George Mean is from Los Angeles. John Umali is from San Diego. It's an age-old rivalry whose resolution will bring one of them within a match win of the championship. The long day showed on their faces. They tried their best not to let it show in their play.

Game One

Mean won the roll and kicked off with a face-down monster and a spell or trap. Umali activated Pot of Greed and summoned Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer, attacking into what turned out to be Mean’s Sinister Serpent. Umali set a pair of spells or traps and ended the turn.

Mean played Heavy Storm, but Umali chained up Scapegoat and Emergency Provisions. Mean kept the chain alive with Book of Moon on Kycoo and a Pot of Greed. Finally things unraveled, and he swung at the face-down Kycoo with a newly-summoned Berserk Gorilla. 

Umali had nothing to do but set one spell or trap. Mean kept the pressure up with Breaker the Magical Warrior, but that only played into Umali's plan. He showed Torrential Tribute to blow up the field. Premature Burial got Umali back his Kycoo, and he tried a direct attack. Mean had Scapegoat to calm that noise. Umali set another card and made a verbal check of card counts.

Mean set a monster and watched Umali take down a ’Goat. He busted out another face-down monster and a spell or trap. Umali saw right through things, saying “I’ll attaaaack . . . your Sinister. Watch this guys.” Mean dutifully turned up his Sinister Serpent.

When Mean’s turn rolled around, he took back his Serpent. He flipped over his face-down Magician of Faith, pondering what card he was going to take. “Pot of Greed?” asked Umali. Mean chose Heavy Storm instead to clean up Umali's field, then struck with his Magician and Blade Knight. He set a spell or trap and ended his turn.

Umali didn't like the look of that and aimed a Mystical Space Typhoon at it, revealing it to be a Bottomless Trap Hole. He dropped Reflect Bounder and attacked the Knight, destroying it. He set two more spells or traps, knowing he was safe from Heavy Storm. For now.

Mean set another monster, turned the Magician of Faith to defense, and then played Mirage of Nightmare. He was really missing his Sinister Serpent. Umali summoned Breaker, broke Mean’s face-down (a Nobleman of Crossout), and had Reflect Bounder hit the Magician of Faith. Breaker then attacked the face-down Serpent, and Umali passed.

Mean used Emergency Provisions on the Mirage of Nightmare, netting a card. He took back his Sinister Serpent as well, and then summoned a Magical Scientist. He called priority and then special summoned Thousand-Eyes Restrict. Umali requested a ruling, and play took a brief break. Thousand-Eyes sucked up Reflect Bounder and then attacked Breaker. Mean set two spells or traps.

Umali drew. “I didn’t get anything,” but it was impossible to tell if he was bluffing or not. He summoned D. D. Warrior Lady and attacked Magical Scientist to hammer through some damage. Mean drew for his turn, and after requesting a ruling, he played The Forceful Sentry. Given the choice of Nobleman of Crossout and Berserk Gorilla, he shuffled back Umali’s Gorilla. 

“We’ve each got four cards . . . ” said Umali. “Well . . . four and a half, cause you’ve got ’Goats.” Umali's demeanor was oddly relaxed.

Mean flipped Call of the Haunted to take Magical Scientist. He used his priority to bring out Thousand-Eyes Restrict again. He sucked up D. D. Warrior Lady with it, then tributed both the Thousand-Eyes and the Scientist for Dark Magician of Chaos, returning Heavy Storm to his hand. Umali had a Call of his own. Mean chained Raigeki Break. Umali was ready with Book of Moon to turn his Magician face down. On his turn, he removed it from play with Nobleman of Crossout and set a Magician of Faith.

D. D. Warrior Lady swung at the Magician. Umali took back Pot of Greed and activated it. He had three cards to Mean's one. Umali set another face-down spell or trap and brought out Blade Knight, dispatching D.D.

Mean set a Painful Choice and a monster. Umali used Raigeki Break to take down the Choice, following up with a Tribe to tag Mean's face-down Sinister Serpent. Mean topdecked a Smashing Ground to take out the Tribe, then re-set his Serpent. Umali had one of his own to knock it down. Mean showed him Berserk Gorilla, able to smash the Serpent because it was in the attack position. “That’s messed up”, laughed Umali.

Umali drew, took back his Sinister Serpent, and played Snatch Steal. He followed up by hitting Mean with his own Gorilla. Mean’s turn consisted of a set monster and a spell or trap. Umali was stockpiling cards in hand. He attacked the face-down Serpent with Mean’s Gorilla and set a monster.

Mean didn’t seem to have much left, just another set monster. Umali flipped his face-down Magician of Faith. Mean chained Waboku to its effect. Umali took back Pot of Greed and activated it against the uncontested field for even more card advantage. He attacked the face-down Serpent again with the Gorilla just to flip it over, then set a monster.

Mean tributed his Serpent for Jinzo and swung at Magician of Faith. Umali stripped his hand with Forceful Sentry, switched Sinister Serpent to attack, and used Creature Swap to take Mean’s Jinzo and stick him with the attack-position Serpent. The attacks cost Mean a total of 4100 LP. Mean gained his 1000 LP and set a monster. Umali used Change of Heart on it and attacked for game.

Game Two

Mean chose to open. He activated Painful Choice, and ended up getting a Sinister Serpent, discarding a Jinzo among other things. Mean set two spells or traps and a monster. Umali had a Choice of his own. Mean gave him Dark Magician of Chaos. Umali thanked him and showed Pot of Greed. He activated Swords of Revealing Light and set three S/Ts and a monster. The Swords revealed Mean’s face-down D. D. Warrior Lady.

Mean nuked Umali's face-down monster with a Nobleman of Crossout, and a good thing too, as it was a Magician of Faith. Mean set another monster and passed the turn back. Umali did the same. Mean did nothing on his turn but set another spell or trap. Umali finally remembered about his Sinister Serpent, took it back, and set a monster. Mean did the same. Umali flip summoned Magical Scientist, claimed priority, and summoned Ryu Senshi. He paid another thousand to summon Thousand-Eyes Restrict. A third thousand got him another one, and it absorbed the two face-down monsters. He then tributed the two Thousand-Eyes's for Dark Magician of Chaos, getting back Swords of Revealing Light. He flip summoned D. D. Warrior Lady and attacked with it against Mean’s, removing both from play. He then attacked with the Magician.

“Let’s see your Scapegoat . . . ”, quipped Umali. He saw it: Mean protected himself and lost all but one sheep. Umali played another Swords of Revealing Light and passed.

Mean took back Sinister Serpent, summoned Tribe-Infecting Virus, and used its effect to get rid of both of Umali’s Spellcasters. Umali hit the Tribe with Bottomless Trap Hole, and Mean passed.

Umali set another spell or trap and a monster. His two sets were matched by Mean. Umali passed his turn when it came to him, and that was the end of the game on time.

Match Win: John Umali