Canada was doing exceedingly well here today, with Dale Bellido, Matt Peddle, Lazaro Bellido, and Michael Sherkin all undefeated headed into Round 5. But now, Sherkin and Lazaro had been paired off, and while the reigning Canadian Champion was playing Gladiator Beasts, Sherkin was running Lightsworn. Both players were representing the Toronto card store Card Masters.

Game 1

Lazaro opened with Elemental Hero Stratos, and summoned him to search his deck for Elemental Hero Prisma. He set two cards to his back row and activated Trap Dustshoot next turn.

Sherkin chained Mystical Space Typhoon, destroying Lazaro’s Phoenix Wing Wind Blast, then revealed his hand: two Honest, Beckoning Light, Solar Recharge, and Celestia, Lightsworn Angel. It took Lazaro all of two seconds to send Celestia back to his deck. He passed, Lazaro activated Cold Wave, and he summoned Spirit Reaper. Both of his monsters attacked and Sherkin lost Honest from his hand. Next turn he summoned Honest, attacked into Spirit Reaper, and passed. Why was he not setting Honest? If he was going to lose the card anyway, he might as well shield himself.

Next turn Lazaro summoned Gladiator Beast Laquari, attacked with all three monsters, and cost Sherkin his Heavy Storm. He drew for his next turn, another Beckoning Light, and set both copies of Beckoning. He summoned Honest again, pressed it over Spirit Reaper, and ended with Honest in face-up attack.

Lazaro summoned Prisma, sent Bestiari to the graveyard with its effect, then contact Fused Prisma and Laquari for Gladiator Beast Gyzarus. Gyzarus targeted Honest and one Beckoning, and Sherkin chained the targeted Beckoning to trade his dead Solar Recharge for the Honest in his graveyard. Lazaro attacked and the game was over.

What was that? I was really confused why Sherkin, a former Vs. System pro player and a Day 2 Yu-Gi-Oh! duelist, had avoided setting Honest for so long when it could’ve bought him time (and he ended up losing cards anyway). I asked Sherkin between games why he hadn’t set the Honest on turn 1. “I thought he had Test Tiger,” explained Sherkin. He really, really should’ve set that Honest.

Game 2

Sherkin opened game 2 with a set spell or trap, and Lazaro summoned Gladiator Beast Bestiari. He special summoned Test Tiger, brought out Gladiator Beast Secutor] and poked for 400 damage. Sherkin nodded, and Secutor special summoned Bestiari, blowing away Sherkin’s Mystical Space Typhoon, and Gladiator Beast Laquari. He didn’t contact Fuse for Gladiator Beast Heraklinos, ending his turn with two set spell or traps to finish out.

Sherkin activated Solar Recharge, discarding Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner to draw two, then sending Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter and Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress to the graveyard. He activated another Recharge next, discarding another Lyla and this time hitting Wulf, Lightsworn Beast and Judgment Dragon! Wulf came up from the graveyard, and, in response to the summon, Lazaro discarded Test Tiger for Phoenix Wing Wind Blast to spin away the Wulf. “I’m afraid of Celestia,” noted Lazaro.

“Premature,” announced Sherkin. He activated Premature Burial, brought back Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner, then discarded Necro Gardna to bring back Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress! He then declared Lyla’s effect with priority, destroying Lazaro’s set Dimensional Prison! It was a great sequence of plays, and Lumina attacked over Secutor to finish it.

. . . Or so it seemed. Sherkin had one last trick for the turn: Phantom of Chaos! He removed Judgment Dragon for its effect, wiped the field clean for 1000 life points, and set one spell or trap card. Nice! Lazaro drew, and with two cards in hand all he could do was set one card to his back row.

Sherkin summoned Sangan, turned Phantom of Chaos to defense mode and struck for 1000 damage. The duel stood at 6400 life points to 5800 in Lazaro’s favor.

Again, all Lazaro could do was set another spell or trap. Sherkin removed Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress with Phantom of Chaos, tributed it for Celestia, Lightsworn Angel, then targeted Lazaro’s face-down Dust Tornado and Book of Moon. The Book was chained to turn Celestia face down. Sherkin activated Beckoning Light to trade his hand for Ryko and Lumina, and then attacked for 1000 damage with Sangan. Sherkin could’ve actually used Lyla’s effect after turning Phantom of Chaos to attack mode, but had been intending to draw out Solemn Judgment and then bring back Celestia with Premature Burial. It was a choice that would cost him turns later.

Lazaro set a card to each zone, and when Sherkin attacked with Celestia next turn he revealed his set cards: Crush Card Virus and Sangan! He activated the Virus, tributed Sangan, and blew away Sherkin’s Celestia. Sherkin’s hand was untouched: Lumina, Ryko, and Foolish Burial. Lazaro selected his third and final Test Tiger as his pull with Sangan’s effect, and then ate 1000 damage from Sherkin’s Sangan. Sherkin set Ryko to finish up.

Lazaro drew and passed. Sherkin drew another Phantom, summoned Lumina, and then discarded the Phantom for another Lumina. He flip summoned Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter, sending Ehren, Lightsworn Monk, Honest, and Legendary Jujitsu Master to his graveyard to destroy Sangan and fetch Necro Gardna, then discarded it to special summon Wulf, Lightsworn Beast. The successive attacks dropped Lazaro to 100 life points, and in the end phase Sherkin sent six cards to his graveyard. If he’d made the Lyla play with Phantom of Chaos instead of the Solemn read, he would’ve had a fifty/fifty chance of having won by now.

Next turn Lazaro summoned Gladiator Beast Murmillo and special summoned Test Tiger: a few moments and a Darius later, he had Gladiator Beast Gyzarus on the field, destroying Wulf and Ryko. He pressed Gyzarus towards Lumina, and Sherkin blocked the shot with Necro Gardna. He had one more turn left on Crush Card Virus.

He drew, and revealed his topdecked Solar Recharge. He only had eight cards left in his deck, and the Luminas were going to eat six more in the end phase. There was nothing he could special summon with Lumina to get over Gyzarus, so he slammed both copies of Lumina into Gyzarus in a desperate attempt to stay in the game longer than one turn. He was down to 3000 life points, but had just handed Lazaro two copies of Darius with Gyzarus’ tag out.

The pair of Darius got him Laquari and Secutor, and next turn Lazaro attacked with all four monsters: Laquari and the Darius that fetched Secutor were blocked by Necro Gardnas, and Sherkin took 2100 damage. Lazaro contact Fused for Heraklinos and brought out Laquari from his deck with his remaining tag-out. When Sherkin activated Solar Recharge discarding Jain, Lightsworn Paladin next turn, Lazaro flipped Solemn Judgment and it was all over!

Lazaro Bellido scores up a 2-0 victory over near-teammate Michael Sherkin! The Canadian National Champion is just four wins away from making Day 2.