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Top 64 Playoff Feature Match:
Billy Brake versus William Rodriguez
William Rodriguez traveled here this weekend from Hartford, Connecticut, and is facing off against Dallas’ Billy Brake in a Synchro Cat mirror match. Would Brake win another mirror match (it would be his fifth), or would Rodriguez take him down?
Both Duelists shook hands before getting started. Rodriguez opened the match with a Set card to each zone. Brake had “Rescue Cat,” “Scapegoat,” “Book of Moon,” “X-Saber Airbellum,” “Pot of Avarice,” and “Torrential Tribute.” He Set Torrential, Set “Scapegoat,” and ended. Rodriguez passed, play was back to Brake, and he drew “Sangan.” He Set it, ended, and Rodriguez Set another monster. Brake drew “Bottomless Trap Hole.” He Flip Summoned “Sangan,” responded with “Torrential Tribute,” and Rodriguez lost his “Gravekeeper's Guard” and “Des Koala”! Brake searched his Deck with “Sangan’s” effect, grabbing a copy of “Summoner Monk.”
He Normal Summoned “X-Saber Airbellum” to try and press his advantage, forcing Rodriguez to flip “Threatening Roar.” Brake Set Bottomless, ended, and play was back to Rodriguez.
He drew to six cards in hand, Set a monster yet again, and ended. Brake flipped “Scapegoat” in the End Phase. He drew another “Rescue Cat,” Synchro Summoned “Dark Strike Fighter,” and shuffled his hand. He ran some numbers before Summoning “Rescue Cat,” sending it to the Graveyard to Summon “X-Saber Airbellum” and “Neo-Spacian Dark Panther” from his Deck, and Tuned them to Synchro Summon “Goyo Guardian.” He then activated “Pot of Avarice” to send all of his in-Graveyard monsters back to his Deck.
He drew “Book of Moon” and “Mirror Force,” then attacked with “Goyo Guardian.” Goyo slammed into “Sea Koala.” “I’ll take it” announced Brake. He made a direct attack with “Dark Strike Fighter,” tributed it in Main Phase 2, and Set a Spell or Trap Card to finish out. The Duel stood at 4000 Life Points to 8000 in Brake’s favor.
Rodriguez still seemed to have nothing going on, despite holding a hand of six cards. He Set one Spell or Trap Card as his only move. Brake drew and had “Rescue Cat,” Airbellum, “Summoner Monk,” “Book of Moon,” and “Mirror Force” in hand. He Normal Summoned “X-Saber Airbellum,” attacked, and Rodriguez took the hit, losing “Mind Control” from his hand. Brake tried to attack for game with Goyo, but lost out to “Book of Moon.” In Main Phase 2 he Tuned Airbellum to “Sea Koala,” Synchro Summoned “Magical Android,” and gained 600 Life Points. The Duel now stood at 8600 Life Points to 2400.
“Monster Reborn” let Rodriguez take Brake’s “Dark Strike Fighter” – he didn’t activate its effect right away, so Brake responded with “Bottomless Trap Hole.” “Magical Android” and Goyo were more than enough to end the Duel next turn, and Rodriguez revealed his hand: 2 “Cold Wave,” a dead “Pot of Avarice,” and “Gorz the Emissary of Darkness.” The latter was useless because he’d just drawn it.
Billy Brake devastates Williams Rodriguez in Duel 1 of this match, finishing the Duel with more Life Points than he started with! Side Decking was quick on both sides of the table, and Rodriguez started Duel 2.
He opened with a Set card to each zone like last game. Brake had two “X-Saber Airbellum,” “Mind Control,” “Heavy Storm,” “Giant Trunade,” and “Summoner Monk.” He activated Trunade, cleared the field, and activated “Mind Control” – he took Rodriguez’s “Des Koala”! He Flip Summoned the Koala to dish out 2000 damage, Summoned “Summoner Monk,” and discarded “Heavy Storm” to get “Rescue Cat”! That got him “X-Saber Airbellum” and “Neo-Spacian Dark Panther”… Not enough to make game.
Brake stumbled on the numbers a bit. He attacked with “X-Saber Airbellum” for 1600 damage, forcing the discard of “Bottomless Trap Hole.” He attacked with Dark Panther next, Synchro Summoned “Goyo Guardian,” and ended with Goyo and Monk on the field. Brake was instantly beating himself up for playing too aggressively. “I saw “Des Koala” there and just thought it didn’t matter!” He didn’t realize that since he couldn’t Tribute two of his monsters to “Dark Strike Fighter,” he didn’t have enough damage for game. That was going to cost him.
