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Pojo.com Exclusive: Match 5 of the Battle for North America
September 9, 2005

And so it has come to this; through no adjusting or skewing of the results by myself, the duelists saw fit to take the match to the fifth and final confrontation! While the Canadians raced to an early lead by the strong play of their best, the USA responded with two wins of their own! The final spotlight belongs to two more of the very best: Sang Bui and Chris Simoes. 

Sang Bui is better known as the runner up to Theerasak Poonsombat (who I’ve heard is one of the best side-event riggers in the world along with his brother Nirut) at the 2004 Nationals Championships. In a field mired by cookie cutter variants of chaos, Sang managed to pilot an original aggressive deck with Berserk Gorillas and Book of Moons into the top two. 

Chris Simoes, on the other hand, has participated in each of the Canadian nationals, doing well, and is a winner of multiple regionals in Canada. Since most Canadians haven’t had a chance to attend Shonen Jumps, he hasn’t had much of a chance to impact the American environment. 

Chris won the die roll and elected to go first. 

Chris Turn One: Chris played a Pot of Greed, then set 1 of each. Notice how the standard play of one set monster, one set s/t or one set s/t happens regardless of how good the opening hand is? These two openings provide the richest tactical openings, since nobody wants to overextend.

Sang Turn Two: Sang summons his namesake, Sangan! It attacks into a f/d D.D Warrior Lady, which then removes the furry friend from play. Notice how popular the DDWL set is? My theory is that everyone runs it just so it can be crossed out or discarded through Graceful. Sang sets a s/t. Both duelists pass the next turn.

8000 7400. 

C5: Chris summons D.D Assailant. It hits successfully

8000 5700 

S6: Sang doesn’t have very many options, so he plays a SORL. 

C7: Chris flips Heavy Storm! It takes down Sang’s MST and Swords. DDA attacks for 1700. Chris then sets one of each.

8000 4000 

S8: Sang plays Pot. He then plays Graceful, discarding Tsukuyomi and Airknight. He crosses out every MOF in the game, then sets 2 s/t and a monster. 

C9: Chris plays a Crossout of his own, which is negated by Big Shield Gardna! He snatches it, then uses Tsuku to keep it on his own board. D.D attacks into Magic Cylinder, Sang takes 1100.

6300 2900 

S10: Sang sets two more s/t. This is a perfect example of why Magic Cylinder is ignored in many players’ decks; a card is worth more than 1700 life points, otherwise everyone would main-deck Reflect Bounder. 

C11: DD Assailant attacks into a Scapegoat, it hits one. Sang passes his next turn.  

C13: Simoes’s Big Shield and DDA attack into Mirror Force. Both players have used Pot, both players have generated advantage here and there, but the game is now basically even except for the Magic Cylinder. He sets a monster. 

S14: Sang’s freshly summoned Breaker hits Mirror Force. It is indeed the best monster in the game. It attacks into a f/d D.D Assailant. 

C15: DDA turns back around and destroys it. He then plays Delinquent Duo, hitting Metamorphosis and then Zaborg. Tsukuyomi is summoned to turn DDA face down, Simoes then sets a s/t.

5300 2800 

S16: This is basically a difficult situation. Throughout the coverage, we’ve seen a few great players come back from Pot/Duo, but Sang seems to have lost every option due to sheer bad luck and cards that automatically lose resources. He passes. 

C17: Chris repeats the trick; DDA hits a goat, then Tsuku moves it f/d. Sang passes his turn, DDA hits another goat, and Sang passes again. 

C21: Apparently Chris was given too many free turns. He draws Graceful, discarding Jinzo and Tsukuyomi and completing the trinity, and summons Asura Priest with COTH on Jinzo for game. 

He did indeed make a few great plays, including the Heavy Storm gambit and the Tsukuyomi steal, but luck sealed the deal against Sang. Having that Duo hit the Metamorphosis and such was too much to overcome. Simoes takes game one! 

Sang opens game two: Sang sets a s/t and ends. 

Chris Turn Two: Chris plays another Pot of Greed. He then sets one of each. Sang passes. 

C4: Chris flips D.D Assailant. It attacks into one Scapegoat. 

S5: Sang sets one of each. 

C6: Chris attacks another Scapegoat, then plays Crossout. Sang chains Ceasefire, it is a Skilled Dark Magician and Chris takes 1000. He then sets a s/t.

8000 7000 

S7: Sang plays Graceful, discarding Jinzo and Sinister. Skilled Dark removes itself and DDA, then Sang sets a s/t. Chris passes his next turn, Sang summons Sinister and pokes for 300.

