Flores was representing Team Naruto, while Kevin Hor was fighting for Team Comic Odyssey. If Kevin won this match and his next, he’d score his second Cyber-Stein. Winning the opening roll, he was itching to take another victory.

“I got combos!” he declared as he opened with a face-down card of each type. He was promptly hit with a Nobleman of Crossout, losing a D.D. Assailant. Flores dropped an Injection Fairy Lily, and smacked Hor for 3400 direct damage. He set a facedown spell or trap and passed.

Hor summoned Tribe-Infecting Virus and used its effect to wipe out the Lily, then attacked directly. He also opted to set another spell or trap before passing. The life point totals were 4400 to 4600.

A Smashing Ground from Flores took out the Tribe, but Flores only followed it up with a face down monster. He lost his spell or trap, a Premature Burial, to Hor’s set Dust Tornado.

On the next turn, that face down monster was flipped up by Swords of Revealing Light. When the monster was revealed to be Roulette Barrel, Hor decided to Ring of Destruction it, and Flores ate a direct attack from D. D. Warrior Lady. He’d eliminate the Lady quickly though, setting a Mirror Force next turn and successfully using it in Hor’s next battle phase. At that point, both players were down to topdecking.

Flores summoned Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer, and passed. Berserk Gorilla quickly clobbered it. Flores was clearly on the defensive, setting a face down Newdoria and using it to destroy the Gorilla as it made its next attack. Flores set another monster, Assailant, and a Nobleman of Crossout took it out as well.

A flurry of spells helped clear the field a bit with neither player taking damage, until Flores topdecked Graceful Charity. “What’s your life?” asked Flores. Hor was at 3600 life points.

Flores took some time considering his discards. He set a monster and passed. He lost that set monster, a Magician of Faith, to yet another Nobleman of Crossout, Flores continued topdecking like a champ though, drawing into Pot of Greed. He again set another monster. Hor opted not to summon his in-hand Don Zaloog, and as a result Flores’ face-down Sangan turned face up and attacked directly. Seeing himself on the ropes, Hor attacked with it the next turn, but Flores activated Sakuretsu Armor in response. Sangan continued pecking away¾Hor had a Mirror Force, but didn’t want to waste it on the lone Sangan.

Hor summoned a D.D. Assailant and attacked into the Sangan. The attack went through, but the death of the Sangan let Flores pull his D. D. Warrior Lady. “Cards in hand?” asked Hor.

“Two.” Hor played Delinquent Duo.

The life point totals were 600 to 1000 with Hor on the short end of the stick. Flores special summoned Black Luster Soldier, used its priority to remove Hor’s Assailant, and Hor played Bottomless Trap Hole on it. With nothing in hand, Hor topdecked Graceful Charity and used it to get Black Luster Soldier. He summoned it, attacked Flores’s lone face-down monster, and finished him off with the second attack.

Game Win: Kevin Hor


Game Two

“I’m so missing Wrestlemania for this.” Clearly, the pressure was on Hor.

Flores opened with one of each type of face down card, a monster and a spell or trap. Hor used Reinforcement of the Army to fetch an Assailant, then sent D. D. Warrior Lady straight into Roulette Barrel, eating 500 life points. He pondered if he’d use the effect, then decided to do so, setting two spell or traps.

The gambit worked, as Flores was kept on the defensive for two turns. Hor had more field presence, but Flores had slightly more hand presence, and neither player seemed willing to make any big moves. Flores eventually battled back, using Tribe-Infecting Virus to take out Hor’s Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer. He attempted to attack directly, but was stopped by Scapegoats. Hor used a sheep and turned the Tribe into defense position before attacking it with a Tribe of his own.

Flores drew into Black Luster Soldier, Envoy of the Beginning, and managed to summon it. He removed Hor’s Tribe with its effect, then used Metamorphosis to turn it into a Gatling Dragon. The Dragon took out both remaining sheep and attempted to attack directly, but Hor flipped another goats. On his turn Smashing Ground took out the Gatling Dragon, and a direct attack with Blade Knight was repelled by Waboku.

