Hamilton hails from Maryland, and is a member of Team Immortal Technique. Coming in hot off a win against Anthony Alvarado, he was pumped at his chance to earn some credibility for the brand new team. A top 8 appearance would do a lot for IT’s budding reputation.

Fitzgerald began the first game with a face down monster. Hamilton summoned Cyber Dragon, then D. D. Warrior Lady, and sent the lady into the face down. He removed what he found: Sangan. Cyber Dragon struck directly for 2100, Hamilton set a spell or trap, and play proceeded. Fitzgerald set a spell or trap, passed, Hamilton set a monster, passed, and Fitzgerald passed right back. Hamilton summoned Blade Knight and attacked directly for 1600 damage. So far, Fitzgerald was taking a pounding.

He flipped his set card, Heavy Storm, to destroy Hamilton’s set Pot of Avarice. He then set a monster, played Smashing Ground on Blade Knight, and passed. Hamilton tributed his set Sand Moth for Zaborg the Thunder Monarch, destroying Fitzgerald’s set monster, which was Treeborn Frog. Hamilton set one card to his back row and passed.

Treeborn Frog sprung back up onto the field, and he used Metamorphosis to tribute it for Thousand-Eyes Restrict. It inhaled Zaborg, but when it attacked, it ran into Widespread Ruin. Fitzgerald passed.

Two turns later, it was Fitzgerald with Treeborn Frog and Spirit Reaper in attack position, passing to Hamilton. Hamilton summoned Don Zaloog, sent it into the Spirit Reaper, and cost Fitzgerald a card. But Fitzgerald fired back with Chaos Sorcerer, removing Don from play. He set his last two cards to his back row and passed.

Hamilton topdecked Injection Fairy Lily, and it forced Fitzgerald to flip Torrential Tribute. Next turn Fitzgerald flipped Call of the Haunted to bring back Mobius the Frost Monarch, but Hamilton had Scapegoat and Zaborg had to be content with just attacking a Sheep token. Fitzgerald set a spell or trap and passed. Hamilton set his topdeck to his back row, and when Zaborg attacked, he revealed it to be Sakuretsu Armor. Zaborg was destroyed. Hamilton summoned Mystic Swordsman LV2 and tried to attack, but was also stymied by Sakuretsu Armor.

Treeborn Frog returned to the field to defend Fitzgerald, and he set another spell or trap. Hamilton drew for his turn, played Premature Burial to bring back Zaborg, and attacked to clear out the Frog. It could not return on the turn that followed. Fitzgerald drew and passed. All he had was one set spell or trap. Zaborg attacked, and it was Fitzgerald’s turn to flip Scapegoat! Zaborg ate a Sheep token and play passed to Fitzgerald.

He special summoned his Treeborn Frog again and contemplated his next move. He eventually opted to pass, and it was 800 to 6900 in Hamilton’s favor.

Zaborg smashed another Sheep token. Fitzgerald tributed his Frog for Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch, and forced Hamilton to discard Chaos Sorcerer, dishing out 600 damage. Sorcerer attacked Zaborg, but Sakuretsu Armor repelled the attack. Zaborg ate another Sheep, and Fitzgerald set a monster. A turn later he summoned another Thestalos, but Hamilton flipped Torrential Tribute and cleared the field. He followed it up with Sangan, whose adorable little claws shredded the remainder of Fitzgerald’s life points.

Hamilton wins the first duel!

Fitzgerald opened game 2 with a single set monster. Hamilton attacked it with D. D. Warrior Lady, hitting Treeborn Frog and removing it from play. He set two cards to his back row and ended. Fitzgerald set a monster to each zone and passed. Hamilton summoned Exiled Force, destroyed the face down monster (a Spirit Reaper) and passed back.

A face down card hit each of Fitzgerald’s zones. Breaker the Magical Warrior was summoned by Hamilton on the following turn, and he shot Breaker’s token into Scapegoat, which was promptly chained. Breaker did not attack. Fitzgerald summoned D. D. Warrior Lady, and sent it into Breaker.

Hamilton flipped Sakuretsu Armor, destroying D. D. Warrior Lady. Fitzgerald flipped Smashing Ground to destroy Breaker, set a new monster, and passed. Hamilton set a card to each zone to replenish his field and announced that he was finished his turn. Fitzgerald passed back yet again.

Don Zaloog arrived on Hamilton’s side of the field, and it attacked one of the Sheep protecting Fitzgerald. On the following turn though, Don turned traitor, and Fitzgerald made off with him thanks to Snatch Steal. He rammed Zaloog at Hamilton directly, but was stopped by Call of the Haunted. Hamilton flipped it, took back Breaker the Magical Warrior, and stopped the Zaloog attack. Fitzgerald passed.

Mystical Space Typhoon freed Zaloog of Snatch Steal, and Hamilton used Breaker and Don to attack two Sheep. Fitzgerald flip summoned Magician of Faith to take back Snatch Steal, but Hamilton had Chain Disappearance to at least remove Magician of Faith from the game. Snatch Steal took control of Don again, Smashing Ground destroyed Breaker, and Don attacked directly to discard Heavy Storm. What a painful pick!

