Brian Long is a Shonen Jump Champion, and made Day 2 at Shonen Jump Columbus earlier this year. He’s playing for Team Yu-Gi-Oh! ETC, and his opponent this round is Team Nexus’ Brandon Brody, representing B.R.A.D.’S Sportscards and Collectibles. The reason for this feature match? Brody’s innovative deck design, which was undefeated here today. Watch and see.

He won the roll and opened with a set card to each zone. Long drew, set a monster himself, then set a spell or trap to match his opponent. Brody flip summoned D. D. Warrior Lady, attacked, and Long debated his response before activating Phoenix Wing Wind Blast and discarding Call of the Haunted, sending D. D. Warrior Lady back to the top of Brody’s deck. Another set spell or trap finished Brody’s turn.

Long flip summoned Spirit Reaper and, when it attacked, it was destroyed by Widespread Ruin. He set a spell or trap and Brody summoned D. D. Warrior Lady again, attacking directly — this time her blades connected. Brody set a second spell or trap to finish out, and Long set another one as well.

D. D. Warrior Lady attacked once more, reducing Long to 5000 life points. He set a third card to his back row, ate another 1500 from the Warrior Lady and was left at 3500. Brody ended.

Another Wind Blast bounced the Warrior Lady, costing Long Premature Burial. Brody summoned the Lady again, and again she was blown away by Wind Blast! This time Long had to discard Zaborg the Thunder Monarch. Brody ended, Long passed, and D. D. Warrior Lady was summoned to attack directly again. It was 2000 to 8000 in Brody’s favor.

He flipped Royal Oppression in Long’s draw phase, leaving Long to discard Destiny Hero – Malicious for Destiny Draw in the main phase. With Malicious useless due to Oppression, Long just set another card to each zone. D. D. Warrior Lady attacked next turn, but Long flipped Crush Card Virus to tribute his Fear Monger and destroy the Lady. Brody lost Snipe Hunter and Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer from his hand, but kept his revealed D. D. Warrior. Brody set him and Long set a monster as well, now knowing he was up against something different.

Next turn Brody lost his topdecked Banisher of the Radiance to Crush Card’s effect. He flip summoned D. D. Warrior, attacked, and removed Sangan from play! “Your turn.” Long drew and had two cards in hand with two spell or trap cards set, while Brody had three cards in hand, one back row card set, and Oppression active. Long passed, Brody passed, and Long summoned Mystic Tomato, but it attacked right into Sakuretsu Armor. In main phase 2 Long activated Pot of Avarice, shuffling back Malicious, Mystic Tomato, Zaborg the Thunder Monarch, Fear Monger, and Spirit Reaper. Long drew his two and passed.

Brody drew D. D. Assailant, and now, free of the Crush Card Virus’s grasp, he was able to summon him and attack; Long was down to 300 life points, and a set spell or trap ended Brody’s turn. His opponent took a moment to read Royal Oppression and thumbed through his graveyard before summoning Breaker the Magical Warrior.

“That’s fine,” replied Brody. Breaker’s effect destroyed Royal Oppression, and Long discarded Zaborg the Thunder Monarch for Lightning Vortex, destroying D. D. Assailant. Still, when Breaker attacked, another Sakuretsu Armor was there to stop him. Long ended, Brody set another card to his back row and Long activated Reinforcement of the Army moments later to search his deck for Elemental Hero Stratos. He summoned Stratos and used his effect to take Destiny Hero - Fear Monger from his deck. Stratos attacked and Brody took the damage, his first damage for the duel.

He activated Hammer Shot next turn, clearing away Stratos and then setting a second card to his back row. Long set a monster, ended, and then it was Brody’s turn to play Reinforcement of the Army. He searched for D. D. Warrior, summoned him, attacked, and removed Fear Monger and the Warrior from the field.

Long summoned Treeborn Frog next turn and attacked for 100 damage; smelling a rat, Brody destroyed it with another Sakuretsu Armor. Long ended and Brody passed back.

Long activated The Transmigration Prophecy in his draw phase, shuffling Stratos and Breaker back into his deck. Doing so in his draw phase let him bring back Treeborn Frog in his standby, and he followed it up with Heavy Storm to destroy Brody’s Mirror Force. He tributed Treeborn for Cyber Dragon, attacked directly, and set a spell or trap.

Brody destroyed the Dragon with Smashing Ground, set a spell or trap card, and ended. Long set one as well and passed. Brody activated Heavy Storm to clear the field and was finally able to summon a monster for game! Breaker the Magical Warrior hit the field, Long had nothing on the table, and the first duel was over!

Brian Long almost makes a remarkable comeback, but just can’t manage to beat Brandon Brody’s strange Different Dimension Warrior Toolbox! Both duelists did some focused side decking: Brandon Brody still hadn’t revealed some of his main deck tricks, like D. D. Crazy Beast.

Yes, he runs D. D. Crazy Beast. Three of them.

Long opened the second duel with a set monster. Brody summoned Neo-Spacian Grand Mole, attacked, and both it and Long’s set monster were returned to their controllers’ hands. Brody set two cards to his back row, and Long activated Heavy Storm! Brody lost Mystical Space Typhoon and Bottomless Trap Hole, leaving Long to play it safe and attack with Sangan for 1000 damage. A set spell or trap ended his turn.

