It all comes down to this. With Zombies now knocked out of the tournament and Paul Levitin playing Dale Bellido for third place, Hugo Adame and Jon Labounty were now pitting burn against Perfect Circle. Team Yu-Gi-Oh! ETC’s innovations to the Monarch variant have been highly successful this weekend, but Comic Odyssey’s newest burn creation brought multiple duelists to Day 2, and now gave Hugo Adame a shot at the Championship title.
“I can’t lose again in the finals,” maligned Labounty, recalling his performance in the finals of Detroit. Adame silently shuffled his deck, preparing for the last match of the day.
Labounty opened with Destiny Draw, discarding Destiny Hero – Malicious. He set a monster, set a spell or trap, and then ended. Adame summoned Breaker the Magical Warrior, broke Labounty’s set Call of the Haunted, and set a back row card. He activated Swords of Revealing Light, flipped Labounty’s face down Destiny Hero - Fear Monger with its effect, and took a moment to inspect Fear Monger’s text. He ended without attacking.
Malicious was removed from Labounty’s graveyard to bring another from his deck in attack mode, and Labounty activated Reinforcement of the Army to search out Elemental Hero Stratos! Labounty summoned Stratos and tried to destroy both of Adame’s back row cards, but Adame chained Skill Drain! Labounty was held at bay, and was forced to conclude his turn with a set card to his back row.
Adame summoned Mystic Tomato and attacked, but lost both his monsters to Mirror Force! Labounty drew, tributed Malicious for Raiza (knowing he wouldn’t get Raiza’s effect) and ended. It was all about getting as much damage onto the table as possible.
Smashing Ground destroyed Raiza, and Adame summoned Dark Mimic LV3. Labounty set a card to each zone, Swords of Revealing Light was destroyed, and Adame was up. He turned Mimic to defense, summoned Mystic Tomato, and attacked Fear Monger with it. He set another spell or trap card, ended, and next turn Labounty brought back Malicious with Fear Monger’s effect. Heavy Storm wiped Adame’s back row, Labounty tributed his set Disk Commander for Zaborg (destroying Mystic Tomato), and Stratos ran over Mimic to let Zaborg attack directly.
Adame activated Level Limit - Area B, turning everything of Labounty’s to defense mode. He summoned Card Trooper, then sent two Dimension Wall to his graveyard to boost up Trooper and attack Zaborg. Labounty fired back next turn with Premature Burial, special summoning Destiny Hero – Disk Commander and drawing two cards. He summoned Snipe Hunter, it went to defense mode, and he discarded Destiny Draw to blow away Level Limit. Malicious and Stratos went to attack mode, Stratos swung over Card Trooper, Malicious hit directly, and Disk Commander followed suit. Adame dropped to 2100 life points while Labounty was still at 7200.
Mystical Space Typhoon destroyed Labounty’s set Wind Blast next turn, and Adame set a card to each zone. Labounty discarded The Transmigration Prophecy to Snipe Hunter to destroy Adame’s set Morphing Jar, turned Malicious and Snipe Hunter to defense, and attacked with Stratos . . . into Magic Cylinder! “I had game,” groaned Labounty. Still, Adame was reduced to topdecking. His last draw would decide the duel.
Whatever it was, it didn’t help him. Adame immediately conceded and move to side decking.
A faltering sense of aggression still wins Labounty the duel. He won’t make that mistake twice. Play began quickly for game 2.
Adame had a serious advantage going first, and opened with two set spell or trap cards and Mystic Tomato in attack mode. He flipped Trap Dustshoot in his opponent’s draw phase, revealing two Phoenix Wing Wind Blast, Elemental Hero Stratos, Jinzo, Card Trooper, and Lightning Vortex. “Stratos,” he announced, sending the Hero back into Labounty’s deck. It was a gutsy pick given the havoc Jinzo could cause, but it left Labounty with just one play: Card Trooper. He summoned it, activated it, and sent Malicious, Jinzo, and Torrential Tribute to the graveyard. Card Trooper attacked Mystic Tomato and Adame pulled Sangan to the field. Labounty ended his turn with a set spell or trap.
