Earlier this weekend Team Superfriends shared information with Paul Levitin, heavily contributing to his decision to run Zombies here this weekend. But now, Levitin is pitted against one of the team’s Top 16 players, Matt Peddle, and, despite the camaraderie that brought them to this place in the tournament, the gloves were now off. Peddle had another shot at a Shonen Jump Championship title, something he’s been chasing for years, and Levitin was finally back in the Day 2 spotlight.

Both duelists are playing Zombie builds inspired by Lazaro Bellido, and the differences between the decks are minute, but important. While Peddle is running two copies of Il Blud, Levitin is running just one, opting to play Morphing Jar instead. And while Levitin is playing one Sakuretsu Armor, Peddle has one Widespread Ruin instead, which may give him an edge in taking down Levitin's one Il Blud. If a Zombie Master or Pyramid Turtle special summoned by Il Blud attacks before Blud does, Widespread Ruin can flip, destroy Blud, and Blud's effect will take down the attacker as well. It's a finer point of mirror match tech that Superfriends planned for, and it may become a factor here.

Levitin's one big advantage is his use of Crush Card Virus, which Peddle isn't running. Though both duelists are hoping to avoid drawing their big monsters anyway, Crush Card Virus could wipe out a field of Ryu Kokkis and Bluds, so you can bet Peddle won't be consolidating his field presence into big beatsticks as much as he normally would.

Levitin chanted as Peddle shuffled his deck: “Sangan Crush, Sangan Crush, Sangan Crush . . . come on, give it to me!” Levitin won the roll and opened the duel.

He did so by summoning Pyramid Turtle and ending. Peddle set a spell or trap, summoned Spirit Reaper, and passed. Pyramid Turtle attacked the Reaper next turn to hammer home 900 damage and Levitin had drawn first blood.

It was followed up by a set card to each zone, and Peddle turned Reaper to defense mode. “Your move.” Levitin turned Pyramid Turtle to defense, set a second card to the spell and trap zone and passed. Both duelists were building infrastructure, and Peddle passed his next turn.

Levitin passed back, heaving a sigh, and Peddle checked his face down card: Dust Tornado. He summoned Breaker the Magical Warrior, placed a counter on Breaker, and launched it immediately, but hit Dust Tornado. Levitin chained it, targeted Peddle’s set card, but reeled when Peddle flipped it; it too was Dust Tornado, and it chained to destroy Levitin’s Call of the Haunted!

Levitin pouted. “I was gonna Dust first, but I was like, ‘Matt Peddle’s a trickster.’” Breaker attacked the face down monster, another Turtle, and Levitin pulled his lone Il Blud from his deck. Peddle ended with no backfield, a bad sign. Next turn Il Blud could wreak all sorts of havoc.

“Is that game?” asked Peddle.

“No,” replied Levitin after running some numbers.

“You know, last time you told me you had game I scooped without seeing it.”

Levitin grinned. “I had the game though. You’re at 7100?”

“That’s correct,” confirmed Peddle. Levitin labored over his plays, then summoned Il Blud, and special summoned Zombie Master from his hand! He activated Card of Safe Return, and then discarded Snipe Hunter to bring back Pyramid Turtle. He then activated Premature Burial to bring back Snipe Hunter and threw down Lightning Vortex for game! Everything attacked directly.

“I thought you said it wasn’t game!” moaned Peddle with a smile. “Did you draw that Vortex off the Card of Safe Return?”

“No, I had it. I just didn’t count the damage from Snipe Hunter.”

Paul Levitin takes the first duel in mere moments! The versatility of Il Blud and the sheer power of Zombie Master unite for a crushing win. Both duelists began side decking immediately.

Both duelists shook hands, knowing this could be the last duel of the match. Peddle opened with a set sell or trap, and Levitin sent Pyramid Turtle into it next turn, losing the turtle to Widespread Ruin. He set a card to his back row and Peddle was up.

He summoned Card Trooper, sending Creature Swap, Heavy Storm, and Pyramid Turtle to his graveyard. Trooper attacked for 1900 damage and Peddle reinforced it with a spell or trap card in main phase 2. Levitin activated Card of Safe Return, then activated Book of Life, but Dust Tornado chained to blow away Safe Return. Levitin took back his Pyramid Turtle, removed Peddle’s from play, and ran over Card Trooper. Play passed to Peddle.

