This was one tricky matchup.

Three Recruiter Chaos decks had made it to the Top 8, and here, two of them would be pitted against each other for the quarterfinals. Both Colburn and Duncan’s monster lineups are very similar, as each deck is dependent on a core support engine of three Mystic Tomato and three Shining Angel, but that’s where the similarities end. On one hand, Duncan appears to have the upper hand. He’s running three Royal Decree, while Colburn is packing seven traps, all of which might become liabilities. At a glance, a victory for Duncan might be academic for the first duel.

At the same time, Colburn is taking heart in the fact that he’s running a lot more monster destruction than Duncan. Both duelists are using a pair of Smashing Ground, but Colburn has three Zaborg the Thunder Monarch to Duncan’s two, and three Sakuretsu Armor. The latter will be especially valuable if Colburn can alienate Duncan from his Decrees. If he can do that, Duncan will be in trouble and Colburn will have a great chance at winning out of this harsh matchup.

Duncan’s plan? “Ride Decrees. Save my Swaps for his Zaborgs and Cyber Dragons, not his face downs. Hope I don’t get Stein’d . . .”

Both duelists took their seats, unrolling their mats and preparing the play area.

“People tell me you’re quite lucky,” remarked Colburn. “Is that true?”

“I guess you have to be,” replied Duncan with a grin.

He wasn’t lucky enough to win the die roll though, rolling a not-so-awesome one to Colburn’s only slightly more awesome two. Colburn opened the match, dropping Confiscation to reveal Mystic Tomato, Shining Angel, Royal Decree, Nobleman of Crossout, and Zaborg the Thunder Monarch. He picked the Decree almost immediately. He summoned Mystic Tomato, set a spell or trap, and passed. One Decree down.

Duncan summoned Shining Angel and passed immediately, with nothing in his back row. Colburn ran his Tomato into the Angel, forcing Duncan to pick first. He selected D. D. Warrior Lady to special summon to the field, and Colburn pulled Spirit Reaper. “So . . .” said Colburn, looking at his hand. He summoned Treeborn Frog, knowing Duncan was holding Nobleman of Crossout and wanting to set himself up for the Zaborgs that would be all-important in this matchup. He ended his turn with Frog and Reaper out, and one set card still in his back row.

“Probably a Zaborg . . .” said Duncan, reading into Colburn’s Frog play. “You probably have a Nobleman,” remarked Colburn casually. Duncan tributed his D. D. Warrior Lady for Zaborg, destroyed Spirit Reaper with it, and tried to run over Frog, but smacked into Sakuretsu Armor. He passed with an open field, Colburn tributed his Frog for Cyber Dragon, attacked, and Duncan took 2100.

It was 5900 to 7000, with Colburn leading! He controlled Cyber Dragon and three cards in hand before passing. Duncan drew, had five cards in hand, summoned Mystic Tomato, rammed it into Cyber Dragon, and pulled Sangan with its effect. Smashing Ground wiped out Cyber Dragon next, and Duncan passed.

Colburn announced he would not take back his Frog. He then special summoned Cyber Dragon, removed a Light and a Dark for Chaos Sorcerer, and used its effect to remove Sangan from the field! He then summoned Mystic Tomato, and exploded with it and Cyber Dragon! It reduced his opponent to a dangerous 1700 LP.

Duncan brought out a Chaos Sorcerer of his own, and used it to remove Colburn’s from play. He set a spell or trap, set a monster, and ended.

Colburn drew and shuffled his remaining two in-hand cards back and forth. With a huge lead in life points he needed to keep the pressure on. He turned Tomato to defense, and ran his Cyber Dragon into Duncan’s set monster. It was Shining Angel, and it got Duncan another. Colburn set his last two cards, one to each zone, but then blinked. He looked at me: “Get this down. I’m terrible at life.”  He’d set the Sangan, despite his pre-existing knowledge of Duncan’s Nobleman of Crossout. Ouch.

Duncan topdecked into Graceful Charity, and activated it to discard Cyber Dragon and Mystic Tomato. Duncan removed Colburn’s Tomato from play with Sorcerer, turned Angel to defense, and activated Nobleman of Crossout to remove Colburn’s set Sangan from the game. Duncan set a monster and passed.

Colburn attacked into Duncan’s set monster, Magician of Faith, with Cyber Dragon, and Duncan took back Graceful. Colburn set a second spell or trap, his draw for the turn, and passed. He was really beating himself up over the Sangan.

Duncan activated Graceful Charity again, removed Cyber Dragon with Chaos Sorcerer, and set another card to his back row. Now he had more field presence and more cards than Colburn. Colburn could do nothing but pass. Duncan leaned on him, turning Shining Angel to attack and attacking. Colburn flipped Scapegoat, and lost two Sheep. Duncan ended his turn.

His opponent summoned D. D. Warrior Lady, and Colburn ran it at Chaos Sorcerer. “Got Controller or Book?”  Nope. Both monsters clashed and D. D. Warrior Lady removed the Sorcerer from play. Colburn flipped Call of the Haunted, looking to mount a comeback, but Duncan shut it down on the chain with Royal Decree!

“I guess Frog won’t be coming back,” he remarked.

Duncan brought out another Chaos Sorcerer, attacked two Sheep, and passed.

Colburn summoned Cyber-Stein, and looked at Duncan. “I know by that wink in your eye that you don’t have anything down.” Colburn dropped to 1200 to special summon a monster. “I’ll go flashy – Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!”  He summoned it and attacked!

Duncan flipped Book of Moon! It blocked the attack, turned Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon face down, and Colburn knew it was over. He scooped.

“Did you assume I’d have Stein?”

“No, I had it set so that if you topped Sorcerer, I’d have an answer to that.” 

