Tristian Patillo is from Houston, Texas, and is yet another of the event’s more successful younger duelists. At just fourteen years of age, he’s a prime contender for a Day 2 qualification.
He’s up against one of the powerhouses of the tournament. Ryan Spicer is one of the returning Top 8 competitors who made Day 2 at SJC Arlington. A star player of Team Outphase, he was on the verge of making his second Top 8, an impressive feat considering the fact that this was only his second SJC. Could he go two-for-two? We’d know in mere moments.
Patillo opened the duel with a set spell or trap card. He set a monster to finish his turn and ended. Spicer fired back the same play and passed. Patillo flip summoned Skelengel, summoned Asura Priest, activated Creature Swap, and took Spicer’s set monster. He winced briefly as he saw what it was — Mystic Tomato! He passed without attacking.
Spicer summoned another Mystic Tomato, attacked the Tomato his opponent took, but watched as his attacking Tomato was turned down with Book of Moon. Patillo tributed the stolen Tomato on the following turn for Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch, and forced the discard of Spicer’s in-hand Thestalos! Patillo’s attacked, but was lost to Sakuretsu Armor. Last Will got him Exiled Force from his deck, and he tributed it to destroy Spicer’s set Tomato.
Spicer set a spell or trap and passed, eating 900 damage direct next turn from Skelengel. Patillo set a monster, Spicer summoned Breaker, and suddenly the duel was moving at a lightning pace! Breaker broke Patillo’s set Sakuretsu Armor, and attacked Patillo’s Skelengel. Patillo summoned Asura Priest, but the field was wiped by Spicer’s Torrential Tribute: he lost Breaker, while Patillo lost his Asura Priest and set Apprentice Magician. Still, Patillo special summoned back his Thestalos with Premature Burial, attacked for 2400, and set a spell or trap.
A set monster was Spicer’s only play, and Patillo attacked into it: it was Old Vindictive Magician, and Thestalos was destroyed. Patillo set a monster, Spicer special summoned Cyber Dragon and rammed his opponent’s set monster. This time it was Patillo’s turn to reveal an attacked Old Vindictive Magician, and Spicer lost his Dragon. Patillo passed. Spicer summoned Spirit Reaper and attacked, but was bounced by Scapegoat. Reaper took down a token, Spicer set a spell or trap, Patillo set a card to each zone, and Spicer sent Reaper to defense position before passing.
Patillo flip summoned his set Skelengel to draw a card, activated Smashing Ground to destroy Reaper, and hit for 900 with Skelengel. He set a monster and passed. Spicer drew Graceful Charity and activated it to discard Cyber Dragon and Soul Exchange. He activated Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy Patillo’s Mirror Force, and then special summoned Cyber Dragon to attack Skelengel. Nobleman of Crossout removed Patillo’s Treeborn Frog from the game, Spicer set a spell or trap, and Patillo set a monster. Spicer’s Cyber Dragon attacked it next turn, and it was revealed to be Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive. Patillo drew a card for its effect, Spicer hit a Sheep, passed, and Patillo set a spell or trap.
Patillo set a monster, Spicer attacked it, hit another Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive, and set a spell or trap and a monster. Patillo set another spell trap, Cyber Dragon hit the second to last Sheep Token, and Spicer set a monster to finish his turn. Patillo passed, Spicer checked his opponent’s graveyard for Torrential Tribute and flip summoned Sangan. Sure enough, Patillo flipped the Torrential he’d been saving. It cleared the field and Sangan ran off to Spicer’s deck to search out Magician of Faith. Spicer set it and ended his turn.
Patillo special summoned Cyber Dragon, attacked into Sakuretsu Armor, and set a monster. Spicer flipped his set Magician, used its effect to bring back Mystical Space Typhoon, and activated it to destroy Bottomless Trap Hole. Magician of Faith was tributed for Zaborg the Thunder Monarch, Spicer used its effect to destroy Patillo’s set Night Assailant, and Zaborg then swung for 2400 damage. Spicer ended his turn.
Pot of Avarice came down on Patillo’s side of the field, and he shuffled five monsters back into his deck. He drew two, and the match continued at a furious pace. Patillo set a monster and ended with no backfield. Zaborg attacked, hit Spirit Reaper, and Spicer destroyed it with Brain Control in main phase 2 before setting a monster. “Go.”
