Duncan is in our Scrub Brush Challenge and comes from Scotland—you know, that small place just above England that no one seems to remember. However, he’s a very well known player on the Vs. System scene and is looking to place very highly in this National Championship, too. Alan is from Liverpool and a familiar face to many in the UK game. He travels far and wide to play in a variety of tournaments with a small group of friends. Both players are friends, so this should make for an interesting game!
After the pre-match chatter, the two friends got down to business and rolled to begin. Tang won the roll and decided to start. He summoned Sangan and ended, but it got hit by Tsukuyomi and Nobleman of Crossout on the next turn. Duncan took 1100 from the Spirit monster and Alan set a back row card and passed. Breaker the Magical Warrior ruined Alan’s day as it destroyed Call of the Haunted. Alan took 1600 from Breaker and Duncan set a spell or trap.
Alan special summoned Cyber Dragon and attacked Breaker; dealing some damage and destroying that magical counter-bearing creature. Alan set a monster and ended, while Tang checked Alan’s hand count, three cards, and special summoned Cyber Dragon. Normal summoning Hydrogeddon, he sent it crashing into a face down Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive, bringing out another Hydrogeddon. Cyber Dragon rammed itself into Alan’s, and the second Hydrogeddon nudged for 1600 damage. Both players confirmed life points and joked around with each other. “Don’t cheat yourself!” Tang said to Alan after a miscalculation on his part, where he thought he had fewer life points than he actually did.
Alan drew and both players joked around about the rarity of their cards, and while Alan enjoys playing with the rarest version of everything, Duncan prefers the common form. Smashing Ground took out a Hydrogeddon, and Metamorphosis on Magician of Faith bought out Thousand-Eyes Restrict to absorb the other. Alan passed and Tang summoned D.D. Warrior Lady, activated Smashing Ground, and attacked for 1500. Alan set a monster and passed right back.
Tang pressed with D. D. Warrior Lady and a freshly summoned Exarion Universe. He played Premature Burial on Cyber Dragon. Alan scooped his cards, knowing that his face-down Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive couldn’t stop the onslaught that was to follow.
Duncan Tang takes game one with comic style!
“I hope he doesn’t realize that I’m only playing two Hydrogeddons!” said Tang with shifty eyes.
Alan used his side deck and Tang didn’t. As the two discussed and joked over old rivalries and matches, game two got underway, with Alan taking the lead. He drew his six cards and considered his options. Summoning Sangan and setting a spell or trap, he passed to Tang, who mirrored his play exactly, giving control straight back. Alan used Mystical Space Typhoon on Sakuretsu Armor and summoned Mirage Dragon, destroying Sangan and picking away some of Tang’s life points. Sangan searched out D. D. Warrior Lady for Tang and both players joked around for the now-growing crowd about shuffling the deck.
“I tell you, my all monster hand is impressive,” said Tang.
He drew, checked the hand count on Alan (two cards) and summoned Hydrogeddon. It ran straight into Mirror Force and he ended with a clear field and five cards in hand. They were, as he said, all monsters.
Alan poked Tang for 2600 and the life totals were Tang’s 3800 to Alan’s 8000. Alan set a card to each zone and ended. Tang drew Sakuretsu Armor and set it along with a monster. Alan’s flipped Magician of Faith on Mystical Space Typhoon ruined that plan though, and Tsukuyomi set the Magician down again.
He attacked into a face down Spirit Reaper and switched his Sangan to defense position. Tang drew and set another monster before ending, and a top decked Smashing Ground ruined Tang’s Spirit Reaper. Alan moved his attacking force which included a freshly summoned Tsukuyomi in to attack mode and cleaned out Treeborn Frog and some more of Tang’s life points.
Treeborn Frog came back and it was tributed off for Mobius the Frost Monarch, which hit a non-chained Torrential Tribute. The crowd were getting involved here and it seemed this feature match was a comic event for all! Tang set a back row card and passed; while Magician of Faith was cycled with Tsukuyomi again sealed the game for Alan.
Tang showed the crowd every card he drew, which was all monsters and three copies of Sakuretsu Armor.
The match was going to a third game!
Tang started things off with a set monster, while Alan special summoned Cyber Dragon and normal summoned Spirit Reaper, attacking through Exarion Universe for 300 and a card from Tang’s hand, Nobleman of Crossout. Tang thought for a minute before setting a card to each zone and Alan’s newly summoned Breaker the Magical Warrior fell into a Bottomless Trap Hole. “Cliche!” Cyber Dragon attacked through Treeborn Frog and another Reaper shot stole Mobius the Frost Monarch from Tang’s hand. It looked like he was already in trouble early on in to game three.
Frog came back in the standby phase and after another set monster and a quick hand check (three cards in Alan’s and two in Tang’s), Tang activated Smashing Ground on Cyber Dragon and set a spell or trap. He was totally rinsed! Alan turned Reaper to defense position and set a monster before passing, and Tang looked skeptical but checked through both graveyards and set a back row card before passing.
Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive gained Alan a card, and Graceful Charity netted him three more, discarding Sakuretsu Armor and Scapegoat. Duncan was on 7400 to Alan’s full 8000 life points!
“Alan, Duncan, I love you!” came a cry from the crowd. Another look found it to be the resident Russian, Igor Kharin, from Team Recoil. Was this revealing something about Igor, or was he simply “playing the part?” Tang and McDonald both grinned, and play continued.
A nicely timed Mobius from Alan destroyed Tang’s set Heavy Storm; and Premature Burial bought back Cyber Dragon. Spirit Reaper found its way in to attack mode and an attack from Alan flipped a face down Spirit Reaper of Tang’s face-up. Tang drew and tributed for his top decked Mobius, which fell in to another Bottomless Trap Hole! “Cliched again!” It also destroyed Premature Burial which in turn removed Cyber Dragon from the field.
Chaos Sorcerer came out on Alan’s side of the field and removed Spirit Reaper, Tang took 2400 from Mobius and Alan set a card to each zone. Tang was completely top decking, and his chances looked extremely slim! He drew Graceful Charity though and bought back Frog before playing it. He drew into two Sakuretsu Armors and a Smashing Ground, and he chose to discard the Armors to use Smashing Ground on the Sorcerer.
A flipped Skelengel from Alan got him yet another card, and Tang ate a load more damage from Mobius, leaving him on 2600.
Tang drew and set a back row card as well as bringing back Frog. Alan attacked in to Mirror Force and set another back row card and a monster, he now had two in back row and a face down monster with Reaper to Tang’s Frog and a fresh set.
Heavy Storm from Alan though and a Zaborg the Thunder Monarch over his Reaper, along with a flipped D. D. Warrior Lady was enough to finish off Tang, and Alan McDonald comes back from 1-0 down to defeat the Scottish Duncan Tang 2-1 in an incredibly close match!