Round 3 was the decisive stage of the tournament. By this point, players were no longer just executing their decks — they were managing momentum, protecting narrow leads, and looking for the exact sequence that would break open each match. The result was a round full of long grind games, explosive swing turns, and several duels where one correct answer would have changed everything.
And when the dust settled, José Dolores stood above the field as the tournament champion.
Table 1 — José Dolores (Cple) vs Charly Goat
This was one of the most complete control matches of the round. It had clean answers, resource trading, tempo swings, and a final where José Dolores kept pressing until Charly ran out of room to recover. José won the match 2-0.
Duel 1
The duel opened with Pyramid Turtle from Charly Goat, but José immediately responded with Reinforcement of the Army into Mystic Swordsman LV2, shutting down the Turtle without allowing its effect to generate value. That was an early statement: this would be a duel defined by efficiency.
Charly answered well. Breaker the Magical Warrior forced action immediately, taking out José’s Dust Tornado while Dust chained to remove Charly’s Bottomless Trap Hole. Breaker then ran over Mystic Swordsman LV2, giving Charly the first strong tempo push. But José answered that momentum with Gigantes, forcing out Charly’s Mirror Force, then followed with Elemental HERO Wildheart before Charly cleared it with Nobleman of Crossout.
The duel then shifted into a more tactical midgame. José used his own Breaker to clear Swords of Revealing Light, landed direct damage, and set up more defense. Charly answered with Exiled Force to remove Breaker, but José continued applying pressure with D.D. Assailant. When Charly stole it temporarily with Brain Control and tried to swing the duel back, José’s set Bottomless Trap Hole removed the follow-up Ryu Kokki, preventing the stolen momentum from turning into board control.
One of the biggest turning points came from Morphing Jar. Charly attacked into it with Tribe-Infecting Virus, and both players refilled, but José came out of it with immediate pressure: Goblin Attack Force hit over Tribe, forcing Charly to answer again. Charly did manage to stabilize briefly through D.D. Warrior Lady, Berserk Gorilla, and Book of Life reviving Pyramid Turtle, but José dismantled that board with Smashing Ground and Exiled Force.
The endgame was decided by one clean swing sequence. Charly tried to rebuild with another Berserk Gorilla, but José answered with Creature Swap, taking the Gorilla and forcing awkward trades through Giant Rat. After that, Charly attempted a final defense with Spirit Reaper, Dust Tornado, and a set Nobleman of Crossout, but José drew Pot of Greed, found Heavy Storm, cleared the backrow, summoned D.D. Warrior to remove Reaper, and then attacked directly with Berserk Gorilla for game. It was a long duel, but José’s pressure stayed organized all the way through.
Duel 2
The second duel was less chaotic and more controlled. Charly opened with Spirit Reaper and Bottomless Trap Hole, and immediately punished José’s first Goblin Attack Force. But José answered that with Ring of Destruction on Berserk Gorilla, trading life points while keeping Charly from converting early pressure into a lead.
From there, José gradually took over the duel. D.D. Warrior Lady traded off with Spirit Reaper, then a second Goblin Attack Force forced out Scapegoat, slowing Charly’s development. Charly tried to rebuild with Injection Fairy Lily, Cipher Soldier, Pot of Greed, Smashing Ground, Gigantes, and finally Exiled Force plus Torrential Tribute, but each line either got interrupted or failed to generate enough pressure to close the gap. José kept chipping away with Mystic Swordsman LV2, Giant Rat, and recurring Goblin Attack Force pressure backed by Call of the Haunted.
The finish was straightforward. One Goblin Attack Force hit for 2300, then Call of the Haunted brought another one back for a second 2300 direct attack, and finally José summoned yet another Goblin Attack Force to land the last hit. It was not flashy, but it was decisive — exactly the kind of duel that wins tournaments.
Table 2 — Yahikor vs Angel hdz
This was one of the most interesting spellcaster-heavy matches of the round, mixing Dark Magician lines, flip effects, Tsukuyomi interactions, and modern-style Timaeus fusion pressure. Angel won the match 2-0.
