Subject: Clear/Strike - Tiger - Rookie's Sports Cards - Davie, FL

Deck: Clear/Strike
Player: Tiger
Location: Rookie's Sports Cards, Davie, FL
Date: Oct. 19, 2002
# of Participants: 16

I usually play at a different shop, but I decided to
try this one out.  Most folks there do not play by
standard rules, which is why this tournament (Upper
Deck official) was so small.  I generally show well at
my normal shop (in fact I played there later this same
day and got 3rd out of 28), but in this tournament I
lost in the first round.  I thought y'all would
benefit from knowing how.

Deck Strategy:
Focus on removing opponents monsters to set up direct
damage attacks from my own high level monsters.

Deck List: 41 cards
Monsters: 22
3 Man Eater Bug
3 Hane-Hane
3 Wall of Illusion
3 Magician of Faith
1 Cyber Jar
1 La Jinn
1 7 Colored Fish
1 Masked Sorcerer
2 Summoned Skull
2 Judge Man (need another Skull)
1 Barrel Dragon
1 Invader of the Throne (trying it out, anything to
gain Monster advantage)

Magic: 9
3 Fissure
1 Axe of Despair
1 Last Will
1 Heavy Storm
Change of Heart
Monster Reborn
Confiscation

Traps: 10
3 Trap Hole
3 Waboku
1 Ultimate Offering
Mirror Force
Magic Jammer
Seven Tools

Deck notes:  I finally got my Raigeki later this same
day.  Raigeki is currently in my deck, but was not for
this tournament.

Round one and only vs. Angelo:
I am a better duelist than this fellow.  He is not
poor, but I am better.  I made a mistake involving
Ultimate Offering, which can be an amazing card if you
use it correctly.  I drew Barrel Dragon.  Love this
card, love its effect because half the time you can
kill two monsters at once.  Now I have 7 Colored Fish, 
Hane-Hane, and Barrel Dragon.  Angelo has one card face 
down and I have none.  I want his card to go away, and 
I do not want to wait, so I use Ultimate Offering twice 
to throw away my Fish and Hane-Hane and summon Big Nasty 
(BD).  Big Nasty's effect wipes out his monster and I 
drop 2600 direct damage on him.  Now I have seen this 
kid's hand because of Confiscation and he has no Fissure.  
Well guess what he draws.  Oh yes.  Big Nasty, meet Mr. 
Fissure.  Bye Bye Barrel Dragon.  Now he gets me for 
direct damage and has the monster advantage back.  Normally 
this is no problem, I can turn the tables again but because 
of my Ultimate Offering I HAVE NO CARDS LEFT.  I cannot 
ever get my advantage back and I lose.

Second match, I'm winning 4000-3000.  I have a
Summoned Skull with a Wall of Illusion in attack mode
(from Last Will previous turn).  I look NICE.  Now
Angelo drops a very impressive combo on me to send me
packing for my next tournament.  He plays Wall of
Illusion in attack mode.  So what.  Well now he plays
Change of Heart to take my Skull.  This is still ok,
because I plan to get my Skull back and still have the 
advantage.  Well he kills both our Walls of Illusion, 
so I am bracing for 2500 direct damage (that I KNOW Angelo 
is getting right back) when he drops Megamorph on MY skull 
for 5000 points in my ear.  I lose.

This was a lousy performance by me, but we are going
to learn two lessons from it.  A) Use Ultimate
Offering only if you will wind up with MORE THAN ONE
monster on the field.  That's why you play it.  B) Try
not to deplete your hand.  You will not enjoy the reprocussions.  
Combos are what swing the game.

I kept these tips in mind later that day when I got
third place.

Good luck duelists-
Tiger- SamTiger54@yahoo.com