This was it: Kenny So of Comic Odyssey versus up-and-coming duelist Darrelle Reese, in a matchup that heavily favored So. Would So, the perpetual underdog, actually win the tournament with his quirky Burn build, courtesy of Hugo Adame and Erik Wu? Or would Reese and Trooper Monarchs, prevail?! We were about to find out!

So opened the duel with a set card to each zone, plus Trap Dustshoot. He flipped Dustshoot next turn to reveal Reese’s hand of Scapegoat, Mystical Space Typhoon, Mirror Force, Pot of Avarice, Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive, and Cyber Dragon. Dekoichi was sent back to the deck, and Reese special summoned Cyber Dragon: it attacked into Magic Cylinder, and Reese suffered 2100 damage! A set card to his back row ended his turn.

Two cards were set by So, both in the back row, but Mystical Space Typhoon destroyed one in his end phase: Book of Moon. Next turn, Reese attacked with Cyber Dragon to destroy So’s set Gravekeeper’s Spy, but another took its place. Reese set a spell or trap, So set two and played Wave-Motion Cannon. Next turn, he activated Trap Dustshoot, whiffing on a non-monster hand. Cyber Dragon attacked Gravekeeper’s Spy, Reese set another back row card, and So set a spell or trap.

Cyber Dragon attacked directly, hitting Dimension Wall! Reese dropped to 3800 life points and set a monster. What had he been thinking wasting that Mystical Space Typhoon?

A set spell or trap was So’s only move. Reese flip summoned Card Trooper next turn and So responded with Torrential Tribute, clearing the field and giving Reese a draw with Trooper’s effect. He summoned another Trooper from his hand, activated its effect by sending Snatch Steal, Treeborn Frog, and Premature Burial to the graveyard, then attacked directly for 1900 damage. Reese set another spell or trap and ended. So set another back-row card and ended, one turn away from a game-finishing Wave-Motion Cannon.

Reese activated Card Trooper again, sending Trap Dustshoot, Brain Control, and Gravekeeper’s Spy to the graveyard. Trooper attacked, but So flipped Scapegoat! Trooper attacked a Sheep token, and Reese tributed Card Trooper in main phase 2 for Raiza the Storm Monarch: it was negated by Solemn Judgment! Reese activated Heavy Storm though, losing three of his cards, while So lost Mind Crush and the Wave-Motion. So was down to topdecking with three Sheep, and Reese activated Pot of Avarice and set a spell or trap to finish his turn.

So set a spell or trap, and Reese special summoned Cyber Dragon, then normal summoned Sangan. Two Sheep were destroyed: So had one more left. He flipped Smashing Ground next turn to destroy Cyber Dragon and set his last card to his back row.

Reese summoned Card Trooper, but So countered it with Solemn Judgment. Sangan swept out the last Sheep token, and So set a monster next turn. Sangan attacked and hit Gravekeeper’s Spy! Unfortunately for So, the rest of his copies were in his graveyard. He drew for his turn and set another monster.

Brain Control let Reese take Gravekeeper’s Spy, and he tributed it for Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch. Sangan attacked, but hit Giant Rat! Thestalos would not get a clear shot at So’s life points this turn, and Reese took a little more splashback damage. The duel stood at 1525 to 1550, and Reese refused to attack the Rat.

So activated Wave-Motion Cannon and passed! He’d need to hold his opponent at bay for two turns to take the win.

Reese set a monster and attacked Giant Rat with Thestalos, and So brought Card Trooper from his deck, his only option. If Sangan attacked the Trooper, So would have two cards in which to deal the final 550 damage he’d need after Wave-Motion, so Reese didn’t attack.

So boosted Trooper and it attacked Sangan: Reese activated Mirror Force, giving So his second card anyways. He had Snatch Steal and Skill Drain in hand, and he used Snatch Steal to take Thestalos. Skill Drain was set, and play was to Reese.

He gained 1000 life points, special summoned Treeborn Frog in defense position and turned Sangan to defense. A set monster was his final move. So drew, fired off the Wave-Motion Cannon, and brought Reese down to 550 life points.