Duel 1
The duel started with Kycoo from Angel and Old Vindictive Magician backed by Torrential Tribute from Yahikor. When Angel tried to develop further with Skilled Dark Magician, Torrential cleaned up both monsters and reset the field. That could have opened the door for Yahikor, but Angel quickly rebuilt with Gravekeeper’s Spy, another Spy from deck, and then a direct push supported by Kycoo.
Yahikor tried to create a swing with Call of the Haunted reviving Copycat, but Book of Moon shut that line down cleanly. Afterward, Yahikor tried to fight back through Injection Fairy Lily, but Angel responded with Dark Magician Girl into The Eye of Timaeus, summoning Dark Magician Girl the Dragon Knight. That was the defining play of the duel: the Dragon Knight removed Lily and then hit directly for 2600. Yahikor attempted a comeback with Dark Magic Curtain into Dark Magician and Creature Swap, but the exchange failed to stabilize the field, and the Dragon Knight simply attacked again for game.
Duel 2
This duel was more tactical and more interactive. Yahikor opened with Old Vindictive Magician, then used it to remove Gravekeeper’s Spy, but Bottomless Trap Hole immediately answered Skilled Dark Magician. From there, Card Destruction reshaped both hands and pushed the duel into a strange resource battle. Yahikor did find a strong midgame line with Magical Dimension, turning Old Vindictive into Dark Magician and clearing Angel’s Skilled Dark Magician, then followed with direct attacks from Dark Magician to seize the initiative.
Angel’s best response came later through chained Magical Dimension interactions. When Yahikor tried to protect momentum, Angel navigated through Raigeki Break and used double Dimension effects to land Dark Magician Girl while removing Dark Magician from the field. That stabilized the duel completely. From there, the pace slowed, but Angel gradually turned the game with Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer, repeatedly attacking Yahikor’s graveyard by banishing Dark Magician and Injection Fairy Lily, then later winning battles over opposing monsters and surviving Yahikor’s flip-control attempts with Tsukuyomi.
Yahikor had one last window after clearing the field with Torrential Tribute, but Angel rebuilt faster. Skilled Dark Magician eventually connected directly multiple times, and with Yahikor unable to convert his final draws into a real comeback, he conceded. It was a much slower duel than the first, but Angel won it through cleaner recovery and stronger graveyard denial.
Table 3 — Krlospollo vs ShadowEfra
This match was one of the most dramatic of the round. It was a clash between Chaos control and a Phoenix/Monarch strategy capable of turning one monster into repeated inevitability. Pollo won the match 2-1, but not before dropping the first duel.
Duel 1
ShadowEfra opened by loading the grave with Thunder Dragon, setting Mirror Force, and establishing Blade Knight. Pollo responded with the classic Hand of Nephthys line, stealing Blade Knight with Brain Control and tributing both for Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys. After Card Destruction, the duel accelerated quickly. Phoenix attacked, ran into Mirror Force, and then ShadowEfra followed with Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer, dealing damage and banishing Phoenix copies from the graveyard.
The important nuance here is that the banish choice was imperfect, he banished the discarded phoenix not the one destroyed allowing it to keep returning. That mattered, because Phoenix revived, forced out Ring of Destruction, revived again, forced Scapegoat, and kept pressing through Marshmallon and later Zaborg the Thunder Monarch. Even so, ShadowEfra held on. Raigeki Break, Chaos Sorcerer, and eventually Return from the Different Dimension gave him enough control to survive the recursion and force Pollo to surrender despite the Phoenix mistake. It was a good example of how even after an error, Chaos can still reclaim the board if it finds enough banish and pressure.
Duel 2
The second duel was where Pollo fully turned the match. Early pressure came from UFO Turtle, then the game swung when ShadowEfra used Creature Swap and Brain Control lines to try to disrupt the Fire deck’s progression. Pollo navigated around that with Compulsory Evacuation Device, then began committing to stronger summons. Spirit of Flames, Hand of Nephthys, and Pulling the Rug interactions bought him enough time to clear the field and resolve a crucial Soul Exchange into Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch.