Breaker the Magical Warrior was summoned, breaking Levitin’s Lightning Vortex, and Peddle didn’t attack. He set a spell or trap and ended. Levitin attacked with Turtle next turn, lost it to Mirror Force, then set a spell or trap himself. Peddle brought back Card Trooper with Premature Burial next turn, sending Giant Rat, Il Blud, and Card of Safe Return to the graveyard to pay for Trooper’s pump. Levitin chained Call of the Haunted to bring back his Pyramid Turtle, looking a lot like a sad puppy.

Peddle sent Card Trooper to attack. Pyramid Turtle went down. Levitin took 700 damage and special summoned Ryu Kokki. Peddle moved to main phase 2, set a card to his back row, and ended. “Your turn.” Levitin attacked over Card Trooper with Ryu Kokki to drop Peddle to 4400 life points, set two cards to his back row, and ended. He really didn’t want to see a key Dust Tornado in his end phase, since Ryu Kokki was the only thing keeping him on the field.

He didn’t, but Peddle flipped Call of the Haunted instead, bringing back Card Trooper yet again! Levitin heaved a sigh as Peddle fed Trooper Il Blud, Book of Life, and Nobleman of Crossout. He activated Lightning Vortex, discarding Cyber Dragon, to wipe away Kokki. Levitin took attacks from both Breaker and Card Trooper and the duel stood at 1900 to 4400. Peddle ended with no set cards. Levitin would have to make a big move, or else this match was going to game 3.

He special summoned Cyber Dragon and ran some numbers again. He activated Premature Burial, dropping to 1100 life points, then flipped his set Creature Swap! It was Peddle’s turn to do some math, and he debated which monster to give over to Levitin.

“You have to give me the Trooper. It’s game if you don’t. You can calculate it.”

He was right, and Peddle gave over the Trooper. “Is it game anyway?”

“No,” replied Levitin. “Cards?”

“Three.” Peddle spread his hand out on the table face down to demonstrate. Levitin did a bit more math. If he messed this up Peddle could take him next turn, as Trooper was now a liability. Sure enough he tributed it away for Ryu Kokki, which he ran at his own Pyramid Turtle. The Turtle fetched him Zombie Master, Cyber Dragon attacked over Breaker, and Zombie Master attacked directly. The attacks reduced Peddle to 1300 life points, and, in main phase 2, Levitin discarded Il Blud to Zombie Master to special summon Pyramid Turtle in defense mode. He braced himself for the next turn, now totally committed to the field with no cards remaining in hand.

Peddle had Zombie Master, Dust Tornado, Pyramid Turtle, and Cyber Dragon in hand. He shuffled his cards back and forth, contemplating his possible moves and checking both his and Levitin’s graveyards. Eventually he special summoned Cyber Dragon, and then ran it over Levitin’s Zombie Master. “You’re at 900 to my 1300?” Levitin nodded. Peddle set Turtle and Dust Tornado to finish up, folding his arms and hoping he’d get another turn.

It was Levitin’s turn to labor over the situation. He fingered his Pyramid Turtle before slowly turning it to attack, then ran it into Peddle’s set Turtle. He nodded as it flipped, not destroyed, then attacked with Ryu Kokki to destroy Peddle’s Cyber Dragon. A set monster concluded Levitin’s turn and play passed to Peddle. “I think I just cost myself the game.”

Peddle nodded and turned Turtle to attack; he’d slam it, pull Kokki, and run over Levitin’s attack mode Turtle for game. “I was hoping that wasn’t Turtle,” explained Levitin. “I was hoping it was a bluff.” He was clearly regretting his decision, but recovered quickly and moved to side decking.

Matt Peddle presses this match to a third game!

“I want to play with 38 cards,” remarked Peddle. “There are just certain cards your deck doesn’t play . . .”

“My deck!?” Levitin grinned. “I like that!” He laughed and finished up siding. An even bigger handshake preceded the match and play began. Levitin set a card to each zone and ended.