Flores played Premature Burial on his Black Luster Soldier, then attacked a goat and the Knight. Hor had no choice but to set a monster and a spell or trap, and the monster was quickly removed. Flores drew into Graceful Charity, immediately used it, and Hor was not happy. The Black Luster Soldier took out the last two sheep remaining. Hor drew into Pot of Greed, and drew two more spells and traps, setting them both. Flores looked to press a win, and played Mystical Space Typhoon on Hor’s face-down Mystical Space Typhoon. That one took out the Premature Burial. He summoned a D.D. Assailant, but Torrential Tribute took it out.

The two duelists jockeyed for position on the next two turns, and Sangan again came out running on Flores’s side. He used Delinquent Duo a turn later to strip Hor of his hand. Flores was playing defensively though, and both duelists got into a cycle in which Flores’s Sinister Serpent would be set, attacked by Reflect Bounder, and then come back next turn. Finally Flores broke the cycle by using Sakuretsu Armor on the Bounder. Hor responded with Swords of Revealing Light.

Flores reused Graceful Charity¾surprise, surprise, his last set wasn’t a Sinister at all but instead a Magician of Faith. Hor struggled to fend Flores off, and when Flores’s Breaker hit the table Hor desperately used Bottomless Trap Hole it to keep his Swords around.

Swords of Revealing Light only lasts three turns though, and soon they fell. Sangan again turned to attack and poked at Hor.

Hor drew, then dropped his hand a moment to rub his eyes. He picked up his calculator and started doing some math. Deciding quickly, he activated Heavy Storm, as it would cost each player two on-field cards: Hor was clearly committing to a push this turn, taking a negative-one card advantage. “I Ring,” said Flores, using Ring of Destruction on his Sangan. “No, I Ring,” said Hor with a grin, putting a Ring of Destruction of his own on the chain.

He activated Premature Burial, bringing back Airknight Parshath. Hor removed a Light and a Dark monster and summoned Black Luster Soldier. He opted to remove the down, which was smart, as it was a Reaper. Airknight then attacked directly.

It was Flores’s turn to Heavy Storm, and for some reason Hor chained Book of Moon. A smart move, but he chained it to the Soldier, not the Parshath (which would have kept it on the field). Flores set two cards and passed the turn. Hor drew, sent the Soldier to attack, and watched it run into Mirror Force. In the end phase of the turn, Flores activated Call of the Haunted to special summon Black Luster Soldier. It looked like it was over.

The Black Luster Soldier swung in, and Hor used Sakuretsu Armor on it. But Book of Moon was added to the chain and kept the Soldier it on the field. Flores looked to attack with it next turn, and Hor hit it with a Bottomless Trap Hole. Next turn, Flores played Snatch Steal on Hor’s single monster and tributed it for Airknight. After drawing his next card, Hor scooped.

Game Win: Luis Flores


Game Three

“Good game. That was a good one,” Hor stuck out his hand for a shake before game three.

“Yeah, it was,” agreed Flores. Both players drew their cards.

Hor opened incredibly strongly with Pot of Greed, setting a monster and a spell or trap face down. Flores summoned a D.D. Assailant and attacked, but ran into a Sakuretsu Armor. Hor drew, then flipped his monster and attacked with it, revealing Don Zaloog! Flores would be at yet another card’s worth of disadvantage. He eventually decided to Waboku. Hor set another monster and another down. “Did I force you to play that one?” Hor grinned, feeling his momentum building.

Flores did nothing but set a face down monster. Hor played Nobleman of Crossout, summoned D. D. Warrior Lady, and attacked with Bounder, Zaloog, and D. D. Flores managed to play Lightning Vortex on the next turn, and summoned Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer. When he attacked though, all he ate was goats. The life point totals were 8000 to 3400.

Hor pressed with a Breaker, and when he attacked, it met with a Sakuretsu Armor. Suddenly, he was on the defensive with a Swords of Revealing Light and two goats. That changed quickly, though, as he took out Kycoo with Berserk Gorilla, and then used it to take out a Magician of Faith. Flores set a monster, but Hor had a Blade Knight to pressure him with. Attacking into a Newdoria, he lost his Gorilla. It seemed that Flores had no field presence. He set one spell or trap.

Hor saw another opening, and summoned Tribe-Infecting Virus. Attacking with it, he smashed right into a Mirror Force¾Flores had been baiting a trap! Despite his losses of card advantage in several key plays, Hor was still winning by both life points and cards. A turn later, Flores still did not have a monster, and Hor managed to topdeck into Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning. He summoned it and a Sinister Serpent for good measure, and that was the game!

Match Win: Kevin Hor