Team Overdose’s Christopher Merlini was here today with an 8-2 record. His opponent was a fellow Italian, Donato Mancini, who was playing a deck that closely resembled the deck Justin Womack played at the US National Championships just last weekend.
Donato’s three beat Merlini’s two on the die roll front and Donato decided to start with a set spell or trap. Merlini drew and set a card to each zone before passing, while Nobleman of Extermination took out Mirror Force. Donato shuffled his deck without removing a copy, and then decided on Dark World Lightning on the face down Treeborn Frog, discarding a card that wasn’t a Dark World monster, before summoning Injection Fairy Lily and attacking, using her effect to boost to 3400 ATK! He set another back row card before passing, and Merlini bought back his Treeborn.
Snatch Steal was next, and Lily gave Donato a taste of his own medicine! He set a monster before passing, and, after the 1000 point gain from Snatch Steal, the score was 3600 to 2600 in Donato’s favor. He simply passed his turn and, when Lily attacked again, he took it, pumping her up! This left the score at 600 to 200 with Merlini now in the lead, and, in main phase 2, he knocked Brain Control from Donato’s hand with Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch, by tributing the Lily. Donato passed his turn once again and Card Trooper was summoned by Merlini. Donato had Ring of Destruction however for Thestalos and he drew the game!
Both players smoke-screened their side decks for the next round. This is where we’d see who really had the advantage after the use of the side deck, since it could potentially be used for three games!
Game 2 saw Donato able to start again, and he did so with Confiscation, to reveal Merlini’s hand of Widespread Ruin, Card Trooper, Sakuretsu Armor, Raiza the Storm Monarch, and Snipe Hunter. He took the Card Trooper and set a monster before passing back to Merlini, who topdecked a Confiscation of his own! He chose not to play it quite yet though, and summoned Snipe Hunter, attacking the face down Treeborn Frog before playing Confiscation in main phase 2. This revealed Jinzo, Call of the Haunted, Cyber Dragon, and Snipe Hunter! It was a great hand for Donato, who could punish Merlini no matter which card he stripped.
After minutes of deliberation, Merlini finally settled on taking Call of the Haunted and set a spell or trap before ending his turn. Donato brought back his Treeborn Frog and tributed for Jinzo, attacking through Snipe Hunter before passing.
Merlini set his freshly topdecked Gravekeeper’s Spy, and she went straight back there after Donato tributed for his Raiza the Storm Monarch. Merlini showed visible dismay as he knew that next turn, if he set the Spy again, Donato had Snipe Hunter to seal the game! He scooped his cards and once again both players shuffled their entire side decks in to their main deck before stripping out fifteen that they didn’t think were needed for the second, although technically the third, game.
Donato Mancini takes game 1 from Christopher Merlini.
For the next game, it was Merlini who went first. Setting a card to each zone, he passed to Donato, a strong opener in the waiting.
Cyber Dragon was Donato’s first play, followed by Sangan. Merlini allowed it, and Sangan attacked through a Sangan on the opposing side of the field, fetching out Card Trooper for Christopher Merlini. The resulting damage took Merlini down to 5900, and, with a set to the back row, Donato ended his turn.
Merlini was looking at a hand of Card Trooper, Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive, Call of the Haunted, Premature Burial, Brain Control, and Snatch Steal and he settled for summoning the Card Trooper, losing three off the top of the deck, and running over Sangan before setting a second card to his spell or trap zone and ending.
Sangan had searched out Injection Fairy Lily for Donato and he began his turn with Mystical Space Typhoon on Torrential Tribute. Lily was summoned and Brain Control was flipped, knocking three off the top of Donato’s deck. Merlini had his Call of the Haunted face down and Donato entered his battle phase, attacking with Lily first.
This was an extremely difficult choice for Merlini, and he sat thinking about his options for a while before taking the damage. When Trooper attacked, Merlini flipped the Call on a Mystic Tomato discarded from the top of his deck by Card Trooper. Trooper attacked through the Tomato and Spirit Reaper hit the field for Merlini. Cyber Dragon attacked the Reaper and Merlini was down to only 200 life points!
Donato ended and Trooper returned to Merlini’s side of the field. He set a card to each zone and passed. Donato summoned Card Trooper, lost three cards from the deck, and activated Brain Control on Merlini’s Spirit Reaper. Trooper and Cyber Dragon went through the Trooper and set Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive respectively, and Injection Fairy Lily attempted to attack for game.
Merlini flopped his face down card however . . . but it was only Mystical Space Typhoon. With nothing to prevent the incoming attack, Merlini’s life points were reduced to 0 and he dropped the rest of his hand on the table.
Donato Mancini overcomes Team Overdose’s Christopher Merlini 2-0-1 to continue 9-2 into round 12!