“Are they gonna beat you up if you lose?” Ellenberg grinned.

 

“Hey, since you got a bye, you have to beat me twice.” Mota smiled. It was friendly banter. Mota won the roll and opted to go first.

 

Mota opened with just a single face down card in his spell or trap zone. Ellenberg played Delinquent Duo. “No surprise,” replied Mota. He nailed Mota's Ring of Destruction and Mota ditched his Scapegoat before getting slammed by Asura Priest. Ellenberg set a spell or trap and passed.

 

Mota drew into Pot of Greed and played it. Breaker the Magical Warrior came down and broke Ellenberg's Mirror Force before attacking, and dished out 1600 damage. Ellenberg fired back with Tribe-Infecting Virus, killed the Breaker, played Premature Burial on an Enraged Battle Ox, and attacked. Scapegoat came up and blocked the Tribe's damage. The kicker? Ellenberg was down to just one card in hand. He had fewer cards next turn as Mota played Lightning Vortex to clear his field, summoned Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning, and attacked for 3000. Mota set a monster, set a card to his spell and trap zone, and passed.

 

Ellenberg methodically set a monster, then a spell or trap, and passed. Mota had the answer though! Nobleman of Crossout on the successive turn cleared Ellenberg's monster zone, Black Luster Soldier attacked, and that was game one!

 

Game Two

 

Both competitors spent some time side decking and trading some banter. With Comic Odyssey standing around the environment is always decently filled with levity, and Ellenberg seemed to fit in pretty well.

 

“Dude, you just lost, but you're smiling,” shouted an onlooker. Ellenberg's just a happy kind of guy.

 

He again opened game two, and again did so with Delinquent Duo, taking down a Royal Decree. “What?” He was a bit annoyed with hitting something he didn't care much about. Airknight Parshath hit the graveyard next, then Ellenberg set a spell or trap and passed.

 

Mota made the same move—a face down card in the spell and trap zone and he passed. Ellenberg did nothing, and passed. Mota did nothing, and, you guessed it, passed. Ellenberg set a spell or trap, passed, and then Mota did the same thing. To some it looked like boredom, but to others, a delicate joust for tempo control.

 

A set monster from Ellenberg's side of the field broke the silence, and . . . well, Mota passed. Ellenberg set a second face down monster, and a turn later he flipped Apprentice Magician, flipped Tsukuyomi to flip it face down, attacked into Scapegoat, smashed a sheep, and then set another monster before Tsukuyomi bounced back to his hand. “What was that?” asked Mota, incredulous.

 

“I wanted to attack!” Ellenberg and bystanders laughed. “That was so jank [sic].”

 

Mota played Pot of Greed next turn and set a monster. Ellenberg equalized things though by flipping Magician of Faith next turn and using Delinquent Duo yet again. This time, it cost Mota Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning. His other card discarded was Sinister Serpent, but the loss of Black Luster Soldier hurt.

 

“One in six . . . man.” Mota was mildly irked.

 

Tsukuyomi came down again next turn, flipping Magician face down and attacking. “Dude, that's a disgrace,” said Mota. “Just shake my hand.”

 

Next turn, Nobleman of Crossout ended the Tsukuyomi loop, taking Magician of Faith out of the equation. Mota looked at his options, set a monster, and passed.

 

Ellenberg summoned Airknight Parshath next turn. It attacked a sheep but was immediately hit by Mirror Force. Both competitors were playing conservatively and had loaded hands. Mota's got even bigger as he drew, flipped Magician of Faith, and played Pot of Greed again. He flipped Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy an Enemy Controller which was quickly chained to turn a sheep to attack position, and Asura Priest attacked into a Sakuretsu Armor. Mota played Swords of Revealing Light and passed.

 

Graceful Charity dropped from Ellenberg's hand, and after discarding, he set two cards to his spell and trap zone. Mota attempted to fuel a big offense next turn with Premature Burial, but was cut down. He Delinquent Duo'd Ellenberg, costing him Brain Control, turned Magician to defense position, and passed. Ellenberg's next turn consisted of setting a monster, but that was all.

 

“Can I see your grave?” asked Mota. He inspected Ellenberg's graveyard, passed it back, and set another face down spell or trap.

 

Another face down monster hit Ellenberg's side of the field next turn. With a Cyber-Stein riding on the match, neither player was willing to take unnecessary risks and both were building towards assured wins. Ellenberg made it there first, eventually tributing for Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys, which was the card that had earned him a win against Freddie Garcia last match.

 

The Phoenix swept down on Magician of Faith, but Mota tried to turn the Magician face down with Book of Moon. After some deliberation, Ellenberg chained Ring of Destruction to destroy the Magician, walloped a sheep, and ended his turn.

 

Mota thought about his next move carefully and then opted just to set a card to his spell or trap zone. Ellenberg started leaning on him hard, summoning Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer. Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys ate a sheep, Kycoo attempted to attack, and Mota flipped Scapegoat. Next turn, he dropped Breaker the Magical Warrior, popped Ellenberg's face down card, a Nobleman of Crossout, and used Snatch Steal on the Phoenix!

 

Sacred Phoenix smashed Kycoo, Breaker cleaved Ellenberg's life points with his blade and Mota considered his next move. He now had four cards in hand, two monsters and two spells or traps on field, and a life point deficit to Ellenberg's three cards, none of which were on the field. Call of the Haunted brought up Airknight Parshath and it swung to end the turn.

 

Ellenberg needed something big to clinch the game, so he used Snatch Steal on Airknight Parshath, attacked Breaker with it, used Metamorphosis on it to bring out Dark Balter the Terrible, and then played Swords of Revealing Light.

 

Mota played Monster Reincarnation in an attempt to bring back Breaker, but Ellenberg used Balter's effect to pay 1000 life points and negate it. “I'm so stupid,” mourned Mota. “No, wait! I can still win . . . if I have enough cards” He summoned Tribe-Infecting Virus, named Fiend, played Heavy Storm, returning the Phoenix to Ellenberg, discarded another card to destroy the Phoenix, and attacked directly with Tribe-Infecting Virus!

 

Augusto Mota wins the Side Event Championships and takes the second Cyber-Stein of the day for Team Comic Odyssey!