7 Fish x 3

Harpies Brother x 3

LaJinn x 3

Dark Zebra x 2

Jirai Gumo

Maha Vailo

Hayabusa Knight

Goblin Attack Force

Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer

Summoned Skull x 3

Jinzo

Barrel Dragon

Trap Master

Sangan

Wall of Illusion x 2

Cyber Jar

Magician of Faith

Mad Sword Beast

Witch of the Black Forest

Man-Eater Bug x 3

Giant Soldier of Stone

Big Eye

Exchange

Tribute to the Doomed

Monster Reborn

Fissure x 2

Change of Heart

Raigeki

Pot of Greed

Malevolent Nuzzler

Megamorph

Axe of Despair x 3

Snatch Steal

Heavy Storm

Mystical Space Typhoon x2

Call of the Haunted

Dust Tornado

Solemn Judgement

Mirror Force

Magic Drain

Seven Tools of the Bandit

Michizure

Robbin’ Goblin

Imperial Order

Yeah, it’s a big deck, but more times than not, I have won with it in any match that goes more than 10 rounds and am especially good (or lucky?) against Exodia. I like it cuz' I have something for every situation with this deck, and despite it’s size, all of my cards work in harmony, so I an never left with some busted combo cuz I don’t have a card to complete it. As with any primary Beatdown deck, I can normally stand with my monsters alone, but I have at least 10 strategies built in with my magic and traps plus my support monsters, that, provided I have the time, will come through in the end. Plus, most folk I play here in Raleigh, NC run with bigger decks anyway unless they are a) Heavy Tourney playas or b) are running Exodia. So I really don’t run into the issue of being too big that much and I doubt I'd deck-out against most of my opponents. Plus, it’s all HOTC (Heart O’ the Cards) anyway!

Duelist: Dedren Snead

Duelist Name: Ghetto Kaiba

Representing: Yu-Ghett-Oh! Duel Posse Raleigh, NC

Email: dolomite213@hotmail.com

Website: www.angelfire.com/games5/yu-ghett-oh

Check out my site, Duel Monsters in Da’ Hood! and show some love!

March 12, 2003

Toy Chest, Raleigh NC

Entry Fee: 5 bucks

Prize: 2 Booster Packs of Choice (but everyone gets 1 Pack just for registering, sweet!)

I’ve been to this tourney for a month since my man Damion put me onto it and I have progressed pretty nicely. The kids there now know who I am now and no one wants to see me across from then, cuz the boy got skillz!! Normally there are about 20-30 people playing, though there are a ton of young kids trading the whole time. First time I went I got to the second round. Next time I got to the Finals, but I got shafted cuz the store was about to close and the final round was just 1 single match long and dude got me on a HOTC draw of Change of Heart as the last play! The following week I got to the Final Four, but this kid cried cuz I won a flip with Jirai Gumo (said I didn’t flip it high enough, dude was tossing his coins to the frickin’ ceiling!) to win a match. I was nice and reflipped it and LOST, then he came back to win the duel. So I was nice to a wee one and was hungry for a McRib anyway, so I didn’t feel too bad about leaving early. Last week, I just got ran after the! judge went on a tirade about long matches. We got 2 moves each and I was screwed because he had Solemn Wishes up the entire time. So the kid was out first round! The agony!! But this week, I am out for the blood of the children!

Match 1: Darren (the kid!) Vs John

I played this young kid named John. He was a nice kid, but beginner to most of these kids here. We talked cards for a minute and he was in awe of my card collection (grin) the whole time I was there. But we were kinda early, so we went ahead and started the show.

Round 1: I go first and immediately play a Cyber Jar in defense. We’re both running Beatdowns, but I wager I have more and better monsters in my deck than his, especially as I am holding nothing else but Magic and Trap cards. He plays some cards and sets in Def. and I flip my Jar and get a great pull. A Harpy’s Bro. and a Mad Sword Beast along with Raigeki and Man-Eater Bug. He doesn’t get anything, so I hit his LPs. He tries to Dark Hole, but I play Imperial Order on it. This goes pretty fast as I Raigeki him, place another monster down and end it. I only lost LPs thanks to 1 extra round of Imperial Order. 7300-0 / 8000-4800-1150-0

Round 2: I play a 7Fish and hit him quickly. He seems not to be drawing anything this game and he is already frustrated. I give him another go and he plays Upstart Goblin, but gets nothing to help him. I play Maha Valio with an Axe (3050 Atk.) and hit him, though he Mirror Walls me, but I counter with a Solemn Judgement to go ahead and end it. Good match though, John. A little practice and you’ll get there! 8000-9000-4500 / 8000-9000-7200-2350-0

Match 2: Darren Vs. Steve-O

This guy seems to be in his early 20’s, kinda close to my age. He has a bunch of tattoos and I just call him Steve-O so I can remember his name. He plays a Beatdown deck too and seems like I’ve played him before. He was good enough not to take lightly if I remember correctly and he turned me on to this little rich kid that cheats and plays with extra cards in his Exodia deck, whom I beat on my way to the Finals 2 weeks ago. So we get a space and prepare for battle:

