Longtime readers might remember Calvin from his article on Metagame roughly a year ago. Playing for Team Scrubs, he got some feature coverage at last year’s Shonen Jump Championship New Jersey. He’s a returning Top 8 competitor, making it to the final rounds of last year’s Canadian National Championships with an Armed Samurai - Ben Kei deck.

Whoever won this match would be an auto-in for the Top 8.

Roman opened with Sangan and a set spell or trap card. Calvin activated Graceful Charity, discarding Blowback Dragon and Smashing Ground. He then set a card to each zone and passed. Roman played Nobleman of Crossout to remove Calvin’s set Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive from the game, stripping his deck of two more: Roman wasn’t running any himself. He attacked with Sangan for 1000, set a card to each zone, and passed.

“Don’t tell me that’s a Magician of Faith,” said Calvin. He paused. “That’s a Magician! That’s evil!” He set a monster anyways.

“What’d you think it was?” asked Roman, feigning forgetfulness. He flipped the set monster, which was indeed Magician of Faith, took back Nobleman of Crossout, and removed Calvin’s set monster: another Magician. The Magician and Sangan attacked directly to push through some more damage.

Calvin drew, set a second spell or trap, and passed.

The Magician and Sangan attacked again. Calvin winced visibly, and turned to me: “Can you not record this move? Cause I’ll be known as a bad player.” Calvin was forced to activate Mirror Force, destroying Magician of Faith and Sangan! “That was the biggest minus of all time” remarked Calvin. Roman passed, Calvin set a second spell or trap again, and play passed back to Roman.

“Sangaaaaaaan!” he announced, cheerily activating Premature Burial. Sangan attacked, but this time Calvin had Scapegoat, and Sangan hit nothing but Sheep. Roman set a monster and passed.

Calvin blasted the set monster, D. D. Warrior Lady, with Nobleman of Crossout and ended his turn. He was on defense big time. Sangan hit a Sheep, and Calvin passed back with a sigh.

Tsukuyomi came down on Roman’s side, turning down Sangan. He flip summoned it and attacked both of the remaining Sheep.

Calvin drew. “Can we not DRAW A MONSTER?” Calvin sighed: he’d gone through 18 cards with only having drawn two monsters, both of which were hit with Crossout. He passed, unable to do anything. Next turn he took direct beats from Tsukuyomi and Sangan, and Roman set another spell or trap card, putting himself at four total.

With one back row card set, Calvin activated Heavy Storm from his hand. He lost Royal Decree, while Roman lost Torrential Tribute, Return from the Different Dimension, Enemy Controller, and Decree too. With the odds now evened up a bit, Calvin set a monster and passed with no back row.

“You like that monster?” asked Roman.

“Oh man . . . just Cross it.” said Calvin. Roman summoned Tsukuyomi, turned down and flipped up Sangan, Creature Swapped his Sangan to Calvin for his set monster, Magical Merchant, and then pegged his Sangan with Tsukuyomi. He took Newdoria with its effect.

“How is my entire hand unplayable?!” Calvin complained. He flashed it to me: Sorcerer, Zaborg, Last Will, Creature Swap, Limiter Removal, and Snatch Steal. He couldn’t use ANY of them! To make matters worse, Roman flipped his Merchant, drew Confiscation, and activated it. Calvin scooped, not wanting to show the hand, but moments later he revealed it to Roman anyways.

“Honestly, I don’t even know how that’s possible.” He grinned “I guess when we were playtesting, we didn’t expect that scenario.” The good-natured sarcasm just dripped off of Calvin.

He opened the second duel with Sangan and a set spell or trap. Roman blasted him with Confiscation, revealing Mobius the Frost Monarch, Cyber Dragon, two Dekoichi, and Sangan.

“Discard Dekoichi? Sounds good!” quipped Calvin. Roman opted to discard the Cyber Dragon. He summoned one of his own, rammed it into Sangan, and Calvin pulled Treeborn Frog from his deck with its effect. Roman set a card to each zone and passed.

Nobleman of Crossout removed Roman’s Magician of Faith from the game, and each duelist stripped the remaining copies from their decks. Calvin then set a monster, and he passed with an open backfield.

Roman activated Graceful Charity, discarding Tsukuyomi and Chaos Sorcerer. Cyber Dragon destroyed Calvin’s set Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive, and Roman passed. Calvin special summoned Cyber Dragon, and tributed it for Mobius the Frost Monarch to destroy Royal Decree. Roman’s other set card that Mobius had targeted, Scapegoat, was chained. Calvin let out a howl of comic despair. Mobius ran over Cyber Dragon and Calvin again passed with nothing in the back row.

Roman special summoned Chaos Sorcerer.

“That’s unreal,” said Calvin as he lost his Mobius to the removed from game pile. Calvin set a monster and passed.

Chaos Sorcerer attacked it: Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive. Calvin drew Creature Swap, and fingered it looking at all the Sheep tokens on Roman’s side of the field. “Great card” he said. He set Magical Merchant, lost it to Sorcerer next turn but gained Sakuretsu Armor in the process, and a turn later he was setting a card to each zone. Roman attacked with Chaos Sorcerer.