Hamilton used Smashing Ground to destroy the Don Zaloog Fitzgerald had taken. He then set one card to his back row before passing.

Fitzgerald flip summoned Magical Merchant, taking Enemy Controller form his deck. He summoned Tsukuyomi to turn Merchant face down, set another card to his back row, and passed play to Hamilton.

Cyber Dragon was special summoned on Hamilton’s side of the field, and it smacked the last Sheep off the field. Hamilton passed, Fitzgerald flipped Magical Merchant, and got Sakuretsu Armor for his trouble. Metamorphosis exchanged the Merchant for Thousand-Eyes Restrict, and the Restrict inhaled Cyber Dragon before attacking Hamilton directly.

Hamilton played Premature Burial to bring back Don Zaloog. Smashing Ground destroyed Thousand-Eyes Restrict, but when Don Zaloog attacked directly Fitzgerald flipped Sakuretsu Armor. Hamilton was holding Pot of Avarice in his hand, and was waiting to accrue enough monsters to use it.

Fitzgerald set another monster and ended. Hamilton passed, and Fitzgerald tributed his set Apprentice Magician for Thestalos. It knocked Chaos Sorcerer out of Hamilton’s hand, but left him with Pot of Avarice. Thestalos was swallowed up by Bottomless Trap Hole and Hamilton was left with enough monsters in his graveyard to use Pot of Avarice.

He did, and then set a card to each zone. Fitzgerald did the same, and Hamilton used Dust Tornado to destroy Fitzgerald’s freshly set Torrential Tribute. He set a card of his own on his turn, and passed back to Fitzgerald.

Mystical Space Typhoon hit Hamilton’s Scapegoat, which was promptly chained. Fitzgerald flipped his one set monster, Old Vindictive Magician. He destroyed Hamilton’s one set monster, but that monster was Sand Moth, and it was promptly bumped back to the field. It was 5100 to 8000 in Fitzgerald’s favor, and Tsukuyomi turned Old Vindictive face down again.

Hamilton summoned Injection Fairy Lily. He admitted he’d forgotten the DEF value of Old Vindictive Magician. Lily attacked the Magician, which in turn destroyed the Sand Moth. This time it stuck. Hamilton did not pump Lily, and Old Vindictive Magician remained on the field.

On the following turn Fitzgerald attacked Lily with the Magician, trying to force Hamilton to pump. Widespread Ruin cut the clever move short. A turn later, Fitzgerald flip summoned Magical Merchant to fetch Smashing Ground, used it to destroy Lily, and then attacked a Sheep token with the Merchant. Tsukuyomi turned the Merchant face down.

Hamilton passed, Fitzgerald flipped Magical Merchant again, this time getting Dust Tornado, and bonked another Sheep. Tsukuyomi turned the Merchant face down yet again, Fitzgerald set a third back row card, and he passed. He had a massive pile of cards, including one set Merchant, three set back row cards, and a wad of options in-hand to Hamilton’s two cards in hand and one Sheep token.

Hamilton passed again. Call of the Haunted and Premature Burial brought up a pair of Mobius the Frost Monarch for Fitzgerald, and the flipped the Merchant again. Tsukuyomi turned it down, but the game was sealed when he used Enemy Controller to turn the last Sheep token into attack position. The pair of Mobius struck, and that was game!

The match moved to game 3 with four minutes remaining on the clock. Hamilton opened the duel.

He set Sangan and two back row cards before passing play to Fitzgerald. Heavy Storm wiped away both set cards: Torrential Tribute and Chain Disappearance. Fitzgerald set two spell/trap cards of his won, summoned D. D. Warrior Lady, and passed, not attacking the face down monster. It was a peculiar choice, and particularly unfortunate given the fact that Hamilton’s face down was a Sangan. Fitzgerald of course didn’t know that.

Hamilton drew and summoned Reinforcement of the Army. He took Blade Knight with its effect, summoned Exiled Force, and destroyed D. D. Warrior Lady by tributing Exiled. He then flip summoned Sangan and attacked directly, dealing 1000 damage and getting the edge he’d need if the game was called on time. He set one card to his back row, but Dust Tornado destroyed it to reveal Widespread Ruin. Sangan was defenseless.

Fitzgerald drew and flipped Call of the Haunted! He took back D. D. Warrior Lady with its effect, then tributed her for Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch! It was a tough decision, but it paid off, as Hamilton was forced to discard Blade Knight and take an additional 400 damage! The Thestalos attacked Sangan and time was called. It was 6200 to 8000, and Hamilton would have two turns in which to even the score or win.

He spent the first turn just setting a card to each zone. Fitzgerald set a monster, considered turning Thestalos to defense, and passed. There was nothing Hamilton could do, and he tossed his hand on the table in defeat.

Daniel Fitzgerald maintains the reputation of Team NeXus!