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Round 4 Feature Match:
Matt Hoey Versus Ervin So
Two rather well-recognized Duelists are duking it out here in Round 4, in a Synchro Cat mirror match. Each Duelist is running their own tech – Ervin So is packing “Mirror of Oaths” and “Fissure,” while Matt Hoey is running “Doomcaliber Knight.” Should be a good one!
So opened the match with “Crush Card Virus,” “Brain Control,” “Fissure,” “Gorz the Emissary of Darkness,” “Gravekeeper's Spy,” and “Mind Control.” He Set Spy and ended. “My hand is atrocious,” remarked Hoey, setting one Spell or Trap Card and ending. So Flip Summoned Spy, Special Summoned “Gravekeeper's Guard” in Defense Position, and attacked for 1200 damage. He set “Crush Card Virus” and ended.
Hoey fired back with “Rescue Cat”! He sent it to the Graveyard to Special Summon two copies of “X-Saber Airbellum.” He activated “Brain Control,” targeting “Gravekeeper's Guard,” and So chained “Crush Card Virus”! Hoey chained “Solemn Judgment” to negate it, attacked over “Gravekeeper's Spy,” and then swung into Gorz!
“You know, I’m just gonna scoop it up right there” remarked Hoey. “I have absolutely no plays.” So didn’t have much going on either, but was happy to take the win.
Matt Hoey scoops to what must have been a seriously dreadful hand, and Ervin So takes an easy win in Duel 1! Not Matt Hoey’s greatest showing by far, but hopefully he could redeem himself in the second Duel.
“I won’t lie,” remarked So, cheerful. “I’ve opened with Crush like, seven games out of ten today!” He smiled happily. “I’m not even kidding! On the drive here we saw shooting stars, and I wished to win the Jump!” Hoey laughed and So just kept on going. “We saw like, eight of them! Kyle Andrews wished on seven of them, but I think he wished on the wrong ones.” So grew serious for a moment, or at least appeared to. He looked Hoey in the eye: “No offense dude, but you’ve got the stars against you.” Laughter ensued and the second Duel began.
Hoey Set a monster, Set a Spell or Trap Card and ended. So drew and had two Airbellum, “Waboku,” “Smashing Ground,” “Cold Wave,” and “Blackwing - Gale the Whirlwind.” Hoey Flip Summoned “Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter,” sent “Brain Control,” “Book of Moon,” and “Cold Wave” to the Graveyard, and So chained Ryko’s target: “Waboku.” “Yeah! Three Spells in my Graveyard!” Hoey tried to remain upbeat. He Set a card to each Zone and ended.
So activated “Allure of Darkness.” He removed Gale for Allure’s effect, Summoned “Sangan,” and attacked Ryko. He followed up by Setting “Smashing Ground.” Hoey Set a monster, So Set a monster, and he turned “Sangan” to Defense Position. Hoey passed, So activated “Cold Wave,” and he Flip Summoned “X-Saber Airbellum”! He Tuned it to “Sangan,” Synchro Summoned “Goyo Guardian,” and used “Sangan” to search for “Summoner Monk.” He Summoned it, turned it to Defense Position, and debated his hand: “Pot of Avarice,” “Cold Wave,” “Brain Control,” and “X-Saber Airbellum.” He pitched his second “Cold Wave” for “Summoner Monk’s” effect, Special Summoned “Rescue Cat,” then sent it to the Graveyard to Special Summon “X-Saber Airbellum” and “Des Koala.”
He Tuned Airbellum to ‘Summoner Monk,” brought out “Arcanite Magician” in Defense Position, and blew away Hoey’s face-down “Book of Moon.” He then destroyed one of Hoey’s monsters, the first one Hoey had Set – “Mystic Tomato.” “Des Koala” attacked Hoey’s face-down “Neo-Spacian Dark Panther,” then made a direct attack with “Goyo Guardian.” It was like So could read Hoey’s mind, sending the low ATK Koala to do the dirty work of eliminating a monster while swinging with his high-ATK “Goyo Guardian.” “Des Koala” was destroyed in the End Phase, Hoey Set a monster, and play was back to So.
So now had “Brain Control,” “Pot of Avarice,” Airbellum, and “Mystic Tomato” in hand. He sent back “Sangan,” “Summoner Monk,” “Rescue Cat,” and two “X-Saber Airbellum” to his Deck for “Pot of Avarice,” and drew “Book of Moon” and “Sangan.” He Set Book, attacked with “Goyo Guardian” into “Gravekeeper's Guard,” and lost Goyo back to his Extra Deck via Guard’s effect.
Hoey wiped the Spell and Trap Card Zones with “Giant Trunade,” then Special Summoned “Dark Armed Dragon”! He removed Guard to destroy So’s face-down “Sangan”! That let So get “Summoner Monk” from his Deck, and “Dark Armed Dragon” attacked Arcanite to destroy it. He Set a Monster, Set two cards to his Spell and Trap Card Zone, and ended.
So activated “Brain Control,” ate “Solemn Judgment,” and then activated the “Mind Control” he’d drawn that very turn! Hoey handed over his “Dark Armed Dragon” and then immediately offered the handshake.
The stars do indeed seem perfectly aligned in Ervin So’s favor! Could we see a breakout performance from So this weekend? We’ll find out, as the tournament continues.
reported by
Jason Grabher-Meyer
