Jon Hochberg is a pro poker player, the number-one ranked player in Georgia, and the captain of Team Collusion. After going 8-1 in SJC Charlotte last year he made a painful ninth place. Now he’s looking to make his first Top 8 showing. Bryan Coronel is a former Top 8 competitor and a star player of Team Overdose. Interestingly, both players have a history at Neutral Grounds, with Hochberg representing one generation and Coronel the next. This one could be interesting.

Coronel won the die roll and opened with a set card to each zone. Hochberg fired back with one set monster and passed. Magical Merchant flipped on Coronel’s side of the field, netting him Scapegoat. “Scapegoat? How last year!” Hochberg laughed. Coronel tributed the Merchant for Zaborg the Thunder Monarch, destroyed Hochberg’s set Nimble Momonga, and attacked directly for 2400 life points.

Hochberg drew and contemplated his hand. He set one monster, thought a bit, and then set one card to his spell and trap zone. Coronel had him on the ropes early, but a good defensive play could turn the tides. Zaborg smashed the face down monster, revealing Spirit Reaper. Coronel set another back row card and passed. Hochberg flipped his seat Heavy Storm, and Coronel chained Scapegoat, losing Book of Moon. Hochberg set a second monster and ended.

Zaborg swung at the new face down monster, smacking into Treeborn Frog. Hochberg brought it back on the following turn and opted to pass. Locked by his own Sheep tokens, Coronel could do nothing but hit the Frog again.

Hochberg brought it back and passed yet again. Coronel set a second back row card and passed. “This is a top-notch feature match goin’ on,” said Hochberg, laughing a little again with good-natured sarcasm. He set a third monster and passed. Nobleman of Crossout removed the new set from play. It was another Treeborn Frog, and he passed.

“It’s not like both of us don’t have Dark Hole right now,” said Hochberg. He was right—if either player did, they’d have little reason to activate it. Hochberg set a back row card, Coronel set another one as well (putting himself at three total), and play moved back to Georgia’s finest.

He activated Smashing Ground, destroying Zaborg. After some careful though, he set one spell or trap and passed. Coronel summoned Sangan and hit the Frog with it, leaving it in the graveyard. Hochberg set another spell or trap, ended his turn, and Coronel hit the fresh set with Mystical Space Typhoon, revealing Call of the Haunted. Coronel drew for his turn and contemplated his next move. “You had to activate the Scapegoat, man . . .” The uneasy truce was immediately shattered.

Coronel summoned Zaborg the Thunder Monarch, tributing Sangan, he destroyed Hochberg’s one face down monster, Spirit Reaper again. He plucked Tsukuyomi from his deck with Sangan’s effect, and hit directly for 2400, swinging past hochberg’s one set spell or trap. “I’m in a little bit of a conundrum,” reflected Hochberg. He set a monster and ended his turn. If he kept playing passively like this, he’d be in trouble.

One of Coronel’s Sheep tokens went into attack position, and Creature Swap sent it over to Hochberg in return for another set Spirit Reaper. Zaborg hit the Sheep, hammering through another 2400 damage. Hochberg was down to just 800 life points.

“This is so stupid. Can you tell I have the worst hand ever?” Hochberg drew and looked at his hand again. “If I do Dark Hole, I’m just opening up a floodgate.” He opted to special summon Cyber Dragon, set a monster, and then activated Swords of Revealing Light. He passed, and Coronel set himself to figuring out how to end the duel. “This is pretty much game here,” admitted Hochberg. Coronel drew, and opted to do nothing but drop Treeborn Frog to the graveyard in his end phase. He needed to wait out the Swords.

Hochberg tribute summoned for Dark Dust Spirit, destroying all of Coronel’s monsters! Coronel had the answer though, and flipped Torrential Tribute to ensure that the Dust Spirit would also go down. Hochberg then played Pot of Avarice, setting another back row card and passing.

The Swords still held Coronel at bay. He set one monster and passed. Hochberg special summoned Cyber Dragon, normal summoned Mystic Swordsman LV2, and attacked with the Swordsman. Sakuretsu Armor destroyed it, but Cyber Dragon hit Coronel’s face down monster. It was moot, because the face down was Spirit Reaper. Hochberg didn’t have the Smashing Ground to follow, so he passed. Coronel set another monster and ended.

Hochberg sent his Cyber Dragon into the newly set monster, and hit Mystic Tomato. Coronel grabbed another Spirit Reaper with his effect. He drew for his turn, played Smashing Ground to take out Cyber Dragon, and both Spirit Reapers attacked. Hochberg let through one attack on his hand of four cards. “Twenty-five percent!” he announced.

Coronel selected Dark Hole.

“ . . . You’re the king,” said Hochberg. The second Reaper swung and Hochberg asked to see Coronel’s graveyard. “I’m debating.” Seeing that Coronel might still have Call of the Haunted, he took the swing from Reaper, losing Smashing Ground. Coronel ended his turn—he didn’t have Call.

