Another feature match, another pair of Superfriends forced to compete! Jason Tan had one loss, but Peddle was undefeated.
“There aren’t any guaranteed Top 8s in this tournament,” noted Peddle, so there’d be no scooping shenanigans. “No matter what happens, we’re still teammates and still friends.” The duel began with a handshake.
Peddle opened with a set card to each zone and Tan summoned Yellow Gadget. He searched for Green Gadget, attacked, and lost Yellow to Sakuretsu Armor! He set one back row card and passed. Peddle clearly had something up his sleeve.
He flip summoned his Dekoichi, drew for its effect, attacked directly, and set a card to his spell and trap zone. Tan summoned Green Gadget, destroyed Dekoichi with Smashing Ground, and attacked directly. “Your turn.”
Peddle set a monster, Tan summoned Snipe Hunter and discarded Sakuretsu Armor for its effect, but ran into Torrential Tribute. Peddle had set Sangan, and Tan had been sucked right in! Peddle took Card Trooper with Sangan, summoned it, and used its effect to pitch three cards to his graveyard, including Treeborn Frog! Trooper attacked directly, Peddle set two back row cards, and play was to Tan.
He summoned Red Gadget, attacked into Sakuretsu Armor, and set a second back row card. Peddle pumped Trooper again and attacked, leaving Tan to think long and hard about his next move. After some more thought he took the damage, and Peddle set a monster plus two more cards to his back row.
“Is that a Morphing Jar?” wondered Tan audibly. He summoned Banisher of the Radiance, activated Smashing Ground to destroy Trooper, and removed it from play, preventing its draw effect! Tan then set two more cards to his back row and ended, not attacking.
Peddle didn’t have Morphing Jar. He flipped his set monster, Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive, and took another draw. He tributed the Dekoichi for Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch, and lost him to Bottomless Trap Hole, but discarded Tan’s last in-hand card, Yellow Gadget. “Go.”
Tan swung with Banisher of the Radiance — Peddle destroyed it with Sakuretsu Armor, eager to simplify and cut his committal to the spell and trap zone. He summoned Spirit Reaper, attacked, and watched as Reaper was destroyed by Shrink. Tan drew, passed, and Peddle summoned Mystic Tomato. He attacked with it for 1400 damage and then set a third card.
Brain Control threatened to take control of Mystic Tomato, but Tan had placed himself in dangerous territory by paying the 800 life points for Brain Control’s activation. Peddle capitalized, chaining Ring of Destruction to destroy Tomato and take the first duel!
Ryan Peddle takes a decisive win in the first duel! One more win would make him an auto-in for the Top 8! Both duelists set to some very focused side decking.
Tan opened with Green Gadget searching for Red, and backed it up with a set trap. Peddle thought a moment, activated D. D. Designator, and named Red Gadget to remove it from the game, getting a nice look at Tan’s hand while he did: Enemy Controller, Cyber Dragon, Snipe Hunter, and Creature Swap. He set a card to each zone, set a second spell or trap and passed.
Green Gadget attacked and slammed into Peddle’s set Treeborn Frog. He set a second spell or trap to match Peddle and then ended: “Go ahead.” Peddle flipped Dust Tornado, destroyed Tan’s set Enemy Controller, and then summoned Card Trooper. He pumped it to 1900 ATK and ran it into Sakuretsu Armor, taking a draw with its effect.
Another attack from Green Gadget smacked Peddle’s life points. Tan set another card to his back row, Peddle set a card to each zone and play was back to Tan. He summoned Snipe Hunter, refused to use its effect with priority, and Peddle responded with Torrential Tribute!
“Same scenario, buddy!” Peddle revealed that his set monster was Sangan.
“I learned my lesson last time,” said Tan, grinning briefly as Peddle searched his deck for Gravekeeper’s Spy.
“What else?”
“That’s all.” In his end phase, Peddle cost Tan his set Shrink. He brought back Frog, tributed for Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch to force Tan to discard Mirror Force, and then attacked directly for 2400 damage. It was a great turn, and he finished it with a set spell or trap.
Tan special summoned Cyber Dragon, took out Thestalos with Fissure and then attacked directly. He set Scapegoat but lost it to Mystical Space Typhoon in his end phase. Tan had one card left in his hand.
Peddle brought out his own Cyber Dragon, traded his with Tan’s in battle, and set his last two cards — one to each zone. Tan’s deck could be dangerous in a simplified duel, and sure enough he summoned Yellow Gadget to start what would hopefully be an overwhelming flood of cards. Knowing that Peddle’s set monster was Gravekeeper’s Spy he refused to attack, and set one card to his back row to finish up.
The Spy was flip summoned and Peddle brought out a second in defense position. “Would you like to suicide?” asked Tan. Peddle nodded, running his Spy into Tan’s Gadget to destroy both monsters. Tan summoned Green Gadget, ended, and Peddle took it with Brain Control. He attacked, dropped Tan to 4200 life points and tributed Green for Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch. It cost Tan another Red Gadget and another 400 damage. “Go.” Peddle seemed comfortably in control now.
Smashing Ground destroyed Peddle’s Spy and Tan set his last card, leaving him with nothing but two cards in his spell and trap zone. Peddle summoned Card Trooper, trooped away three cards, and attacked with both of his monsters. Tan flipped his two set cards, Nobleman of Crossout and Creature Swap, and gave Tan the handshake!
“Sorry Jason,” said Peddle. Tan waved off the apology and accepted another handshake.
Ryan Peddle is headed to the Top 8 of the Canadian National Championships!