna monsters to Xyz Summon Number 90: Galaxy-Eyes Photon Lord. He used Vidolium’s effect to Special Summon Elfnote Power Patron. He Synchro Summoned Ravenous Crocodragon Archethys, and its effect let him draw Ghost Ogre. He played Junoldo the Shadespirit Power Patron and Special Summoned Lucina. He finally had enough to power through Rahman’s board and end the first Duel, and Rahman conceded!

Duel 2

Rodriguez began this time with Kuriboh – Multiply!, Droll & Lock Bird, Griffoh, Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit, and Hecahands Godos.

To start the turn, Rodriguez used Griffoh to Set Spell-Shattering Sword. Rahman began with Pot of Prosperity, banishing 6 cards to add Izuna to his hand. Rodriguez activated Godos’s effect. Rahman Chained Izuna to Special Summon it, and Rodriguez Chained Droll. Izuna and Godos hit the field. Rahman used Izuna’s effect, and Rodriguez Chained to Special Summon Kuriboh – Multiply!. Izuna sent K9-ØØ Lupis to the Graveyard. Rahman Set two back row cards.

Rodriguez drew another Griffoh. He tried to move past his Main Phase, and Rahman flipped Foolish Graverobber to send Graceful & Skull Dice to the Graveyard and Special Summon Lupis. Rodriguez tried to leave the Main Phase again, and Rahman activated Lupis’s effect. Rodriguez Chained his Kuriboh’s effect to Special Summon another copy of the Kuriboh. Lupis’s effect then let Rahman Xyz Summon N.As.H. Knight. Rodriguez finally moved to the End Phase.

Rahman used N.As.H. Knight’s effect, and Rodriguez destroyed it with Ghost Ogre. Rahman tried to Chain Lupis’s effect, and Godos stole Lupis from the Graveyard first. N.As.H. was destroyed. Rahman used K9-66b Lantern to Special Summon itself and Izuna. He activated Lantern’s effect, and Rodriguez’s Kuriboh brought Elfnote Power Patron to the field. Lantern added K9-X Forced Release. He stacked Lantern and Izuna for K9-17 “Ripper”, and used its effect to add another Izuna to his hand. He Special Summoned Izuna, then played K9-X Forced Release upgrade Ripper into K9-X “Werewolf”, and Forced Release destroyed Elfnote Power Patron. He moved to the Battle Phase, sending Werewolf to attack Godos. Rodriguez tried using Multiply to drop Werewolf to 0 ATK, but Rahman had Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring! Werewolf continued its attack on Godos, which survived by its Illusion effect. Werewolf’s second attack took out a Kuriboh, and Izuna destroyed the other Kuriboh.

Rodriguez drew Mulcharmy Fuwalos and Normal Summoned it. He used Fuwalos and the stolen Lupis to Link Summon Purification Power Patron, and Rahman had Solemn Judgment!

Rahman attacked Godos two more times with Werewolf, but it still couldn’t be destroyed. He switched Izuna to Defense Position. At the end of the Main Phase, Rodriguez tried using Godos’s effect, and Rahman Chained Werewolf’s effect. Werewolf banished Godos from the field and Elfnote Power Patron from the Graveyard, and Godos’s effect stole Lantern from the Graveyard. Rahman began making more plays, but Rodriguez conceded to preserve more time in the round for the final Duel. He was too far behind in this one to expect a comeback.

Duel 3

Rodriguez began the final Duel with Ghost Ogre, Lucina, Junoldo, Vidolium, and Citrinitas. Rahman kicked off the final Duel with two copies of Mulcharmy Purulia!

Rodriguez activated Junoldo in his Pendulum Zone, then Special Summoned Lucina. He tried to use his Pendulum’s effect, but Rahman destroyed it first with Ghost Ogre. Junoldo’s other effect activated to add Regina to his hand. He played Citrinitas, but its effect was negated by Ash Blossom. Rodriguez activated Vidolium, getting Prohibited Power Patron Portal – Terminus. He played Terminus to add Medius the Pure to his hand, and Normal Summoned it, but Rahman had Effect Veiler for Medius’s effect.

Rodriguez Link Summoned Purification Power Patron, adding Theorealized Medius. He Special Summoned Theorealized Medius, adding Theoralized Past Lull to his hand. He used that to Special Summon Medius the Pure. He used Medius the Pure and Purification Power Patron to Link Summon S:P Little Knight, banishing Ghost Ogre from the Graveyard. He used Theorealized Medius’s effect to add Ars Magna the Finite and the Infinite, and that to get Ars Magna the Division and the Union. He used Division to Special Summon Finite. He used Finite with Little Knight to Mediclius the Extraordinary Power Patron, which brought Division to the field. He drew Skull Meister. He passed the turn, and Rahman revealed Nibiru, the Primal Being! Mediclius was unaffected, but Rodriguez’s other monsters were Tributed and replaced with a 2800 ATK/3600 DEF Primal Being Token. Rahman placed the Token in Attack Position in Rodriguez’s center zone, blocking his Elfnotes from using that zone. Rodriguez activated Medius the Pure’s effect in the Graveyard, shuffling the Token away. He wasn’t able to fully resolve Medius’s effect to Special Summon it from the Graveyard, but at least the Token was out of his way.

In Rahman’s Draw Phase, he activated Dark Time Wizard to add Alligator’s Dragon Knight to his hand. He Normal Summoned Swiftwind Panther Warrior, using its effect to Tribute Droll & Lock Bird from his hand. Rodriguez destroyed Swiftwind with Ghost Ogre, then Swiftwind’s effect brought Alligator’s Dragon Knight to the field. Dragon Knight which added Dark Time Wizard and Graceful & Skull Dice to his hand, discarding Dice. He Special Summoned his second Dragon Knight from his hand, and stacked them to Xyz Summon Ripper. Ripper added “A Case for K9” to his hand. He activated it, adding Izuna. He used Lantern’s effect to Special Summon both Lantern and K9-66a Jokul, and Lantern put another Izuna in his hand. He Xyz Summoned N.As.H. Knight, using it to attach Mediclius as a material. Rodriguez knew it was all over, and offered the handshake!

Safwaan Rahman takes this Match with his Dark Time Wizard K9’s!