Craig Hayashi from Concord, California and Aditiya Dharap from Plano, Texas made it to the Top 8 of the 2025 North America World Championship Qualifier! Now, they’re each one victory away from earning an invitation to compete in this year’s Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship for the Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME. Craig Hayashi has made it to the Top Cut of a YCS in the past, but this is his first time making it to the Top Cut of a World Championship Qualifier – and he got here with his Vanquish Soul Deck, complete with new cards from Duelist’s Advance! Now, he’s facing off against Aditya Dharap and his Bystial @Ignister Maliss Deck. Dharap is the 2024 North America World Championship Qualifier winner and competed in last year’s World Championship. Now he’s looking to return to the global stage. He lost in the second round of the Worlds Qualifying Points Playoff on Friday, sending him back into the general competition for his second chance to qualify for the World Championship. He seized that opportunity, and now – like Hayashi – he is just one victory away from earning that invitation. This Match will have the highest stakes these Duelists have encountered all weekend. It’s time to Duel!

Duel One

Hayashi opened up Duel 1 with Vanquish Soul Hollie Sue, Mulcharmy Fuwalos, Pot of Extravagance, Vanquish Soul Dr. Mad Love, and Vanquish Soul, Start! in his hand.

He activated Pot of Extravagance at the start of Main Phase 1 by banishing 6 cards from his Extra Deck face-down at random. He drew Reinforcement of the Army and another Fuwalos from his Deck. He activated the Reinforcement of the Army to add Vanquish Soul Razen from his Deck to his hand and then Normal Summoned it. He used its effect to add Vanquish Soul Heavy Borger from his Deck to his hand. He sent Razen to the Graveyard to Link Summon Rock of the Vanquisher and used its effect to return Razen from his Graveyard to his hand. Next, he Special Summoned Hollie Sue from his hand in Defense Position by revealing Razen. He revealed Razen and Heavy Borger from his hand with Hollie Sue’s effect to Special Summon Vanquish Soul Dr. Mad Love from his Deck and used its effect to add Vanquish Soul Dust Devil from his Deck to his hand. He activated Start next, and used its effect to add Vanquish Soul Caesar Valius to his hand. He Set Dust Devil face-down and then entered his End Phase. In the End Phase he Set Vanquish Soul Snow Devil with the effect of Start.

Dharap Set a card to his back row and then Normal Summoned Maliss <P> Chessy Cat. Hayashi activated his Mad Love’s effect by revealing Caesar Valius and Heavy Borger from his hand, and Dharap Chained Maliss <C> MTP-07, which he activated by banishing Chessy Cat. Dharap added Maliss <P> March Hare to his hand with MTP-07 and Hayashi resolved his Mad Love’s effect to return Mad Love to his hand. Dharap paid 300 Life Points to Special Summon Chessy Cat and Chained Infinite Impermanence to its effect, targeting Hollie Sue. Hollie Sue’s effect was negated and Dharap Special Summoned Chessy Cat back to the field. Hayashi activated his Rock’s effect to Special Summon Razen from his Graveyard and then used Razen’s effect to add Vanquish Soul Jiaolong from his Deck to his hand. He then used Razen’s effect by revealing Heavy Borger and Jiaolong in his hand, destroying the Chessy Cat in the same column as the Razen. Dharap activated Maliss in Underground next, and used its effect to banish Maliss <P> White Rabbit from his Deck. He paid 300 Life Points to Special Summon the White Rabbit, and Hayashi Chained the effect of Caesar Valius to Special Summon it by returning Hollie Sue to his hand. Caesar Valius and White Rabbit were Summoned, and Dharap activated White Rabbit’s effect. Hayashi Chained Caesar Valius’s effect to destroy the White Rabbit, and White Rabbit Set Maliss <C> GWC-06 from Dharap’s Deck with its effect. Next, Dharap Special Summoned March Hare from his hand by banishing Dormouse from his hand. He paid 300 Life Points to Special Summon the Dormouse back to the field, and then Hayashi flipped Snow Devil and revealed a DARK, EARTH, and FIRE monster from his hand. Dharap negated it with Dominus Impulse; but when Hayashi flipped Vanquish Soul Dust Devil next, Dharap conceded!

Craig Hayashi takes the first victory of the Match with his Vanquish Soul Deck!

Duel Two

Dharap chose to go first in Duel 2, and Hayashi activated the effect of Artifact Lancea in the Draw Phase. Dharap Normal Summoned Backup @Ignister and activated its effect to add Maliss <P> Dormouse to his hand and discard it.