8000 6500 

C8: The game is at a standstill. Pot and Graceful + Sinister basically cancel each other out; Simoes bides his time and sets a monster. 

S9: Sang sacrifices Sinister for Zaborg. The f/up Sinister was merely a gambit, and this excellent play clears Chris’s Sinister! It’s unclear whether the expert Simoes knew the Zaborg or Morph was coming, but setting the Sinister was a great play nonetheless. Zaborg attacks into a Scapegoat. 

C12: Chris sets one s/t, his second. 

S13: Sang summons Sinister. Both monsters hit two goats, he then sets his second s/t.

At the end phase it is Dust Tornado’d. 

C14: Chris plays Asura Priest, it attacks Sinister. Sang plays Ring of Destruction; at the second main phase, Chris morphs a goat for TER to take Zaborg and then pitches Sinister.

6300 4800 

S15: Sang sets a s/t and ends. 

C16: Chris sacrifices TER for Jinzo. Jinzo attacks Sinister Serpent successfully.

4200 4800 

S17: Sang returns Sinister. He summons Breaker, it is Book of Mooned. He then summons BLS, it hits a goat then Jinzo for 600.

4200 4200 

C18: Chris plays Premature Burial on Jinzo. He plays Vortex, discarding Sinister. He then summons Kycoo and attacks for game. 

And just like that, Chris Simoes takes a two game lead over Sang Bui! Will he have enough in the tank, just like Team America did, to take it to a five game series? 

Sang opens game three: Sang sets a s/t. 

Chris Turn Two: Chris opens with his third consecutive Pot of Greed. He sets one of each. 

S3: Sang summons D.D Warrior Lady. It attacks into D.D Assailant and removes itself. At the end phase, Chris MSTs Sang’s Scapegoat.

7900 8000 

C4: Chris doesn’t capitalize on the clear backfield, instead opting to set a monster.  

S5: Sang sets his Magician and morphs it, taking Chris’s f/d MOF. Great read and play. He then sets a s/t. 

C6: Chris sets one of each. Sang passes.  

C8: Chris plays Ring on TER. He then uses MOF for Space Typhoon and then sacrifices MOF for Airknight. Airknight hits for 1900, then Chris plays Swords.

6000 8000 

S9: Sang sets one of each. 

C10: Chris attacks into the f/d Gravekeeper’s Spy, which is absolutely huge. He then summons Sangan.

6000 7900 

S11: Sang’s board is two GK Spy in defense position. He passes. 

C12: Chris sacrifices Sangan for Jinzo, bringing out Tsukuyomi. Jinzo attacks a Spy. 

S13: Sang sets his second s/t and passes. 

C14: Chris tries to attack another Spy, but it is Booked. He sets a s/t. 

S15: Sang plays Snatch on Airknight. It hits Jinzo for a huge swing of fortunes. Then Sang plays Metamorphosis into Balter. Total advantage? Chris loses Jinzo, Airknight, and gives Sang a card draw while Sang loses Snatch Steal and Metamorphosis for Dark Balter! Chris passes his next turn.

6000 7500 

S17: Sang brings out his own Jinzo by sacrificing the Spy. It and Balter hit two scapegoat tokens.

C18: Chris’s only hope of stopping the Jinzo Balter lock is to use Tsukuyomi. Morph brings out TER, as it attempts to attack the f/d Balter, it runs into Mirror Force. Chris sets a s/t. 

S19: Sang flips Balter, sets 2 s/t, and doesn’t attack. 

C20: Chris passes. 

S21: Balter hits for 2000. Sang summons Tribe. He then plays Duo, hitting Chris’s Duo and Sinister. At the end phase, Chris plays Scapegoat. 

S22: Chris summons Tribe, discarding Sinister for Fiends. He plays Heavy Storm. Sang Rings Tribe, Calls Jinzo. Chris concedes with nothing to stop Tribe’s discard effect on Scapegoat. 

Sang takes game three, Chris opens game four with the series on the line! 

Chris Turn One: Chris sets a monster. 

Sang Turn Two: Sang sets one of each. 

C3: Yes, this is the most commonly play. DDWL is flipped, attacking into GK Spy.

Another one is brought out.

7500 8000 

S4: Sang sets another monster. 

C5: Now DDWL attacks into a f/d Skilled Dark Magician and removes herself!

7300 8000 

S6: Sang plays Delinquent, hitting Asura and then Kycoo. He summons Sangan, which attacks into a Scapegaot. 

