Baboon Burn is one of the breakout hits here this weekend, and it’s sparked a lot of overnight interest. With Matt Peddle covering the Corn versus Luna Light and Darkness Dragon mirror match, I was free to cover what I feel to be a major new strategy in this format. While Jerry Wang was playing the ubiquitous Light and Darkness Dragon, Trias was playing Baboon Burn. This matchup may become an important one over the coming weeks, and this feature should give us some important insight into how these decks interact.
Trias opened with Foolish Burial, sending Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest to the graveyard! He set one card to his back row and ended, holding Gyaku-Gire Panda, Cyber Dragon, Giant Rat, and Secret Barrel. Wang had a big opening too, activating Reinforcement of the Army, searching his deck for Elemental Hero Stratos, playing him, and searching out Destiny Hero – Disk Commander with Stratos’ effect. He discarded the Commander moments later for Destiny Draw and attacked for 1800 damage, scoring the first damage in this match! He set two cards to his back row, ended his turn, but lost his set Phoenix Wing Wind Blast to Trias’ Mystical Space Typhoon. Trias had clearly been reading Call of the Haunted, and seemed briefly disappointed that he didn’t destroy it.
Cyber Dragon hit the field for Trias next turn, and he summoned Giant Rat quickly thereafter. Cyber Dragon ran over Stratos, the Rat struck for direct damage and Trias set a spell or trap. Sure enough, Wang activated Call of the Haunted to bring back his Disk Commander in the end phase! He drew two cards, moved to his draw phase, and drew another. Trias activated Secret Barrel for 1800 damage, dropping Wang to 4500 life points. Trias himself was still at a healthy 6200 life points, but Wang now had him thoroughly out-carded. “Do you have a bad hand, please?” asked Trias with a grin. “Yeah, I do,” replied a slightly irritated Wang, considering what seemed to be grim options. “Oh.” Trias was cheerfully surprised. “Thank god.”
Wang set a card to each zone, turned Disk Commander to defense mode, and then reluctantly ended his turn. Trias attacked the set monster with Cyber Dragon, but it was Sangan, and Wang tributed it in response for Crush Card Virus! Cyber Dragon was destroyed and Trias revealed his hand: Morphing Jar, Panda, and Level Limit - Area B. He lost nothing but the Dragon. Wang got Treeborn Frog with Sangan’s effect, the Rat attacked directly, and Level Limit - Area B hit the field to turn Giant Rat to defense mode. Snipe Hunter came down for Wang, and he discarded Treeborn Frog to take aim at Level Limit - Area B. The roll missed! Wang discarded Scapegoat next, aiming at Giant Rat, and missed again! Things just weren’t going Wang’s way. He ditched Soul Exchange next and this time destroyed the Level Limit. He had no follow-up though, and ended his turn immediately thereafter.
Trias drew Just Desserts, summoned Gyaku-Gire Panda, and turned Giant Rat to attack! The Panda pierced through Snipe Hunter, Rat struck directly, and Wang was down to 2400 life points. Trias set Just Desserts, but lost it in Wang’s draw phase to Mystical Space Typhoon. There was no point in chaining it since Wang didn’t control any monsters. That let Wang bring up his Treeborn Frog! Spell Striker hit the field, and Wang tributed them both for Light and Darkness Dragon! The Dragon ran over Panda, Trias paid 1000 for Green Baboon, and the Dragon negated Baboon’s effect, dropping to 2300 ATK. Wang was back in the duel! Giant Rat was shifted to defense mode and Trias set a card to his back row.
Wang made a great play on the following turn: he topdecked into Destiny Hero – Malicious, and, since the Dragon was his only defense, he needed to open up his options. Knowing that, he activated his Treeborn Frog three times to degrade his Dragon’s defense, turning off its negation effect, then brought back his Frog with a fourth activation. That let Wang activate Destiny Draw to discard the Malicious and draw two cards, a huge improvement over his situation moments ago! Trias chained Ojama Trio. Wang turned his Dragon to defense mode, set one of his two last cards to his back row and passed.
Trias set his topdecked monster and passed back. Wang set a second card to his spell and trap zone, ended, and Trias flipped Morphing Jar next turn, sending his own Neo-Spacian Grand Mole and Breaker the Magical Warrior to the graveyard, while costing Wang Brain Control. It seemed to be a mistake — giving Wang a ton of new cards when he was on the defensive. Trias took his five new cards, activated Foolish Burial and sent Treeborn Frog from his deck to his graveyard. He set a spell or trap, ended, and lost that card to the top of his deck in the end phase when Wang discarded Spirit Reaper for Phoenix Wing Wind Blast. Treeborn Frog was tributed by Wang on the following turn for Raiza the Storm Monarch, sending Giant Rat to the top of Trias’ deck. Light and Darkness Dragon went to attack mode, Raiza attacked Morphing Jar, and the Dragon attacked directly. The duel stood at 2400 life points to 1200. Trias special summoned Cyber Dragon in attack mode, looked through Wang’s graveyard, and then realized he should have brought the Cyber out in defense mode. He had to go for it — he summoned Gyaku-Gire Panda, attacked, and ran straight into Mirror Force. Trias paid himself down to 200 life points to bring back his Green Baboon, but it didn’t matter — next turn Wang had a second Raiza the Storm Monarch, nullifying Trias’ misplay of the Cyber Dragon.
Jerry Wang pulls out of a bad situation with a clutch Light and Darkness Dragon and the brilliant decision to turn its effect OFF, stealing the first duel out from under Justin Trias with some clever defensive plays!
After some quick side decking the opening of game 2 was again to Justin Trias. He activated Foolish Burial, sent Treeborn Frog to his graveyard, then set a monster and two back row cards. In Wang’s draw phase he flipped Ojama Trio, eliminating Wang’s option of playing Cyber Dragon if he had one in his opening hand. “Three cards in hand?” asked Wang. “Two,” corrected Trias. Wang activated Destiny Draw, discarded Destiny Hero – Malicious, and drew two cards. He removed the Malicious to bring another copy out in defense mode, then tributed him for Raiza the Storm Monarch. Raiza spun away Trias’ set monster, then attacked for 2400 damage. “End my turn.” Trias entered his standby phase, flipped Just Desserts for 2000 damage, and brought back his Treeborn Frog. He set a second monster, activated Messenger of Peace and ended.
The duel stood at 6000 life points to 5600, with Wang in the lead. He set a spell or trap card and shuffled his five-card hand. He had Raiza and three Ojama tokens on the field to his opponent’s Treeborn Frog, set monster, Messenger of Peace, and one card in hand. Wang set another spell or trap and ended.
“I’ll pay,” announced Trias, giving up 100 life points to keep Messenger of Peace on the field. Wang activated Foolish Burial, searched his deck for Treeborn Frog and sent it to his graveyard. He special summoned Spell Striker by removing the Foolish, and then activated Torrential Tribute to clear the field! He took 900 damage for the Ojama Tokens and seemed to have things well under control. “I’ll pay 1000,” announced Trias, dropping Green Baboon from his hand! Still, Wang had control: Brain Control let him take the Baboon, he tributed it for Mobius the Frost Monarch, and Mobius attacked after destroying Messenger of Peace!
Trias brought back his Treeborn, set D.D. Crow out of desperation, and lost it to Mobius. Wang passed, Trias set his back row card, and next turn Wang had Breaker the Magical Warrior! Trias scooped the moment Breaker hit the field, offering Wang the handshake.
Jerry Wang makes short work of Justin Trias, as Light and Darkness Dragon triumphs over Baboon Burn! Wang moves on to the Top 8!