Chris Bowling needs no introduction, but his opponent Paul Blair is a relative unknown. Traveling here from Michigan, Blair has made a name for himself today with a unique Monarch deck. Packing stuff like Volcanic Shell and Phoenix Wing Wind Blast his strategy is exceedingly control-oriented, resembling Volcanic Monarchs without Volcanic Rocket or Blaze Accelerator. So far, Blair had secured a 7-0 record with his innovative build.
“I know what you’re playing,” stated Bowling. “You’re playing Gladiator Beasts!” Bowling didn’t have the right read, and Blair wasn’t going to tell him otherwise.
He opened with a set monster, and then set three cards to his back row. Play was to Blair, who searched his deck for Elemental Hero Stratos with Reinforcement of the Army. “At the resolution of your effect, I’m going to call Stratos,” noted Bowling, flipping his face-down Mind Crush. Blair set Phoenix Wing Wind Blast, summoned [Cyber Valley], and then ended, losing his set Wind Blast to Mystical Space Typhoon in the end phase.
Bowling searched his deck for Gladiator Beast Bestiari with Gladiator Proving Ground. He summoned it, and made the contact Fusion for Gladiator Beast Gyzarus. Gyzarus blew away [Cyber Valley], and Bowling continued on, tagging Gyzarus out with Test Tiger to bring down Gladiator Beast Secutor! Secutor attacked, and moments later Bowling had Gladiator Beast Heraklinos on the field! Bowling had one card left in hand — would it be enough to stop Blair’s onslaught of control effects? “Go.”
“Draw,” announced Blair, drawing for his turn. He set one card to his back row, ended, and passed to Bowling, whose decision was looking better and better. Heraklinos attacked and play was back to Blair. He activated Destiny Draw, discarded Destiny Hero – Malicious, and Bowling discarded Crush Card Virus to negate Destiny Draw. Blair removed Malicious from his graveyard to special summon another in attack mode, then tributed it for Caius the Shadow Monarch — Bowling fired back with Solemn Judgment! Next turn he summoned Elemental Hero Prisma and attacked with both of his monsters for game.
Chris Bowling takes a quick win, as a bold Heraklinos play pays off huge! Blair’s impressive, undefeated control deck wasn’t looking so impressive now. Side decking was fast and play began moments later.
“I’ll play first,” announced Blair. He opened with a hand of Phoenix Wing Wind Blast, Raiza the Storm Monarch, Elemental Hero Stratos, Caius the Shadow Monarch, Destiny Hero – Plasma, and Disk Commander. Stratos got him Destiny Hero - Malicious, he set the Wind Blast, and ended his turn.
“You searched out Malicious?” asked Bowling. Blair nodded, and Bowling set a monster, then two cards to his back row. Blair tributed Stratos for Caius next turn, targeting Bowling’s monster, and Bowling chained Torrential Tribute. He lost his face-down Spirit Reaper while Blair lost Caius. A set spell or trap ended Blair’s turn.
Bowling summoned Gladiator Beast Secutor. He special summoned Test Tiger, tributed it, but nearly lost Secutor to Wind Blast on the chain! Blair discarded Malicious to pay for the Wind Blast, but Bowling flipped Solemn Judgment to negate it and brought Secutor back out of his deck. He brought back Spirit Reaper with Monster Reborn and tried to attack, but was blocked by Scapegoat! Reaper and Secutor each attacked a Sheep Token, and in main phase 2 Bowling brought out two more Gladiators with Secutor and contact Fused them all for Heraklinos. He set his last in-hand card to his back row.
Blair drew to four cards in hand, then brought Destiny Hero – Malicious to the field by removing his other copy from the graveyard: Bowling flipped Crush Card Virus, tributed his Reaper, and Blair lost his in-hand Raiza and Plasma! That left him with no real moves, and he set Card Trooper to end his turn. There was no way he was getting out of this.
Bowling sent Heraklinos into Card Trooper, and Blair drew Volcanic Shell with its effect. He passed with Heraklinos on the field and one card in hand. Blair drew Destiny Draw, discarded Disk Commander to activate it, and Bowling discarded Sangan to negate it. He set a monster and lost Malicious to Heraklinos. On his last turn of Crush Card’s effect he topdecked another Caius and lost it to the Virus.
Bowling activated Gladiator Proving Ground and searched out Gladiator Beast Bestiari. Bestiari took down a Sheep Token, and Heraklinos destroyed Blair’s face-down Volcanic Shell. Bowling finished by setting one card, his last one, to the spell and trap zone.
Blair topped into Premature Burial! Bowling had no cards to discard for Heraklinos, and Blair drew Vanity’s Fiend and Bottomless Trap Hole after reviving Destiny Hero – Disk Commander. He tributed Disk Commander for the Fiend and sent it to attack Gladiator Beast Laquari — Bowling took the hit, and Blair ended his turn by setting a back row card.
Heraklinos attacked Blair’s Fiend, and he ended with one card in hand and one set to his back row. The duel stood at 6600 to 3700 life points. Play was to Blair.
He topdecked and set a monster. Bowling did the same, and he refused to attack. Blair set a spell or trap, passed, and Bowling flip summoned the Prisma he’d set last turn. He lost it to Bottomless Trap Hole, but then activated Nobleman of Crossout to remove his opponent’s Legendary Jujitsu Master from the game. Heraklinos swung for 3000 damage.
Blair did nothing on the following turn. Bowling summoned Laquari and Blair flipped Torrential Tribute, but Bowling activated Heraklinos to negate it! Blair immediately offered the handshake.
“Everything I could do, you had the answer,” remarked Blair. “I even set Ju-Ju, and you don’t attack? I couldn’t do anything.”
“Yeah, I tested against Gladiators a lot. It’s basically a knife through butter.” Bowling made a little arm-cutting-through-nonexistent-sky-butter motion, and made sure it was included in the coverage.
Chris Bowling moves on, 8-0 and undefeated! One more win and he’d lock for a seat in Day 2!