“Sakuretsu Armor?” Roman asked.

Nope. Calvin shook his head, and flipped the attacked monster, Night Assailant. It destroyed the Sorcerer and Roman ended his turn.

Calvin summoned Treeborn Frog, and attacked into a Sheep token. Roman summoned Breaker the Magical Warrior, but Calvin flipped Torrential Tribute to clear away all the Sheep that were blocking his path to victory! He brought back his Frog and passed, doing nothing on his turn.

Premature Burial bought back Roman’s Chaos Sorcerer, and it was 7000 to 5900 in Calvin’s favor. Roman removed Calvin’s Frog from play with Sorcerer’s effect, and Roman set another back row card, again putting himself at four set spell or trap cards just like last game.

“Heavy! Gimme Heavy!” begged Calvin, pleading to his deck. He didn’t topdeck it, and instead activated Snatch Steal to try and take control of the Sorcerer. Roman chained Book of Moon to turn the Sorcerer face down and prevent the Snatch Steal from resolving. Premature Burial brought back Calvin’s Sangan, and he played Creature Swap: “Don’t tell me you activate a second ‘Goat!” he joked. He traded his Sangan for the face down Sorcerer, set a spell or trap, and ended his turn. Roman passed right back.

Calvin flip summoned the Sorcerer and attacked the Sangan—it hit! Calvin grabbed D. D. Warrior Lady from his deck with Sangan’s effect, set a monster, set Return from the Different Dimension, and ended his turn.

Roman special summoned Cyber Dragon, took back his Sorcerer with Snatch Steal, and attacked the set monster with the Dragon. It hit D. D. Warrior Lady, and both were removed. Sorcerer attacked next, but was destroyed by Sakuretsu Armor. Calvin drew, special summoned Chaos Sorcerer, played Heavy Storm, and chained Return from the Different Dimension! Roman chained his to Calvin’s, bringing back two Cyber Dragon and two Magician of Faith. Calvin’s resolved, special summoning the D. D. Warrior Lady, Mobius, Dekoichi, and Cyber Dragon he had removed earlier. He had five monsters to Roman’s four. Calvin then activated Smashing Ground and Roman knew it was game. Calvin would be attacking directly with his Sorcerer and Mobius, and Roman conceded the duel.

After some extensive side decking, Roman opened with Sangan and a set spell or trap. Calvin played Confiscation: “wait, why did I DO that? Oh god . . . write that down, that I used Confiscation before I attacked the Sangan.” He revealed Roman’s hand of Mirror Force, Tsukuyomi, Mystical Space Typhoon, and Smashing Ground, opting to discard the Mirror Force. He set two cards to his back row, set a monster, and finished.

Roman topdecked and activated Nobleman of Crossout! “WHO DOES THAT!” yelled Calvin in anguish, watching his D. D. Warrior Lady get tossed out of the game. Sangan hit directly and play passed to Calvin.

He set a monster and passed. Roman used Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy Calvin’s set Mirror Force, Tsukuyomi attacked and hit Magical Merchant (Calvin got a Nobleman of Crossout of his own), and Sangan attacked directly.

Finally, the fates had something decent in store for Calvin Tsang. He topdecked Graecful Charity, activated it, and discarded Night Assailant and Skelengel to fetch back a Dekoichi discarded by the Merchant. He set a monster, passed, and Roman summoned Breaker the Magical Warrior. “WOO!” Calvin flipped Torrential Tribute: his set monster was Sangan! Roman pulled Kuriboh with his Sangan, while Calvin went and searched out Magician of Faith. Roman passed, Calvin set a monster, and play passed back to Roman. Roman activated Confiscation, revealed Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive, Magician of Faith, Spirit Reaper, Cyber Dragon, Nobleman of Crossout, and Premature Burial: he discarded the Magician, summoned Newdoria, hit with it directly, and passed.

Calvin special summoned Cyber Dragon, rammed the Newdoria, lost his Dragon to its effect, and set a monster. Roman passed without doing anything, and Calvin flip summoned Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive. He summoned Treeborn Frog, and Roman had to activate Torrential Tribute to protect himself! “NOOOOO! Not my Frog! I’m so sad…” Calvin passed with an open field.

Roman set a card to each zone. Calvin special summoned his Frog, tributed for Mobius to destroy Roman’s set bluff, Heavy Storm, and then used Nobleman of Crossout to remove his opponent’s Magician of Faith from the field. He swung for 2400, played Swords of Revealing Light, and it was 3700 to 5000 with Calvin leading.

Roman played Smashing Ground, then set a monster. Calvin summoned Spirit Reaper, played Nobleman of Crossout, but when the Reaper attacked Roman dropped Kuriboh! Calvin ended his turn, Roman set a monster, Calvin used Premature Burial to bring back Mobius the Frost Monarch, and Mobius clocked Roman’s set Asura Priest into the graveyard! Spirit Reaper attacked directly to discard Roman’s Chaos Sorcerer, and a turn later it was all over. He drew, set a monster, and lost it to Calvin’s Zaborg moments later. Attacking directly, Calvin Tsang locked the match.

And like that, he locked his place in the Top 8 for the second year in a row. Calvin Tsang is the event’s only undefeated player!