“They’re fun to play,” said Jamieson of his secret tech. “I flip it, and people are just like, ‘What?’” He smiled the smile of a dueling enthusiast honestly filled with childlike glee.

Why? You’ll find out when his opponent does.

Jamieson opened the first duel with a set card to each zone. He discarded Thunder Dragon to fetch two more and ended. Rosenberg fired back with Cyber Dragon, and used Breaker the Magical Warrior to break Jamieson’s set Nobleman of Crossout. Breaker attacked first, hitting Jamieson’s set Mystic Tomato. He pulled another with the first’s effect, Cyber Dragon hit the second Tomato, and Jamieson used it to special summon Don Zaloog.

His opponent set one spell or trap card and ended. Jamieson eyed his hand: two Thunder Dragons, Zaborg the Thunder Monarch, Chaos Sorcerer, Brain Control, and Book of Moon. He played the Brain Control to take Cyber Dragon, attacked Breaker with it, and then attacked with Don Zaloog. Rosenberg was forced to take the attack, and lost Chaos Sorcerer to Don’s gleaming blades! In main phase two Jamieson tributed the Cyber Dragon for his own Thunder Dragon, setting it face down, and set Book of Moon: Rosenberg flipped Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy the Book in the end phase.

He drew for his turn, then activated Confiscation to discard Jamieson’s Chaos Sorcerer. It was 6500 to 5100, with Jamieson leading. Rosenberg then summoned a Chaos Sorcerer of his own, and activated Premature Burial to bring back Breaker the Magical Warrior. Sorcerer cleared away Jamieson’s Don Zaloog with an attack, and Breaker attacked and destroyed the set Thunder Dragon. Jameison was in trouble, with just Thunder Dragon and Zaborg.

He ripped Snatch Steal! He used it to take Chaos Sorcerer, tributed it for Zaborg the Thunder Monarch, destroyed Breaker with Zaborg’s effect, and attacked to drop Rosenberg to 1900 life points!

Cyber Dragon in defense position was Rosenberg’s only move on the following turn, and when Jamieson summoned D. D. Warrior Lady Rosenberg knew it was over. He quickly scooped, and play proceeded to the second duel.

Rosenberg opened the duel with Graceful Charity, discarding Sangan and Return from the Different Dimension. He set a spell or trap card, then a monster, and concluded his turn.

Jamieson played Mystical Space Typhoon, but his target was chained: Call of the Haunted. It fetched back Rosenberg’s Sangan ever so briefly, and when Sangan was sent back to the graveyard it grabbed Rosenberg Treeborn Frog. Jamieson special summoned Cyber Dragon, activated Nobleman of Crossout to remove Spirit Reaper from Rosenberg’s field, and hit directly. He then activated Confiscation, seeing Treeborn Frog, D. D. Warrior Lady, Magician of Faith, Zaborg the Thunder Monarch, and Heavy Storm. After a few moments of thought he opted to discard Zaborg: Jameison himself had Exiled Force and Chaos Sorcerer in his hand.

Rosenberg walked right into the trap, doing nothing but setting Treeborn Frog on his turn. Exiled Force wiped it out, costing Jamieson a card in the long run but allowing Cyber Dragon to hit once more. Jamieson set a back row card and passed.

Jamieson took back his Treeborn Frog, and played Heavy Storm to destroy Call of the Haunted on Jamieson’s side of the field. He then tributed his Frog for the Zaborg the Thunder Monarch he had topdecked into that turn, destroying Cyber Dragon! Jamieson had nothing left on the field, and Zaborg hit him directly for 2400. Rosenberg set a spell or trap and ended.

Jamieson had no Dark monster in his graveyard, so he summoned Sangan and rammed it into Zaborg. “So, 1400 to you, and Sorcerer in your hand,” remarked Rosenberg, making the read.

“You got it,” said Jamieson with a smile. “This isn’t your first rodeo, huh?” He pulled Spirit Reaper with Sangan’s effect, special summoned Chaos Sorcerer, and removed his opponent’s Zaborg from the game with the Sorcerer’s effect. “Help!” he said with a laugh, passing with nothing out but the Sorcerer.

Rosenberg set a card to each zone and passed, having no immediate answer to the Sorcerer. Jamieson set his hand, a card to each zone, and passed. Rosenberg flip summoned Magician of Faith, took back Graceful, activated it, and discarded Cyber Dragon and Bottomless Trap Hole. It was 3200 to 3800.

He continued his turn, summoning D. D. Warrior Lady, and ran the Lady into Chaos Sorcerer to drop himself to 3000. He then played Nobleman of Crossout to remove Jamieson’s set Reaper from play. Jamieson drew, set a monster, and Rosenberg played Book of Moon to reuse Magician of Faith, flipping it face down and then flip summoning it again to take back Nobleman of Crossout. He tributed the Magician for Cyber Dragon, played Nobleman of Crossout, and hit Jamieson’s set Magician of Faith: copies were stripped from both decks. Cyber Dragon then attacked directly, dropping Jamieson to 1100.

“Shoot” he said, drawing and setting a monster. Rosenberg summoned Tsukuyomi, turned Cyber Dragon face down, flip summoned it, and hit Jamieson’s mystery monster with Cyber Dragon: Don Zaloog. Tsukuyomi struck for game and play moved instantly to game 3, with neither duelist wishing to side deck.

