Round 5: Fumihiko Sano vs. Tsuyoshi Ikeda

Graybeard Tsuyoshi Ikeda has been on an upswing lately, much thanks to his compatriots on Team Fireball. This weekend, he and his crew are running blue-black Zombie-Bidding. This round he faces off against Fumihiko Sano, playing an unconventional take on mono-white control that splashes blue for Complicate and Chain of Vapor.

Game 1

Ikeda led with Festering Goblin, and swampcycled his Twisted Abomination. Sano steadied the ground with Silver Knight and then dug out a plains with Eternal Dragon. Ikeda tried a morph, but that was outclassed by Dawn Elemental. Ikeda held his ground and took three in the air. He pitched Noxious Ghoul to turn up Putrid Raptor and cycled a Gempalm Polluter, readying Patriarch's Bidding.

He didn't blow it right away, though. He punched through for four with his Raptor and then summoned a second Goblin and a Rotlung Reanimator, trying to bait out the Vengeance. Sano didn't bite. They stared at each other. Sano cycled another Dragon, picked it up, and was done.

Ikeda decided it was time. Read the Runes for Five stocked his 'yard, with two Festering Goblins giving him cards while taking out the Silver Knight. He hit for damage and played the Bidding. He board was impressive to say the least. Sano drew his card, and then packed it all up.

Ikeda 1 – Sano 0

Game 2

Sano started Game 2 with a much more threatening White Knight. Its buddy the Silver Knight followed while Ikeda just cycled Twisted Abomination. He played a morph on turn three and gave it back to Sano. White Knight swung in, and forced a discard of Vengeful Dead to the Putrid Raptor. Sano added Dawn Elemental to his team. Ikeda needed something, in a hurry.

Sano pounded for five. Ikeda cycled another Abomination. Head Games wasn't much help, considering the pressure he was under. He Read the Runes for four, and turned up more blanks. He'd need to hit it again. Another five left him at three. He Read for five. No Noxious Ghoul came. He played Head Games to get a look at Sano's deck, and then scooped.

Ikeda 1 – Sano 1

Game 3

Sano's back-to-back White Knights threatened to make things tough on Ikeda. He had a plan, though, and it involved his sideboarded Decree of Pain. When Sano missed his fourth land play with just two plains and a Temple of the False God in play, Ikeda's hopes rose with the thought of a quick Bidding. Two Read the Runes later, though, he was still Bidding-less. He cycled Decree to get rid of the dudes, but Sano just replaced them with a morph, thanks to his fourth land.

Again, Ikeda drew no Bidding. He was forced to play a morph of his own. Sure enough Sano was due for a fifth land, enabling him to flip up his Angel. Complicate stopped the second Angel, but Ikeda needed an answer to the first. He cycled feverishly, but no Bidding came.

Final Result: Fumihiko Sano defeats Tsuyoshi Ikeda 2-1