Manuel De Oliveira had traveled here this weekend from Switzerland, and had succeded in the goal of reaching Top 8 with a Control-heavy Warrior Toolbox deck. Matt Laurents was from Pasadena, and was playing Soul Control.

Laurents opened the game with a set monster and a set spell or trap. Oliveira played Reinforcement of the Army to search out Mystic Swordsman LV2, and used Heavy Storm. It took out Matt’s set My Body as a Shield, and the Swordsman destroyed his set Dekoichi. Oliveira set one spell or trap and passed.

Laurents set two spells or traps and a monster, but next turn he lost all his cards to Mobius the Frost Monarch and a Smashing Ground, which destroyed the set Spirit Reaper Mobius ran into. A turn later Oliveira was running him, attacking directly with D. D. Warrior Lady and Mobius the Frost Monarch to put Laurents at 4100 life points.

Laurents tried to fight back, using Premature Burial to special summon Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive—he was down to 3300 life points. He sent Dekoichi into Mobius for an attack, but Mobius was in attack position. What was Laurents doing?

He flipped Book of Moon to turn Mobius face down, and Mobius was destroyed! Laurents set his last spell or trap card, and play moved to Oliveira. Oliveira used Mystical Space Typhoon on the new set in Laurents’s end phase, though, and it cost Laurents Pot of Avarice. On the following turn when Oliveira attacked the weight of the blow was revealed. Laurents had set Magical Merchant, so the Pot really would have helped.

Two turns passed and Laurents fended off his opponent, winding up with one card in hand, two set spells or traps, and two defense position copies of Gravekeeper’s Spy blocking Sangan and D. D. Warrior Lady. Another turn cycle passed with each duelist just drawing cards.

Oliveira tributed Sangan for Cyber Dragon, took Spirit Reaper with Sangan’s effect, and activated Smashing Ground to destroy one of the Spies . . . or so he thought. My Body as a Shield blocked Smashing Ground, and Laurents went down to 1700. Cyber Dragon beat down one of the Spies and Oliveira passed.

Laurents drew, set another monster, and ended his turn. Oliveira summoned Don Zaloog, activated Nobleman of Crossout, and removed Dekoichi from the field. He got one out of Laurents’s deck, too. Cyber Dragon cleared the Spy, D. D. Warrior Lady attacked, and Laurents flipped Call of the Haunted to summon a Zaborg the Thunder Monarch that had been discarded by the Merchant. It triggered a replay, and Oliveira flipped Book of Moon to turn Zaborg face down. D. D. Warrior Lady beat it into the graveyard, Don Zaloog attacked to rob Laurents of Nobleman of Crossout, and he was down to 300.

He topdecked Snatch Steal, used it to take Cyber Dragon, and whacked Don Zaloog. But next turn Oliveira summoned the Spirit Reaper he’d brought out of his deck with Sangan. D. D. Warrior Lady sacrificed herself to remove Cyber Dragon from play, and Spirit Reaper attacked for the remaining 300 life points needed to end the duel.

Switzerland’s Manuel De Oliveira wins game 1!

Oliveira finished side decking and shuffling quite quickly. He seemed to be entrenched in ritual and good luck today, with his play area surrounded by small jade, stone, and wooden figures of Buddha. He kissed a copy of Graceful Charity he kept next to his field, and Laurents began play for game two.

He set one card to each of his zones and passed. Oliveira played Nobleman of Crossout after summoning Spirit Reaper, but Laurents flipped My Body As A Shield to save his face down. Oliveira set one spell or trap and passed.

Laurents flip summoned Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive, and then used Soul Exchange to kill off Reaper. He tried to attack, but Oliveira reminded him that he could not attack this turn due to Soul Exchange. He set a monster, shook his head, and set two spells or traps.

Oliveira set another card to each of his zones and passed right back. Laurents tributed Dekoichi for Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch, flip summoned Spirit Reaper, and attacked with Thestalos. Oliveira used Widespread Ruin, but Laurents chained My Body as a Shield! Oliveira won out, though, using Book of Moon to turn Thestalos face down.

Next turn, Oliveira tributed his set Don Zaloog for Mobius the Frost Monarch, destroying Widespread Ruin and attacking Thestalos for the kill. Laurents set one monster next turn, Oliveira attacked it with Mobius, and destroyed it to reveal Gravekeeper’s Spy. It brought out another of its kind.

Laurents drew, tributed his Spy for another Thestalos, and discarded Oliveira’s Breaker the Magical Warrior, his last card in hand. He crashed his Thestalos into Oliveira’s Monarch for the dual destruction, then played Pot of Avarice in main phase two. He sat behind his defense position Spirit Reaper and ended his turn.

Oliveira drew, set his new spell or trap card, and passed. Laurents did the same, setting a monster. Oliveira passed, Laurents flip summoned Magician of Faith, brought back Soul Exchange, activated it, and tributed for Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch! D. D. Assailant was removed from Olivera’s field, Thestalos came down, and Laurents started abusing his control over the field. A turn later he was leaning with Breaker the Magical Warrior, and Smashing Ground off the top of Oliveira’s deck wasn’t enough to save himself!

This match stood at one game for each competitor. The final duel would decide the fate of the match!

Both players spent a while side decking. Oliveira again kissed the Graceful Charity. The first duel came down to his deck’s enhanced control abilities, and the second came down to his inability to draw the cards that contributed to them. They would be a deciding factor for game three.

Oliveira set a card to each zone, and Laurents looked at his hand. It was all monsters, save a Dark Hole. He summoned Breaker the Magical Warrior, broke Sakuretsu Armor and swung sraight into Stealth Bird, a surprisingly popular side deck decision this weekend! He then summoned D. D. Assailant, sent it after Breaker, and flipped the Bird face down.

Laurents hit him with Dark Hole, summoned Spirit Reaper, and hit Oliveira with it to discard Nobleman of Crossout. Oliveira set a card to each zone and passed. Both players went into defrense mode, setting cards for a turn; namely, a spell or trap and a monster for Laurents, and another spell or trap for Oliveira.

Gravekeeper’s Spy was flip summoned on Laurents’s side, and he put the second copy in defense position. He then tributed the first one for Zaborg the Thunder Monarch, destroyed the face down Stealth Bird, another one, with Zaborg’s effect, and attacked with Spirit Reaper. Oliveira used Book of Moon on it, but was hit with Zaborg. Next turn, a flurry of Mobius and Cyber Dragon balanced the game in Oliveira’s favor, but yet another Monarch, a Mobius of his own, put the game back into Laurents’s hands. Each player set a monster.

Laurents flipped his first to reveal Dekoichi, and then activated Pot of Avarice. Oliveira had one set monster, no cards in hand, and Laurents topdecked Zaborg the Thunder Monarch with the Pot! He tributed Dekoichi for Zaborg, used its effect to blow away Oliveira’s face down D. D. Assailant, and attacked to win the game.

Matt Laurents recovers from a loss of game 1 to come back and win the quarterfinals!