Still no secret tech from Jamieson.

He opened the third and final duel by discarding Thunder Dragon to search his deck for two more.

“This is where you follow up with Graceful,” said Rosenberg. It’s always best to expect the worst-case scenario, so at least you don’t have to feel surprised when it hit.

“I wish,” replied Jamieson with a bemused smirk. He set a card to each zone and finished his turn.

Rosenberg activated Confiscation, revealing two Thunder Dragon, Magician of Faith, Mirror Force, and Royal Decree. He discarded Mirror Force and activated Nobleman of Crossout, removing Jamieson’s set Spirit Reaper from the game. Rosenberg then set one monster and passed.

Jamieson drew into Premature Burial: his set card was Heavy Storm. He activated the Premature to special summon Thunder Dragon, and attacked with it to hit Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive. Rosenberg took a card for its effect, Jamieson set a monster, and ended.

Breaker the Magical Warrior was summoned on Rosenberg’s side, destroying Premature Burial. It then attacked into Magician of Faith, which retrieved Premature for Jamieson. Rosenberg passed with no back row.

Premature Burial brought back Thunder Dragon yet again, and it hit Breaker for the double destruction via battle. Rosenberg set a card to each zone, Jamieson flipped Heavy Storm to destroy Sakuretsu Armor, and Nobleman of Crossout then removed his one set monster: Magical Merchant. Jamison was looking at a clear field, but his hand was nothing but two Thunder Dragon, Royal Decree, and Call of the Haunted. He set Call.

Rosenberg summoned Spirit Reaper, but when it attacked, it was repelled by Call of the Haunted, fetching Thunder Dragon. Jamieson blasted the Reaper with Smashing Ground, attacked with Thunder Dragon, and set Royal Decree. Rosenberg set a monster and passed back.

Jamieson summoned Don Zaloog, and attacked with Thunder Dragon. It bounced harmlessly off of D. D. Warrior Lady’s butterfly blades, and Jamieson passed. The Lady was tributed for Zaborg the Thunder Monarch, destroyed the on-field Thunder Dragon, and then attacked Don to destroy it, too! A great turn for Rosenberg, who immediately ended.

But Jamieson drew into Graceful Charity! He activated it, pitching both of his Thunder Dragons and setting Sangan. Next turn though, Nobleman of Crossout removed Sangan and Rosenberg’s Zaborg hit directly yet again: it was 6400 to 3000 in Rosenberg’s favor. He set a monster and passed.

Jamieson special summoned Cyber Dragon, and tributed it for Airknight Parshath. It ran into Rosenberg’s set monster, Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive, and each player drew a card for their monster’s effect. In main phase 2, Jamieson had no choice but to Snatch Steal Zaborg.

“Heavy Storm for the win?” asked Jamieson, as Rosenberg drew. No such luck.

Instead, he removed D. D. Warrior Lady and Spirit Reaper to special summon Chaos Sorcerer. The Sorcerer removed Jamieson’s (actually, Rosenberg’s) Zaborg from play, and Rosenberg ended.

“You know what I want,” Jamieson said to me as he drew.

He topdecked Jinzo, and tribute summoned it to attack over the Sorcerer. Not what he wanted, but not a bad draw all things considered. Rosenberg set a monster and ended his turn with no spell or trap cards set. Jamieson normal summoned Mystic Tomato, attacked with it to hit Magician of Faith, and Rosenberg took back Nobleman of Crossout. Jinzo then hit directly for 2400, evening up the life point totals at 3000 to 3000.

Smashing Ground destroyed Jinzo, and Rosenberg set two spell or trap cards. He then set one monster. Jamieson played Mystical Space Typhoon, Rosenberg chained the target, Call of the Haunted, but Jamieson flipped Royal Decree! The Tomato attacked into Magician of Faith, Rosenberg took back Smashing Ground, and next turn he used it to get rid of the Tomato. Jamieson was less than pleased, losing his solid field presence.

He topdecked Exiled Force, and opted not to do anything with it. Next turn Rosenberg activated Premature Burial to special summon Breaker the Magical Warrior and attack for 1600 life points. He passed.

Jamieson topdecked another near-dead card: Don Zaloog. Don’s defense would block Breaker the Magical Warrior if it was set, but if he summoned a bigger monster it would be game. He summoned Exiled Force instead, blew away Breaker with Exiled’s effect, set a card to his spell and trap zone and ended.

Rosenberg couldn’t follow up! He set a monster and passed. Jamieson summoned D. D. Warrior Lady, hit Spirit Reaper, and removed it from play. Rosenberg passed, with one set spell or trap card.

Jamieson summoned Don Zaloog, and attacked directly with it to reduce Rosenberg to 800. Zaloog discarded a useless Torrential Tribute, and Jamieson gave a cry of anguish, convinced that his opponent’s other in-hand card was Cyber Dragon. It wasn’t! Rosenberg set a card to each zone, but Jamieson had Nobleman of Crossout to press through another attack.

“That’s game,” said Rosenberg, offering Jamieson the hand shake.

With two copies of his signature card in his deck, Jamieson had never drawn a single copy across three duels! While he still managed to claim the win, you’ll have to read the upcoming deck profile to see what makes his deck so special.

David Jamieson moves on with a 2-0 record and his secret still intact!