Matthew Hoey plays for Team Lucksack, a semi-local team with players in Illinois and Wisconsin. A relative unknown, he was now paired against one of the most famous duelists in the world.

Levitin won the roll and opened with a set spell or trap card and passed. Hoey wailed on him with Confiscation, discarding Breaker before setting a card to each zone. Levitin passed back, doing nothing, and Hoey flipped Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive. He attacked with it, hit for 1400, and set a monster. Levitin played Graceful Charity, discarded Soul Exchange and Smashing Ground, and played Confiscation, discarding Hoey’s Nobleman of Crossout. He set a card to each of his zones and passed.

Hoey flipped Magical Merchant, grinded away three monsters, and hit Nobleman of Crossout!  He used it, removing Levitin’s Magician of Faith from the field, and attacked with Dekoichi. The Merchant poked next, and it was 4000 to 7000. Hoey set a monster, and in the end phase, Levitin flipped Scapegoat to get his four tokens.

Levitin summoned Sangan, and ran over Magical Merchant. Metamorphosis turned a Sheep into Thousand-Eyes Restrict, and the Thousand-Eyes inhaled Hoey’s set Magician of Faith. Levitin set a second back row card, passed, Hoey set a card to each zone, passed, Levitin passed back, and Hoey tributed his set Zangan for Zaborg the Thunder Monarch! Zaborg’s effect destroyed Thousand-Eyes Restrict, pulled Dekoichi with Sangan’s effect, turned his on-field Dekoichi to defense, and attacked Levitin’s Sangan with Zaborg: Levitin pulled Spirit Reaper. Hoey passed, Levitin set a monster, and Hoey played another Zaborg! It destroyed Levitin’s set Magician of Faith.

However, Levitin played Chaos Sorcerer, removing the first Zaborg from play. Then, he tributed for Zaborg, too. Hoey flipped Torrential Tribute, chaining it to Zaborg’s effect, but Levitin chained Royal Decree, and destroyed Hoey’s last Zaborg with his own! Zaborg attacked and hit!

Hoey set Dekoichi, special summoned Chaos Sorcerer, and removed his opponent’s Zaborg from play: cards started to move faster than anyone could understand, save Levitin and Hoey, but a turn later Hoey special summoned Cyber Dragon, popped Return from the Different Dimension, and attacked for the win!

Hoey and Levitin talked about the tournament while they side decked. Levitin had offed one of Hoey’s teammates earlier in the tournament, Spencer Cordero, so he was out for payback. The match was heating up.

Levitin set a card to each zone to begin, Hoey set a monster, Levitin passed back, and Hoey flip summoned Magical Merchant to take Mystical Space Typhoon from his deck. He set a card to each zone and passed. Levitin flip summoned Spirit Reaper, summoned Tsukuyomi, turned his Reaper face down, and hit the Merchant with Tsukuyomi. Levitin set another spell or trap, and Hoey blasted it with Mystical Space Typhoon in the end phase: Enemy Controller. Hoey drew, flip summoned Dekoichi, attacked with it, flipped Levitin’s Spirit Reaper, destroyed it with Smashing Ground, and set a monster.

Levitin special summoned Cyber Dragon, and hit the Dekoichi with it. Hoey flip summoned Magician of Faith, took back his Mystical Space Typhoon, destroyed Levitins’s set back row card with it, Royal Decree, and used Snatch Steal to take Cyber Dragon. He tributed it for Jinzo, set a back row card, and passed after attacking with Magician of Faith and Jinzo.

Levitin played Soul Exchange, targeting Jinzo, and tributed it for Mobius. Hoey forgot to chain the Call of the Haunted to take back his Jinzo. Attacks flew back and forth across the table, and Levitin played Wave-Motion Cannon two turns later.

He set a second monster, shielding the Wave-Motion Cannon. He had two monsters in defense position, the Cannon, and one card in hand when he passed to Hoey, who had one set spell or trap, a set monster, and Magician of Faith in defense. Hoey flip summoned Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive, played Graeful Charity, and tributed his Train for Zaborg. It destroyed Levitin’s Dekoichi, but attacked Levitin’s set Magician of Faith, letting Levitin retrieve his Enemy Controller.

Levitin set another monster, and another back row card. Hoey attacked with Zaborg, hitting Sangan, and Levitin took Spirit Reaper with its effect. Levitin set it on the following turn. Hoey played Book of Moon on his Magician of Faith when Levitin passed, flipped it, and took back Heavy Storm. The Storm blew away both spell and trap fields (including Levitin’s Wave-Motion Cannon), and Paul chained Enemy Controller, turning Zaborg to defense position. Hoey turned it back to attack since it hadn’t changed position this turn, and pressed, but ran into Levitin’s set Reaper. He special summoned Chaos Sorcerer and removed the Spirit Reaper before ending his turn.

Tsukuyomi was Levitin’s next play, and he used its effect to turn Zaborg face down. Tsukuyomi attacked, and Zaborg went down. Levitin set one spell or trap, his only card on the field, and passed. Hoey over-extended somewhat needlessly, summoning Reaper, and lost his field to Torrential Tribute. He set the last three cards in his hand to his spell and trap zone and ended his turn. Paul set a monster and passed.

Hoey drew, and special summoned Cyber Dragon. The Dragon attacked Levitin’s one set monster, Night Assailant, and was destroyed by the Assailant’s effect, but Levitin knew what was coming: “Return for game?” Leviting had nothing left on the field.

Hoey nodded, flipped Return from the Different Dimension, and Levitin scooped, now out of the tournament.

Matthew Hoey of Team Lucksack moves on with a 7-2 record that may carry him to a Top 8 finish!