Photo Credit: http://roadoftheking.com/

Day 2

Top8 vs. Issei Nakayama (Tellar): 2-0 “The money match!”

Game 1: I attacked for game out of nowhere. The sequence was something like:
– Tributing a Valkyrus & a Sorcerer, to get access to Unicore. Remove a Nekroz spell to get Nekroz Mirror.
– Nekroz Mirror into Trishula.
– Unicore for Brionac for Catastor, to revive Sorcerer.
– Summon Ghost Ogre to make Ancient Wyvern.
– Attack with Trishula (Opp: 4300 Me: 8000) *Note, opponent had played a Soul Charge.
– Attack with Ancient Wyvern for game.

Game 2: Hands put in work vs. Thunder King.

Top 4 vs. Chase Cunningham (Tellar): 2-0 “Decree is the MVP!”

The feature match is online for everyone to watch.
Game 1: Was very awkward and I was falling behind but I pulled it put with Valkurys + Clausulas + Ice Hand with Decisive Armor in hand.

Game 2: I opened double Royal Decree vs. 1 Ignition. Even though I had very few plays early on (Having to make a single Clausulas just to stay alive), I rode Decree to victory as he drew trap after trap.

SUCH a nice guy. I wish we could have been on different brackets.

At this point we have a 3 hour break before the finals. I had my shot at reclaiming my championship. I was also made aware and/or reminded of three facts:

1. I could become the first two time world champion.
2. I could jump to #1 on the all-time UG Ranking.
3. I had tied Adam Corn’s 23 wins in a row record. I could surpass that record.

This was it. I had my shot at history.

Final vs. Syunsuke Hiyama (Tellar): 1-2 “The most important match I will ever play!”

Game 1: The stage was set. Thousands of people watching around the world, in many different time zones. Thousands of people crammed into the building (I asked out of curiosity and I was told that around 10,000.) I was on a stage with 3 massive screens, playing the most important match of my life. It was hard to focus, hard not to be nervous, but I had to do it, I had to pull it off..somehow.

I believe most people have either watched it live or the repeat. This was the one for all the marbles. After winning an unlikely Game 1, and having won a) The last 23 matches in a row and b) the last 12 games in a row at the world championship, I felt it was fate that I was going to be crowned world champion again. There was no way this guy was going to beat me twice in a row…that is, until he did.

Game 2: I couldn’t really play due to my bad hand.

Game 3: His hand was so good and he had all the counters to my plays. Just like that, in the space of a few turns, it was over.

At some point I will review the final to ensure I am not missing anything, but as of now, my feeling is it was out of my hands. To quote my Facebook status after my loss:

Closing thoughts

Life isn’t always a fairytale. Things don’t just happen because you want it to, or wish it to. It takes a lot of work, and a little luck. Enjoy the journey, the people you meet along the way, the memories you make – those are the things that matter – they mean a lot more than any single victory can.

Do I wish I could have won? Of course – I was extremely sad. Would I trade the joy of the journey & the friends made for it? No chance.

It might be an almost impossible task, but I want to be world champion again. Given the nature of how I lost in 2011, right or wrong, maybe even selfishly, I have never really accepted that the World title belonged to someone else. Syunsuke beat me fair and square, he deserves to be called the world champion. Enjoy it – because I want it back.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Galileo De Obaldia is a Finance Manager for Procter & Gambled in Panama. Galileo is a member of the Player roster since 2011. To learn more about Galileo, please visit his member profile.

« 3 / 3