Round 1: I get a crappy hand to start things off and he gets out Swords of Revealing Light on me to start. I make it through by putting all my good Attack monsters in Def. mode, but lose so many during those 3 turns, after the Swords is finished, I don’t have anything to attack with. I have to Raigeki and attack with my Witch of Black Forest, hoping she gets creamed and I can go for another good attack monster. It works, but I’m badly beaten in the process. I get a couple of good trap cards, namely Mirror Force on the field and hope to lure him into rushing me by playing only a Harpie’s Bro. in attack against 3 of his monsters. However there is a slight miscalculation about his hand: Jinzo! He brings him out and that stops my plan. But all is not lost. I Snatch Steal his Jinzo and then start clearing out his weaker monsters. The tables have turned! But he HOTC picks a Giant Trunade, which washes away my Snatch Steal and gives him back his Jinzo and I get knocked out. Loss! in Round 1. 8000-4800-4750-0/ 8000-6200-4500-5500

Round 2: I Cyber Jar off top and get a good draw, but he Dark Holes the field and plays LaJinn to attack. I Reborn a Summoned Skull I got up before the DHole and play my own LaJinn. Some card Ekibyo(I misspelled it, but its LON) gets attacked to my Skull and he brings out Jinzo to get my LaJinn. He manages to get Toon World out and gets a Toon BEWD on the field and it goes for my LPs, but he’s down so low, he can’t hit me but once! Its 2600-300 with me a good draw away from losing. I place my faith in the deck and HOTC baby, Tribute To the Doomed! I get rid of Toon Blue Eyes and hit him to end it. That was close! It’s tied with Round 2 to me. 8000-6200-5600-2600 / 8000-5500-3600-1800-800-300

Final Round, Fight!!

Steve-O learns quickly. He doesn’t have any Axe of Despairs while I have begged and scraped my way into getting 3 in my deck. So he starts the game off with Prohibition against Axe of Despair! I about fall backwards in shock. He plays Senju, and I know he is trying to search for Relinquished. This turns out being a long and drawn out battle, is isn’t until I Heavy Storm him and get my Axes back that I begin attacking, and even then its pretty evenly matched. I get a Barrel Dragon out, but he Snatch Steals it and beats me with my own monster! I luck up as he keeps missing the flips with Barrel Dragon’s Effect, so I hold out until I get control back. The Judge sees how big a match is and the Trainer Kid comes over and looks at us for a while. Everyone keeps peeking over my shoulder and running back and forth between us. I end up winning it somehow and then I find out I am to play the League Trainer, this kid named Jakob.

Elite Eight: Me vs. Jakob

I think Jakob is maybe 11 or 12, but he is the Store Trainer and a damned good dueler. He knows every rule by heart and has like 3 Exodia sets to spare, a handful of Chasers and Gemini Elves, you know, just a tyrant around these kids. He plays a cool deck that is Beatdown, but has Exodia in it with support. I never played him before today and really didn’t talk to him before this match too. I know he knows me, but there are like 4 guys at this store who just continuously win and I know 2 of those guys are ranked nationally. And Jakob is like the little Kingpin around Toy Chest, but we shall see how his skills fare against mine!

Round 1: Did I mention I was actually kinda nervous? I apologize but my notes are about to get pretty short. I got him on a bad draw the first time and just rushed in with my guns blazing. He put up a Messenger of Peace and got me locked down for a minute, but I just built up to the tanks and held out for a removal card. I forget what I had, but I got a Space Typhoon and hit him for like 6000 LP damage when I got the Messenger off. One more round and that sealed the deal with a perfect match! 8000 / 8000-79~7500-1350-0.

Round 2: Ok that’s the end of my notes, I just remember I had the match won, but a mistimed Raigeki on my end cost me this match. I was gonna Snatch Steal a monster of his, Raigeki, then attack to end the match, but I Raigeki’d first, so when I attacked, I didn’t kill him. That was all the opening he needed. I think I got Raigeki’d myself, then he came back and beat me. I had him, I HAD HIM!! I was sick after that!

Final Round: Remember I said he had Exodia in this deck? He pulled it on me in like 5 rounds just on drawing from his deck. I had completely forgot he had it until he was showing them to me in his hand. But my consolation was that he said "You had me, man. I was scared." And I felt like at least I could hold my own with the big boys here!

And guess who I would have played after that: that kid Oliver that cried about the coin flip 2 weeks ago! I want to beat him down so bad I was even sicker than ever now! All I could do now was wander around the store in disgust!

So I got my pack, though he was out of Tourney Packs by this League and of course I got crap in my Magic Ruler pack. I’m still seeking a Dragon Seeker and a Beautiful Headhuntress. Oh well, I see I need to fine tune a couple of things, but I plan on coming back next week, mo’ nasty than ever!!

Props:

To at least getting past the first round this time!

Snatch Steal, saving me time and time again!

Showing people I can play with a big deck

My corporate sponsor: McDonald’s McRib, baby!

Slops:

My Yu-Ghett-Oh! Playas not showing up (though I know it’s finals soon!)

Not thinking through my play to win an important match

Worst of all, so mad at losing, I blew an awesome Exodia set trade in my favor!!

Peace from Ghetto Kaiba!

Email me at Dolomite213@hotmail.com with rants, tips, chat and whatever else and don't forget to show some love to my site, Yu-Ghett-Oh!