His opponent set a monster as well and passed once more. Spicer flip summoned Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive, took his card, tributed the Locomotive for a second Zaborg, and that was the duel!
Ryan Spicer takes a blazingly fast game that lasted less than eight minutes total!
Spicer immediately set to side decking, smoke screening by shuffling his side into his main and eliminating fifteen cards. Patillo didn’t bother smoke screening at all, and sided out about half a dozen cards from his main as Spicer speedily counted out his fifteen card side deck and began shuffling.
Patillo opened with a set card to each zone. Spicer once again fired back the same, and Patillo summoned D. D. Warrior Lady to attack. She hit Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive and destroyed it. Patillo set a second spell or trap and passed.
Spicer matched him with a second back row set, and set another monster. In his end phase he lost Sakuretsu Armor to Patillo’s set Mystical Space Typhoon. Patillo then tributed his D. D. Warrior Lady for Zaborg the Thunder Monarch, blowing away Spicer’s second Dekoichi and hitting directly for 2400. Spicer used Premature Burial, brought back a Dekoichi, and activated Giant Trunade to reclaim Premature! He tributed the Dekoichi for Zaborg, destroyed his opponent’s Thunder Monarch, and attacked into Big Shield Gardna! Spicer set a spell or trap and passed.
The attack position Gardna was traded for Spicer’s Zaborg with Creature Swap as soon as Patillo drew for his turn. Zaborg, now under Patillo’s control, ran over the attack position Gardna to press through a ton of damage onto Spicer’s life points. Patillo set a card to each zone and ended his turn.
Spicer activated Premature Burial yet again, bringing back the same Dekoichi he had returned before. He had Megamorph, Limiter Removal, and Pot of Avarice in his hand, and he responded to his own summon with Torrential Tribute in order to clear the field. He set two spell or trap cards and ended. Patillo set a monster, but lost it almost immediately to his opponent’s Nobleman of Crossout — Old Vindictive Magician. Spicer ended his turn, unable to capitalize.
Patillo topped into Graceful Charity and activated it, discarding Cyber Dragon and Exiled Force. He set a monster and passed. Spicer set a third back row card and ended, riding his bluffs extremely hard. Patillo summoned Sangan, poked Spicer for a grand, set a spell or trap, and passed. Spicer set a fourth back row card, Sangan attacked, and Spicer had to activate Mirror Force! Still, Patillo saved his Sangan with Book of Moon, turning it down to keep it on the field. Spicer set a monster, but it was over a turn later as Patillo tributed his Sangan for Zaborg the Thunder Monarch! “That’s game,” said Spicer without a moment’s hesitation. He scooped and both duelists moved to side decking. The duel took less than six minutes this time. Both of these competitors are insanely fast.
Each did some more side decking before the third duel began. Neither said a word.
Spicer opened with a set card to each zone. Patillo did the same, Spicer set a monster, and play was back to Patillo. He tributed his set Big Shield Gardna for Zaborg the Thunder Monarch, destroyed Spicer’s set Old Vindictive with its effect, and used Last Will to special summon Exiled Force. It was tributed to destroy Spicer’s set Apprentice Magician and Zaborg was free to attack directly. It was a strong start for Patillo.
Spicer wasn’t down and out yet! He took control of Zaborg with Brain Control next turn and attacked, challenging his opponent to flip his set card to stop it and give up card presence. Patillo didn’t bite, and took the 2400 damage. Spicer made the pro move in main phase 2 though, tributing his opponent’s Zaborg for Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch! Thestalos ripped Creature Swap out of Patillo’s hand and Spicer set a second spell or trap to finish his turn. Patillo did nothing but set a monster. Spicer summoned Breaker the Magical Warrior, broke the Sakuretsu Armor that he’d played around Last Turn, and attacked into Old Vindictive Magician. It destroyed the Thestalos and Spicer ended his turn.
Patillo brought back Zaborg with Premature Burial, attacked into Sakuretsu Armor, and passed with no field. Spicer tributed Breaker the Magical Warrior for another Thestalos, discarded Patillo’s in-hand Zaborg for another 500 damage, and then flipped Ring of Destruction for game!
Ryan Spicer moves on to a guaranteed spot in the Top 8, his second Top 8 of his second SJC!