Tournament Report – Top64 – 200th YCS: Utretch 2018 by Adrian Dursun

On October 3, 2018 by Valerio Zucco

Hi, I’m Adrian Dursun from Team United Gosus and I’m going to give you a report about my trip to YCS Utrecht, my deck choice and of course the tournament itself.

One Week before Utrecht:
Since the most of us were already quite sure we wouldn’t get a new Forbidden and Limited list, I felt pretty comfortable with my deck list maining six hand traps, but with the new Forbidden and Limited list we had unclear answers to the questions of our community…
Is Gouki dead now? Is Sky-Striker tier 0?
After the first look at the list I was sure, Pure Sky Striker was the best deck of the format, I tried to get a solid build for my teammates especially to test mirrors. After a couple matches, I realized I had no experience with the deck and had close to no time to master the mirror match.

I was forced to go back to True Draco, I felt that Gouki wasn’t dead and I had to play hand traps, but which ones should I run? After a lot of talking to Alberto Marazzi and Steffen Eichelberger, I was sure to play Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit and Ghost Reaper & Winter Cherries. I also discussed it with a few other Draco players I knew to get a better opinion and most of them thought I would brick with six hand traps and that I should run Infinite Impermanence which would have less power than the other hand traps but less chance to brick.

Thursday: 
The day my trip to Utrecht began, I travelled with my friends (Tobias, Felix, Robert & Maxi) from my locals to our apartment in Baarn (a city near Utrecht), after a 4-hour drive we finally arrived at our apartment and I decided to spend the day in Amsterdam with Tessa and Alfie.
I got back to the apartment at the night and went directly to bed to be fit for the next days.

Friday:
On Friday I had to do the last decisions.. should I run 2 or 3 Waterfall of Dragon Souls? Shared Ride main? Waking the Dragon? I decided on a go first build which can perform well even if I lose the dice roll. I got pre-registered after a few test games to get the Divine dice and the playmat.

Saturday:
The day has come, I felt super nervous, I really wanted to top this YCS. I felt I had never spent more time for an event than now. I just wanted to play my games.
The pairings got published, it was a matter of a few minutes now.

Round 1
Paleozoic: 2-0
Dice roll = Won

Game 1: I started with a very strong turn 1, with a ton of floodgates which weren’t good versus Paleozoic but everything else, after tributing 2 floodgates for Dracos my opponent wasn’t able to stick any monsters on the field.
Game 2: My opponent wasn’t able to get into the game after summoning 2 Draco’s.

Round 2
Rokket: 2-0
Dice roll = Lost

Game 1: 
My opponent started with the Boot Sector Launch and summoned two Rokket monsters from his hand, normal summoned 1 Rokket Monster and went into a Link 3. I set a trap and summoned Ignis Heat, my opponent realized that his deck couldn’t do anything against Draco’s and scooped.
Game 2: 
My opponent opened pretty weak, just set a backrow and I thought it would be Waking, I just summoned 3 Draco and went for an OTK.

Round 3
Pure Sky Striker: 0-2
Dice roll = Lost

Game 1: 
My opponent let me start and I thought he played Mekk-Knight Invoked so I ended with Ignis Heat, two Gozen Match, Skill Drain and Dragonic Diagram, my opponent went into the Battle Phase and activated Evenly Match. I kept playing just to know what he was running.
Game 2: 
I let him start, he starts with Engage into Raye, adds Engage with Kagari and another with Shizuku, passes his turn with one backrow.
I destroyed his monster and backrow attacked and set Rivalry of Warlords, Gozen Match and Magic Deflector and passed. He went into Battle Phase and I got Evenly’d again.

After that round I felt super sad, I thought I chose the wrong deck and I already lost hope for top cut.

Round 4
Pure Striker: 2-0
Dice roll = Won

Game 1: 
I started very strong and eventually resolved three Card of Demise, my opponent couldn’t handle the card advantage and scooped.
Game 2: 
My opponent started with Hornet Drones and got Cherried, went into Shizuku and added Engage. I had a basic Draco turn to destroy his board and set Shared Ride. My opponent activated Engage, I chained my Shared Ride and he scooped.

Round 5
Altergeist: 2-0
Dice roll = Lost

Game 1: 
My opponent started with four backrow. I summoned Maiden by tributing Heritage and targeted a backrow, he chained his facedown Reckless Greed and summoned Multifaker + Silquitar, I set Gozen Match and Skill Drain, which he popped with Heavy Stormduster, after a long grind game I was able to OTK my opponent with 4 Dracos and PSY-Framelord Omega.
Game 2: 
We had little time remaining but my opponent couldn’t handle Inspector Boarder.