Peddle had two Zombie Master, Mystical Space Typhoon, Mirror Force, Il Blud, and Breaker the Magical Warrior in hand. “Fear the Morphing Jar!” joked Levitin as Peddle went over his potential plays, going so far as to set down his hand on the table and think for several moments. He summoned Breaker the Magical Warrior, destroyed Levitin’s set Heavy Storm, and set one card to his back row! “It’s so easy to get that off against Zombie decks,” he remarked in regards to the Storm. “Clearly you don’t fear the Jar,” noted Levitin.

Levitin flip summoned Pyramid Turtle, ran into Mirror Force, and set a card to each zone. “Now fear it!” Peddle’s reply was to turn Breaker to defense, set another spell or trap and end. Levitin activated Card of Safe Return, summoned Zombie Master and didn’t use its effect with priority. Peddle had no response, but when Levitin discarded Giant Rat to special summon Pyramid Turtle he could at least use Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy Card of Safe Return. Zombie Master attacked over Breaker, Pyramid Turtle and Reaper attacked directly, and Peddle was forced to discard Il Blud: not necessarily a bad thing! It set up Peddle for a potential play next turn with Book of Life or any other form of recursion. Levitin passed with one card left in his hand and one more in his back row.

Peddle activated Heavy Storm, destroying Levitin’s set Torrential Tribute. He summoned Zombie Master, discarded another to bring it up, and he set his last back row card before sending one Zombie Master to attack Spirit Reaper. The other Master then attacked Levitin’s and both were destroyed. Peddle had nothing left but his one Zombie Master and one set card.

Levitin attacked with Pyramid Turtle, but was stopped by Widespread Ruin. He set one back row, turned Reaper to defense, and ended. Peddle set a monster, and Levitin summoned Zombie Master, discarding that Morphing Jar for Pyramid Turtle. Zombie Master attacked and revealed Peddle’s face down Spirit Reaper, while Pyramid Turtle slammed into Zombie Master. The Turtle brought out Il Blud and it ran over Peddle’s Master.

Peddle drew Card Trooper, and sent two Dust Tornado and Creature Swap to the graveyard so he could press Trooper over Zombie Master. He ended, clinging to life with Spirit Reaper.

Levitin summoned Il Blud again and used it to special summon Peddle’s from his graveyard! One Blud attacked Card Trooper and play was back to Peddle. Another set spell or trap concluded Levitin’s turn. Peddle activated Brain Control, targeted Levitin’s Il Blud, and took control of it. At this point each duelist controlled the other’s Il Blud. Peddle attacked his own Il Blud, pilfered by Levitin, and both were destroyed! Peddle had mitigated Levitin’s threats but didn’t seem able to follow up.

“The sad thing is, I believe we both have the one answer to Reaper,” smirked Levitin.

“I won’t Swap if you won’t Swap!” Peddle laughed and set Book of Life, which he lost to Dust Tornado in the end phase. Levitin set a spell or trap, Peddle set a spell or trap, and Levitin set another. Peddle set a monster. Levitin drew and flipped Card of Safe Return. He followed it up with Call of the Haunted to bring back Il Blud and to get a free draw, then normal summoned Il Blud again to special summon Zombie Master from his own graveyard. He then discarded Pyramid Turtle from his hand, special summoned another Zombie Master, and attacked with one into Peddle’s set Giant Rat. He pulled Pyramid Turtle and Il Blud slammed it, allowing Peddle to special summon another Il Blud. Peddle ended.

He drew into Widespread Ruin and spent more time debating his moves. “I think I’m boned either way.”

“Yeah,” agreed Levitin, who was savagely out-carding Peddle in all regards. Reaper was keeping Peddle alive, but even if he could make a comeback he had deadly few answers to Levitin’s own Reaper; he’d used his Brain Control while Levitin had not.

Peddle normal summoned his Il Blud, brought out another from his graveyard with the effect of the first, then attacked into Levitin’s; Levitin flipped Crush Card Virus, tributing Spirit Reaper and blowing away both of Peddle’s Il Bluds! Peddle shook his head as he sent his two Bluds to the graveyard, not liking his odds. He ended, and Levitin revealed Snipe Hunter and two Book of Life — there was nothing Peddle could do.