The game ended next turn! So flipped Ring of Destruction to destroy Reese’s Sangan, finishing him off and just barely leaving himself alive! Kenny So wins game 1!

Reese opened the game with a set card to each zone and Trap Dustshoot. He flipped it on the next turn, sending Gravekeeper’s Spy back to So’s deck, then activated Mind Crush calling Confiscation: So discarded it. He set two cards and flipped a Dustshoot of his own next turn.

It revealed Card Trooper, Cyber Dragon, Raiza the Storm Monarch, and Pot of Avarice in Reese’s hand. He sent Trooper back to his opponent’s deck, but Reese tributed his set monster, Treeborn Frog, for Raiza the Storm Monarch! It bounced away So’s one set card and then attacked him for 2400 damage. Reese ended . . .

 . . . and lost his Raiza to Snatch Steal! It attacked him directly, and So activated Wave-Motion Cannon. Reese brought back his Treeborn Frog and So attacked it next turn, setting a spell or trap card. Reese set a monster, So attacked Treeborn Frog again, and So set Morphing Jar and Gravity Bind, his last two cards.

The Frog came back up, and Reese went to 8600 life points. He passed, and So pushed Wave-Motion Cannon to 3000 damage. He set his topdecked card to the back row, flip summoned Morphing Jar and chained Torrential Tribute, a brilliant play that solved his Snatch Steal problem! Still, Reese’s set monster was Card Trooper, which gave him a draw out of the transaction.

So summoned Card Trooper himself, boosting it to 1900 ATK and attacking to lower Reese to 6700. He launched Wave-Motion for 3000 damage, dropped Reese to 3700 life points and played another Cannon! Two set spell or trap cards ended the turn, leaving So with one card in hand.

Treeborn Frog was special summoned yet again, and Reese searched his hand for some answers. He set a monster, set three cards to his back row, and passed. So shifted Card Trooper to defense position next turn, and Reese flip summoned Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive a turn later, taking his draw. He flipped Dust Tornado next, targeting Wave-Motion Cannon and destroying it. Dekoichi attacked the defense-position Trooper, and So drew.

Dekoichi was tributed for Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch in Reese’s main phase 2, forcing So to discard another Card Trooper and dishing out 300 damage. So set a spell or trap card, his fifth, and ended.

“Can I see your graveyard?” asked Reese. So handed it over for a brief Inspection and Reese looked briefly disappointed. He summoned Des Wombat and ended, one of two he had sided in: So activated Solemn Judgment to get it off the field at the hefty cost of 2650 life points. Reese checked the graveyard again: So hadn’t used Dimension Wall yet, and that was enough for Reese to withhold his attack from Thestalos.

So drew and set a fifth card to his spell and trap zone yet again. Reese turned Treeborn Frog to attack position and attacked directly with it: hey, if he could do that 26 more times he’d have game 2 in the bag! So upped that count to 30 by flipping Scapegoat: Frog destroyed a Sheep and Reese set a card to each zone. So passed next turn.

Reese flip summoned Gravekeeper’s Spy, but So chained Skill Drain: Reese chained Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy it, and was able to special summon his second Spy. He summoned Sangan, attacked with Treeborn Frog, Sangan, and a Spy to destroy all the Sheep, then attacked with the second Gravekeeper’s Spy directly. So took the damage, dropping to 450 life points, and Reese ended. He’d successfully played around the threat of Dimension Wall.

So set a card to each zone and ended. Nobleman of Crossout ripped the monster (Gravekeeper’s Spy) from the field next turn, and So lost one from his deck. Sangan attacked, but So flipped Dimension Wall to deflect the damage! Reese went down to 3700 life points. Spy attacked for a shot at game next, but So flipped Gravity Bind! Reese passed without attacking with Treeborn Frog.

So set a card to each zone yet again. Reese passed, and So set another spell or trap, filling his spell and trap zone. He flipped it next turn: Trap Dustshoot sending Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive back to Reese’s deck, his only in-hand monster. Reese passed, and So passed with Magic Cylinder and Smashing Ground in hand.