The key line came later: Premature Burial revived Thestalos, Metamorphosis turned it into Ryu Senshi, and suddenly the duel shifted from attrition into a very hard lock on ShadowEfra’s defensive options. Ryu Senshi pushed direct damage, then Soul Exchange into another Thestalos took out Kycoo, and finally Circle of the Fire Kings recycled Thestalos for one more direct attack that ended the duel. This was one of the sharpest sequences of the whole round.
Duel 3
The third duel became the Phoenix duel everyone will remember. It opened slowly, with Thunder Dragon setup and Scapegoat from ShadowEfra, and traps from Pollo. After Pot of Greed, Flame Ruler, Bonfire, and Spirit of Flames, the duel’s first big life swing came through Ring of Destruction, damaging both players. ShadowEfra then pressed with Thunder Dragon and D.D. Warrior Lady, forcing Pollo into a risky Brain Control line that let him summon Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys — only for D.D. Warrior Lady to banish it immediately.
Even then, Pollo kept playing toward inevitability. Torrential Tribute answered Chaos Sorcerer, Charcoal Inpachi turned into Thestalos, and later Card Destruction plus Soul Exchange opened the door for Circle of the Fire Kings to bring Phoenix back anyway. From that point on, the duel revolved around whether ShadowEfra could permanently answer Phoenix. He could not. Even after surviving big attacks, using Return from the Different Dimension for one last swing, and dropping Pollo all the way to 400 LP, the lack of a lasting answer let Phoenix return once again and take over the endgame.
The duel log even shows the game state looping through repeated patterns before Phoenix finally attacked directly for the win. It was the clearest example in the round of a recursive threat becoming overwhelming once the opponent runs out of correct answers.
Table 4 — Kztoor vs Totonatiuh
This match was a very fun contrast: fusion-oriented spellcaster lines from Kztoor against Totonatiuh’s control shell with ritual, Chaos, and utility monsters. Totonatiuh won the match 2-1.
Duel 1
Kztoor had one of the flashiest openings of the round. After taking an early hit from Jinzo, he used E - Emergency Call into Elemental HERO Prisma, milled Dark Magician, then fused Prisma with Mirage Dragon into Amulet Dragon. That let him clear graveyard spells and immediately beat over Jinzo. It was a very strong comeback line.
But Totonatiuh stayed composed. D.D. Warrior Lady traded with Amulet Dragon, Breaker the Magical Warrior and Raigeki Break dismantled Kztoor’s backrow, and later Chaos Sorcerer plus Relinquished lines pushed the duel away from Kztoor’s fusion advantage. The late game became messy, and the log is incomplete near the end, but Totonatiuh ultimately took the duel.
Duel 2
Kztoor came back hard in the second duel. He opened with Reinforcement of the Army into Prisma, used it with The Eye of Timaeus to summon Dark Paladin, then backed that with Royal Decree and Call of the Haunted for Dark Magician. That was overwhelming. Totonatiuh tried to survive with Scapegoat, Metamorphosis, Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands, and other defensive tools, but Paladin plus Dark Magician kept the pressure high while Gravekeeper’s Spy helped widen the board. Totonatiuh eventually conceded under the weight of that setup.
Duel 3
The third duel was much shorter and much harsher for Kztoor. Totonatiuh opened with Thunder Dragon and D.D. Warrior Lady, then after a mutual wipe through Torrential Tribute and Compulsory Evacuation Device, he rebuilt first with Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer. Kztoor set Royal Decree, but Breaker the Magical Warrior immediately removed it, clearing the way for Kycoo and Breaker to attack directly. After that, Kztoor never recovered. The log even notes that he bricked, and shortly after another draw from Totonatiuh, he conceded.
Tournament Winner — José Dolores
After the final round, José Dolores finished on top and became the winner of the tournament. His Round 3 victory over Charly Goat was a perfect summary of why: he played cleanly, kept the pressure organized, and converted advantage into wins without losing control of the duel. From Mystic Swordsman pressure to Goblin Attack Force finishes, José showed the kind of discipline that wins events.
Final Thoughts
Round 3 showed several important things about this tournament and about NeoGoat in general.
This round felt like a real snapshot of the format: Warriors, Chaos, Phoenix, Monarchs, and Spellcaster fusion lines all had moments to shine. And at the end of it all, José Dolores earned the title by navigating the final stretch better than everyone else.
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