Dark Mimic LV3 was summoned by Adame, and both it and Sangan attacked directly, dropping Labounty to 6400 life points. Adame ended. Labounty drew for his turn and flipped Phoenix Wing Wind Blast, discarding Jinzo to blow away Dark Mimic. Heavy Storm cleared the field and Labounty brought out Malicious from his deck, tributing him for Raiza the Storm Monarch to bounce Sangan. Raiza attacked for 2400 damage and Labounty set a spell or trap card.
Adame summoned Sangan, activated Smashing Ground to destroy Raiza, and hit directly for 1000 damage. Labounty passed, Adame summoned Dark Mimic LV3 again, and attacked directly with both it and Sangan. Labounty drew and had Lightning Vortex, Mystical Space Typhoon, and Breaker in hand, with Phoenix Wing Wind Blast set. He summoned Breaker, attacked Dark Mimic, and set Mystical Space Typhoon.
Adame tributed Sangan for Mobius the Frost Monarch, targeting Labounty’s face down Mystical Space Typhoon and Wind Blast. He chained Wind Blast, discarded Lightning Vortex, and returned Mobius to the top of Adame’s deck before losing Mystical Space Typhoon. Adame then searched his deck for Card Trooper with Sangan’s effect. He set a card to his back row, considered Breaker, and then ended.
Labounty topdecked into Raiza the Storm Monarch. If he tributed Breaker for Raiza but was confronted by Skill Drain it would be a total waste. He went for it anyway, and Adame responded with Solemn Judgment! Labounty was left without a single card to his name.
Mystic Tomato hit the field, and then hit Labounty directly. He topdecked into a spell or trap card, set it, and Adame tributed for Mobius the Frost Monarch; he targeted Labounty’s set Call of the Haunted, which he chained for Jinzo. Mobius traded with it. Adame ended, Labounty set a spell or trap, and then lost it to Breaker next turn — Crush Card Virus. A turn later Labounty was scooping.
Hugo Adame fights back, and we are going to game 3! “That was well played,” stated Labounty, congratulating his opponent. “That Dustshoot murdered me.” Both duelists sided for the maximum length of time permitted.
Labounty started by summoning Sangan, then set a spell or trap card. Adame set one too, and then summoned Sangan himself! He set a second card to his back row, ended, and lost that second set to Dust Tornado — Torrential Tribute. Labounty set another card off Dust Tornado’s effect and then began his turn.
He attacked, and both Sangan’s clashed in battle. Adame’s effect went on the chain last and thus resolved first: he chose to take Mystic Tomato from his deck. Labounty pulled Snipe Hunter to trump it, set a second spell or trap and ended. Adame summoned Breaker the Magical Warrior, targeted Scapegoat and Labounty chained it. Breaker hit a Sheep token and Labounty activated Dust Tornado in the end phase, destroying Adame’s set Solemn Judgment. He set another spell or trap on his turn and ended.
Adame set a spell or trap and thought over his hand. Breaker hit another token. Labounty summoned Elemental Hero Stratos, searched his deck for Destiny Hero – Malicious, and attacked Breaker: Adame responded with Magic Cylinder. Next turn he attacked a third Sheep token, then activated Hammer Shot to destroy Stratos. He ended with no cards set and Breaker on the field.
Labounty activate Brain Control, tributed Breaker for Cyber Dragon, and attacked for 2100 damage. Adame summoned Mystic Tomato, attacked the last Sheep, and then activated Smashing Ground to destroy Cyber Dragon. Labounty summoned Snipe Hunter, discarded Treeborn Frog to destroy Tomato, and attacked directly for 1500 damage. Play was to Adame and the duel stood at 4400 to 5400.
He set a card to his back row, prompting Labounty to consider his options. He had Mystical Space Typhoon, Malicious, Zaborg, and Lightning Vortex in hand. He discarded Malicious, targeted Adame’s set card with Snipe Hunter and watched as it was chained: Scapegoat. Snipe Hunter attacked a token and Adame passed. “Thank god I didn’t do what I was going to do,” remarked Labounty.
He activated Mystical Space Typhoon in his standby phase, destroying his own Torrential Tribute to bring back Treeborn Frog! He tributed it for Zaborg the Thunder Monarch, destroyed a Token, and then special summoned Malicious by removing his first from the graveyard. He then activated Lightning Vortex, blowing away the remaining two Sheep tokens and freeing himself up to make three direct attacks for game!
Jonathan Labounty is your newest Shonen Jump Champion!