It all comes down to this: Team Scoop’s Paul Levitin—undefeated for the entire weekend—up against the local Angel Flores. 

Flores won the opening roll and opted to begin, setting a Spirit Reaper and Book of Moon. Levitin played Dark Hole, summoned Don Zaloog, and watched Don go to defense thanks to the book. He set a spell or trap and passed. 

Cyber Dragon attacked for Flores but hit Sakuretsu Armor. He set another spell or trap and passed to Levitin. Levitin summoned and attacked with Don Zaloog, but he hit nothing but Sheep. He set a card to each zone and passed.

Flores used Reinforcement of the Army to fetch Mystic Swordsman LV2. He summoned it and used Snatch Steal on Zaloog. He then cleared out the facedown Gravekeeper’s Spy with Mystic Swordsman and hit Levitin with Zaloog, costing him Drillroid.

Levitin summoned Bazoo the Soul-Eater next turn, removed two monsters to fuel the monkey, and hit the LV2. Next turn, though, Flores used Smashing Ground and struck with Don again; Levitin was forced to drop Jinzo to the graveyard. It was 6700 to 7200 in Levitin’s favor. He summoned Cyber Dragon, ran it into Flores’s fresh facedown, and hit D. D. Assailant. Both were removed. Don swung directly, Flores pressed with a Cyber Dragon one turn later, and Torrential Tribute equalized the field for Levitin. Both players started setting monsters.

Each had a set monster a turn cycle later, and Flores had a Sangan in addition. Levitin summoned D. D. Assailant and ran it into Sangan, and Flores pulled Magician of Faith. He attacked the Assailant with D. D. Survivor and passed.

Levitin summoned Bazoo the Soul-Eater and counted cards in his graveyard. He pumped Bazoo to 1900, wiped out the Survivor, and passed.

Flores set an additional spell or trap, set a monster, and passed. Levitin used Exiled Force to clear out one facedown—Magician of Faith—and attacked with Bazoo right into Spirit Reaper. Flores’s turn rolled around, and he played Reinforcement to get an Assailant. He summoned it, turned Reaper to attack, used Enemy Controller to turn the Bazoo to defense, and ran it over with D. D. Assailant. Spirit Reaper hit directly, and play moved to Levitin. He set a monster, which turned out to be Spirit Reaper when it was attacked a turn later. Flores passed, Levitin set a spell or trap, and Flores drew for his turn. He tributed his Reaper for Jinzo but was being held off by Levitin’s Reaper. Levitin continued hiding behind it for two turns as S/T rows grew to two cards per duelist.

Levitin pressed with D. D. Warrior Lady, running her into Jinzo to remove it from the field and get himself some breathing room. Flores activated Premature Burial, brought up Sangan, then used Heavy Storm to clear the field and pull D. D. Warrior Lady with Sangan. D. D. Warrior Lady removed Spirit Reaper from play, and the Assailant attacked directly. Levitin was topdecking; he set a spell or trap and flipped it a turn later. The S/T was Heavy Storm, and it bought him a 2-for-1 advantage as it destroyed two set cards on Flores’s side of the table. A turn later, though, he had to block an attack with Return from the Different Dimension, and it came down to Levitin trying to topdeck a monster before Flores could. After two turns Levitin won out, using Reinforcement to fetch a D. D. Assailant. After two turns of sitting with it face down, he summoned another and attacked with both. One hit Sakuretsu Armor, the other hit directly, and then Levitin flipped a second Return from the Different Dimension for the win!

Levitin had 2-0’d his previous two opponents; if he could win this duel, he’d become champion without losing a single duel on Day 2.

Flores again decided to go first. He began by setting Mystic Tomato and Bottomless Trap Hole, which quickly swallowed up Levitin’s Drillroid. Levitin set two spells or traps and, next turn, got smacked by Sangan. Flores set Mystical Space Typhoon, but it was blown away by Dust Tornado.  Levitin then summoned D. D. Survivor and attacked Sangan; Flores took Kinetic Soldier from his deck. He summoned Breaker the Magical Warrior, broke Levitin’s facedown Sakuretsu Armor, and set one spell or trap, daring Levitin to attack the Breaker. Levitin did, thinking he was calling Flores’s bluff, and the Survivor was hit with Sakuretsu Armor. Flores summoned Mystic Swordsman LV2, attacked Levitin’s facedown Kinetic with it, and attacked for 3000.  He set a spell or trap and passed.  Dark Hole equalized the field for Levitin, and a series of monster exchanges led to Levitin’s D. D. Assailant being attacked by Kinetic Soldier. Both were removed from play, and it was 5500 to 2150 in Flores’s favor.

More monster exchanges were made, as Levitin’s Zaloog smacked a monster and was taken out in turn by D. D. Assailant. Levitin summoned Bazoo, pumped it to 2500, and summoned D. D. Survivor. Survivor hit Flores’s Assailant, Bazoo attacked directly, and Flores was on defense hiding behind Scapegoats a turn later. Two turns after that, Bazoo and D. D. Warrior Lady laid waste to Flores’s Sheep, and he got himself another four with Magician of Faith, allowing him to reuse Scapegoat. 

Flores tried to fight back, summoning a monster, but he walked into Torrential Tribute. Heavy Storm cleared the rest of the field for Levitin, and two turns later, he flipped Spirit Reaper and decided to go for it. Flores only had 150 LP remaining.

Levitin summoned Kinetic Soldier and attacked with it into Flores’s facedown monster: D. D. Assailant! The Soldier got its ATK boost, Assailant went down, and Spirit Reaper attacked for game, dealing the last 150 damage that Levitin needed to clinch the win.

Paul Levitin wins Shonen Jump Championship Los Angeles, going undefeated on both Day 1 and Day 2!