Round 8 Feature Match: Giannis Tato vs Leonidas Mpeis

We have reached the final swiss round and we will focus on a bubble match. Tato is the most successful Chaos Plant player today and Mpeis is playing Six Samurai. Both players are at 6-1 and a win here is vital for a top 8 finish. Tato wins the dice roll and will play first.

Initial hand of Tato: Lonefire Blossom, Monster Reborn, Foolish Burial, Return from the Different Dimension, Mystical Space Typhoon.

Tato drew Seven Tools of the Bandit and immediately started his combos. He normal summoned Blossom, tributed it to special summon another and tributed the new one to summon Dandylion. Monster Reborn for Blossom and tribute Dandylion to special summon Spore and 2 tokens to his field. He tuned Spore and one of the tokens for Formula Synchron to draw Mystic Tomato. Then removed the Blossom in his graveyard to special summon Spore back to the field and tuned it with the remaining token and the other Blossom for Stardust Dragon! He set 4 cards to his backrow and ended his turn with a very comfortable setup.

Mpeis drew and asks his opponent for the effects of Shooting Star. After a lot of thinking he activates mystical targeting a face down card and Tato lets it pass. Foolish Burial was destroyed. He then activated Dark Hole and Stardust negated it. He followed up with Signal for Spirit of the Six Samurai and normal summoned it. He special summoned Grandmaster and equipped Spirit to him but when he attacked Formula, Tato activated Mystical to destroy Spirit. Formula was destroyed, and Mpeis set a spell or trap before passing. Tato brought back Stardust.

Tato drew Effect Veiler. He normal summoned Tomato. Stardust ran over Grandmaster and Mystic Tomato attacked directly.

Mpeis drew and set one more spell or trap.

Tato drew Pot of Avarice and attacked directly with both of his monsters.

Mpeis drew. He activated Double-Edged Technique but Tato chained Seven Tools to negate it. He set a card to each zone and passed.

Tato drew another Pot of Avarice. He activated Return but Mpeis used Oppression to block it. Stardust destoyed the set monster and Tomato attacked directly.

Mpeis drew Gateway and scooped revealing his set Double-Edged which was now dead due to the Oppression.

Both players had drawn into god hands, since Mpeis had the Shi En plus Oppression combo in his opening hand, but only the player who won the dice roll managed to put his plans to motion. Tato is leading the match with 1-0.

Initial hand of Tato: Solemn Judgment, Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress, Mystical Space Typhoon, Seven Tools of the Bandit and Debris Dragon.

Mpeis kicked off things with Signal for Kageki and then Upstart Goblin. He drew into Gateway! He normal summoned Kageki to special summon kagemsha and then special summon Kizan. He synchro summoned Shi En and then used his bushido counters to search his deck for Grandmaster and Hand. He set one spell or trap and passed.

Tato drew Puppet Plant and used it to take control of Shi En. He then activated Mystical to destroy the face down Reinforcements of the Army of his opponent. He normal summoned Lyla, ran over Kizan with Shi En and attacked directly with Lyla. In main phase 2 Lyla destroyed Gateway and Tato set 2 cards in his backrow. In the end phase Shi En was returned to Mpeis and Lyla milled Gorz, Monster Reborn and Giant Trunade.

Mpeis special summoned Grandmaster and ran over Lyla, then Shi En attacked directly. He set a spell or trap and passed.

Tato summoned Doomcaliber Knight.

Mpeis summoned Hand and tribute it to take Doomcaliber with it to the graveyard. He special summoned Kizan and attacked with everything for game!

Mpeis equals the score! We move on to a third and final duel.

Initial hand of Tato: Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo, Charge of the Light Brigade, Mystical Space Typhoon, Torrential Tribute and Solemn Warning.

Tato drew Debris Dragon. He activated Charge to mill Ryko, Caius and Trap Dustshoot and add Ryko from his deck to his hand. He normal summoned Debris to special summon Ryko and then Synchro Summoned Iron Chain Dragon. He set 3 cards to his backrow and passed.

Mpeis activates Signal for Hand which he normal summoned it on the field. He special summoned Kizan but Torrential Tribute cleared the field. Then he activated Dimensional Fissure and set 2 cards to his backrow.

Tato drew another Pachycephalo. He normal summoned it and attacked directly.

Mpeis tried to normal summon Kizan but Solemn Warning stopped him and Kizan was removed.

Tato drew Chaos Sorcerer. Pachycephalo attacked directly and then he set Ryko.

Mpeis set a monster and passed.

Tato drew Dandylion. In standby phase Mpeis flipped Rivarly of Warlords but Tato used Mystical to destroy it. He then flipped Ryko but Mpeis activated Warning to negate the summon.

Mpeis set another card to his backrow on the following turn and passed back.

Tato drew Mystical and set it.

Mpeis activated Reinforcements of the Army to add Kagemusha to his hand. He normal summoned it and flipped the set Kageki. Kageki attacked Pachycephalo and Tato activated Mystical to target one of his opponents face down cards. Mpeis used another set card, a Magatama, to protect his other set card and negate Mystical. Pachycephalo was destroyed and Kagemusha attacked directly. In main phase 2, he thought for some moments and then he synchro summoned Shi En after he noted that there were 1 light and 1 dark monster in his opponent's graveyard.

Tato drew Mind Crush. He special summoned Chaos Sorcerer in attack position and removed Shi En with its effect. Then normal summoned Pachycephalo and attacked directly. He set a spell or trap before passing.

Mpeis drew and normal summoned Kizan. Kizan ran over Pachycephalo and in main phase 2 he activated Double-Edged for Kizan and Hand. Hand tributed Kizan to destroy Chaos Sorcerer and in end phase it self-destructed for 1600 damage. Time was called at this point. Life Points were 4500-2400 with Tato leading.

Tato drew Gorz and passed.

Mpeis drew to one card in his hand and Tato with 2 cards in his hand (Gorz and Dandylion) activated Mind Crush declaring Grandmaster and he got it right!!! Kizan attacked directly and Tato dropped Gorz!

Next turn Tato drew Chaos Sorcerer then summoned Dandylion and attacked with everything for game!

A risky Mind Crush payed out extremely well for Tato and clinched the final duel in his favor! Tato overcame Mpeis with 2-1 to secure a place in the top 8!