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Round 7 Feature Match:
Jason Holloway versus Adam Corn
It was just two years ago that Adam Corn was the underdog, battling against Duelists with far more experience than himself to capture the 2007 U.S. National Championship title. Since then, he took a third place finish at the World Championship and won a SHONEN JUMP Championship last year.
But his opponent this round is no slouch! Jason Holloway has all of Corn’s experience and almost as much success. A repeated Day 2 Duelist, Holloway is also a SHONEN JUMP Champion, and is playing Lightsworn here today.
Corn is running a Deck we mentioned earlier today in the blog, undefeated in this tournament with a Dark Synchro strategy starring none other than “Black Salvo.” Very cool, and not a likely pick for most Duelists in a tournament filled with “Mind Control.”
Holloway opened the match with “Solemn Judgment,” “Judgment Dragon,” “Solar Recharge,” “Celestia, Lightsworn Angel,” and two “Honest.” He discarded Celestia to activate “Solar Recharge,” drew two, and sent “Honest” and “Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter” to his Graveyard. He Set a monster, Set a card to his Spell and Trap Card Zone, and ended.
Corn opened with a hand of “Destiny Hero - Plasma,” “Cyber Valley,” “Black Salvo,” “Plaguespreader Zombie,” “Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive,” and “Gorz the Emissary of Darkness” – not a great opening hand. He Set “Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive” and ended, unable to do anything else.
Play was to Holloway, who Normal Summoned “Honest” to run over Dekoichi. Its effect got Corn “Sangan,” Holloway returned “Honest” to his hand, and Corn drew another monster - “Elemental Hero Stratos.” He Set “Sangan.” Holloway pitched “Garoth, Lightsworn Warrior” for another Recharge, drew two cards, and sent “Solemn Judgment” and “Wulf, Lightsworn Beast” to his Graveyard. He Special Summoned Wulf and Flip Summoned “Necro Gardna,” then Normal Summoned “Plaguespreader Zombie” to Tune it to “Necro Gardna.” He Synchro Summoned “Magical Android,” attacked “Sangan” with Wulf, and Corn searched his Deck for a second copy of “Black Salvo.”
“Magical Android” attacked for 2400 damage and the Duel stood at 5600 Life Points to 8000. Holloway Set a second Spell or Trap Card, telegraphing at least one copy of “Solemn Judgment” in the face of Salvo, and ended to gain 600 Life Points. Corn went for it next turn knowing he had nothing else (and knowing he was safe with Gorz in hand). He summoned Salvo, Special Summoned Dekoichi with Salvo’s effect, and tried to Synchro Summon “Black Rose Dragon,” but lost out to the predictable Solemn. In his End Phase he discarded “Plaguespreader Zombie” to get down to six cards in hand.
Holloway Special Summoned “Plaguespreader Zombie” from his deck, Tuned it to “Magical Android” and Synchro summoned “Dark Strike Fighter”! He launched Wulf with “Dark Strike Fighter’s” effect for 800 damage, Special Summoned “Judgment Dragon,” Normal Summoned “Honest,” and Corn revealed Gorz before scooping in the face of Holloway’s second Gorz.
“I drew all monsters” groaned Corn. “I only run seventeen! That was terrible. It’s the worst I’ve drawn all day.” Still, the bemoaning of his poor draws took place as he carefully Side Decked. Corn was eager to start mounting a comeback. Holloway did some extremely quick Side Decking and immediately set to shuffling his deck. Duel 2 began moments later.
Corn opened Duel 2 with “Crush Card Virus,” “Scapegoat,” “Torrential Tribute,” “Black Salvo,” “Destiny Hero - Plasma,” and “Mirror Force.” He Set two cards to his back row, Set a monster, and ended. Holloway sent “Card Trooper,” “Necro Gardna,” and “Wulf, Lightsworn Beast” to his Graveyard with “Charge of the Light Brigade,” searched his deck for “Aurkus, Lightsworn Druid,” and Special Summoned Wulf. 
