Hey Guys!

I am Nicolas Mayer from team United Gosus and today I want to tell you about my tournament experience at YCS Düsseldorf #1. This was the biggest European YCS ever held, Konami even had to announce a second YCS because the first was capped at around 2400 players! More importantly, this was my first YCS as an intern member of UG, so I really wanted to achieve success.

Let’s start one week before the tournament, because of the new release of the Soulbourner Structure Deck I was really unsure about what to play. I felt uneasy playing Thunder Dragon because the Salamangreat Match up was not that great, so I was considering playing Sky Striker because of the good Salamangreat matchup. From my past experience with the Sky Striker deck I wasn’t too convinced in playing it and went with Thunder Dragon Danger. I exchanged a lot of ideas with my teammate Julio Valls and we built our Side Deck specifically to beat the Salamangreat matchup and the mirror.

I felt pretty confident with my build and was looking forward to play the tournament, so lets start with Day 1:

Round 1

Dice roll: Won

G1: I started the tournament with a pretty weird hand. It was like 4 of the small dragons and 1 Danger Monster. I was able to go for the standard Guardragon play and went for 1 Crystal Wing as my only interruption Luckily this was a mirror match and my opponent was only able to set up 4 monsters. Because of Crystal Wing he went for Borreload and surprisingly used his effect to take control which I negated. From this point on, it was an easy win.

G2: He let my start. I sided for going 2nd. I made the full Combo Board and he had no outs to it.

Standing: 1-0

Round 2

Dice roll: Lost

G1: My opponent went first. He also played Thunder Danger! and went for a Colossus plus Titan board. For my variant of the Deck this was pretty easy to OTK. I just made Borreload, Unicorn, and other big beaters and attacked for

game. His backrow was also Erradicator and Twin Twisters which were both dead against my deck.

G2: Was pretty much the same as Game 1 he passed with some Thunder Fusion and I was able to push for game.

Standing: 2-0

Round 3

Dice roll: Lost

G1: He went first and set up a board with Sunlight Wolf and the Counter Trap. Looking at my hand I felt very confident that I would be able to OTK him. Due to some bad luck with the Dangers I was only able to put out Borreload and Crystal Wing, which weren’t enough for an OTK or for stopping his plays next turn.

G2: Game 1 took pretty long so there was like only like 10 minutes left. I went first and was able to set up my board with a copy of Archlord Krystia. Sadly time ran out so we drew.

Standing: 2-0-1

Round 4

Dice roll: Lost

G1: My opponent played Sky Striker he bricked Game 1 and only ended with Shizuku and no sets. I was able to OTK through this board.

G2: He started with multiple sets and I didn’t have my Denko ready. He outgrinded me and we went for G3.

G3: I started and was able to do the full combo. After that it was over. Standing: 3-0-1 Round 5 Dice roll: Won

G1: I started and was able to go for full combo. My opponent also played Danger Thunder but with Destrudo and tried to play through my board. Negating Sarjuya with Crystal Wing was very crucial and after that my

opponent tried to use Destrudo on his Jackalope. I just negated Destrudo on field with my Zombiestein so that he went back to Lv7. He scooped after that.

G2: He started I ogred his Saryuja but he was able to build another one, because of his high number of Danger monster in hand. Then he summoned Archlord Krystia and passed his turn. I was really suprised seeing my own tech card used against me but didn’t give anything away and scooped knowing I don’t have an out in my deck.

G3: I summoned Sarjuya, drew Archlord Krystia and passed with 2 monsters so that he is not able to summon Ra Sphere Mode.

Standing: 4-0-1

Round 6

Dice roll: Won

G1: I played the full combo. My opponent drew for turn and we went to Game 2.

G2: He played Salamangreat. My blind boarding for G2 paid out i drew into Denko. So I tried to OTK him but that did not work again. I should have scooped at that moment so that we have more time for G3, in the end i saw still a chance for the win an played the time down. I didnt want to draw again so I scooped knowing I wouldn’t be able to have more life points in around 6 minutes.

After game 2 I used my Side Deck very quick cause i wanted to have one turn in which i can play. Looking at my opponent I saw him constantly swapping cards back and forth (like the same card around 5 times) from his Main Deck to his Side Deck. A judge witnessed this and I called him for that. The Judge asked us for our versions of what happened. My opponent said he was always taking the time he is allowed to side. After that we were taken to the main event stage and he was taken behind and had to talk to the judges. The judge came to me and said I won the game. Still unsure what happened to my opponent.