Both duelists side decked, and shuffled incredibly thoroughly. Colburn began the second duel.

He summoned Shining Angel and set a spell or trap card. Duncan stole the Angel with Snatch Steal, tributed it for Cyber Dragon, and ran into Sakuretsu Armor. In main phase 2 Duncan activated Last Will to bring out Sangan in defense, and Duncan set a back row card. Play passed to Colburn.

He summoned Mystic Tomato and ran over Sangan: Duncan used its effect to pull Cyber-Stein.

“Wow. Scary.”  Colburn set two cards to his back row and passed. “You’re going to beat me this turn.”

Nope. Duncan set a monster and another spell or trap, passing. Colburn ran his Tomato into Duncan’s set monster, another Tomato, and Duncan thought about his pull. “He’s got that beautiful Stein, just waiting in his hand, and I can’t do enough damage to get rid of it.” Duncan pulled Spirit Reaper, but lost it almost instantly to Smashing Ground.

Duncan played Smashing Ground himself, destroying Colburn’s Mystic Tomato, and set a third spell or trap card — Torrential Tribute. “In the end phase, I’ll Dust Tornado the one you just set” announced Colburn. He hit the Torrential, destroying it. Duncan had nothing left in hand but Stein. Play was to Colburn.

He flipped Call of the Haunted, but Duncan blocked with Royal Decree! Colburn dropped a Cyber-Stein of his own and paid 5000! “I hate it. This is the only way I can do anything.” He brought out Cyber Twin Dragon and attacked, but Duncan flipped Scapegoat! “How do you do that! You are some kind of Sorcerer. I’ll leave them all.” The Sheep cut Duncan off from using his own Cyber-Stein, and he drew and passed back to Colburn.

He was in a tough spot. Attacking any of Duncan’s Sheep tokens would free up the extra monster slot Duncan would need in order to use Cyber-Stein: right now Stein could be summoned, but doing so would fill all of Duncan’s monster slots on the field and Cyber-Stein wouldn’t be able to special summon anything. Colburn had the answer though. He activated Confiscation, revealing Duncan’s hand of Reaper and Stein, and discarded the Stein. He turned his own Stein to defense and hit two Sheep with Cyber Twin. Duncan set a monster and passed back. He lost one more Sheep, and Cyber Twin hit his face down Spirit Reaper. Smashing Ground destroyed it a turn later.

Duncan special summoned Chaos Sorcerer! It removed Cyber Twin Dragon from the field! Duncan ended his turn.

Cyber-Stein went to attack position, whacked Duncan’s last Sheep, and Creature Swap traded Stein for Duncan’s Chaos Sorcerer. Sorcerer then removed Stein from play. Duncan set a monster, and Colburn hit it with D. D. Warrior Lady on the following turn — he removed it from the game, as it was Shining Angel. He attacked with Sorcerer. Duncan set a spell or trap, and Colburn summoned Mobius the Frost Monarch to destroy Duncan’s Decree and set Nobleman of Crossout. He attacked for 2400.

It was 3300 to 2000.

Duncan set a spell or trap, but it didn’t faze Colburn. He summoned Mystic Tomato, attacked with both Mobius and Mystic Tomato, and both attacks hit for game!

“I played Stein and I didn’t win! When does that ever happen?” 

Both duelists side decked yet again, and Duncan began the final duel. He opened with a set card to each zone and passed. He lost his set spell or trap card, Enemy Controller, to Mystical Space Typhoon on the turn that followed. Colburn special summoned Cyber Dragon, normal summoned Reaper, and attacked with the Dragon. “Please have something stupid down!”

No such luck. The monster Cyber Dragon destroyed was Shining Angel, and anything Duncan could pull would block the Spirit Reaper’s potential attack.

“This is my favorite deck and my least favorite deck,” said Colburn. “It’s so annoying to play against. I can’t ever get anything off.” He set a spell or trap to end his turn.

Duncan took a few moments to assess the field. He had another Angel, Smashing Ground, Snatch Steal, Last Will, and Cyber Dragon in his hand. He took Colburn’s Cyber Dragon with Snatch Steal, destroyed his Reaper with Smashing Ground, turned Angel to defense, and attacked with the Dragon directly before ending. Colburn debated setting a monster — “I wish I had x-ray glasses on. Let’s try this.”  He summoned Shining Angel and crashed it into Cyber Dragon. He used its effect to pull another.” “I think you can understand what’s coming.”  In main phase 2 he special summoned Chaos Sorcerer and used its effect to remove Duncan’s Shining Angel from play. He then flipped his set Heavy Storm to take back his Cyber Dragon and passed, with Sorcerer, Cyber Dragon, and Shining Angel on the field!

Duncan special summoned Cyber Dragon himself, and crashed his into Colburn’s. He activated Last Will, and used it to special summon Cyber-Stein in main phase 2. Colburn looked puzzled, but as Duncan took a coin from his pocket his plans were clear — he was pulling the McNeely! He special summoned Gatling Dragon!

Duncan flipped three heads, wiping away Colburn’s Shining Angel, Chaos Sorcerer, and even having to destroy his own Cyber-Stein! He then set his last two cards, one to each zone! An amazing set of coin flips puts Duncan in an amazing position!

Colburn activated Snatch Steal! He targeted the Gatling Dragon, but Duncan flipped his one set card, Book of Moon! He had it again, the one card that could save him! It turned Gatling Dragon face down to block the Snatch Steal, and Colburn was forced to pass. Next turn Duncan swung with Shining Angel, Mystic Tomato, and Gatling Dragon for 5400 damage!

“Is there anything that can help me?” wondered Colburn. “I lose if I do anything.”  He scooped moments later, totally out of options.

Kyle Duncan makes a ridiculous play, bringing out Gatling Dragon for a massive win!