Twenty-one-year-old Paul Foley hails from Columbus, Indiana. A student, he works part-time at a comic store called Comic Cave. He’s playing against seventeen-year-old Paul Cooper, a student from Kent City, Missouri. Cooper is the reason for this feature match: he’s undefeated today with a remarkable Dark World deck packing tricks like The Cheerful Coffin and Appropriate.
Foley won the roll and opted to open the match with a set Trap Dustshoot and set Don Zaloog. He flipped Dustshoot next turn, revealing Card Destruction, Dark World Dealings, Dragged Down into the Grave, Gren, Tactician of Dark World, and two copies of Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World in Cooper’s hand. He shuffled back one copy of Beiige, and Cooper passed with nothing on the field.
The face-down Don Zaloog Foley had set last turn flipped, and he summoned D. D. Warrior Lady. The Lady attacked for 1500, and Don Zaloog attacked directly to discard Gren, Tactician of Dark World, which had no target for its effect. Foley set a spell or trap and ended.
Cooper set two cards, then a third to his back row. He activated Dragged Down into the Grave, revealing Widespread Ruin, Pot of Avarice, and Cyber Dragon in Foley’s hand. It forced Foley to discard Cyber Dragon, and Cooper’s only card to discard was Beiige: it was special summoned. He activated Dark World Dealings from his back row next, discarding Kahkki, Guerilla of Dark World, while Foley discarded Pot of Avarice. Kahkki’s effect destroyed D. D. Warrior Lady, and Beiige attacked Don Zaloog and destroyed him in battle.
A set monster ended Cooper’s turn, but he lost his set Card Destruction to Mystical Space Typhoon in the end phase. Foley summoned Snipe Hunter, and its effect targeted Cooper’s face-down monster with priority, discarding Trap Dustshoot. Snipe’s roll hit, and it destroyed Cooper’s set Morphing Jar, a ruinous play for Cooper. Smashing Ground destroyed Beiige, and Snipe Hunter attacked directly. Foley set his last in-hand card and passed. Cooper had 3600 life points remaining.
He drew for his turn, then activated his set Dark World Dealings to discard Beiige while Foley lost Exiled Force. Beiige was special summoned, and Cooper passed without attacking. Foley discarded his topdecked Morphing Jar next turn, using Snipe Hunter to blast Beiige. Snipe attacked, and Cooper set a spell or trap to end. Raiza finished the game next turn.
Paul Foley wins the first duel against undefeated Dark World duelist Paul Cooper! Both players sided before beginning the second game.
Cooper opened by setting two back-row cards, and Foley set one before passing. Cooper passed, then Foley summoned Card Trooper and activated its effect with priority, sending Torrential Tribute, Widespread Ruin, and Brain Control to the graveyard to power it up. Trooper attacked and play was back to Cooper.
He activated Card of Safe Return and then Dark World Dealings, discarding Goldd, Wu-Lord of Dark World! Foley discarded Pot of Avarice, and Goldd was special summoned to trigger Card of Safe Return. Cooper drew, set another spell or trap, and then attacked with Goldd to destroy Trooper.
Foley set a monster and ended. Cooper activated The Cheerful Coffin, and discarded Broww, Huntsman of Dark World, Kahkki, Guerilla of Dark World, and Sillva, Warlord of Dark World! Kahkki killed off Foley’s set Gravekeeper’s Spy, Sillva was special summoned, and Cooper got to draw two cards (one for Card of Safe Return and one for Broww). Goldd and Sillva attacked, and when Foley flipped Scapegoat to defend himself, Solemn Judgment negated it! Foley took 4600 damage and Cooper set another spell or trap to end.
Yes, that was The Cheerful Coffin in an undefeated Round 5 deck at a Shonen Jump. I think that’s a first.
Foley had seven cards after his next draw phase, but all of them were monsters save Limiter Removal. He played to his only out, trying to end the game quickly: he special summoned Cyber Dragon and normal summoned Card Trooper. Trooper was boosted and Cyber Dragon attacked: Cooper could read the Limiter like a book, as could the assembled crowd. He ran some numbers, took the attack, and when Limiter was played, he responded with Solemn Judgment! It was 1550 to 1300, and Foley had no way to protect Card Trooper next turn: he scooped.
Some expert usage of Solemn Judgment and some fancy footwork with The Cheerful Coffin let Paul Cooper dominate the second duel, pushing this match to game 3!
“I’ll go first,” announced Foley. He activated Confiscation, revealing Cooper’s hand of Morphing Jar, Card of Safe Return, Beiige, Kahkki, and Gren: an amazing hand if Cooper had been allowed to keep Jar. He wasn’t: Foley of course discarded it. He set a monster to end, and Cooper passed, totally devoid of options.
Play was back to Foley, who flip summoned Mystic Tomato and normal summoned Card Trooper, following up with Machine Duplication! “Good thing I drew one this turn,” he commented, special summoning only one from his deck. He activated the first Trooper, sending three cards to the graveyard, then activated the next, sending two more cards plus Treeborn Frog. He pressed for 5200 damage, set a spell or trap, and ended.
Cooper set a card to each zone and passed. Foley activated one Trooper, then the next, and attacked with the first to destroy Cooper’s set Gren. The next Trooper and Mystic Tomato connected with direct attacks, and that was all she wrote for Dark World!
Paul Foley moves on undefeated!