Standing: 5-0-1

Round 7

Dice roll: Won

G1: I totally bricked. Started with 5 thunder monsters in my hand. I managed to put out 1 Colossus and passed my turn. The hope to win this game was shattered as soon as I saw infinite impermanence followed by Sky Striker Mobilize Engage!

G2: I started again with a brick. I was going for Summon Sorceress to summon out another Thunder Monster from my deck to then make 2 Colossus. But sadly my opponent had 1 impermanence for Summon Sorceress and 1 for the Colossus left in his turn. I totally thought I would lose this duel but his hand was not that great and I had a lucky Thunder Dragonhawk waiting at the top of my deck. I slowly managed to get control of the duel again, but there was not enough time left on the clock and it ended in another draw.

Standing: 5-0-2

Round 8

Dice roll: Won

G1: I was able to perform the full combo. Then my opponent tried to play through my board with his Sky Striker Deck. He was not able to do so and I sided accordingly with the free information.

G2: My opponent went first and set 2 cards and made Sky Striker Ace Shizuku on which I summoned my Fantastical Dragon Phantazmey and also drew into Denko Sekka. I drew for turn and asked for M1 summoned Denko Sekka and proceeded to OTK my opponent.

Round 9

Dice roll: Won

G1: Full combo again. Opponent scooped.

G2: I tried to play through the Salamangreat board but wasn’t able to so I went to G3

G3: I bricked a bit but at least had Archlord Krystia and was able to normal summon him and my opponent had no outs to it.

Standing: 7-0-2

Day 1 was over now. I was pretty relieved because my standing was pretty good. I only had to win 2 more rounds or even a win plus one draw would suffice to make it to the top cut.

Round 10

Dice roll: Lost

G1: My opponent started with the Thunder Guardragon combo. I had a very good hand to play through his board, if I would have been a bit more lucky with the Dangers I could’ve done so. Sadly i had to give up.

G2: I bricked and simply lost because I couldn’t do anything.

Standing: 7-1-2

Round 11

Dice roll: Lost

G1: I played against Salamangreat. My hand was ok. I tried to play against him and it ended in a pretty grindy game. After a few turns I was able to set up a board with 2 negates. Time ran up during opponents Draw Phase.

Standing 8-1-2

Round 12

Dice roll: Lost

G1: As soon as i saw that my opponent activated Thunder Dragon I was stressed. Loosing the Dice roll in this mirror often ends in an loss. Lucky for me he bricked and only was able to build a semi good board. I was able to play through his board and set up Thunder Dragon Colossus + Zombiestein myself.

G2: He started with full combo, no Droll and Lock Bird in sight. So I just let him do his combo. After seing my top deck and some thinking I decided to go for G3.

G3: I started and played my combo until time was called. The round ended in a draw.

Final Record after Swiss: 8-1-3

I knew this was enough to make Top 64. Looking at the standings I was looking for my opponent his name is Din Kha Bui. I already knew he was playing an Azathot Turbo Dark Warrior Deck.

TOP 64

Dice Roll: Lost

G1: After loosing the dice roll it was pretty clear if he is able to make Azathot I as a Thunder player will have no chance to win this duel anymore. He started with Neo Spacian Connector and summoned out Aqua Dolphin and declared its effect. I scooped because I didn’t want to have my opponent know what I’m playing.

G2: I Started and only went for Sarjuya and summoned with him the Archlord Krystia I drew earlier, so that I don’t lose to Ra Sphere Mode. My opponent read the card and used his Foolish to send The Phantom Knights of Silent Boots to the graveyard. With Silent Boots he was able to search for Phantom Knights’ Fog Blade which is an out to Archlord Krystia. Next turn I simply tributed my Archlord Krystia for one copy of Thunder Dragonroar and then I went full combo and proceeded to OTK my opponent.

G3: Looking at my hand I see any of my handtraps or Denko. So, I had to watch my opponent play his combo and hope for a extremely lucky top deck. After seeing my draw there wasn’t much else to do. My opponent OTK’d me the next turn.

This was the one dice roll I couldn’t have lost. But in the end I am still happy with my performance.

Deck Breakdown: -5 Thunder Dragon Danger! variants -4 Sky Striker -3 Salamangreat -1 Dark Warrior Orcust

All in all you can see that the deck worked out pretty well. And the meta call to play double Archlord Krystia and Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon was the right decision.

Shoutouts to my team United Gosus, my girlfriend Katharina Punko and Adrian Dursun for owing me 26 euros!

I hope you liked my report, see you next time!

-Nicolas Mayer