Both competitors were eager to begin and play started instantly at a lightning pace. Flores opened the game, and after a flurry of exchanges, Santiago was attacking directly with Breaker the Magical Warrior. Flores dropped Cyber Dragon and attacked it, Santiago set a monster, and a turn later it was Flores attacking with his own Breaker the Magical Warrior. However, first he brought up Exiled Force with Premature Burial, tributed it to destroy the set D. D. Assailant, and attacked with Dragon and Breaker. The life point totals were 3800 to 5600 in Flores’s favor.
Santiago set a spell or trap and a monster, and Flores had all the answers. He tributed his Breaker for Jinzo, played Nobleman of Crossout on the face down monster, and attacked directly.
Angel Flores takes the first duel in under two and a half minutes!
In the second game, Santiago opened with a set to each zone, and Flores matched him. Santiago then flipped his set, and revealed Gravekeeper’s Spy to bring out a second. Nobleman of Crossout removed Flores’s Mystic Tomato, and both Spies attacked directly. Flores set a monster and Carlos summoned Breaker the Magical Warrior. It destroyed Flores’s set Premature Burial, attacked into D. D. Assailant, and Santiago played Smashing Ground to destroy it. He turned both Spies to defense position and passed.
Next turn, Flores set a monster. Santiago then turned one of his spies to attack and attacked with breaker, taking out a set Magician of Faith. A turn later Flores appeared to be in trouble, but was able to protect himself with Scapegoat. He went on to summon Jinzo after losing two Sheep tokens, and the android forced Santiago to start turtling into defense mode, and he lost both of his Spies over the course of two turns.
Jinzo was tributed for Mobius the Frost Monarch next, but Santiago took it out with Trap Hole. He then played Cyber Dragon and attempted to attack a Sheep token, but the Dragon ran into Sakuretsu Armor.
Flores summoned Exiled Force, Santiago flipped Torrential Tribute, but Flores chained Call of the Haunted to bring back Jinzo. Torrential Tribute] was negated and Santiago soaked up some damage. He turned the situation around next turn though, summoning out Bazoo, feeding it three monsters, Snatch Stealing the Exiled Force, running it into a Sheep token, killing Jinzo with Bazoo, and tributing Exiled Force for another Sheep token. The field was cleared, and one turn later, Santiago used Return from the Different Dimension. “That’s game,” said Flores before Santiago even pulled his monsters to the field.
Flores opened in the final duel, and did so with just a single set to his spell and trap zone. Santiago tried to attack him with D. D. Assailant, but the set card flipped and was revealed to be Sakuretsu Armor. Santiago set one spell or trap, passed to Flores who set two, set another to match Flores, and then flipped Called of the Haunted to bring back the Assailant. Santiago then tributed the Assailant for Jinzo, and attacked directly for 2400.
Flores played Dark Hole but didn’t have a monster to follow it up with. Santiago attacked with D. D. Warrior Lady, but ate Sakuretsu. Flores set a monster, and next turn Exiled Force took it down. Magician of Faith didn’t get to claim its effect.
Flores pressed with D. D. Warrior Lady, scoring a hit, but on the following turn Santiago played Snatch Steal to take control of her and summoned Don Zaloog. He went to attack directly, but Scapegoat stopped his intended to direct attack and D. D. Warrior Lady ran into Magic Cylinder. Flores tributed a sheep for Enemy Controller, tributed Don Zaloog for Mobius the Frost Monarch, blew away the Snatch Steal, and launched a few attacks. But Santiago trumped him next turn with Dark Hole. He too did not have a monster to follow it up with.
Flores flipped Royal Decree, and chained Call of the Haunted to bring out Mobius. Santiago had a Torrential Tribute set, but because Decree was activated first, he couldn’t chain Torrential Tribute—he missed the timing on Mobius’s summoning, because the summoning wasn’t the last thing that had happened by the time the chain resolved. Premature Burial brought back D. D. Warrior Lady, and there was nothing that Santiago could do. Both monsters attacked and it was over.
Angel Flores moves on to the finals of Shonen Jump Championship Los Angeles!