Brody summoned D. D. Warrior and attacked, but Long flipped Mirror Force! Brody set another card to his back row. Long tributed Sangan for Raiza the Storm Monarch, but his target was chained: Pulling the Rug! Raiza was destroyed and his effect was negated, but Long still got to search his deck for Snipe Hunter. He set a spell or trap card to finish.

Play was back to Brody, who summoned Spirit Reaper and hit directly to rob Long’s hand of Twister! “Your turn.” Brody ended with nothing in his back row. Long drew for his turn and started running some numbers.

He special summoned Cyber Dragon, normal summoned Snipe Hunter, and discarded Lightning Vortex to destroy Reaper with Snipe Hunter’s targeting. Hunter and Cyber Dragon then dropped Brody to 3400 life points.

He summoned Neo-Spacian Grand Mole and activated Hammer Shot to destroy Cyber Dragon. Smashing Ground then destroyed Snipe Hunter, and the Mole attacked directly! Long had no response and Brody passed. Next turn Long summoned Mystic Tomato, activated Premature Burial to target Raiza the Storm Monarch and attacked Neo-Spacian Grand Mole with Mystic Tomato. Both were returned back to their controllers’ hands, and Raiza attacked directly.

Brody summoned Grand Mole next turn and followed it up with Hammer Shot! Raiza was destroyed and the Mole attacked directly yet again. Long set a monster and Brody summoned D. D. Crazy Beast! It attacked, hit Long’s set Treeborn Frog, and removed it from play! Grand Mole then attacked directly again, and the crowd that was amassing erupted. If Mystic Tomato attacked it to trade, Long would lose his Tomato to the removed from play pile. Long confirmed that fact with the table judge before proceeding.

He summoned Tomato anyway and made the trade, clearly wary of his opponent’s monster removal, then set his last card to his back row. Next turn Grand Mole attacked directly, and Long dropped to 3300. Brody set a spell or trap, Long passed, and Brody swung with the Mole yet again. He set another back row card.

Long summoned Card Trooper, boosting it by sending Reinforcement of the Army, Pot of Avarice, and Mystical Space Typhoon to the graveyard from the top of his deck. It attacked Grand Mole and both the Mole and Trooper were bounced. Brody summoned Grand Mole next turn but lost it to Torrential Tribute. “Your turn.” Long flipped Royal Decree in the end phase and Brody had to concede, having no way to stop Card Trooper next turn.

Brian Long fights back, dominating the game despite the Grand Mole shenanigans! Again, both duelists smokescreened and sided intently. Eleven minutes remained in the round.

“Good luck,” offered Brody. He drew, set two cards to his back row, and set one monster. In Long’s draw phase he activated Royal Oppression.

Long summoned Elemental Hero Stratos and searched his deck for Destiny Hero – Disk Commander. He then activated Destiny Draw, discarding the Commander and drawing two cards. He set one card to his spell and trap zone, then a second, clearly preparing himself for the risk of Morphing Jar. A third card was set before Stratos attacked, revealing D. D. Assailant; both monsters were removed from play, and, in the end phase, Mystical Space Typhoon destroyed Long’s set Scapegoat.

Brody summoned Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer next turn, and Long activated Torrential Tribute, needing to keep his Disk Commander safely in the graveyard. Brody set a spell or trap, Long set a card to each zone, and Brody passed. Long flip summoned Spirit Reaper, attacked, and Brody was forced to discard Hammer Shot. “Go ahead.”

He set a spell or trap, then activated Smashing Ground, but Long chained Crush Card Virus to tribute Reaper on the chain! It revealed Brody’s one remaining card in hand, Pulling the Rug. Long flipped Decree, passed his turn, and Brody passed after losing Banisher of the Radiance to Crush Card. Long was up.

He activated Heavy Storm, each duelist losing three cards. Long summoned Treeborn Frog, attacked, and dropped Brody to 7600. Long set a spell or trap. Brody lost Breaker the Magical Warrior to Crush Card Virus and set his last in-hand card. Long tributed for Jinzo, attacked directly, and Brody set his topdecked monster. Jinzo crashed into it next turn, D. D. Warrior, and both were removed by Warrior’s effect. Brody drew, set his topdeck to the back row and ended.

Long drew; he had three cards in hand and one card set to Brody’s two set cards. Long destroyed Brody’s Widespread Ruin with Mystical Space Typhoon, and Long activated Reinforcement of the Army to search out Destiny Hero - Fear Monger. It attacked and Brody was reduced to 4200 life points.

Brody summoned D. D. Assailant and attacked, but Long flipped Mirror Force. He took back Treeborn Frog in defense mode and struck for another 1000 damage with Fear Monger. Long set a spell or trap, Brody set a spell or trap, and Long flipped Royal Decree. Fear Monger struck again.

Brody drew and summoned Banisher of the Radiance, attacking Treeborn Frog to remove it from play. It seemed like a misplay — the Frog wasn’t coming back with Decree out anyway, and Fear Monger could still do serious damage.

Sure enough, Long summoned Snipe Hunter, activated Lightning Vortex to destroy Banisher, and had 2500 damage on the table — Brody only had 2200 life points remaining. If he’d run over the Fear Monger he would have survived one more turn.

Some clever side decking lets Brian Long fight his way back from a game 1 loss, overcoming one of the most original decks here today!