Claudio H Wins NeoGoat Pro Tournament with Unexpected Dai Zombies

Win a GGP 11 · Champion’s report

A free Sabersaurus, a deep Zombie toolbox and eleven remarkably different duels carried Claudio H through a perfect five-round run.

Champion: Claudio H  ·  Record: 5–0 matches, 10–1 duels  ·  Deck: Zombie / Dinosaur

Win a GGP 11 belonged to Claudio H. He completed all five rounds undefeated in matches and dropped only one duel, piloting a 42-card Zombie/Dinosaur hybrid whose strangest card was also one of its most important: Sabersaurus.

This was not Normal Monster beatdown. Unexpected Dai turned an empty field into a free 1900 ATK body without spending the Normal Summon. Sabersaurus could immediately apply pressure, stand beside Don Zaloog or a toolbox Warrior, become Tribute material for Jinzo, Thestalos or Vampire Lord, and later supply the EARTH monster needed to summon Gigantes. Around that compact package, Pyramid Turtle and Book of Life gave the deck a second axis that demanded completely different answers.

The champion’s formula: begin with efficient one-for-one exchanges, convert Unexpected Dai into an extra body, then choose the threat the position demands. The deck never has to win the same way twice.

The final podium

ChampionClaudio H

Runner-upnegro jariozo

Third placeLUIS

The road to first place

Round	Opponent	Result	Defining moment
1	Victor peluche	2–0	Thestalos in Game 1; Don Zaloog in Game 2
2	Tego	2–1	D.D. Warrior Lady answered Last Warrior; Lightning Vortex sealed Game 3
3	Josele	2–0	An 18-turn grind followed by a fast Dai–Don–Thestalos line
4	negro jariozo	2–0	Book of Life rebuilt Game 1; Brain Control broke the Jinzo board in Game 2
5	Meme	2–0	Gigantes converted a battle trade into the decisive back-row swing

Round 1 · Claudio H 2–0 Victor peluche

A patient opening and a ruthless finish

Game 1 became the longest duel of the opening match. Victor’s Bottomless Trap Hole removed Breaker the Magical Warrior early, but Claudio refused to overextend. Heavy Storm later opened the field for Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch, which stripped Book of Moon from Victor’s hand and cleared Fusilier Dragon in battle. Victor rebuilt through Reasoning into Armed Dragon LV5, yet Claudio answered and eventually found Unexpected Dai. Sabersaurus and D.D. Assailant took control of the board, and the duel ended on Turn 16.

Game 2 showed the deck’s faster face. Unexpected Dai produced Sabersaurus, Hyper Hammerhead kept combat awkward, and the two sides traded Mirror Forces. Breaker cleared a key Call of the Haunted, then Reinforcement of the Army found Don Zaloog. Don connected, discarded Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV6 and helped push Victor down to 400 LP before the game ended on Turn 10.

Round 2 · Claudio H 2–1 Tego

The only loss—and the tournament’s best recovery

Tego presented the most explosive combo deck Claudio faced. In Game 1, Metamorphosis converted Fusilier Dragon into The Last Warrior from Another Planet. D.D. Warrior Lady immediately fought through the lock by banishing both herself and Last Warrior. Claudio followed with Unexpected Dai for Sabersaurus and Reinforcement of the Army for Don Zaloog; Don removed another Fusilier from Tego’s hand, and Heavy Storm ended the resistance.

Game 2 was Claudio’s only defeat of the tournament. Tego assembled a succession of large threats through Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8, The Creator, Dark Magician of Chaos and finally Gatling Dragon. Two heads on Gatling Dragon’s three coin tosses cleared Horus LV4 and Spirit Reaper. Claudio used Soul Exchange to Tribute Gatling Dragon for Ryu Kokki, and Kokki later banished Dark Magician of Chaos in battle, but Tego still found the final attack on Turn 13.

The deciding game was an excellent reset. Tego reached Horus LV8 early, but Mirror Force removed both Horus and King Tiger Wanghu. Pyramid Turtle then recruited Ryu Kokki, which traded with King Dragun, while Don Zaloog attacked Tego’s remaining resources. On Turn 13, Lightning Vortex discarded an otherwise dead Unexpected Dai and removed Horus LV4. The game ended there, and Claudio escaped the round 2–1.

Round 3 · Claudio H 2–0 Josele

Winning the long game, then winning quickly

Game 1 lasted 18 turns and proved that Claudio’s build could survive a real resource war. Unexpected Dai supplied Tribute material for Thestalos, which removed Tribe-Infecting Virus from Josele’s hand and inflicted damage. Don Zaloog repeatedly attacked Josele’s hand and Deck, while Mirror Force, Ring of Destruction and Sakuretsu Armor forced both players to rebuild. Book of Life revived Pyramid Turtle for the last stretch, and Heavy Storm cleared the path for the finishing attacks.

Game 2 compressed the same plan into seven turns. Unexpected Dai summoned Sabersaurus, Reinforcement of the Army searched Don Zaloog, and Don immediately discarded another Tribe-Infecting Virus. Claudio later Tributed Don for Thestalos, removing Mobius the Frost Monarch from Josele’s hand, then upgraded Thestalos into Jinzo. Josele’s Mystical Space Typhoon stopped Premature Burial from extending the field, but Jinzo still switched off the Trap Cards and the match ended before another battle could develop.

