Here we are in the last round of Swiss play. Both of these players are sitting on the bubble at 8-2. Stephen is playing a weird hybrid deck and Robert’s deck is unknown! Ooh, secretive!
The players both shuffled up and flipped to start. Robert won the toss and decided to start, looking through his options and deciding on a set monster. King had a pretty good opening hand and attacked through Skelengel with Mystic Swordsman LV2. He set a back row card and passed.
Robert didn’t look happy, but he summoned Freed the Brave Wanderer and attacked the Swordsman, setting a card before getting Freed hit with Smashing Ground. King used Premature Burial on Swordsman and tributed it for Airknight Parshath, which ran into Sakuretsu Armor. King passed and Robert set a card to each zone. Nobleman of Crossout came down from King and both players verified the other’s deck for copies of Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive.
King summoned Disciple of the Forbidden Spell! He tried to attack for 1700 but hit nothing but fluffy Sheep tokens. Attacking one he passed, and Robert top decked Heavy Storm on Dust Tornado and ran his Strike Ninja in to the Disciple. King drew and set Magician of Faith, which next turn allowed him to get back Nobleman of Crossout, which hit Robert’s own Magician of Faith! He summoned Tsukuyomi and attacked a Sheep token after flipping the Magician face down.
Robert was forced to activate Return from the Different Dimension, putting himself on 4000 life points, in order to tribute a Magician of Faith for Jinzo. He went through Magician of Faith with Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive, which bought back Premature Burial, and King took 2700.
Next turn he used Premature Burial on Airknight Parshath, flipped Jinzo down with Tsukuyomi, and took out a Sheep and Jinzo, claiming his card for Airknight. Smashing Ground dealt with Airknight and it was back on King, who checked on Robert’s hand count, which was one.
Don Zaloog and Smashing Ground dealt with any cards Robert had left, and Graceful Charity came down off the top! He set a back row card and chained it, Call of the Haunted, on Jinzo when King used Mystical Space Typhoon. Next turn though Reinforcement of the Army bought out another Disciple of the Forbidden Spell for King, which declared Dark and attacked Jinzo, destroying it without damage calculation! An amazing move!
Robert drew for his turn. “Snatch Steal!” said an onlooker from the other side of the table, and Robert replied with “Now you mention it” and activated Snatch Steal! He took Disciple and attacked through Don, but Smashing Ground and a third Disciple finished off Robert’s last 600 life points!
Game one goes to Stephen King, and Robert once again begins, as we get on with game two!
A lot of laughs were followed by the seriousness of game two. Robert began with a Graceful Charity discarding Jinzo and Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer. He set two and passed, and Heavy Storm prompted Call of the Haunted on Jinzo. King set a monster and Giant Orc was destroyed by Jinzo. Robert set a back row card, Book of Moon, which saved Jinzo from Smashing Ground. It couldn’t protect him from a freshly summoned Giant Orc, though.
Two turns later, King had a set monster and two in hand to Robert’s four in hand and Mirage Dragon. A turn after that it was looking even worse for King, and he had nothing but three cards in hand to a Cyber Dragon and set monster, as well as a back row card. Smashing Ground dealt with Robert’s Cyber Dragon, but Magician of Faith gave him Graceful Charity back and he chose to loose Sakuretsu Armor and Strike Ninja. Chaos Sorcerer came out and attacked Don Zaloog, while Faith hit directly.
King topped a set spell or trap and Heavy Storm dealt with it, Deck Devastation Virus. King again set a spell or trap but flipped Mirror Force when Robert tried to attack! The life totals were King at 5200 and Robert at 7700.
A topdecked Pot of Avarice from King led to a groan from Robert, and King took his two cards. “Yeah, I’ll shuffle, that way if you get something good I can blame no one but myself,” said Robert.
A set to each zone prompted a top deck of Nobleman of Crossout and Premature Burial on Jinzo brought King down to 1300. He drew and conceded, he had a hand of Blowback Dragon and Deck Devastation Virus!
Game three began with King starting for once. Both players indulged in light conversation about side decking and then we got underway. King started us off with a cheeky grin and a set to each zone.
Robert went for Mystical Space Typhoon on Dust Tornado before playing Graceful Charity, pitching Goldd, Wu-Lord of Dark World and Magician of Faith. He summoned Spirit Reaper and ran into King’s Spirit Reaper, using Smashing Ground in main phase two to take it out.
Heavy Storm from King took out Bottomless Trap Hole of Roberts, and Don Zaloog attacked Spirit Reaper to steal Strike Ninja from his hand.
Breaker the Magical Warrior removed his counter to destroy Mirror Force, bought out Chaos Sorcerer to remove Don Zaloog, and attacked for 3900. King was in a very bad position, and thought about his next move. His hand was Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer, Tsukuyomi, and Exiled Force, not the best cards for the situation!
“Man, over-extension like that should ban you from the tournament! Graceful into Goldd? Who do you think you are?” Exiled Force couldn’t stop the onslaught from next turn, though, and Robert attacked for game!
Robert Doughty takes the match 2-1 and progresses to the Top 8!