Hochberg special summoned Cyber Dragon, used Snatch Steal to blow away one Reaper, and then set a monster. In his end phase, Coronel used Dust Tornado to destroy his set Premature Burial. Coronel drew, played Dark Hole, and destroyed Hochberg’s Dragon and set Sangan. He pulled Nimble Momonga with Sangan’s effect. It was academic at this point, but Hochberg was playing out the match to see as much of Coronel’s deck as possible. Coronel ctivated Pot of Avarice, then used Premature Burial to special summon his Sangan. The fuzzball swung, but attacked straight into Book of Moon. Coronel set a second monster to match his now-facedown Sangan, and ended.

Hochberg special summoned his Treeborn Frog in defense position and set another monster. Coronel matched him by bringing back his own frog, and then flipped Sangan and Magician of Faith to take back Creature Swap. He then normal summoned D. D. Warrior Lady, and Hochberg scooped immediately. The duel was over, and Hochberg wasn’t going to be getting any more information out of Game 1.

He immediately side decked in a pair of Mask of Restrict, two King Tiger Wanghu, and a second Mystic Swordsman LV2. Game 2 might be very different.

Hochberg noted that he was “on serve” and opted to go first. “How many cards did you side?” he asked.

“I don’t have to tell you,” replied Coronel.

“Yeah, you don’t. I just figured I’d ask.”

Hochberg opened with a set to each zone. “Nudge,” he announced. Coronel was up.

He summoned Breaker the Magical Warrior, broke Sakuretsu Armor, and attacked Treeborn Frog. He set one spell or trap and ended. His opponent responded defensively again, with a set to each zone. Breaker hit the Frog, Coronel set a monster, and in his end phase Mystical Space Typhoon destroyed his set Enemy Controller. Nobleman of Crossout flopped from Hochberg’s hand, hitting Coronel’s face down Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive. Coronel removed one more copy from his deck, and both duelists took the opportunity to check through each other’s decks. Hochberg summoned D. D. Assailant, attacked Breaker, and passed. Coronel had a clear field.

It was Hochberg’s three monsters and two in-hand cards to Coronel’s five. Smashing Ground destroyed D. D. Assailant, and Coronel set one monster. He then set a back row card, then another, and passed. Treeborn Frog was tributed for Mobius, destroying both of Coronel’s back row cards, but eating Bottomless Trap Hole in the process. With only a set monster left, Hochberg passed. Coronel set a monster and passed right back. Hochberg set a spell or trap, ended, and Coronel set another monster. Hochberg flip summoned Nimble Momonga and chained his own Torrential Tribute, clearing the field. He summoned Breaker the Magical Warrior, attacked directly with it, and the life point totals were 8000 to 6000. He set one back row card and passed. Coronel special summoned Cyber Dragon, attacked Breaker with it, and set another monster.

Hochberg flipped Scapegoat, special summoned Treeborn Frog, and set one card to his back row. Coronel set another monster and again passed. Hochberg passed back. Coronel flipped Magician of Faith, returned Enemy Controller to his hand, and flipped Treeborn Frog. Magician of Faith hit Hochberg’s Treeborn. Coronel’s Treeborn sniped off a Sheep, and he opted not to attack with Cyber Dragon. He set one back row card and ended, gambling that Hochberg had a set Sakuretsu Armor.

He set another monster and passed. Coronel drew, attacked with the Cyber Dragon straight into the Sakuretsu Armor he’d read correctly, hit a Sheep token with Treeborn Frog, and then tributed the frog for Zaborg. Zaborg’s effect hit Hochberg’s one face down monster, Magician of Faith, and he passed.

Hochberg brought back his Treeborn Frog, summoned Exiled Force, and sent it to attack Magician of Faith. It was rejected by Book of Moon, which destroyed Hochberg’s attempt at claiming two monsters for his one. He ended his turn.

Coronel took down the Exiled Force and the last Sheep token with Magician of Faith and Zaborg. He set a back row card and passed. Hochberg set a monster and ended. Coronel topdecked another Zaborg, summoned it, and destroyed Hochberg’s set Nimble Momonga. Magician of Faith attacked the Frog, and both Zaborgs then attacked directly. Coronel set a second card to his back row and ended. The game that Hochberg had commanded so early was now spiraling far beyond his control. He set a card to each zone after bringing back Treeborn Frog, and passed. Coronel destroyed the back row card, Book of Moon, with Mystical Space Typhoon in Hochberg’s end phase.

One of the two Zaborgs went after Hochberg’s set monster, but hit Spirit Reaper. Enemy Controller destroyed it, Magician of Faith destroyed the Treeborn Frog, and the second Zaborg struck directly yet again.

Hochberg chose not to activate Treeborn Frog’s effect, and used Snatch Steal to take one of Coronel’s Zaborgs. He crashed it into the other, destroying both, then special summoned Cyber Dragon in defense position. Coronel brought back his Treeborn Frog, set one card to his spell and trap zone, and ended. “No way, I made the right play?” asked Hochberg in near-disbelief.

He returned Treeborn Frog to the field, and normal summoned Sangan. Coronel flipped Torrential, and Hochberg was out of cards. He pulled Nimble Momonga with Sangan, but felt the game to be over anyways. Coronel topdecked Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch, special summoned his Treeborn Frog, and then used it to tribute for Thestalos. Thestalos swung directly, and Bryan Coronel claimed his first win of the day!

Bryan Coronel defeats the number-one player in Georgia to move on undefeated!