Looking around the field, they talked about who they’d like to face in the finals. “I’d like to go against Roy,” said Chris. “He knocked me out in Orlando.”

Finally the Top 8 began. John Williams made the player announcements, listing the length of the rounds and reviewing policies. Jonathan yawned. “Don’t fall asleep on me now,” Chris warned him. They shuffled again, and began.

Decks were cut and shuffled, a handshake exchanged, and Jonathan won the die roll. He chose to go first, set a single spell or trap card and ended his turn. Chris set a monster, then a spell or trap and also ended his turn.

Jonathan summoned Sangan, and activated Nobleman of Crossout to nail Chris’s Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive, They both sorted out their additional copies, then Jonathan attacked directly with Sangan. First blood from a nasty little Sangan bite!

Chris set a monster, then ended his turn. Jonathan drew, tributed his Sangan for Jinzo and selected Mystic Swordsman LV 2 with Sangan’s effect. He attacked Chris’s set Spirit Reaper with Jinzo, then activated Smashing Ground to get rid of the thing.

Chris retaliated with his own Smashing Ground, wiping Jinzo off the field, then set a monster and ended. Both players were playing quickly and decisively. Jonathan summoned Mystic Swordsman LV2 to pick off Chris’s set Night Assailant, then flipped Call of the Haunted to bring Jinzo back, and attacked directly, bringing the life point totals to Chris with 4600 and Jonathan at 8000.

Chris looked through his hand, then activated Premature Burial to bring back Night Assailant. He promptly tributed it for Mobius the Frost Monarch, then attacked Jonathan’s Mystic Swordsman LV2. Jonathan drew, summoned Tsukuyomi and flipped Mobius the Frost Monarch face down, then attacked it with Jinzo to eliminate it.

Jinzo was looking good. Chris activated Snatch Steal and swept it over to his side, then targeted it with Book of Moon to keep it for free. He then attacked Jonathan directly with both monsters and ended. Jonathan set one spell or trap, then looked through his graveyard. “Can I see it?” Chris asked, and after Jonathan nodded, looked through the graveyard as well. Jonathan then set another spell or trap card, a monster card, and ended his turn.

Chris drew, and looked at his hand briefly before summoning Tsukuyomi. He flipped Jinzo face down, then flip summoned it and attacked Jonathan’s set monster. Jonathan considered the move for a few moments, looking through his graveyard and his set cards. He then flipped the attacked monster to reveal his own Tsukuyomi, turning Jinzo face down. Chris pressed another attack with his Tsukuyomi, and Jonathan responded with Sakuretsu Armor to destroy Tsukuyomi.

Jonathan drew, and looked once more through his graveyard before setting one monster and ending his turn. Chris drew, then flip summoned Jinzo and attacked Jonathan’s set monster, which was Spirit Reaper! He looked through his graveyard, and ended his turn. Jonathan set one spell or trap and one monster and ended. Chris continued his aggressive streak, attacking the new face-down monster—not a Reaper this time, but Big Shield Gardna. He groaned, took the backlash, and ended.

Jonathan continued to play a defensive game, setting a monster and ending his turn. Chris attacked it on his turn, revealing yet another Spirit Reaper. “Dang it, man!” he exclaimed, then set a monster and ended.

The next few turns were more cautious. Jonathan set a spell or trap and ended, Chris drew and ended, Jonathan set another spell or trap and ended. The field was getting a little bit crowded. Chris set a spell or trap card only to lose it to Jonathan’s Dust Tornado.

Jonathan studied his hand and considered his options, sitting behind his wall. Eventually he activated Snatch Steal to reclaim Jinzo. With the life point totals at Chris with 1200 and Jonathan with 3000, Chris held out his hand and conceded the game. Time for game 2!

Both players studied their decks intently as they made their side deck choices. Jonathan decided not to alter anything, while Chris swapped out a few cards. They shuffled and cut again, and prepared themselves for game 2. “Good luck,” they said as they shook hands.

Chris opted to go first, and considered his moves carefully. A loss in this game would end his bid for the finals, and he didn’t want to make any mistakes. He summoned Sangan, set one spell or trap, and ended his turn.

Jonathan drew, summoned Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer, and attacked Chris’s Sangan. This game was off to an aggressive start! Chris searched out Magician of Faith with Sangan’s effect, added it to his hand, and in his end phase used Mystical Space Typhoon to eliminate Jonathan’s set spell or trap.

Jonathan drew, set another spell or trap card and ended. Chris drew, set a spell or trap and a monster and ended his turn. Jonathan hit Chris’s set monster with Nobleman of Crossout, revealing that it was Magician of Faith, and they both removed all other copies from their deck. Chris summoned Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer and attacked right into Sakuretsu Armor.

Jonathan set another spell or trap and ended. Chris drew, and thought for a moment before activating Premature Burial to bring back Sangan and attack. Life points were now Chris at 6400 and Jonathan at 7000.

Jonathan activated Graceful Charity, and thought long and hard before deciding to discard Smashing Ground and Pot of Avarice. He set a monster and ended his turn.

Chris drew, and tributed his Sangan to summon Mobius the Frost Monarch. The move cost Jonathan his Mirror Force, the only spell or trap on his side of the field. Chris pulled out Magical Merchant with Sangan’s effect, reconsidered, then went with it. He zapped Jonathan’s set Dekoichi with Nobleman of Crossout, and both were obliged to remove the rest from their decks. Chris then attacked directly for 2400.

