“Man, you’re making me nervous” said Scoggins, greeting Jensen as he took his seat. Scoggins knew his opponent’s reputation very well. But while John Jensen earned his last round feature match, he got this one by pure luck.
His opponent, Corey Scoggins, happens to be playing one of the event’s breakout decks. He’s undefeated with a Reversal Quiz combo build, and for me, covering the match was an irresistible proposition.
Jensen won the roll and opened the match with a set card to each zone. He ended his turn, and his opponent leaned back in his seat a bit.
“Alriiiiight,” mused Scoggins. After a brief moment of thought he quickly flopped Graceful Charity, discarding Pigeonholing Book of Spell and Reload for Graceful’s effect. He then activated Confiscation, and revealed Jensen’s hand of Torrential Tribute, Premature Burial, Granmarg the Rock Monarch, and Magician of Faith. He discarded the Magician from his opponent’s hand, played Messenger of Peace, and passed with nothing set.
Jensen blasted the Messenger off the field with Breaker the Magical Warrior and attacked for 1600, dropping Scoggins down to 5400. Scoggins set a spell or trap card, but Jensen flip summoned Apprentice Magician on the following turn! It gave Breaker a token, and Jensen attempted to break Scoggins’s set spell or trap card.
“I’m at 5400?” Scoggins had to contemplate activating his set card, Wall of Revealing Light, but opted not to do so, not knowing what Jensen might summon. Jensen tributed Apprentice for Thestalos, forcing Scoggins to discard Giant Trunade. Both monsters attacked for a total of 4000 damage, reducing Scoggins to 1400. Jensen set a single card to his back row and passed.
Scoggins drew, and set three cards to his back row! With only one card remaining in his hand, he activated Reversal Quiz! He resolved Quiz’s effects in printed order, first sending all three of his set cards to the graveyard: two Fuhma Shuriken and Black Pendant! Their effects were all triggered, but couldn’t resolve until the current chain had finished. Scoggins called “spell” for the Quiz’s second effect, and flipped Pigeonholing Book of Spell off the top of his deck! The Quiz finished resolving, Jensen dropped to 1400 life points, and the Pendant and Shurikens resolved to peg him for 1900 damage total.
Jensen blinked, but understood that he’d been defeated. Both duelists shuffled up for game 2.
A bystander praised Scoggins, but made a comment about the deck being pretty chance-oriented.
“35 spells in the deck,” replied Scoggins. “It’s not chance. I’ve missed once, all day, and I still won the match. I decided attacking is a bad idea. Not just this deck, just, period, in this metagame. Attacking is a bad idea.” Interesting outlook.
Jensen opened with a set card to each zone. Scoggins drew and sighed. “Good hand?” asked Jensen.
“Not really,” replied Scoggins.
“That’s good!” said Jensen, and both competitors laughed a bit. Scoggins used Magical Mallet to shuffle back one card, drew one, and then played Swords of Revealing Light. It flipped Jensen’s set Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive, netting him a card, and Scoggins then set a card to each zone. His last move was to activate Messenger of Peace.
Jensen played Soul Exchange, targeting Scoggins’s face down monster card. He tributed it, Morphing Jar, for Granmarg the Rock Monarch, and destroyed Scoggins’s set Giant Trunade with Granmarg’s effect! Jensen set another spell or trap to bump himself up to two again and ended his turn.
Scoggins passed, and Jensen passed back. One turn remained on Swords of Revealing Light, and Scoggins paid for Messenger of Peace. Scoggins was looking at a dead in the water hand: Reload, Wall of Revealing Light, and Nightmare’s Steelcage. He set everything but the ‘Cage and passed. Jensen set a monster, passed, and ended.
“Do you pay?” asked Jensen. Scoggins did, keeping Messenger on the field.
“Goohh, that’s killing me,” moaned Jensen. Scoggins again passed.
Jensen summoned Breaker the Magical Warrior, and destroyed Messenger of Peace with its effect. Granmarg attacked, and Scoggins took the damage. Breaker attacked, and Scoggins flipped Wall of Revealing Light with the intent of paying 5000 life points and stopping the attack, but Jensen chained Royal Decree to ensure that his attack would be successful!
Scoggins knew when to throw in the towel, and offered the handshake for the duel. He shuffled his deck thoroughly, and opted to go second, possibly the only person doing so today!
Jensen opened with a set monster, and Scoggins played Graceful Charity! He discarded Magical Mallet and Reversal Quiz, because he had another in hand. He set two back row cards Wall of Revealing Light and Book of Moon, and summoned Big Eye before ending his turn.
Jensen tributed his set Treeborn Frog to summon Mobius the Frost Monarch! Scoggins fired back, chaining Wall of Revealing Light and paying 6000 life points. He briefly considered chaining Book of Moon, but opted not to do so. If Mobius attacked the Big Eye, Scoggins would take 1200 damage, just enough to finish the game with Fuhma Shuriken and a Black Pendant, both of which he had in hand. Jensen’s only outs would be Smashing Ground and Snatch Steal, so Scoggins decided to let the Book of Moon be discarded.
And then Jensen took Big Eye with Snatch Steal. And then he attacked for game.
John Jensen keeps up his undefeated record, joining teammate Andrew Fredella in the “perfect record club” and defeating one of the day’s trickiest, most powerful decks!