It is Round 1 here at TEAM YCS Las Vegas, and we have a familiar face joining us!

Representing The People’s Card Shop in Las Vegas, we have Aiden Gastelum, Anthony Hubbs, and Ed Acepcion. Together, they are Team TPCS Daycare! Ed and Aiden are cousins, while Anthony is one of the regulars at the store.

Opposite them are Mark, Kristopher, and Joseph Vianello. This father-son-son team is Team Strangers With Candy. The three of them are from Prescott Valley, Arizona, and are excited to be playing together as a family.

Acepcion is playing Monarchs, while Vianello is using a Vanquish Soul deck. It is the first round, and both Duelists are eager to start the tournament off with a win. 

Duel One:

Vianello won the dice roll and chose to go first.

Vianello started the duel with a Normal Summon of Vanquish Soul Razen! He activated Razen’s effect and added Vanquish Soul Heavy Borger from his Deck. Vianello activated Stake your Soul! and revealed Heavy Borger. He Special Summoned Vanquish Soul Dr. Mad Love from his Deck. Vianello then activated the effect of his Dr. Mad Love and added Vanquish Soul, Start!. He used Start’s effect and added Vanquish Soul Jiaolong to his hand. 

Vianello then activated the effect of Vanquish Soul Hollie Sue in his hand and Special Summoned it to the field. He then revealed Jiaolong and Heavy Borger from his hand to activate Hollie Sue’s effect. He Special Summoned Vanquish Soul Caesar Valius from his Deck, and then Special Summoned Heavy Borger by returning his Dr. Mad Love. He used Heavy Borger’s effect and drew a card.

Vianello Link Summoned Rock of the Vanquisher using his Caesar Valius, then he activated Rock’s effect and added back the Caesar Valius. He ended his turn. 

Acepcion started with Tessera the Primal Squire, Eidos the Underworld Squire, The Monarchs Masterplan, The Prime Monarch, and Erebus the Underworld Monarch. He drew Nadir Servant to start his turn.

Going into the Main Phase, Acepcion activated Nadir Servant and sent Garura, Wings of Resonant Life to the Graveyard and added Dogmatika Maximus from his Deck. He activated Garura’s effect in the Graveyard and drew Pantheism of the Monarchs. Acepcion activated Pantheism and discarded The Prime Monarch, he drew another copy of The Monarchs Masterplan and Triple Tactics Talent!

He paused for a moment and then activated Dogmatika Maximus, banishing the Garura from the Graveyard to Special Summon itself. He activated Maximus’ effect. Acepcion sent Tri-Brigade Ferrijit the Barren Blossom and Elder Entity N’tss to the Graveyard, Vianello sent Lunalight Leo Dancer and Dracotail Arthalion. Acepcion activated N’tss, and chose to target Rock of the Vanquisher, and then activated Ferrijit’s effect. Vianello chained Rock’s effect and Special Summoned Dr. Mad Love from his hand. He then used Dr. Mad Love’s effect and added Vanquish Soul Dust Devil.

Acepcion continued his turn by activating Triple Tactics Talent and drew his third Masterplan and Spell Card “Soul Exchange”! He activated Masterplan sent a Pantheism from his Deck to the Graveyard. Acepcion activated The Prime Monarch in his Graveyard and banished Masterplan. He activated Masterplan’s effect and targeted Vianello’s Dr. Mad Love, Vianello chained Caesar Valius and bounced Dr. Mad Love to Special Summon itself. Since Dr. Mad Love left the field, Acecpion wasn’t able to fully resolve his Masterplan effect.

Acepcion continued his turn by activating Tessera the Primal Squire and revealing another The Monarchs Masterplan. He activated Tessera’s effect to gain an additional Normal Summon, and Tribute Summoned Erebus the Underworld Monarch using Tessera and The Prime Monarch! 

Acepcion activated Erebus’ effect and sent The Monarchs Stormforth and Tenacity of the Monarchs to the Graveyard for Erebus’ effect. He chained Tessera’s effect and Special Summoned Edea the Heavenly Squire from his Deck, and shuffled back Hollie Sue with Erebus’ effect. Acepcion activated Edea’s effect and Special Summoned Eidos the Underworld Squire from his Deck. He activated Eidos’ effect to gain an additional Normal Summon. 

Acepcion banished Pantheism of the Monarchs and revealed three copies of The Monarchs Revolt and added one. He used Revolt and revealed Zaborg the Mega Monarch, Eidos the Underworld Monarch, and Erebus the Underworld Monarch. Vianello chose to give Acepcion the Erebus. 

