The first round of our Gold Series 4 NeoDraft invitational on NeoGoat Pro is complete! All four matches are here, with eleven games, three deciding duels and some unusual opening fields. One game even started with a Black Luster Soldier on each side.
The draft cards gave each duel a different starting point, while the players still had their constructed decks to work with. Sometimes that extra card became the main threat; sometimes it became Tribute Summon material. Here is how the opening round played out.
Watch the matches below. Results and game-by-game highlights are included.
Tona vs Pipe — Pipe wins 2–1
Game 1: Pipe survives the pressure
Draft cards: Tona — Royal Oppression, starting face-up; Pipe — Deck Devastation Virus, starting in hand.
Tona used Royal Oppression to stop Call of the Haunted and pushed with Jirai Gumo, protecting it from Torrential Tribute with Solemn Scolding. Even Sakuretsu Armor did not end the pressure: Tona brought Gumo back with Call of the Haunted during the same Battle Phase for another attack. His LP eventually dropped to just 275, though, and Pipe held on with Book of Moon before rebuilding through Pot of Greed, Dekoichi and Thunder Dragon. Breaker destroyed Sasuke Samurai #4, and Thunder Dragon landed the direct attack that gave Pipe the first game.
Game 2: Tona wins at 300 LP
Draft cards: Tona — Injection Fairy Lily; Pipe — Eradicating Aerosol.
Tona protected Breaker from Torrential Tribute with Solemn Judgment, then used its counter to destroy Eradicating Aerosol. Lily attacked for 3400, and D.D. Warrior equipped with Megamorph added another 2400. Pipe fought back with Reflect Bounder and defensive traps, while Book of Moon removed Megamorph by turning D.D. Warrior face-down. Tona found the opening he needed after Time Seal denied a draw: Ring of Destruction removed Reflect Bounder in Pipe's End Phase, leaving Tona at only 300 LP. D.D. Warrior attacked directly on the following turn to tie the match.
Game 3: Sinister Serpent clears the way
Draft cards: Tona — Sword of Dark Rites; Pipe — Injection Fairy Lily.
Tona had a neat response to Heavy Storm, chaining Pole Position and Compulsory Evacuation Device to return his own Blade Knight to hand. When Storm destroyed Pole Position, Pipe's Lily went with it. Pipe rebuilt with D.D. Warrior Lady and Blade Knight, then used Tsukuyomi and Book of Moon to turn opposing attackers face-down. The finish came down to attack order: Sinister Serpent's 300 ATK was enough to beat a face-down Jirai Gumo with 100 DEF, leaving Chaos Sorcerer free to attack directly for the match.
Victor peluche vs Negro jariozo — Victor peluche wins 2–1
Watch Victor peluche vs Negro jariozo on YouTube
Game 1: BLS on both sides
Draft cards: both players — Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning, starting in Attack Position.
Both players opened with BLS, but Victor immediately used his to banish the opposing copy. Negro fought back when Giant Rat and Masked Dragon destroyed each other in battle: their effects brought out Injection Fairy Lily and Armed Dragon LV3, and Lily took down Victor's BLS. On Victor's next turn, LV3 became LV5, which discarded Fusilier Dragon to remove Lily. Cyberdark Keel joined the field equipped with Masked Dragon, and when Negro used Shrink during the Battle Phase, Victor chained Call of the Haunted to bring BLS back. The returning Soldier helped finish the game on turn five.
Game 2: Lily takes down LV7
Draft cards: Victor peluche — Summoner Monk; Negro jariozo — Beastking of the Swamps.
Negro removed Victor's starting Summoner Monk with Exiled Force. Victor worked his way back through Masked Dragon and Twin-Headed Behemoth, eventually reaching Armed Dragon LV7, but Injection Fairy Lily beat it in battle. Another LV5 followed through Level Up!, and Solemn Scolding stopped Negro's Smashing Ground. That still was not enough to keep the dragon safe: D.D. Warrior Lady banished it after battle, opening the way for a direct attack from The Rock Spirit. Negro took the second game and forced a decider.
Game 3: Horus and Ryu Senshi
Draft cards: Victor peluche — Meltiel, Sage of the Sky; Negro jariozo — Summoner Monk.