C7: Chris plays Metamorphosis, taking a Spy and attacking for 200. Sang’s Sangan gets a Sinister. Chris sets a s/t.

7300 6800 

S8: Sang sets a monster and the duelists pass the next three turns. 

S12: Sang sets a s/t and passes. 

C13: Chris plays Graceful, discarding DDA and Swords. His TER hits Sang’s f/d DDWL, which then removes from game. He then sets a s/t.

6900 6800 

S14: Sang plays Graceful, discarding Sinister and Morphing Jar. He sets a s/t. 

C15: Chris’s Breaker hits the Dust Tornado, which chains to the f/d which is MST, which then chains on Chris’s f/d which is Metamorphosis! Breaker hits MoF, which retrieves Graceful Charity.

S16: The game basically ends when the second Graceful with Sinister discard is played, not to mention the Duo previously and the Pot that Sang plays now. Graceful discards Sinister and Jinzo. Sang has 9 cards in hand; he summons Breaker which takes down Sakuretsu, then attacks a goat. He sets two more s/t (3 total are down). 

C17: Chris sets one of each. At the end phase, Sang’s MST hits Chris’s Call. 

S18: Sang hits the last goat. He sets Sinister, morphs it, and takes Chris’s f/d Magician. 

C19: Chris tries to Snatch TER, Sang responds with Book. Chris wisely summons Sinister, which hits TER, then Breaker attempts to cancel. It is Ringed. Chris sets a s/t.

5300 5200 

S20: Sang plays Premature Burial. He targets Jinzo. He then sacrifices the Spy which is STILL standing for Airknight Parshath. Breaker, Airknight, and Jinzo hit for game. 

Sang ties the score! In this scintillating series of matches, Team USA took an early hole but came back to TIE THE MATCH SCORE. The series will be decided in a final game 5 of a final 5 match series! This was not scripted! 

THE ONLY LETDOWN WOULD BE AN ANTICLIMATIC ENDING WHERE ONE PLAYER GETS A GOD HAND! 

Chris Turn One: Chris plays Pot, Delinquent, then shows his Graceful Charity with Sinister Serpent in his hand. Sang, the bold and daring Bui, refuses to give up and continues the play. Duo hits Skilled/DDWL; Chris then summons Sangan and sets a s/t. Pot, Delinquent, Graceful, and Sangan are the best four opening cards in the game.

7000 8000 (Chris is “losing”, further proof of how life points mean next to nothing) 

Sang Turn Two: Sang sets a monster and two s/t. The 50% chance hit with Chris’s f/d Dust Tornado is huge. It hits Ceasefire, effectively ending most chances of a comeback. 

C3: You see, his next summon is a tech Mystic Swordsman LV 2. It attacks Sang’s f/d Skilled Dark, but not before Sangan goes to def position. Chris sets a s/t. Sang passes the next two turns as Sangan and LV 2 hit successfully for 1900.

7000 6100 

C7: Sangan and LV2 hit again for 1900. Chris sets a second s/t.

7000 4200 

S8: Sang sets a s/t, it is Dusted. 

C9: When Sangan and Swordsman go to attack again, Sang reveals Scapegoat! It was down the whole time! Chris still hasn’t used his Graceful. 

S10: Sang plays Morph, taking Sangan. It attacks into Sakuretsu Armor, Chris gets Sinister with its effect. Sang sets a s/t. 

C11: Chris summons Sinister, attacking a token. Swordsman 2 attacks for 900. Yes, he could have played Graceful.

7000 3300 

S12: Ironically enough, if Sang hadn’t had Ceasefire hit, he would have won at this point. Unfortunately, GC is played to discard Dust and MoF. Sang has a BLS in hand. He summons Tribe, which hits Swordsman for 700.

6300 3300 

C13: Tsuku is summoned to take Tribe down. Sinister goes to defense. Chris sets a s/t. 

S14: Sang passes instead of summoning BLS. 

C15: Chris summons Kycoo! It removes all hope of turning the game around.

6300 1500 

S16: Sang flips Heavy Storm. He snatches Kycoo, attacking Sinister. 

C17: Chris plays Graceful, discarding Sinister and D.D Assailant. Tsuku hits Kycoo, he then sets two s/t. 

S18: Sang simply sets a monster. 

C19: Simoes Dust Tornados the f/d Duo. D.D Warrior Lady attacks the face down, then Call of the Haunted ends the game! 

Team Canada stuns Team USA in a grueling five match series. Look for a write-up on what we’ve seen after the weekend!