Round 6
Altergeist: 2-0
Dice roll = Lost

Game 1: 
My opponent summoned Altergeist Marionetter set Protocol and another backrow. I summoned Ignis Heat, destroyed his Protocol, he chained it, summoned Multifaker I chained my Ignis and my opponent responded with Solemn Strike.
He summoned Meluseek , I activated Heritage drew two cards and then activated Card of Demise. Later my opponent scooped due to my card advantage.
Game 2: 
He started with four backrow and lost to my Inspector Boarder.

Round 7
Gouki: 2-1
Dice roll = Won

Game 1: 
I started off with Ignis Heat, Dragonic Diagram, Gozen Match and Skill Drain, I flipped Gozen Match during his Standby Phase and my opponent scooped.
Game 2: 
My opponent went for combo, I used my Ghost Ogre on his Firewall Dragon effect but he had World Legacy Succession to summon him back, but ended with a poor board. I set a spell card and activated Dragonic Diagram, my opponent responded with Twin Twister and I scooped.
Game 3: 
I started with four backrow and passed. My opponent summoned Gouki Suprex and Gouki Bearhug from his hand, he thought a lot, went into battle phase and attacked me for 4200 damage. In Main Phase 2 he went into plays, when he had Knightmare Cerberus + Firewall Dragon, I flipped Rivalry of Warlords , he chained Twin Twister, I chained Magic Deflector so he lost his firewall. He passed his turn.
On my turn I summoned Majesty Maiden and attacked over Cerberus. 
He Rematched then went into Isolde, I flipped Gozen Match and he chained Red Reboot, summoned 3 Goukis and attacked with all monsters, I went down to 100 LP because he forgot to add Phoenix Blade and equip it for 300 additional damage, in my turn I destroyed all Goukis and flipped Gozen Match. He passed, in my turn I destroyed Gozen with Dragonic Diagram and attacked with three Dracos for game.

Round 8
Trickstar: 2-1
Dice roll = Won

Game 1: 
I started with Gozen Match and Rivalry of Warlords, popped my Dinomight with Dragonic Diagram and added True Kings Return. My opponent used Trickstar Lightstage to add Candina and Candina added Reincarnation. He attacked with Candina into my defense position Dinomight, summoned three Lycoris and I scooped.
Game 2: 
I summoned Dinomight, activated Card of Demise into Inspector Boarder, set him and a few backrow cards. He bricked, set four backrows and pass. I used Dragonic Diagram on Heritage for another Heritage popped his facedown Scapegoats and after that, I summoned another Draco my opponent activated Torrential Tribute. Due Heritage I drew into a new Inspector Boarder and won from there.
Game 3:
 He started with 2 backrows and passed. I summoned Inspector Boarder and activated my Dragonic Diagram to destroy my facedown True Draco Apocalypse which he responded with Twin Twisters. I activated Heritage to draw into Ignis Heat. Two turns later my opponent scooped.

Round 9
Sky Striker: 2-0
Dice roll = Lost

Game 1:
 My opponent started with Hornet Drones and I responded with Cherries on Kagari, he went into Shizuku and added Engage. In my turn, I tributed a spell for Maiden, popped his facedown card, summoned Cherries to go into PSY-Framelord Omega , attacked over Shizuku and banished his Engage in Main Phase 2, after that I drew 2 cards due Heritage, I summoned Ignis Heat and set True Kings Return, one turn later I attacked with 3 Dracos and Omega for game.
Game 2: I went first with Rivalry of Warlords, two Magic Deflector, Shared Ride and Card of Demise which got me two Ignis Heat and True Draco Apocalypse. I summoned Ignis Heat and passed my turn.
In my opponent’s Standby Phase, I flipped Rivalry of Warlords, he chained Twin Twister , I chained Ignis, he responded with Widow Anchor and I chained Magic Deflector, my opponent scooped.

Sunday:
Round 10

Trickstar Sky Striker: 1-1
Dice roll = Won

Game 1:
 I started with Skill Drain, True Draco Apocalypse, True Kings Return, True Draco Heritage and Ignis Heat. Summoned Ignis by tributing Apocalypse wanted to draw one card with Heritage and got Ghost Ogre’d. He summoned Raye and went into Hayate, I flipped my Skill Drain and he passed his turn with 2 backrows. After a lot of turns only attacking with Ignis because I drew two Cherries and Card of Demise; my opponent just looped Raye after the attacks I finally drew into another monster to deal more damage.
Game 2: 
We had less time remaining, he summoned. Candina and added Lycoris, he summoned Lycoris and passed his turn with 2 backrow. I summoned Ignis with tributing Heritage and popped a backrow, he chained his facedown Artifact Sanctum summoned Artifact Scythe and destroyed my Ignis in the resolve, I wasn’t able to get into a new monster and time was called.