He Set a card to is back row and then ended his turn.

Hayashi drew Pot of Extravagance and added it to his hand of Vanquish Soul Heavy Borger, Stake your Soul!, Reinforcement of the Army, and Bystial Druiswurm. He activated Pot of Extravagance at the start of Main Phase 1 by banishing 6 random cards from his Extra Deck face-down, but he lost out to Pot of Extravagance. Next, he activated Reinforcement of the Army, but Dharap Chained Mistaken Arrest to stop Hayashi from adding cards from his Deck to his hand. Hayashi activated Stake your Soul! next by revealing Heavy Borger from his hand and Special Summoned Mad Love from his Deck. He Special Summoned Heavy Borger from his hand by returning Mad Love from his field to his hand and then used Heavy Borger’s effect to reveal Mad Love from his hand and draw a Mulcharmy Fuwalos. He Normal Summoned Mad Love and then activated the effect of Druiswurm in his hand to Special Summon it by banishing Lancea from his Graveyard. He attacked Backup with Druiswurm to destroy it in battle, and then direct attacks from Mad Love and Heavy Borger dropped Dharap down to 3000 Life Points. In Main Phase 2, Hayashi sent Mad Love to the Graveyard to Link Summon Rock. In Main Phase 2, Dharap activated the effect of Baldrake in his hand to Special Summon it by banishing Mad Love from Hayashi’s Graveyard. Hayashi followed up by using Rock as an Xyz Material to Summon Vanquish Soul Rocks. He sent Rocks and Druiswurm to the Graveyard to Link Summon S:P Little Knight and used Little Knight’s effect to banish Baldrake. In the End Phase, Dharap activated the effect of the Magnamhut in his hand to banish Dormouse from his Graveyard and Special Summon the Magnamhut. He activated the Magnamhut’s effect and Special Summoned Dormouse by paying 300 Life Points. He couldn’t add anything to his hand with Magnamhut’s effect due to the effect of Mistaken Arrest.

Dharap activated Dormouse’s effect to banish White Rabbit from his Deck in his Main Phase and paid 300 Life Points to Special Summon the White Rabbit. He activated White Rabbit’s effect and Hayashi Chained Little Knight’s effect to banish the Little Knight and White Rabbit. Dharap Set GWC-06 from his Deck with the White Rabbit’s effect and then flipped it by banishing his Dormouse. He Special Summoned White Rabbit and then paid 300 Life Points to activate Dormouse’s effect and Special Summon it back to his field. Dharap sent his 3 monsters to the Graveyard to Link Summon Maliss <Q> White Binder and used its effect to banish Druiswurm, Rocks, and Rock of the Vanquisher from Hayashi’s Graveyard. He used White Binder’s effect to Set Maliss <C> MTP-07 from his Deck to his field. Next, he Special Summoned Druiswurm from his hand by banishing Backup from his Graveyard. He sent Druiswurm and White Binder to the Graveyard to Link Summon Accesscode Talker and used its effect to increase its ATK by 3000. He banished White Binder from his Graveyard with Accesscode’s effect and destroyed Heavy Borger. Then he paid 900 Life Points to Special Summon White Binder from banishment and draw a card. Direct attacks from White Binder and Accesscode Talker wiped out the rest of Hayashi’s Life Points!

The Match is going to a third and final Duel that will determine which Duelist gets to compete in this year’s World Championship!

Duel Three

Hayashi opened up Duel 3 with Fantastical Dragon Phantazmay, D.D. Crow, Vanquish Soul Dr. Mad Love, Vanquish Soul Snow Devil, and Vanquish Soul Razen. He Normal Summoned Razen and activated its effect to add Vanquish Soul Hollie Sue from his Deck to his hand. He sent Razen to the Graveyard to Link Summon Rock of the Vanquisher and then used its effect to return Razen to his hand. Next, he tried to Special Summon Hollie Sue by revealing Razen from his hand, and Dharap negated Hollie Sue’s effect with Dominus Impulse, leaving the Hollie Sue in Hayashi’s hand. Hayashi Set Snow Devil face-down and then ended his turn.

