Cedric Sequerra was tired of Pulling the Rug. He poured over his opponent’s deck list as the competitors awaited the start of the finals. “Every single match I’ve played today, my opponents main-decked Rugs. I’ve been trying to play around them . . .” Sequerra’s efforts to do so had met with mixed results, as he’d repeatedly lost his Stratos to Rug, but he’s still made it to the finals. It was a huge showing for the newly-formed Team FaceToFace.
His opponent, Hector Heras, was representing South Florida and Team Untouchable. With Sequerra hailing from Canada, and forming an alliance today with Texas’ Team Outphase (now apparently named “Team OutFace”) Heras was certainly the local favorite.
Sequerra won the roll and opened with Foolish Burial, sending Treeborn Frog to the graveyard. He summoned Elemental Hero Stratos, searched his deck for Destiny Hero – Disk Commander and set two cards to his back row.
Trap Dustshoot flipped to reveal Heras’ hand next turn: Snipe Hunter, Destiny Hero – Malicious, Phoenix Wing Wind Blast, Zaborg the Thunder Monarch, Raiza the Storm Monarch, and Scapegoat. Sequerra forced Snipe Hunter back into Heras’ deck, his only live monster. Heras set Wind Blast and Scapegoat to end.
Stratos attacked and Heras flipped Scapegoat. Stratos attacked a Sheep Token, set a monster, and ate Wind Blast from Heras who discarded Malicious to target Sequerra’s set spell or trap card. Sequerra chained it in turn, discarding Destiny Hero – Disk Commander to eliminate a Sheep Token!
Heras brought out his second Malicious, tributed him for Raiza the Storm Monarch to spin away something that went too quickly for me to see it, and ran over Stratos. Next turn Sequerra cleared the field with Heavy Storm, destroying Pulling the Rug; he summoned Fear Monger to run him into Raiza. Heras set a spell or trap and ended.
Fear Monger brought back Disk Commander in defense mode, and Sequerra drew two cards. He activated Gold Sarcophagus, searched his deck for Crush Card Virus, and removed it from play. His play didn’t seem cohesive — that Disk Commander wasn’t going to last for two turns — did he have Premature Burial? Sequerra ended and Heras passed. Heras wasn’t going to let him bring Disk Commander back if Sequerra did have Premature, so it was either a good play or a great bluff on Sequerra’s part.
Reinforcement of the Army fetched Stratos for Heras, who pulled Disk Commander. Stratos then attacked Sequerra’s Disk Commander. Sure enough, next turn Premature Burial brought him back, and Sequerra set two cards to his back row and a monster. Crush Card Virus was ready to go!
Heras got to his main phase 1 without Sequerra flipping Crush Card Virus, and tributed Stratos for Zaborg the Thunder Monarch, destroying Heras’ set Gravekeeper's Spy. Slow-rolling the Virus had cost Sequerra his Spy. Heras attacked, and Crush Card Virus destroyed two on-field Monarchs and robbed Heras’ hand of everything but Disk Commander! Four cards dropped as a result of the Virus!
Sequerra turned his Treeborn Frog to attack and wiped out one of the remaining Sheep tokens. Heras drew Raiza, lost him to Crush Card, summoned Disk Commander, and Sequerra flipped Torrential Tribute! It was an excessive move, but Heras had one card set in his back row and that was it. Sequerra could afford to be thorough.
He had at least four cards in hand, and summoned Snipe Hunter, discarding Malicious to destroy Heras’ set Heavy Storm. Sequerra then activated Pot of Avarice, shuffled all five of his monsters back into his deck, and drew two cards. “I’ll swing for fifteen,” he announced, attacking with Snipe Hunter. Heras drew Fear Monger and set him, but a turn later Sequerra tributed his Treeborn Frog for Raiza the Storm Monarch and it was over!
Canada’s Cedric Sequerra is just one win away from becoming a Shonen Jump Champion! Some serious side decking ensued.
Game 2 began after the maximum amount of time allowed for siding. Heras opened with one set spell or trap: “Go ahead, sir.” Sequerra didn’t appear to have anything fancy either, setting a card to each zone and one more spell or trap.
Heras summoned Snipe Hunter and discarded Malicious, targeting Sequerra’s monster. That thing I just said about Sequerra not having anything special going on? Yeah. I was wrong. He flipped Crush Card Virus, tributing Disk Commander, and Heras lost Cyber Dragon, Breaker the Magical Warrior, and Snipe Hunter. Heras set two cards to his back row, and in the end phase Sequerra brought back Disk Commander with Call of the Haunted for two draws!
Sequerra activated Gold Sarcophagus to bring out Premature Burial! “I take second place?” asked Heras, accepting his fate. Sequerra summoned Sangan and Heras activated Torrential Tribute. “It doesn’t really matter anymore, does it?” asked Heras. Sequerra got Snipe Hunter with his Sangan and set a spell or trap to end.
Heras drew, managed to keep his card, and passed. Sequerra activated Destiny Draw, discarded Malicious, and summoned Snipe Hunter. He discarded Fear Monger to try and destroy Heras’ back row card, missed, and hit on a discard of Cyber Dragon moments later. Snipe Hunter attacked, Heras took 1500 damage, and play was to Heras.
“I’m going to show you my Raiza,” he predicted, flipping his top card; it was indeed Raiza, and Virus discarded it. He activated Pot of Avarice, shuffled back five monsters, but drew Raiza the Storm Monarch and Cyber Dragon; both were discarded. He set a monster, and watched as it was spun next turn by Raiza the Storm Monarch; Sequerra had tributed his Malicious for him. He set three cards to his back row, Heras topdecked one single card, his last, and scooped moments later.
A devastating Crush Card Virus and a series of vicious follow-up plays means that Canadian Cedric Sequerra is our new Shonen Jump Champion!