Round 11
Sky Striker: 2-1
Dice roll = Lost

Game 1: 
My opponent activated Engage, added Area Zero, summoned Raye and I used Cherries, he chained Raye and summoned Kagari, I resolved Cherries and revealed Kagari. My opponent declared Diabolos but not Kagari. Summoned him and used his effect, after that he summoned Shizuku and passed his turn. On my turn I destroyed his fieldspell and his monster with Draco cards and he didn’t summoned Raye from GY, in Main Phase 2 I resolved Card of Demise and passed my turn, after I flipped Gozen Match he scooped.
Game 2:
 My opponent started with Raye into Shizuku set 2 and passed.I activated Dragonic Diagram and set Heritage, my opponent went for Twin Twister and I set three cards and activated Card of Demis which got Ash’d. My opponent activated two Engage added and Multiroll and Afterburner. In my turn, I drew into another Dragonic Diagram which got Twin Twister’d again. I scooped after that.
Game 3: 
I had a Draco in grave, a facedown True Kings Returns, Magic Deflector, Shared Ride and Waterfall of Dragon Souls. I stopped his turn with Shared Ride and summoned my Draco back by Return. In my turn I attacked with my Draco and in Main Phase 2 I used my Waterfall of Dragon Souls to draw 2 cards and I summoned back my Draco monster. My opponent used Jamming Wave on my face down Magic Deflector which I chained. Then he summoned Raye, went into Hayate to attack direct and send Afterburner to grave, in Main Phase 2 he activated Twin Twisters which was still negated by Magic Deflector. In my turn I drew into a monster and dealt over 3000 damage and there were 50 seconds left in the clock, time was called, he scooped.

My score at that time was 9-1-1, it felt good to play the last round without any pressure and get ready for Top 64!

Round 12
True Draco: 1-2
Dice roll = Lost

Game 1: 
I started the duel with Ignis Heat, Gozen Match and Dragonic Diagram, after my turn I realized my opponent played also Draco and I did a huge mistake by keeping so much on board. He got a big advantage which I couldn’t handle.
Game 2:
I let my opponent start, he went for Maiden and Ignis Heat and passed his turn, I summoned Ignis by tributing a Apocalypse and destroyed my opppnent Ignis Heat, we both searched Heritage, I attacked his Majesty Maiden drew 2 cards , set Magic Deflector and passed my turn.
He did nearly the same turn but his heritage got interrupt by my Magic Deflector and he scooped.
Game 3:
I started with four Dracos and Skill Drain, I had zero options to play and scooped after a few turns realizing it didn’t make sense to stick around.

So, I finished 9-2-1 and got 29th place after Swiss, I was happy not only because it was my first YCS top, but I was also happy for my team, we got a total of five players in the top cut which was a solid result.

Top 64
SkyStriker: 0-2
Dice roll = Lost

Game 1: 
My opponent let me go first, I started with Dinomight, Gozen Match and Rivalry of Warlords, I flipped the latter in the Standby Phase, my opponent went into Battle Phase and resolved Evenly Match, after that turn I scooped.
Game 2: I let my opponent start and he just summoned his Shizuku off Hornet Drones and added Engage. I attacked for 5400 damage with two Ignis Heat and my Demise got Ash’d.
My opponent went for Double Widow anchor and summoned Raye to OTK me.

That was it, after thirteen rounds of Yu-Gi-Oh! I finished in Top 64 of YCS Utrecht. Out of the ten games I lost, three of them I lost due to Evenly Matched which I didn’t expect at all.
Of course I was sad because I couldn’t go further, but would think the same unless I got the win.

Shoutouts: 
Last but not least, I want to give some shoutouts, of course to our sponsors Ultimate Guard and Owayo. To Dustin Thoma and Steffen Eichelberger for getting me the Blackwing Armor Master. Tessa and Alfie for that great day in Amsterdam. Alberto for helping me in the hand trap discussion. Kian for his first YCS top (and hopefully not the last one).
Tobi, Robert, Felix and Davide the great weekend and of course my team for making each YCS something special, I am always happy to see you guys!

That’s it for my tournament report, I hope you liked it and feel free to share it with your friends.
Until next time!
Adrian