Reese passed, So passed, and Reese passed again. So set another monster, Reese passed, and So played Wave-Motion Cannon! Reese activated Magic Drain in response, but so discarded Smashing Ground to ensure that Wave-Motion would activate successfully. He needed to keep it on the field for three turns if he was to win by Wave-Motion alone.

Reese passed again, discarding Card Trooper from his hand. So passed, adding 1000 damage to the Cannon. Reese activated Heavy Storm, but So went to 225 life points for another Solemn Judgment! Reese set a spell or trap to end.

A page out of So’s own book almost defeated him: Reese activated Ring of Destruction! A third Solemn Judgment blocked it, and So went to 113 life points! Wave-Motion gained another 1000 damage—2000 total—and So shuffled his hand: Level Limit - Area B, Magic Cylinder, Dimension Wall, and Skill Drain. He flip summoned Sangan and attacked Reese’s Treeborn Frog. Reese flipped Magic Cylinder! So was out of answers, and Reese stole the duel!

Darrelle Reese pulls a fast one, flipping a totally unexpected Magic Cylinder to take the win!

So set two to the back row, Dustshoot, on Nobleman of Crossout, Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch, Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive, Pot of Avarice, Call of the Haunted, and Heavy Storm. Dekoichi was shuffled into Reese’s deck, and he passed, his hands shaking. So passed back, and Reese set a spell or trap. So passed, Reese set a monster, and So set a second spell or trap card.

Gravekeeper’s Spy was flip summoned by Reese, and he brought out a second in defense position: Torrential Tribute wiped the field, cutting Reese off from the Thestalos So knew he was holding. Darelle set a card to his back row (leaving himself with two), and So set a second as well. He lost the freshest set, Mind Crush, to Dust Tornado in the end phase.

Call of the Haunted brought back a Spy for Reese, which he attacked with immediately. “I’ll take,” announced So, dropping to 6800 life points. The Spy was tributed for Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch in main phase 2, and So was forced to discard Gravity Bind! Another face-down hit Reese’s back row.

So set two cards to his back row, as well as Wave-Motion Cannon. He ended, and flipped Skill Drain in Reese’s draw phase. Reese hammered Heavy Storm to the table in main phase 1, but Solemn Judgment negated it! So had just 2900 life points remaining.

Thestalos attacked, and So flipped Magic Cylinder! Reese was reduced to 5600 life points and ended his turn. So placed 1000 damage on Wave-Motion Cannon, set another back row card, and ended. Reese set a sell or trap and attacked again! This time, So flipped Scapegoat, leaving Thestalos to attack one Sheep. Wave-Motion went to 2000 damage, and So activated Level Limit - Area B. “Go.”

Reese tributed Thestalos for a face-down monster, and play was to So. Wave-Motion went to 3000 damage, and he set Gravekeeper’s Spy. Reese tributed his set Raiza the Storm Monarch for another, this one face up, and set a fourth spell or trap card. Was he working his way towards Pot of Avarice?

So set another spell or trap card, filling his back row. With Wave-Motion just two turns away from finishing the tournament, he ended. Reese summoned Card Trooper, activated its effect to get three cards in his graveyard, then activated Pot of Avarice to draw two more cards. Reese ended his turn shortly thereafter.

With Wave-Motion Cannon at 5000 damage, So was visibly tempted to use it. Still, after brief consideration he opted not to do so, hoping to ride it for one more turn. If he could, he’d become a Shonen Jump Champion.

Reese activated Nobleman of Crossout, removing So’s set Gravekeeper’s Spy from the field as well as two more from his deck. Reese lost two as well: he needed to get rid of Wave-Motion Cannon, or win, this turn. Card Trooper attacked a Sheep and Reese passed: it was over!

Wave-Motion went to 6000 damage and So launched it for the win! Comic Odyssey’s Kenny So has won Shonen Jump Championship Indianapolis!