He Set one face-down Spell or Trap Card, and Corn immediately blasted him with “Crush Card Virus”! Corn Tributed “Black Salvo” to destroy Wulf, and reveal Holloway’s hand of “Garoth, Lightsworn Warrior,” “Aurkus, Lightsworn Druid,” “Necro Gardna,” “Charge of the Light Brigade,” and “Bottomless Trap Hole.” Garoth was also destroyed and play proceeded, with Corn now knowing every card Holloway had except his face-down. Another Charge sent two copies of “Solar Recharge” and “Bottomless Trap Hole” to the Graveyard, netting Holloway “Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner” from his Deck. He Normal Summoned her, discarded “Necro Gardna” for her effect to Special Summon “Garoth, Lightsworn Warrior,” and refused to attack, fearing “Mirror Force” after a quick review of Corn’s Graveyard. He sent five cards to the Graveyard in his End Phase, kicking “Necro Gardna” to the Graveyard but not drawing anything with Garoth.
Corn activated “Scapegoat” in the End Phase, but when he Tributed three of the Tokens for Plasma next turn, Holloway responded with “Royal Oppression”! Corn shook his head. He had one Sheep Token left and Set two of his three remaining cards: including “Mirror Force.” Holloway attacked next turn and Corn flipped it to destroy Garoth and Lumina. Corn was clearly not happy, stuck with a dead copy of “Destiny Hero – Malicious” in hand. Holloway summoned Aurkus, Set a back row card, and sent two more cards to his Grave.
Corn passed, and Holloway revealed his last draw under “Crush Card Virus”: “Pot of Avarice”! Aurkus destroyed Corn’s last Sheep Token, Holloway sent “Wulf, Lightsworn Beast” to the Graveyard with Aurkus’s effect, and Corn paid 800 Life Points to negate its Special Summon with “Royal Oppression.” Corn drew and was holding “Blackwing - Gale the Whirlwind,” “Mind Control,” and Malicious. He took 1200 damage from Aurkus, and Holloway sent “Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter” and “Honest” to his Graveyard. Corn caught “Allure of Darkness,” drew “Threatening Roar” and another Allure, and removed Gale. He Set Threatening and ended, soon taking another 1200 from Aurkus. He was down to 4800 Life Points. Holloway Set a monster, and play was back to Corn, who drew “Gold Sarcophagus.”
“Allure of Darkness” got him “Mind Crush” and “Mystical Space Typhoon,” costing him his Malicious. He activated Sarcophagus to remove “Gorz the Emissary of Darkness” from his Deck – it was a tough decision that Corn didn’t seem happy with. He Set a Spell or Trap Card and ended.
In his Draw Phase, Holloway activated a blind “Mystical Space Typhoon,” targeting his own “Royal Oppression.” Corn then activated “Mind Crush,” calling “Pot of Avarice,” forcing Holloway to discard it.
That left Holloway to Flip Summon “Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress”! Not an obvious Set play, and Corn fired back with “Torrential Tribute.” Holloway Normal Summoned “Honest,” attacked, and bounced it back to his hand. Holloway had two cards in hand and one more Set when he finished his turn.
Corn drew for his turn and Set a Spell or Trap, ending with “Threatening Roar” and “Heavy Storm” Set, plus “Mystical Space Typhoon” and “Mind Control” in hand. Holloway Special Summoned “Judgment Dragon” next turn! Corn Chained “Threatening Roar” when Holloway activated the Dragon’s effect. Hollioway lost “Bottomless Trap Hole” and couldn’t attack for the turn. He sent four cards to his Graveyard in the End Phase including “Plaguespreader Zombie.”
Corn drew a monster next turn, took his Gorz from the removed zone, and Set his monster. Holloway paid another 1000 Life Points to destroy Corn’s face-down “Plaguespreader Zombie,” sent a card to the top of his deck to Special Summon his own Plaguespreader, attacked with “Judgment Dragon,” and Corn was down to 700 Life Points. He Special Summoned Gorz in Defense Position, Special Summoned the “Emissary of Darkness Token” in defense, and Holloway moved to Main Phase 2.
The match was over! He Normal Summoned Lumina, discarded to bring back “Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter” with Lumina’s effect, and tuned both to “Plaguespreader Zombie.” That was all he needed to drop “Dark Strike Fighter,” and he Tributed it to finish the Duel and the match!
Adam Corn gets some rough beats in Duel 1 and Holloway capitalizes, sweeping the previous National Champion 2-0 to move on undefeated!
reported by
Jason Grabher-Meyer
