Both of these duelists are well-recognized on the national level. Kenny So is the owner of Comic Odyssey, the store that hosts the top-level Yu-Gi-Oh! team of the same name. Moosman made Top 8 at SJC Denver, and has been a contender on the Shonen Jump Championship Circuit since last year. He’s a crowd favorite who usually runs something interesting, and today was no exception: while So was packing the same Cyber-Stein burn deck that his teammates were using, Moosman was using a Warrior Toolbox variant armed with, of all things, Prickle Fairy.
Moosman opened the first duel with a set card to each zone and ended. Mystical Space Typhoon destroyed his own Mystical Space Typhoon on So’s turn, and So immediately dropped Cyber-Stein! “You must have game,” said Moosman. So special summoned Cyber End Dragon with Cyber-Stein’s effect, attached Megamorph to the Dragon, and then rammed Moosman’s set card: Prickle Fairy! Moosman was left with 1300 life points thanks to the Fairy’s massive DEF (2000), while So had 3000. Cyber End Dragon was forced to defense position by the Prickle Fairy’s effect, So set a spell or trap, and his turn was over.
Moosman had Ring of Destruction in hand, and since So was now leading in life points his Dragon’s ATK was halved. Things looked good for Moosman — if he could Ring the Dragon he’d win!
He summoned Breaker the Magical Warrior and ditched Breaker’s token, intending to draw out any sort of removal that might threaten his Ring before So’s draw phase arrived, but the set card was Ceasefire, which So chained to deal 1500 damage to Moosman! It was over in mere heartbeats: if So’s set card had been anything but Ceasefire the result would have been the exact opposite.
Kenny So takes the first duel in under two minutes!
Both duelists began smoke screening and, after working out their side choices for the maximum amount of time allowed, they quickly shuffled and presented their decks.
“I’m going first,” announced Moosman. He set two spell or trap cards and ended, without using a normal summon or set.
He flipped Trap Dustshoot! It revealed So’s hand of Lava Golem, Sangan, Scapegoat, Level Limit — Area B, Ojama Trio, and Cannon Soldier! “I’m not liking the Golem very much . . .” he mused. Moosman sent it back to So’s deck after making up his mind and taking a moment to memorize So’s hand. So summoned the Sangan, swung for 1000 damage, and finished his turn by setting a card to his spell and trap zone. Play was to Moosman.
Reinforcement of the Army fell from his hand and Moosman searched his deck for D. D. Warrior Lady. He summoned her, attacked Sangan to dish out 500 damage and then removed both monsters from the game with D. D. Warrior Lady’s effect. He set a second spell or trap card yet again and passed with another monster-free field.
So flipped Level Limit — Area B and set two back row cards. So announced the end of his turn, but Moosman flipped Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy the Level Limit. Moosman drew for his turn, activated Graceful Charity and discarded Exiled Force and Mirror Force. He activated Reinforcement of the Army again, this time searching his deck for Exiled Force, and summoned D. D. Assailant. The Assailant attacked and So took the hit, dipping down to 5800 life points. Moosman then pulled a surprising play, activating Wave-Motion Cannon! He set two back row cards, passed, and So passed back. The Cannon got a turn’s worth of ammo and Moosman summoned Exiled Force. So took a moment to contemplate possible responses, didn’t have any, and took 1000 damage from Exiled Force. Assailant was repelled by Scapegoat and destroyed a Token in battle. “You’ve gotta Ojama now,” said Moosman, goading So towards action. Moosman only had one card in hand, and So could reasonably hold back the Ojama Trio if he thought Moosman couldn’t draw another monster by next turn. He set a monster and passed.
Sure enough, he flipped the Trio in Moosman’s draw phase. D. D. Assailant attacked a Sheep and Moosman sent the Force to attack So’s set monster: Cannon Soldier, and Exiled Force bounced away harmlessly. The assembled spectators had to wonder briefly why Moosman hadn’t attacked the face down with his Asssailant, but soon the answer became clear! He used Enemy Controller to tribute away an Ojama Token and steal Cannon Soldier. He tributed off the remaining two Tokens for Cannon Soldier’s effect dealing 1000 damage in burn. He then launched off the Soldier itself for another 500, leaving himself with an Ojama-free field while also eliminating So’s Cannon Soldier and dishing out 1500 damage! What a brilliant play! If he’d attacked the Cannon Soldier with Assailant instead of Exiled Force, he wouldn’t have been able to take control of it — the Soldier would have been destroyed instead. Moosman announced that he was finished his turn.
So drew, looked at his card and scooped. It was over, and the match was moving to a third game! Chris Moosman comes back from a one-game deficit with an awesome play!
Both duelists quickly smokescreened and sided. Moosman wished So good luck, and So prepared to start the duel for the first time this match.
So opened with a set monster, and then a set spell or trap card. Moosman drew, activated Reinforcement of the Army and searched out Exiled Force! He special summoned Cyber Dragon, normal summoned the Exiled and used its effect with priority: So lost his set Nimble Momonga, and took 2100 damage from the Dragon! It was 5900 to 8000 with Moosman in the lead. He set a card to his spell and trap zone and ended.
His opponent set a second spell or trap card, thought a moment, and then passed. Moosman drew and immediately flipped Heavy Storm! So chained Ojama Trio and lost his Torrential Tribute, leaving Moosman to activate Graceful Charity. He discarded D. D. Assailant and Rush Recklessly, summoned Banisher of the Radiance, and swung with both monsters for 3700 total. The attacks brought So down to 2200 life points, and Moosman set a spell or trap to end his turn. So was in trouble, big time.
So set a monster, and then set two cards to his back row. He lost one of them, Poison of the Old Man, in his end phase to Mystical Space Typhoon. Moosman attacked with the Banisher and hit Stealth Bird, which deflected the attack with its high DEF. Cyber Dragon destroyed it, but So had bought himself another turn. Moosman ended.
Graceful Charity came off the top of So’s deck and immediately hit the field! He discarded two Nimble Momongas from his hand, then set a card to each zone. No wonder why he was playing so passively — the Momongas had clogged him up completely.
Moosman tributed his Banisher for Mobius the Frost Monarch, blew away So’s two back row cards with its effect, and it was over! Cyber Dragon swung through So’s set Des Koala and Mobius struck for game!
Chris Moosman moves on undefeated, three games away from a Day 2 qualification, with a Prickle Fairy deck!