Negro used Summoner Monk to bring out Berserk Gorilla, while Victor turned his draft card into something else entirely: Meltiel became the tribute for Horus LV6, which then became Ryu Senshi through Metamorphosis. Reasoning added Fusilier Dragon, and the two attackers cleared Gorilla and Monk. Negro answered Fusilier with Kycoo and Shrink, but Victor brought Horus back with Call of the Haunted. Horus destroyed Kycoo and evolved into LV8, joining Ryu Senshi and Cave Dragon in a strong position. Victor took the deciding game and the match.
krlos vs Bemg — krlos wins 2–0
Watch krlos vs Bemg on YouTube
Game 1: 500 LP is enough
Draft cards: krlos — The Wicked Worm Beast; Bemg — Injection Fairy Lily.
Hydrogeddon helped krlos build a field, while Bemg's Lily destroyed The Wicked Worm Beast and a Hydrogeddon at the cost of two LP payments. Bemg later resolved a Heavy Storm that cleared four of krlos's back-row cards along with his own Stumbling. By turn eleven, Golem Sentry had returned Mobius to hand, and attacks from Sentry and Morphing Jar left krlos at 500 LP. But Bemg was also within reach. On the next turn, krlos used Heavy Storm to remove Stumbling, summoned UFO Turtle and attacked the Attack Position Morphing Jar. The 700 battle damage was enough to win.
Game 2: A 23-turn grind
Draft cards: krlos — Royal Oppression, starting face-up; Bemg — Gladiator Beast Gyzarus, starting in Attack Position.
Bemg's Gyzarus destroyed Lord Poison in battle, but that brought back the Sylvan Hermitree krlos had sent to the Graveyard with Foolish Burial. Royal Oppression stopped Premature Burial and later The Rock Spirit, while Shrink let D.D. Assailant defeat Gyzarus. Bemg kept fighting with Heavy Storm and Megarock Dragon, then chained Ring of Destruction and Mystical Space Typhoon to Mobius to remove both the Monarch and Skill Drain. krlos rebuilt with Frost and Flame Dragon, connected an attack and later used its effect to destroy Legendary Jujitsu Master. He took the game on turn 23, securing the round's only 2–0 result.
Rojo vs Rodrigo — Rojo wins 2–1
Watch Rojo vs Rodrigo on YouTube
Game 1: Jinzo takes over
Draft cards: Rojo — Toon Dark Magician Girl, with Toon World supplied by the special rule; Rodrigo — Graceful Dice.
Rojo opened with Toon Dark Magician Girl and Archfiend Soldier, but Rodrigo turned that field around with Brain Control. He took Soldier, tributed it for Jinzo and destroyed the Toon in battle. Jinzo and Skilled Dark Magician kept the pressure on, and Rodrigo's draft card eventually made a difference: when Archfiend Heiress equipped with Axe of Despair attacked Skilled Dark Magician, Graceful Dice rolled a three. That put Skilled Dark Magician at 2200 ATK against Heiress's 2000, winning the battle. Rodrigo took the opening game.
Game 2: The Archfiends get going
Draft cards: Rojo — Goddess of Whim; Rodrigo — Trap Stun.
Rojo started with Foolish Burial sending Archfiend Heiress to search Archfiend General. General then became the tribute for Deck Devastation Virus, removing Spirit Reaper from Rodrigo's hand. Archfiend's Roar brought Heiress back, and its destruction in the End Phase produced another search, this time for Terrorking Archfiend. Goddess of Whim contributed early attacks before falling to Fissure. Then Terrorking equipped with Axe of Despair attacked for 3000, followed by Heiress for another 1000. Rojo took the game to make it 1–1.
Game 3: Crush Card Virus turns the game
Draft cards: Rojo — Mormolith; Rodrigo — Radiant Jeral.
Rojo tributed Heiress for Crush Card Virus, destroying four monsters in Rodrigo's hand and D.D. Warrior Lady on his field. Rodrigo found a useful play with the opposing draft card, taking Mormolith through Brain Control and tributing it to destroy Heiress. But Heiress searched Terrorking, keeping Rojo supplied with another attacker. Rojo later pushed with Terrorking and an equipped Archfiend Soldier, then used Archfiend's Roar during the Battle Phase to add an attack from Heiress. Another End Phase search kept the resources coming, and Rojo completed the 2–1 comeback.
Round 1 complete
Pipe, Victor peluche, krlos and Rojo each picked up a win in the opening round. Three matches went to a third game, and even the only 2–0 included a duel decided with the winner at 500 LP.
From a Graceful Dice roll winning a battle to Sinister Serpent clearing the way for Chaos Sorcerer, there was plenty to watch beyond the biggest monsters. Enjoy the four matches, and on to Round 2!