Jonathan looked through his graveyard, then studied his hand. He summoned Spirit Reaper, then used Snatch Steal to take Chris’s Mobius. He attacked directly with Mobius, then followed up with Reaper, costing Chris his Tsukuyomi. Chris drew, considered the options available to him, and set a monster, then a spell or trap.

Jonathan summoned Breaker the Magical Warrior, prompting Chris to respond with Book of Moon to flip it face down. Jonathan then attacked with Mobius the Frost Monarch only to run smack into Chris’s set Mirror Force. Ouch! Chris drew, then summoned Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer, then flip summoned Magical Merchant. Life point totals were now at Chris with 4900 and Jonathan with 4300.

A few rounds of defensive play followed, with a set here and there and some exchange of smaller monsters. Chris then summoned his own Breaker, only to lose it to Jonathan’s Bottomless Trap Hole. Chris retaliated by using Smashing Ground to kill off Jonathan’s Breaker. Unfortunately that enabled Jonathan to special summon Cyber Dragon. Jonathan’s edge was short-lived, though, since the dragon attack set off Chris’s Sakuretsu Armor.

Chris then tributed his Magical Merchant for Zaborg the Thunder Monarch, ridding the field of Jonathan’s Spirit Reaper, and attacked directly for 2400. Life points had now reached 3900 for Chris and only 1900 for Jonathan.

Jonathan rallied, summoning Chaos Sorcerer, but alas, Chris was ready for him with Bottomless Trap Hole. Still striving to regain an advantage, Jonathan activated Premature Burial, spending half of his remaining life points to bring back Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer. “Hold on a second,” said Chris, who studied the field and his hand. “It’s good,” he said, and took the direct 1800 hit from Kycoo, and giving up Magical Merchant and Sangan.

Chris then drew, set a spell or trap card, then summoned Cyber Dragon and attacked Kycoo. Jonathan set a monster, and on his next turn Chris attacked it. Jonathan set another monster and a spell or trap.

Chris then tributed Cyber Dragon for Mobius the Frost Monarch, and attacked the set monster. After drawing his next card and with next to no life points remaining, Jonathan conceded the game. At 1-1, they would be going on to game 3.

After a few minutes worth of side decking, the players clasp hands then begin. Jonathan went first, setting one monster and one spell or trap, and then ending his turn. Chris opened with Graceful Charity, thinking hard before choosing which cards to discard. In the end, he settled for Treeborn Frog and Skelengel, then set one spell or trap card and one monster and ended.

Jonathan summoned Exiled Force and used its effect to knock off Chris’s Magician of Faith. He then flip summoned Treeborn Frog and attacked. Chris special summoned his discarded Treeborn Frog, summoned Twin-Headed Behemoth, then paused to think over his next move. He then attacked Jonathan’s Frog with Behemoth and ended. Jonathan returned his Frog to the field, set another monster and a spell or trap, then reconsidered his monster set and exchanged it for a different one.

Chris drew, and checked his set cards before activating Nobleman of Crossout to destroy Jonathan’s Magical Merchant. After both players had removed other copies from their decks, Chris attacked with Twin-Headed Behemoth. Jonathan considered his possible responses, then accepted the attack. Jonathan then set one spell or trap card, then a monster, then another spell or trap and ended. Chris continued to press, attacking the new set monster with Behemoth, only to get nailed by Sakuretsu Armor. He set a monster in his second main phase, then returned Behemoth to play and ended. Jonathan set one spell or trap and ended his turn.

Chris drew, then activated Heavy Storm to take out Jonathan’s Book of Moon and Mirror Force, along with his own Mirror Force. He summoned Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer, and switched Behemoth to attack. He attacked Jonathan’s set monster with Behemoth, then attacked directly with Spirit Reaper, relieving Jonathan of his Jinzo, then attacked directly with Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer and removed Treeborn Frog and Jinzo. Life points were now at Chris with 7900 and Jonathan at 4500. Jonathan set one monster and one spell or trap and ended his turn.

Chris turned Reaper to defense position, and attacked the set monster with Behemoth, revealing Sangan! Jonathan searched out Morphing Jar, then Chris continued his battle phase by attacking directly with Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer. Jonathan responded with Book of Moon to flip it face down and render it harmless for the time being.

Jonathan looked through Chris’s graveyard, then special summoned Chaos Sorcerer and attacks Chris’s Treeborn Frog. He then set a monster and ended his turn. Chris returned his Frog to the field, then tributed it for Zaborg the Thunder Monarch, striking out Jonathan’s set Morphing Jar. He then attacked with Zaborg, only to lose it to Jonathan’s Sakuretsu Armor. He took his revenge by using Smashing Ground on Jonathan’s Chaos Sorcerer. Jonathan set a monster and ended.

Chris attacked the set monster with Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer. Jonathan set a spell or trap card and ended. Chris attacked directly with Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer. Jonathan set another spell or trap and ended. Chris attacked again with Kycoo, bringing Jonathan down to 500 life points. Jonathan drew, looked at his graveyard and his hand, and conceded the game. “Good game,” he said, extending his hand. Chris would be moving on to the semifinals, slated to face off against Steve Kinate.