Both players were very happy to make it to Day 2, and they were ready to fight it out to move ahead. They shuffled up carefully. “Do you quote us word for word?” Jamall asked. “Depends on what you say and how fast you say it,” I replied. “What’s legal?” he asked the judge. “No swearing!” was the response, and they laughed.

After a very thorough pile shuffle, the players handed each other’s decks back and rolled for first. Jamall won the roll with a six to Mark’s two, and opted to go first.

Game 1

Jamall drew, and looked at his hand. He selected a spell or trap and placed it on his mat, and then changed his mind and put it back in his hand. He shuffled through his hand one more time, then set a spell or trap, thought for a moment, set a monster, and ended.

Mark drew, and considered his opening move, shuffling through his cards. He paused at Cyber Dragon. Should he summon it? He looked over the field. He made up his mind and brought it out to the field, and, since Jamall had no response, he tributed it for Thestalos, costing Jamall his Breaker the Magical Warrior. He attacked Jamall’s face down — Morphing Jar! Both players discarded their hands and drew five new cards. Mark set a spell or trap and ended his turn.

Jamall drew, checked his set spell or trap, and then activated Future Fusion. Looking through his deck, he picked out some monsters. After checking his graveyard, he pulled out a few more, reviewed them one final time, and then discarded a total of nine. After shuffling his deck, he special summoned Cyber Dragon, and then normal summoned Cyber Phoenix. Mark watched without reacting. Jamall declared an attack with Cyber Phoenix, and, after checking to see if Mark had a response, he activated Enemy Controller to turn Thestalos to defense. He followed up with a direct attack from Cyber Dragon, then set two spell or traps and ended his turn.

Mark drew, set Ring of Destruction, set a monster, and ended his turn. Jamall drew, checked his set card, and activated it — Jar of Greed. He drew his card, and then looked at his other set. He studied his hand, checked his graveyard, and decided to activate it — Reckless Greed. Taking two more cards, he then activated Graceful Charity. After consideration, he discarded Magician of Faith and Mirror Force, and then activated Giant Trunade. “Response?” he asked. “No,” Mark replied. Jamall set a new spell or trap, and activated Card Destruction to discard three. Mark lost five. After both players had replenished their hands, Jamall activated Overload Fusion. He looked through his graveyard before declaring his targets. Mark waited, his face expressionless, with the life point totals at Jamall — 7600 and Mark — 5900. Jamall began picking Machines out of his graveyard, lining them up along the edge of his playmat. He removed ten from his graveyard, and then sent Cyber Dragon and Cyber Phoenix off the field to bring the total to twelve. He brought Chimeratech Overdragon to the field, then paid 2000 life points to activate Dimension Fusion, returning two Cyber Dragons, a Jinzo, and a Spell Canceller to his field.

He attacked Mark’s set monster with Cyber Dragon, and Mark flipped it up to reveal — Spirit Reaper!

Jamall set a spell or trap and ended his turn.

Mark drew, and looked at his hand. “What’s the ATK/DEF,” he asked, “9600?” The judge affirmed it. “That’s a big boy,” Mark mused. He summoned D. D. Warrior Lady, and attacked Spell Canceller, removing both from play. “Heavy Storm,” he said, placing it on the field. Jamall sent his set Jar of Greed to the Graveyard. Mark then activated Graceful Charity, and studied his new hand. Setting aside a Gravekeeper’s Spy (he held two in his hand), he thought for a while before discarding Sakuretsu Armor as well. He set another monster, and ended his turn.

Jamall looked at the field, then attacked Mark’s set monster — Gravekeeper’s Spy — with Cyber Dragon. He ended his turn.

Mark drew. He was staring down a brutal lineup of Machines, fronted by a 9600 ATK Chimeratech — and he took one card from his hand, reached out, and placed it on the field Brain Control! “Target?” asked the table judge. Mark pulled Chimeratech Overdragon to his side of the field, and attacked down the row for the win, much to the gratified excitement of the onlookers.

Game 2

Jamall again chooses to go first, looking through his hand before setting a spell or trap and ending his turn. Mark drew, and, after looking through his hand, he activated Confiscation. He reviewed Jamall’s lineup — Dimension Fusion, Snipe Hunter, Cyber Dragon, another Snipe Hunter, and Mirror Force. He sent Snipe Hunter to the graveyard, set three spell or trap cards, and ended his turn. Jamall drew, set a spell or trap and ended. Mark drew, set a spell or trap, and ended. Jamal drew, looked at his hand, and passed to Mark, who drew, set a monster and ended.

Jamall drew, shuffled through his hand, and summoned Snipe Hunter. Discarding a Cyber Dragon, he indicated Mark’s set card and rolled — one! “Wooooh!” Mark cheered. Jamall discarded another Cyber Dragon, and rolled a four. The face down card — Gravekeeper’s Spy — was sent to the graveyard, and Jamall attacked with the Snipe Hunter, only to run smack into Sakuretsu Armor.

Mark activated Call of the Haunted, bringing back the Spy. He tributed it for Mobius the Frost Monarch, knocking out Jamall’s set Overload Fusion and Mirror Force. He attacked directly for 2400, bringing the life point totals to Mark — 7000 and Jamall — 5600.

Jamall drew, set two spell or trap cards and ended his turn. Mark drew, and again attacked for 2400. He then tributed Mobius for Thestalos, costing Jamall an Overload Fusion from his hand. Jamall drew, set three spell or traps, and ended his turn.

Mark drew, and attacked with Thestalos — Jamall responded with Enemy Controller to turn it to defense. Mark set a monster and ended. Jamall drew, and activated Future Fusion. Mark checked his set cards and thought for a moment, before deciding to respond with Solemn Judgment, dropping his own life points to 3500 against Jamall’s 3200.

Mark drew, and attacked with Thestalos for 2400. Jamall drew, and set another spell or trap card. Mark drew, attacked with Thestalos — and Jamall picked up his cards in defeat. With a 2-0 victory in the quarters, Mark was off to the semifinals, bringing him one step closer to a Crush Card Virus.