Dharap activated Terraforming to add Maliss in Underground from his Deck to his hand and then activated it to banish White Rabbit from his Deck. He paid 300  Life Points to Special Summon White Rabbit and then used the White Rabbit’s effect to Set MTP-07 from his Deck. Hayashi activated Hollie Sue’s effect in his hand again, Special Summoning it by revealing Razen from his hand. Then he activated its effect by revealing Mad Love and Razen from his hand and Special Summoned Vanquish Soul Razen from his Deck. He used Razen’s effect to add Vanquish Soul Caesar Valius to his hand and then used Razen’s effect to try to destroy the White Rabbit in the same Column as Razen; but Dharap Chained MTP-07 by banishing the Rabbit and added Dormouse from his Deck to his hand with MTP-07’s effect. Dharap activated Triple Tactics Talent next, threatening to get rid of a card in Hayashi’s hand. Hayashi Chained the effect of Caesar Valius to Special Summon it by returning Hollie Sue to his hand. Triple Tactics Talent resolved, forcing Hayashi to reveal Hollie Sue, Razen, Mad Love, Phantazmay, and D.D. Crow in his hand. Dharap returned the Hollie Sue to Hayashi’s Deck. He Normal Summoned Dormouse and activated its effect to banish Chessy Cat from his Deck. He paid 300 Life Points to Special Summon Chessy Cat back to the field and then sent Dormouse to the Graveyard to Link Summon Linguriboh. Hayashi activated the effect of the Phantazmay in his hand to draw Nibiru, the Primal Being and Pot of Extravagance from his Deck and return Mad Love from his hand to his Deck. Dharap sent Chessy Cat and Linguriboh to the Graveyard to Link Summon Cyberse Wicckid and then activated the effect of Baldrake in his hand by banishing Dormouse from his Graveyard, Special Summoning Baldrake linked to Wicckid. He activated the effects of Wicckid by banishing Linguriboh as Chain Link 1 and Dormouse by paying 300 Life Points as Chain Link 2. He Special Summoned Dormouse and added Backup @Ignister to his hand. Hayashi activated the effect of Nibiru, the Primal Being to clear the field! He Summoned Nibiru to his own field and Dharap got a Primal Being Token that he used to Link Summon Link Spider. Dharap Special Summoned Backup @Ignister from his hand next and used its effect to add Wizard @Ignister from his Deck to his hand and discard Nibiru. Dharap sent his 2 monsters to the Graveyard to Link Summon Splash Mage next and then used Splash Mage’s effect to Special Summon Chessy Cat from his Graveyard. Dharap sent Chessy Cat and Splash Mage to the Graveyard to Link Summon White Binder and used White Binder’s effect to banish Caesar Valius and Soul Razen from Hayashi’s Graveyard and banish Baldrake from his own Graveyard. Next, Dharap activated White Binder’s effect to Set GWC-06 from his Deck to his field. He activated it by banishing White Binder and Special Summoned Chessy Cat. He paid 900 Life Points to Special Summon White Binder from banishment and draw a card with White Binder’s effect. He activated March Hare’s effect in his hand by banishing MTP-07 from his Graveyard and Special Summoned the March Hare. He sent March Hare to the Graveyard to Summon Linguriboh. Next, he activated the effect of Wizard @Ignister in his hand. He tried to Special Summon it along with the Dormouse in his Graveyard, but Hayashi Chained D.D. Crow to banish the Dormouse, preventing the Wizard from being Summoned to the field. Dharap sent all of his monsters to the Graveyard to Link Summon Maliss <Q> Hearts Crypter and then attacked Nibiru to destroy it and inflict 100 points of damage to Hayashi. Next, he activated Hearts Crypter’s effect to banish the Hearts Crypter, then paid 900 Life Points to Special Summon it back to the field with doubled ATK. He attacked directly with Hearts Crypter and Hayashi flipped Snow Devil. He revealed Razen in his hand and Special Summoned it while inflicting 400 points of damage to Dharap. Razen was destroyed in battle but protected Hayashi’s Life Points.

Hayashi activated Pot of Extravagance next turn and banished 6 cards from his Extra Deck face-down to draw 2 cards. Then he Special Summoned Hollie Sue from his hand by revealing Jiaolong. He Special Summoned Jiaolong next, and Dharap activated Hearts Crypter’s effect to banish Hollie Sue. Hayashi Set Ash Blossom and passed.

Dharap used Hearts Crypter’s effect to banish the face-down Ash Blossom and then Special Summoned Baldrake from his hand by banishing White Binder from his Graveyard. He paid 900 Life Points to Special Summon White Binder and then entered his Battle Phase. Hayashi conceded and extended the handshake!

Aditya Dharap is returning to the Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship!