“I’m the favorite for winning,” remarked Wang in his trademark fast-talking joking style. “Even he’s naming me the favorite,” he said, pointing at Scurry while Scurry shuffled his deck.

Both of these duelists play for Overdose: Wang was one of the team’s original members, while Scurry was recently inducted just scant months ago alongside fellow Scoop alumnus Paul Levitin, and Californian all-star Emon Ghaneian. While Scurry already has one Top 8 and one SJC Championship under his belt, Wang has Top 8’d four, but never won. Both of them were hungry for the win.

Wang opened the first duel, setting two cards: one to each zone. Scurry special summoned Cyber Dragon, attacked, and hit Treeborn Frog. He then set a monster, set a spell or trap, and passed. Wang activated Nobleman of Crossout, removing Scurry’s Apprentice Magician from play. He set a monster and ended: his draw for the turn had been Cyber-Stein.

Cyber Dragon attacked his set monster on the turn that followed, hitting Wang’s own Apprentice Magician. He used its effect to search his deck for Old Vindictive Magician, and Scurry passed. Wang shuffled his hand: Breaker the Magical Warrior, Magician of Faith, Asura Priest, and Cyber-Stein. He summoned Breaker, but Scurry flipped Bottomless Trap Hole to remove it from the game. Wang flip summoned Old Vindictive, destroyed Cyber Dragon with the Magician’s effect, and attacked directly before ending.

Scurry normal summoned Asura Priest and tried to attack, but Wang was still debating whether or not he’d flip the card he set on turn 1 — Torrential Tribute. He decided not to, and took the attack from Asura Priest, losing Old Vindictive. Scurry let Asura bounce and passed with no cards on the field.

Wang summoned his own Asura Priest, poked for 1700, and passed back. Scurry smacked him with his Asura Priest on the following turn, set a back row card, and passed. Wang hit him back next turn, lowering him to 4150 and kicking Scurry into the “Cyber-Stein is a dead draw” territory.

Scurry flipped his set Heavy Storm, summoned Asura Priest again, and attacked directly once more. He set a back row card, ended, and Wang finally got to bring back his Treeborn Frog. He did so, summoning the Frog in defense position. He set a card to each zone and finished his turn. “Go.”

Breaker the Magical Warrior came down on Scurry’s side, breaking Wang’s Sakuretsu Armor. Breaker then attacked, hitting Wang’s face down Cyber-Stein and destroying it! Scurry cracked a smile, a fact that the table judge commented on.

“Well, I was not expecting that!” he grinned broadly. “I was like, ‘Woah, wait!’”

Wang turned the Frog to attack position and activated Creature Swap, trading it for Scurry’s Breaker the Magical Warrior. He set a spell or trap card, and it was 2650 to 3550 as he set a monster and play passed to Scurry.

Cyber Dragon came down on Scurry’s side of the field, followed by Asura Priest. Snatch Steal took back his Breaker and Asura Priest swung, hitting Wang’s set monster and revealing it: Magician of Faith. From there it would be academic, so Wang scooped.

“I should have Stein’d when I had the chance,” he remarked. Both duelists performed some side decking in relative silence.

The opening was again Wang’s, and he set a card to each zone. Scurry blasted him with Nobleman of Crossout, removing his Sangan from the game before setting two back row cards. Ouch. Wang set a monster on the following turn and passed.

Scurry passed back, and Wang passed back as well. Scurry passed again, and Wang fingered his in-hand Mobius the Frost Monarch before returning the pass. Scurry passed back, but in the end phase Wang flipped Scapegoat. Scurry responded with Torrential Tribute, losing Wang Magician of Faith.

He drew for his turn and set a monster, leaving his back row empty. Scurry activated Nobleman of Crossout, removing Wang’s second Magician of Faith from the field and stripping two of his own from his deck. He ended his turn without following up, and Wang set a monster before play was back to Scurry.

Scurry set a monster and ended. Wang activated Creature Swap, getting Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive for his Apprentice Magician! “That’s the game move.” said Scurry. Wang set a monster and passed. Scurry summoned Tsukuyomi, cycling “his” Apprentice to do so, and then attacked into Wang’s set monster, Old Vindictive! He lost Tsukuyomi to it, and then used Creature Swap to take back his Dekoichi, and send back the Apprentice Magician!

Wang set a monster, and Scurry flip summoned his Dekoichi to draw a card. He set a monster after appearing to briefly consider an attack, and passed. Wang brought back his Treeborn in defense position, tributed it for Mobius the Frost Monarch to destroy Scurry’s set Royal Decree, and ran over his Dekoichi with it. Scurry set a spell or trap.

“How many cards in your hand?”

“Five,” replied Wang. Scurry passed, and Wang special summoned his Treeborn yet again.

Wang activated Nobleman of Crossout, removing Scurry’s set Treeborn Frog from the game. Mobius the Frost Monarch attacked him directly, but was destroyed by Mirror Force, a necessary play, but not the kind Scurry prefers to make with such a high-potential card. Wang set a monster and ended.

Scurry special summoned Cyber Dragon, tributed it for Zaborg, and used its effect to destroy Wang’s set Apprentice Magician. Zaborg then attacked Wang’s lone set monster, but it was Spirit Reaper, and it survived. In main phase 2 Scurry special summoned Chaos Sorcerer, removed the Reaper from play, and set one spell or trap.

Wang took a few moments to investigate Scurry’s graveyard. He then switched his Frog to attack, and forced it upon Scurry with Creature Swap. It got him Zaborg the Thunder Monarch. Wang looked at his hand: Cyber Dragon, Chaos Sorcerer, Smashing Ground, and Snatch Steal. Nothing in his hand could save him from Stein or Return from the Different Dimension if Scurry had them. With that in mind, he sent Zaborg into Treeborn Frog to dish out enough damage to push Scurry below 5000 LP, to 4700. He then used Smashing Ground, trying to take out Sorcerer, but was denied by Scurry’s Book of Moon. With Return and Stein both eliminated as threats, he passed with no back field.

Scurry punished him for it. Sorcerer removed Zaborg from play, and Reaper hit directly to discard Wang’s Chaos Sorcerer! Scurry set a spell or trap and passed.

Wang special summoned Cyber Dragon, and then tried to take Sorcerer with Snatch Steal: it was denied by Mystical Space Typhoon, and Dragon attacked the Reaper to press through more damage. Wang set his last card, a monster, and passed.

Sorcerer removed his Cyber Dragon from play, and Scurry used Creature Swap in main phase 2 to trade Reaper for Wang’s set monster. He set a monster of his own, passed play to Wang, and Wang turned the Reaper to defense before ending his turn and passing play right back.

Scurry flipped Magical Merchant, discarding one Merchant off the top of his deck and nabbing Confiscation. It wasn’t what he was looking for. He removed the Reaper from play with Sorcerer, set a spell or trap, attacked with the Merchant, and ended.

Wang set a monster and passed yet again. Scurry turned Merchant to defense, set a monster, and attacked Wang’s set with Sorcerer: Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive. He activated Confiscation, stripped Wang of Book of Moon instead of Heavy Storm, and passed.

Wang set a monster and ended. Scurry summoned Exiled Force, tributed it, and destroyed Adhesive Explosive! Sorcerer attacked directly. Wang drew, brought back his Treeborn, activated Graceful Charity, and kept Zaborg the Thunder Monarch. He tributed the Frog for it, used its effect to destroy one of Scurry’s set monsters, Cyber-Stein, and attacked Sorcerer.

“I’ll topdeck my Graceful now,” announced Scurry before drawing. He drew his card and burst out laughing — Graceful Charity! He activated it immediately! 

He got two Gravekeeper’s Spy! “What is this . . . !?” Scurry cursed, set a monster, and passed. He was getting no luck in his final efforts to put away Wang.

Wang brought back his Frog, attacked the Merchant, set a spell or trap, and passed. Scurry set another monster and passed. Zaborg hit it next turn — another Cyber-Stein! Scurry was topdecking like a champ. Clearly.

Wang attacked, but hit Morphing Jar! He discarded Des Koala, a card that would have equated an instant win had he set it! Both players got new hands, and Wang activated Confiscation. Scurry had Sangan, Mobius the Frost Monarch, D. D. Warrior Lady, Last Will, and Snatch Steal: Wang quickly discarded Snatch Steal. He set a card to each zone and passed.

Scurry set a monster, then a spell or trap: Wang activated Mystical Space Typhoon in the end phase, targeting Scurry’s first set spell or trap, but it was Scapegoat: Scurry chained it. Wang attacked Scurry’s set monster, Sangan, and Scurry had nothing to pull. He flashed the Last Will: “How many dead cards can a man draw in one game!” Wang flip summoned Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive and passed. All he needed to do was stall the game: Scurry was cards away from decking, and time was about to be called.

He took the win instead. He activated Enemy Controller, turned one of Scurry’s four Sheep to attack position, and smacked it for 2400 damage. The match moved to game 3, in time!

Both duelists side decked, each rotating in as many burn cards and as much damage prevention as their side decks could muster. This was a first for Scurry: he’d never gone to time before, and Wang’s side deck was optimized far better for this kind of situation.

“I’m going to go second. I don’t know. I’ve never been in this (kind of situation). I just heard someone say I should go second this one time. I know I’m not getting Confiscation’d, so I’m not worried!” Scurry laughed.

Wang opened by setting two back row cards. He set a monster, aligned his cards, and passed. It was the first of four turns that would take place before sudden death. Scurry fired back the same play, setting a monster and then setting two spell or trap cards.

Play was again to Wang, who summoned Asura Priest and attacked: Scurry flipped Mirror Force, and Wang took his time deciding whether or not he would let it resolve. It did, and Asura Priest was lost. Wang set a third spell or trap and passed.

It was the last turn of regular play. Scurry flipped Old Vindictive Magician, destroyed Wang’s set Tsukuyomi and attacked. Wang flipped Mirror Force, but Scurry chained Ceasefire to deal 500 damage! With this turn being the last in the game, Scurry was declared the victor.

Shane Scurry moves on undefeated!