“De-Synchro” eliminated “Goyo Guardian” next turn, sending it back to Brake’s Extra Deck! “Mind Control” let Rodriguez take “Summoner Monk,” he Normal Summoned “X-Saber Airbellum,” and he discarded for “Rescue Cat.” He sent “Rescue Cat” to the Graveyard, Special Summoning another “X-Saber Airbellum” and “Neo-Spacian Dark Panther.” The real depth of Brake’s mistake was revealed: he discarded his two remaining cards, two copies of Airbellum. “I saw the “Des Koala” and just went for it. I forgot I had both Airbellums.” Rodriguez was now in a great position. He Tuned Airbellum to “Summoner Monk” for “Arcanite Magician,” Tuned his second Airbellum to Dark Panther for “Goyo Guardian,” and finished his turn by Setting his last card.
Brake drew and Special Summoned “Cyber Dragon”! He attacked Arcanite, destroyed it, and lost “Cyber Dragon” to “Goyo Guardian” next turn. Brake Set his topdecked monster, Rodriguez activated “Pot of Avarice” to draw two cards, and caught “Mind Control” – that was all he needed to finish the Duel.
A big error from Billy Brake leaves him over-invested and out of options! William Rodriguez presses this match to a third and final Duel!
Brake opened with “Threatening Roar,” “Monster Reborn,” “Pot of Avarice,” “Rose, Warrior of Revenge,” “Gravekeeper's Guard,” and “Gravekeeper's Spy.” He Set Guard, Set Roar, and ended. Rodriguez activated “Heavy Storm” and Brake Chained the Roar! “Wow, you must have an OTK hand. Why couldn’t that have been “Cold Wave”?” Rodriguez Set a monster and ended.
Brake Flip Summoned “Gravekeeper's Guard,” sending Rodriguez’s monster back to his hand. He Normal Summoned “Rose, Warrior of Revenge,” Synchro Summoned “Thought Ruler Archfiend,” and attacked for 2700 damage. Play was to Rodriguez.
He Set another monster and Brake drew, now holding Spy, “Sangan,” “Monster Reborn,” “Pot of Avarice,” and another Roar. He Summoned “Sangan,” activated Reborn, brought back Rose, and Synchro Summoned “Dark Strike Fighter”! “Sangan” got him “Rescue Cat” from his Deck. “Attack with Thought Ruler” was his next move.
Rodriguez flipped up “Gravekeeper's Guard”! He sent Thought Ruler back to Brake’s Extra Deck after much debate, a decision that telegraphed “Mind Control” or “Brain Control.” “Dark Strike Fighter” attacked next for 2600 damage and Brake Tributed it for 1400 damage, smelling that “Mind Control” or “Brain Control.” He Set Roar and ended. Rodriguez was down to 1300 Life Points.
He activated “Cold Wave” and Brake Chained his second Roar! Rodriguez seemed aggravated, and Set another monster. Brake drew “Beast King Barbaros,” a very interesting card in this matchup. He Normal Summoned “Rescue Cat,” sent it to the Graveyard, and Special Summoned “X-Saber Airbellum” and “Neo-Spacian Dark Panther.” He Synchro Summoned “Goyo Guardian,” attacked, and hit Rodriguez’s “X-Saber Airbellum”! He Special Summoned it in Defense Position after a brief bit of hesitation and ended.
“De-Synchro” cost Brake his “Goyo Guardian” yet again! But Rodriguez didn’t seem to have a follow-up. He Normal Summoned “Des Koala,” took control of Airbellum with “Mind Control,” and attacked with the Koala. He Synchro Summoned “Goyo Guardian” in Main Phase 2, Set a Spell or Trap, and ended with one card in hand.
“Pot of Avarice” got Brake two more cards next turn, leaving him with a hand of “Brain Control,” “Gravekeeper's Spy,” Barbaros, “Scapegoat,” and “Gravekeeper's Guard.” He activated “Brain Control,” attacked, and Rodriguez revealed his face-down: “Pot of Avarice”! Brake immediately extended the handshake and Rodriguez was out of the tournament.
Billy Brake moves on to the Top 32. He’s now just four wins away from a trip to Tokyo, and five wins away from the title of U.S. National Champion!
reported by
Jason Grabher-Meyer
