This was it: the bubble match. Whoever won here would have a chance at the Top 8, while the other would not. To make things more interesting, this matchup was between teammates.

“We’ve got the same deck, card for card,” mentioned Gillison, while Long, the champion of Shonen Jump Championship Boston, shuffled up.

Long opened with a set card to each of his two zones. Gillison used Mystical Space Typhoon on Long’s set spell or trap and found it to be . . . Mystical Space Typhoon! Gillison then summoned Drillroid, attacked Long’s face down D. D. Warrior Lady, and set a spell or trap card.

Breaker the Magical Warrior was summoned by Long, and it attacked the Drillroid: Gillison flipped Sakuretsu Armor to destroy Breaker, and Long set one more card to his spell and trap zone before ending his turn.

Gillison attacked with Sangan, freshly summoned, then swung with Drillroid. He set another spell or trap and play passed to Long. He summoned Don Zaloog, got rid of Drillroid with Smashing Ground, and intended to attack Sangan with Don but got ambitious and decided to flip Call of the Haunted first: Gillison flipped Torrential Tribute when the monster Call targeted came up from the graveyard, and Long’s offensive aspirations were cut short. Long set two spells or traps, his only remaining cards, and passed.

Premature Burial brought back Sangan and Long remarked that Gillison is “fat and ugly,” teasing his teammate while taking his brutal beating. Sangan swung for 1000 damage, and Long managed to topdeck Cyber Dragon. He summoned it, flipped Reinforcement of the Army to take D. D. Assailant from his deck, and brought it to the field. Assailant didn’t stick around long though, as it was summoned right into a waiting Trap Hole. Cyber Dragon smashed Sangan, Sangan fetched Gillison Exiled Force, and Long ended.

Gillison drew, riffled his graveyard, and then used Exiled Force to get rid of the Dragon. Long drew D. D. Survivor, attacked with it, and next turn his teammate destroyed it with Smashing Ground. Gillison set Spirit Reaper, Long hit it with Nobleman of Crossout, but his luck ran thin: Gillison set a Gravekeeper’s Spy, flipped it next turn, and then played Heavy Storm to clear the path for them—the combined damage from their attack was enough to bring Long down.

As game 2 began, Long set a card to each of his zones and Gillison did the same, committing himself to the field a little more by going on two set a second spell or trap. Long summoned Drillroid attacked the face down monster Gillison controlled, and Sakuretsu Armor destroyed the pokey Machine monster. Gillison set one more spell or trap, Long flipped D. D. Warrior Lady, attacks into a Sakuretsu Armor again, and set another monster. Mystical Space Typhoon dropped from Gillison’s hand to destroy Long’s set Return from the Different Dimension, he flip summoned D. D. Assailant, summoned Spirit Reaper, and attacked a set Gravekeeper’s Spy: Long pulled his second Spy from his deck.

Long then summoned D. D. Survivor, flipped both Spies to attack, ran them into the attack position Reaper, and then sent D. D. Survivor after D. D. Assailant: D. D. Survivor was destroyed by yet another Sakuretsu.

“Can I scoop?” Gillison had nothing despite destroying the Assailant. He was holding three copies of Return from the Different Dimension in his hand. He decided to play it out, but three turns later the Spies took him down.

It was one to one, and the match moved to game three.

Gillison opened with a single set spell or trap. “This hand is crazy.”

Long played Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy Widespread Ruin, leaving him with an open field to exploit. He summoned Bazoo, attacked with it for 1600 damage, and set one spell or trap.

Gillison summoned Breaker the Magical Warrior and Bottomless Trap Hole ate it. Gillison played Smashing Ground to take out Bazoo and passed.

Long then realized he had Reinforcement of the Army in his hand the entire time. It was a long day. He activated it to grab . . . “Where’s Don Zaloog?” He searched his deck a few times. “I side decked it out?” Long was just as surprised as Gillison and the spectators were. He riffled his deck again, and eventually settled on D. D. Assailant. He summoned it, set a spell or trap and attacked with the Assailant.

Play continued briskly, but Gillison was clearly having some hand problems. Finally he set his four remaining cards: one monster, and three to his spell and trap zone. He ended his turn.

Long’s D. D. Assailant attacked the face down monster. “He has a face down D. D. Warrior Lady, watch” predicted Long. It was another D. D. Assailant, and the attack bounced. Then . . . well, Gillison revealed the fact that his three set cards in his spell and trap zone were Bazoo, Jinzo, and D. D. Assailant. He laughed and scooped to Gillison.

Definitely the most unique ending to a feature match that we’ve ever run. Brian Long moved on with a 7-2 record!