Round 4 · Claudio H 2–0 negro jariozo

Beating the eventual runner-up

The first duel was a chain of precise answers. Claudio’s Exiled Force removed Giant Rat; negro jariozo used Royal Decree to protect The Rock Spirit from Bottomless Trap Hole; Claudio answered with Heavy Storm, then turned Gigantes into Tribute material for Ryu Kokki. After opposing removal traded with Kokki and Breaker, Book of Life brought Ryu Kokki back and banished Exiled Force from the opposing Graveyard. Spirit Reaper stripped Tsukuyomi from the hand, and Ring of Destruction stopped a final Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer attack.

Sabersaurus dealt repeated damage in Game 2 before the duel moved into a much denser exchange. Soul Exchange let Claudio Tribute an opposing Mystic Swordsman LV2 for Vampire Lord, which survived Torrential Tribute by returning on the next Standby Phase. Negro jariozo eventually Tributed Gigantes for Jinzo and destroyed Vampire Lord, but Claudio untapped with Tribe-Infecting Virus and Brain Control. Brain Control targeted Jinzo, and the duel ended there: a 2–0 victory over the player who would finish second.

Round 5 · Claudio H 2–0 Meme

One final conversion from tempo to inevitability

Unexpected Dai appeared twice in Game 1. The second copy was the critical one: Sabersaurus became Tribute material for Jinzo, allowing Claudio to clear Blade Knight without worrying about the back row. Meme answered with D.D. Warrior Lady to banish Jinzo and added Breaker the Magical Warrior, but Claudio’s final turn produced Gigantes and Don Zaloog together. Gigantes traded with Breaker, threatening to wipe the remaining Spell and Trap Cards, and the game ended during that battle.

Game 2 was short but interactive. Claudio used Unexpected Dai for Sabersaurus, attacked through Dekoichi and watched Meme establish Chaos Sorcerer. Pot of Greed found more material, Smashing Ground removed the first Sorcerer, and Shrink won the next combat for Meme. The official replay records Claudio as the winner on Turn 5, completing the 2–0 sweep, the undefeated match record and the title.

Watch all five rounds

The complete replay presentation contains every game from Claudio H’s winning run.

Watch the full replay video Open the published deck

Why the deck worked

1. Unexpected Dai broke the Normal Summon economy. Claudio could add 1900 ATK, then still Normal Summon Don Zaloog, a Warrior answer or a Tribute monster. Eight Dai activations appear across the eleven replays, including two in the first game of the final round.
2. The recruiters made removal productive. Pyramid Turtle converted battle into Spirit Reaper or Ryu Kokki, while Giant Rat provided another route into the EARTH and Warrior toolbox.
3. Every large monster solved a different problem. Thestalos attacked the hand, Jinzo switched off Traps, Vampire Lord returned after destruction, and Ryu Kokki fought the biggest monsters in the field.
4. The combat math was never safe. Two Shrink and one Rush Recklessly let ordinary attackers trade above their printed stats. D.D. Warrior Lady, D.D. Assailant, Hyper Hammerhead and Exiled Force punished opponents for committing a single boss monster.
5. The Side Deck could change the rules of a matchup. Soul Exchange answered established bosses; Banisher of the Radiance and Skill Drain attacked Graveyard and effect-heavy strategies; Royal Decree punished Trap decks; and King Tiger Wanghu threatened low-ATK engines.

The empty Extra Deck is part of the appeal. Claudio did not win by assembling one spectacular combo. He won by making more useful plays than the opponent, turn after turn, from the first free Sabersaurus to the last well-timed Brain Control.

Champion decklist

Claudio H · Zombie / Dinosaur · 42 Main · 0 Extra · 15 Side

Monsters — 21

• 3 Sabersaurus
• 1 Ryu Kokki
• 1 Jinzo
• 1 Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch
• 1 Vampire Lord
• 1 Gigantes
• 1 Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer
• 1 D.D. Assailant
• 1 Tribe-Infecting Virus
• 1 Breaker the Magical Warrior
• 1 D.D. Warrior Lady
• 1 Hyper Hammerhead
• 1 Don Zaloog
• 1 Giant Rat
• 3 Pyramid Turtle
• 1 Exiled Force
• 1 Spirit Reaper

Spells — 14

• 2 Unexpected Dai
• 2 Book of Life
• 1 Heavy Storm
• 1 Reinforcement of the Army
• 1 Pot of Greed
• 1 Lightning Vortex
• 1 Smashing Ground
• 1 Mystical Space Typhoon
• 2 Shrink
• 1 Rush Recklessly
• 1 Premature Burial

Traps — 7

• 2 Bottomless Trap Hole
• 1 Mirror Force
• 1 Torrential Tribute
• 1 Sakuretsu Armor
• 1 Ring of Destruction
• 1 Call of the Haunted

Side Deck — 15

• 1 Mobius the Frost Monarch
• 1 Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch
• 1 King Tiger Wanghu
• 2 Banisher of the Radiance
• 1 Cipher Soldier
• 2 Soul Exchange
• 1 Nobleman of Crossout
• 1 Brain Control
• 1 Book of Moon
• 1 Enemy Controller
• 1 Royal Decree
• 2 Skill Drain

Replay note: This chronicle was reconstructed from eleven complete NeoGoat YRPX replay traces covering all five rounds. Card actions, game winners and turn counts follow the recorded duel timelines. The published deck entry is dated September 6, 2026.