Paul Levitin was playing Teleport Dark Armed Dragon, while Jermol Jupiter was running Gladiator Beasts. The same matchup was taking place on the other feature match table between Jeff Walker and Michael Kohanim, so everything was up in the air — we could have Dark Armed versus Gladiator Beasts in the finals, or either of two mirror matches. Jupiter was at a disadvantage, but won the roll.
Jupiter opened the match with Elemental Hero Stratos, searching out Elemental Hero Prisma with him before setting a spell or trap to end his turn. Levitin activated Heavy Storm to destroy Jupiter’s face-down Dimensional Prison, and then normal summoned Dark Grepher. He discarded Sangan to send Destiny Hero – Malicious to his graveyard, lost him to D.D. Crow, but activated Emergency Teleport to bring Krebons from his deck! He Synchro summoned Goyo Guardian, ran over Stratos, and special summoned Stratos to get his effect! He searched his deck for his own Stratos, adding insult to injury — Jupiter had lost a monster while Levitin gained one, searched one, and would get another on a later turn with Stratos’ effect. What a game-breaker.
Jupiter was up. He summoned Gladiator Beast Darius, attacked Stratos, and then tagged out for Gladiator Beast Murmillo in defense mode to destroy Goyo Guardian. He ended, and Paul summoned Stratos, searching Malicious from his deck before attacking Murmillo. He ended with Fear Monger, Malicious, Brain Control, and Dark Armed Dragon in hand.
A set monster was Jupiter’s only move, and Levitin drew into Caius the Shadow Monarch.
“Cards in hand?”
“Four,” replied Jupiter. Levitin special summoned Dark Armed Dragon, removed Sangan from his graveyard to destroy Jupiter’s face-down Gladiator Beast Hoplomus, and then attacked with Stratos and Dark Armed Dragon. Jupiter was down to 2400 life points. “Go.”
Jupiter summoned Elemental Hero Prisma next turn, sending Bestiari to his graveyard. He special summoned Test Tiger, tagged Prisma out for Darius, brought back Bestiari, and contact Fused for Gladiator Beast Gyzarus! Dark Armed Dragon and Stratos went down, and Gyzarus tagged out to Darius and Laquari. Darius brought back Murmillo, and Jupiter contact Fused all three of his monsters for Gladiator Beast Heraklinos! He ended his turn with three cards in hand.
Levitin set a monster and ended. Jupiter drew, summoned Elemental Hero Prisma, and then sent Bestiari to his graveyard again. He set one spell or trap, attacked with Prisma into Levitin’s Necro Gardna, then scored a direct shot with Heraklinos. “Pass.”
Levitin drew Krebons and summoned it, with 4600 life points remaining. He had Caius the Shadow Monarch in hand, and just needed Jupiter to not have Gladiator Beast War Chariot down. Jupiter summoned Gladiator Beast Bestiari, special summoned Test Tiger, tributed it to tag out the Bestiari he had just summoned, and special summoned Gladiator Beast Darius. He contact Fused for Gyzarus and Levitin had seen enough, conceding the first duel.
Jermol Jupiter powers through some big plays from Paul Levitin, scoring the win with Gladiator Beast Heraklinos! Levitin dove for his side deck, giving a very long sigh. Jermol Jupiter was just one win away from the Finals.
“I’ll go first,” announced Levitin. He opened with two Dark Armed Dragon, Breaker the Magical Warrior, Phoenix Wing Wind Blast, Emergency Teleport, and Bottomless Trap Hole. He set Bottomless and ended. Jupiter summoned Darius, attacked, and Levitin took the damage — he wanted to draw out that Bestiari and remove it. Bestiari came down and Levitin flipped the Bottomless! “Lose it.” Bestiari was removed, and Jupiter set two cards to his back row.
He flipped Trap Dustshoot in Paul’s draw, revealing his hand of two Dark Armed Dragon, Reinforcement of the Army, Emergency Teleport, Phoenix Wing Wind Blast, and Breaker the Magical Warrior. He sent back a Dark Armed Dragon, and Levitin activated Reinforcement of the Army, searching his deck for Stratos and summoning him. His effect let him get Destiny Hero – Malicious, and Stratos swung for 1800 damage. He set the Phoenix Wing Wind Blast to end his turn. “Go ahead.”
Jupiter activated Cold Wave, and Paul discarded the Malicious for Phoenix Wing Wind Blast, targeting Jupiter’s face-down Enemy Controller. It was chained to turn Stratos to defense mode, and Jupiter summoned Laquari to attack him, tagging out to Gladiator Beast Hoplomus. “Your turn.” Levitin drew Brain Control: Jupiter had just two cards in hand, and Paul was most certainly weighing his opponent’s chances of dropping Heraklinos next turn.
He summoned Breaker the Magical Warrior and ended. If Jupiter attacked Breaker, but didn’t have Heraklinos, Paul would Synchro summon next turn with Emergency Teleport and Krebons, then drop the Dark Armed Dragon thanks to the three Darks he’d then have in his graveyard. Jupiter activated Monster Reborn, took Levitin’s Stratos, searched his deck for Prisma, and summoned it. He sent Bestiari to his graveyard with its effect, contact Fused for Gyzarus, and then attacked directly with Stratos and Gyzarus. Jupiter tagged in Darius, brought back Bestiari, and tagged in Laquari — he contact Fused for Heraklinos. Jupiter made a fatal mistake, setting a spell or trap and dropping to just one card in hand.
Levitin drew Phoenix Wing Wind Blast: largely irrelevant for the time being. He had Brain Control, Emergency Teleport, and Dark Armed Dragon in hand, with Malicious in the graveyard. He had 2100 life points to Jupiter’s 6200. He activated Brain Control, and Jupiter discarded Sangan to negate it with Heraklinos’ effect.
Levitin activated Emergency Teleport — his last hope. Jupiter nodded and had no response as Krebons hit the field! But when Levitin tried to remove Malicious from his graveyard to special summon another, Jupiter negated it with Gladiator Beast War Chariot! Levitin was out of options, and Jermol Jupiter was headed to the finals!