Acepcion then activated Spell Card “Soul Exchange”! Vianello chained Heavy Borger’s to burn away some of Acepcion’s Life Points, then he chained Caesar Valius’s effect to try and destroy Edios, and chained Razen’s effect to destroy Edea. 

Without his Squires on the field, Acepcion Tribute Summoned Erebus the Underworld Monarch with Vianello’s Heavy Borger and Caesar Valius! He activated Erebus’ effect and sent another Stormforth and Tenacity. He then chained Eidos the Underworld Monarch in his Graveyard, and chained Edea, targeting his banished Pantheism. Vianello chained Bystial Magnamhut and banished the Eidos! Acepcion added back his Pantheism, lost his Eidos, and shuffled back Magnamhut with Erebus before Vianello could use its effect.

Acepcion activated the Pantheism he just added back, and sent Masterplan to draw another Pantheism and Tessera! He activated Pantheism, sent his other Masterplan and drew Ehther the Heavenly Monarch and his third Tessera. He banished The Monarchs Revolt from his Graveyard, Special Summoned Eidos from his hand. 

Acepcion then used his additional Normal Summon with Eidos and Maximus to Tribute Summon Ehther the Heavenly Monarch! He sent Tenacity and Revolt from his Deck to activate Ehther’s effect and Special Summoned Eidos the Underworld Monarch. Acepcion then activated Eidos’ effect and added The Monarchs Stormforth. 

Moving to the Battle Phase, Acepcion sent Eidos into Vanquish Soul Razen, Vianello used Vanquish Soul, Start!’s effect to protect Razen from destruction. Then, Acepcion had Erebus attack over Razen, then his other Erebus and Ehther attacked directly to knock out Vianello’s Life Points!

“The greatest Pantheism draw of my LIFE!” Acepcion exclaimed as he grabbed his Side Deck to prep for the second Duel. 

Duel Two

Vianello started the second Duel with Kashtira Fenrir. He activated Fenrir and searched for another Fenrir. Acepcion activated his Droll & Lock Bird! Vianello let out a sigh and Normal Summoned Vanquish Soul Pantera, then used it to Link Summon Rock of the Vanquisher. He activated Rock’s effect and added back Pantera, then Set one card to his back row and ended his turn.

Acepcion started with Zaborg the Mega Monarch, Caius the Shadow Monarch, two copies of Pantheism of the Monarchs, and drew Called by the Grave to start his turn.

Acepcion activated Pantheism and discarded his other Pantheism; he drew Droll & Lock Bird and The Monarchs Revolt. He activated Revolt and discarded the Droll & Lock Bird. Acepcion revealed Erebus the Underworld Monarch, Eidos the Underworld Monarch, and Tessera the Primal Squire. Vianello chose to give Acepcion Erebus, and Tessera and Eidos went to the Graveyard. Acepcion activated Tessera’s effect and Special Summoned Edea the Heavenly Squire from his Deck! He then used Edea’s effect to Special Summon Eidos the Underworld Squire and used its effect.

Acepcion banished his Pantheism from the Graveyard and revealed three copies of The Monarchs Stormforth. He added one of them and then activated it. He Tribute Summoned Erebus using Kashtira Fenrir and Edea. He activated Erebus, and sent The Monarchs Masterplan and The Prime Monarch, and then chained Eidos, and then chained Edea. Vianello chained his Rock’s effect and Special Summoned Pantera from his hand. 

With Edea, Acepcion added back Pantheism, Eidos was Special Summoned, and then Erebus’s effect shuffled back the face-down card. In a new chain, he activated Eidos to add a card. Vianello tried to activate Ghost Belle & Haunted Mansion, but Acepcion activated his Called by the Grave! Acepcion added another copy of Erebus. Then he activated Prime Monarch by banishing Masterplan, then used Masterplan to target Rock of the Vanquisher and add Eidos, and Tribute Summoned Caius the Shadow Monarch! Acepcion activated Caius’ effect and banished Vianello’s Vanquish Soul Pantera.

Acepcion activated Eidos’ effect in the Graveyard and Special Summoned Tessera the Primal Squire. He used Tessera’s effect and Tribute Summoned Erebus with Tessera and Prime Monarch. Acepcion activated Erebus and sent The Monarchs Revolt and The Monarchs Stormforth to shuffle back a card from Vianello’s hand. He then had all of his Monarchs attack Vianello and claimed a quick victory!

Acepcion’s win, along with Hubbs’, makes Team TPCS Daycare 1-0 to start here at TEAM YCS Las Vegas! Even with two members of their team losing, Team Strangers With Candy’s captain offered TPCS Daycare some candy from a giant bag they were carrying. They all finished the round with a sweet treat!