Umali and Flores played each other in yesterday’s Top 8, but they were friendly with one another long before they dueled at the Championship.

Game 1

Flores won the roll and opened. He set Trap Hole, Sakuretsu Armor, and a monster. Umali retaliated with early advantage—Pot of Greed. He then activated Forceful Sentry and stripped Flores of his Dark Driceratops. He set a monster, a spell or trap, and passed.

Flores flipped up Fiber Jar.

“You gave me card advantage, but that was nice,” stated Umali, ignoring the fact that he already had the extra card.

Flores followed up his field opportunity and summoned Berserk Gorilla, attacking through for a clean 2000 damage before setting a spell or trap.

Umali played Painful Choice, selecting Airknight, Confiscation, Sinister Serpent, Jinzo, and Dark Magician of Chaos. Flores gave him the Magician. Umali played Swords of Revealing Light and set a monster and a card in his spell and trap zone. Flores summoned Exiled Force and blew it to take out Umali’s face-down D. D. Warrior Lady. Umali took back his Sinister and set a monster, announcing (questionably) that it was Sinister. Flores smelled a ruse. He used Premature Burial on Exiled Force and tributed it to take out Umali’s face down . . . Sinister. No bluff there.

Umali set another face-down monster and passed. Flores started his next turn with a Forceful Sentry that cost Umali his Change of Heart. Flores summoned a Nimble Momonga and passed.

Umali set one more spell/trap and passed. Flores looked to make the big summon with Enraged Battle Ox, but it was blown away by a Bottomless. Flores attacked, but he caught nothing but Sinister and Scapegoat.

With three sheep left, Umali set a monster and a spell/trap. On his own turn, Flores set a spell/trap of his own, wasted a sheep, and smacked Sinister again with Momonga.

Umali set another monster, activated Mirage of Nightmare, and set another spell/trap. Flores managed to Mystical Space Typhoon the Mirage in his draw phase, though. He then again attacked one sheep and the Sinister.

On Umali’s next turn, he activated Premature Burial. Smelling the Jinzo coming, Flores responded with Waboku. Umali passed.

Flores made a big push when he opened his next turn, Snatch Stealing away Umali’s Jinzo. He tributed away Momonga for Dark Driceratops and tried to attack the last sheep with it, but it was promptly hit with Book of Moon. The last sheep and Sinister were destroyed, however, by the successive attacks.

Umali summoned Tribe-Infecting Virus and discarded twice to get rid of Jinzo and the Gorilla. Nobleman of Crossout removed Flores’s face-down monster, and Tribe attacked directly.

Flores played Monster Reincarnation and brought up Gorilla again. He attacked Tribe-Infecting Virus with it, and then concluded his turn.

Umali retrieved his Sinister yet again, set a spell or trap, and set a monster. Flores tributed his Gorilla for Jinzo, attacked Sinister, and set a card. Umali set a second face-down spell or trap and summoned Reflect Bounder face-up.

Flores had an answer, though. He recruited Nimble Momonga face-up and crashed it into Reflect Bounder. He got to special summon one more, and did so in defense position. Jinzo then attacked directly for 2400.

Some odd looking moves, topped off with a Creature Swap, resulted with Umali controlling Jinzo and Flores getting stuck with Sinister Serpent. A turn later, it was Flores taking the direct beats as a Blade Knight routed the Sinister and Jinzo swung. Flores didn’t have much, setting a card face down-on his turn and passing. Umali then attacked the face-down monster—an Enraged Battle Ox—and again swung directly with Jinzo. He set another face-down monster and passed.

Flores needed something big. He set a monster and toyed with his graveyard, waiting to see what Umali would do.

Jinzo attacked into the face-down monster—a Giant Rat. Flores had nothing much to pull, but an attack position Fiber Jar held off the Blade Knight (just barely) and kept him at 300 life points.

Flores drew Breaker and summoned it. “Good game,” he said, and that was it.


Game 2

Flores took the opening and made the classic play of Forceful Sentry. He used it to get rid of Umali’s Nobleman of Crossout, and set two spells or traps and a monster. “Did you forget I had Heavy Storm?” asked Umali. He played it and blew away the two cards set in Flores’s field, then summoned Blade Knight and used it to destroyed Fiber Jar.

Flores special summoned Gigantes and attacked the Blade Knight with it. He set a single spell/trap of his own and passed the turn.

Umali summoned D. D. Warrior Lady, and then special summoned Blade Knight with Premature Burial. Blade Knight attacked into Gigantes, and Flores chained Ring of Destruction to target D. D. Warrior Lady. Gigantes hitting the graveyard cleared the rest of the field, and Umali set a spell or trap. Flores did the same thing. In Umali’s draw phase, Flores flipped Dust Tornado and took out the face-down Nobleman of Crossout. Umali passed, and Flores used his turn to set a new spell or trap.

Umali passed without doing anything, and Flores clobbered him with a Gorilla. Umali set a spell/trap and passed.

Flores set two more spells/traps and attacked.

Umali finally hit a monster—Breaker the Magical Warrior. He summoned it and broke a face-down Heavy Storm. He attacked with the Breaker into the Gorilla, intending suicide. Flores got overzealous, though, and activated Sakuretsu Armor to destroy Breaker. Breaker dying gave Umali what he needed to summon Black Luster Soldier. A turn later, he attacked directly with it for 3000.

It was Flores’ play. He summoned Giant Rat, gave it an Axe of Despair, and sent it on a suicide run (the Axe was to prevent 1000 damage). He then brought out Exiled Force with the Rat’s effect. He tributed it and destroyed the Black Luster Soldier—a desperate tactic, but a clever one.
Umali passed again. Flores summoned Breaker the Magical Warrior, but it got Torrentialed. His field was open and Umali took advantage, summoning and attacking with Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer.

Flores topdecked a Snatch Steal and used it, but he caught nothing as Umali Book of Mooned Kycoo face-down. However, Flores then nailed the Kycoo with a Nobleman of Crossout.

Umali topdecked a monster, but set it instead of pressing the attack. He set another spell/trap and ended his turn. Flores was running on top decks, but caught the ultimate—Pot of Greed. He drew into Enraged Battle Ox and Gigantes with it. He summoned the Ox with his turn’s normal summon. He then removed Giant Rat to special summon Gigantes, and Battle Ox attacked. The face-down was Fiber Jar. Umali was at 200 to Flores’s 1000, but Flores had already summoned. There were a lot of things he could hit to survive the next turn.

Flores drew his five and set two face-down spells/traps. His hand was full of spells and traps, but he had a down Scapegoat.

Umali summoned D. D. Warrior Lady and attacked. “Scapegoat,” he said. Umali could only reply with “Boo!”

Flores went for the kill, summoning an Enraged Battle Ox in the hope of attacking the D.D., but a Bottomless Trap Hole removed the threat.

Umali had nothing to do on his turn but continue to pick off sheep. He set another spell/trap and ended his turn. Flores drew and played Smashing Ground, but had nothing to summon to attack with. Umali took advantage, summoning and attacking the second-to-last sheep with Reflect Bounder—a strong play in this situation because of the timing of its effect. Flores had nothing. He set a spell or trap to get himself to four downs.

In Umali’s draw phase, he Ring of Destructioned the Reflect Bounder. He thought it was game, but Umali Raigeki Breaked his own Reflect Bounder to keep the game going. Brilliant. Umali then summoned D. D. Warrior Lady to take care of the final sheep token. He then summoned Black Luster Soldier, and after just a moment’s thought, attacked twice with it for game.

Awesome!

Tournament Winner: John Umali