Levi Nissen is playing one of the more impressive Dark Armed Return variants here this weekend, a build inspired by Peter Navarro’s deck from Costa Mesa, and built with assistance from Miguel Albarran. 17 year-old Nissen traveled here from Iowa, and plays for Team TopControl.
His opponent is Jason Holloway, repeated Shonen Jump Day 2 competitor and fellow Dark Armed Return duelist. Holloway has made the bizarre choice to run just one copy of Return from the Different Dimension here this weekend, a strange but successful decision that made him the first-place player heading into today’s rounds. Experience might be on Holloway’s side, but Nissen was no slouch.
Nissen opened the match with a set card to each zone — did he set one of his two copies of Mystic Tomato? Holloway fired back with Destiny Draw, discarding Destiny Hero – Disk Commander. Reinforcement of the Army grabbed him Elemental Hero Stratos, and Stratos let him dig for Destiny Hero – Dasher. He set two cards to his back row, and then sent Stratos to attack Sangan. It fetched him Mystic Tomato, and Holloway flipped Gold Sarcophagus in main phase 2.
He used its effect to remove Crush Card Virus from play, a card that would give him an obvious advantage in this mirror match. Nissen wasn’t playing Dust Tornado, so he’d have a hard time outplaying the Virus. He passed and flipped Trap Dustshoot in Nissen’s draw phase: Nissen chained D.D. Crow to remove Holloway’s Disk Commander, hoping to fight off that Crush Card Virus. He revealed his hand: Torrential Tribute, two Return from the Different Dimension, Mystic Tomato, and Spirit Reaper. Holloway sent Reaper back to his deck.
Nissen summoned the Tomato, smashed it into Mystic Tomato and pulled Reaper. He activated Raigeki Break to destroy Stratos, swung with Reaper and forced Holloway to discard Strike Ninja. He passed with nothing but Reaper on the field.
Holloway’s only retort next turn was to set a monster. Nissen turned Spirit Reaper to defense and passed right back. Holloway drew and took his Crush Card Virus. Did he have a monster to tribute for it?
We’d find out shortly: he set a monster, set a spell or trap and ended. Whether or not he’d just set Crush Card Virus, he was sure giving the impression he had. Nissen set one spell or trap and ended. “Go.”
Holloway passed with four cards in hand, two monsters set, and one card face down in his back row. Nissen drew to four cards in hand, set a monster, and had a set spell or trap and Reaper on the field. He ended his turn, and Holloway’s draw for the turn let him activate Allure of Darkness to remove Dark Magician of Chaos! He played a second Allure moments later, this time removing Destiny Hero – Dasher. He was getting a respectable removed from play pile together, but since he only ran one Return it was unlikely that he’d go off any time soon. Nissen’s two set monsters were also a problem as long as Holloway didn’t have Zerato.
He ended his turn by setting one back row card, and flipped the other, Crush Card Virus, on the following turn to tribute away the Spirit Reaper he’d most recently set! Nissen revealed his set Mystic Tomato and a hand of Armageddon Knight, Burial from a Different Dimension, Torrential Tribute, and Allure of Darkness, losing nothing. He summoned the Knight, sent Necro Gardna to his graveyard with its effect, and set two cards to his back row. In his end phase Holloway blasted him, flipping Escape from the Dark Dimension to bring back Dark Magician of Chaos!
“Let me think about this for a second,” he remarked. To Holloway’s credit he was playing far quicker than he normally did, but this decision was worth a few extra moments of consideration. He opted to take back Gold Sarcophagus, and then began his turn.
He flip summoned Armageddon Knight, sending Jinzo to his graveyard. That let him special summon Dark Armed Dragon! “Priority?” asked Nissen. Holloway nodded and removed Jinzo, targeting one of Nissen’s three set cards in his spell and trap zone. Nissen checked Holloway’s graveyard and gave up his Burial from a Different Dimension, not chaining it. Holloway removed two more monsters to destroy his opponent’s Return from the Different Dimension and Allure of Darkness, too.
Gold Sarcophagus was the obvious follow-up, removing Darklord Zerato from the game. “Show me Dimension,” requested Nissen, knowing he’d lost. Holloway activated it, brought back Darklord Zerato and Jinzo, then discarded D.D. Crow to remove Necro Gardna from Nissen’s graveyard. He discarded for Zerato’s effect to clear the field and swung with all five of his monsters for game!
Jason Holloway takes a calculated first duel, one game away from the Top 4! Game 2 began swiftly.
Nissen began the second duel with Allure of Darkness, choosing between Spirit Reaper, Necro Gardna, and Snipe Hunter for Allure’s removal: Snipe Hunter was booted out of the game. He set Necro Gardna, then set a spell or trap to end. Holloway activated Allure next turn, removing Darklord Zerato and then pitching Destiny Hero – Dasher for Destiny Draw. He was off to a far stronger start than his opponent, but didn’t have any offense yet. He set two cards to his back row and ended.
Trap Dustshoot next turn revealed Nissen’s hand of Armageddon Knight, Spirit Reaper, Phantom of Chaos, Burial from a Different Dimension, and Reinforcement of the Army. Reaper was sent back to his deck, and Nissen summoned Armageddon Knight to load his graveyard with Necro Gardna. “Attack.” Holloway took 1400 damage from Armageddon Knight and Nissen finished his turn.
Holloway set a monster and ended, still slow rolling the situation. “Go ahead.”
“How many cards in hand?” asked Nissen.
“Four,” replied Holloway. He had a card set in each zone as well, to Nissen’s four cards in hand, set monster, set spell or trap, and Armageddon Knight. Reinforcement of the Army got him another Knight, which he summoned to send Dark Armed Dragon to the graveyard! Phantom of Chaos became far deadlier as a result.
One Armageddon Knight destroyed Holloway’s set Disk Commander and the other attacked directly for 1400 damage. Holloway was down to 5200 life points. He activated Destiny Draw next turn, and then got yet another two cards by bringing Disk Commander back to the field with Monster Reborn! He activated D.D. Crow, discarding it to go to three Darks, removing Necro Gardna from Nissen’s graveyard. He special summoned Dark Armed Dragon, removed Destiny Hero – Dasher to destroy Nissen’s Heavy Storm and then removed a second Dasher to blow away Nissen’s set Necro Gardna — not a bad turn of events for Nissen, all things considered. But things were about to get more brutal: Holloway summoned Snipe Hunter, discarded Sangan, and destroyed one of the two Armageddon Knights.
He removed Sangan for Dark Armed Dragon, destroying his own Snipe Hunter, and activated Return from the Different Dimension! That got him two Dasher, Zerato, and Sangan. He fed Sangan to Dasher, and moments later he was attacking for game.
Jason Holloway scores a 2-0 victory over Levi Nissen, moving on to the Top 4!