This time we're watching Shoto Kazama's Vortex Warriors go up against Owen Dreadnought's Dragonkin Aggro deck.

The former specializes in dominating the playing field, as seen in our previous coverage, where Sam the Clown was beaten by a combination of Zephagamon, MedievalGallantmon, and the new Zephagamon ACE.

Shoto's new addition lets him make offensive plays even during his opponent's turn.

Will this additional firepower give him the legs he needs to take out the former champion he's up against here today?

Owen and his Dragonkin Aggro deck are no pushovers either.

He previously wielded a WarGreymon deck designed to battle and delete his opponent’s Digimon. But with additions including Elizamon, his deck is now significantly more of an attacking threat. It maintains its deletion potency, but is now also highly capable of trashing security cards.

His deck improves with each iteration, and this one is no exception. The "Aggro" in the name (Dragonkin Aggro), is derived from its insane speed.

Its <Progress> means it is no longer affected by enemy effects during attacks. This allows it to burn right through its opponents with blinding speed, all while countering <Blast Digivolve> and the opponent's security Option cards. All crucial aspects of the Digimon Card Game, no doubt about it.

If Shoto lets himself lose focus for even a second, he's toast out there.

Well, let's take a look at their playing fields.

First, Shoto's.

And now, Owen's.

Standing out on Shoto's field are Zephagamon and 2 other Digimon. Owen has 2 security cards.

If something doesn't significantly change, Owen's defeat is guaranteed. But the former champion is not about to let that happen.

Knowing that he's holding a level 5 in reserve in his breeding area, it seems quite likely that he plans on an all-out assault in the backend of the match. His 4-cost and 3-cost Tamer cards in the battle area seem to attest to this strategy.

As it stands now, the situation is in Shoto's favor. However, in the Digimon Card Game a drastic reversal of momentum is almost always possible.

Let's dive into some explanation of how the match progresses.

We kick off with Owen's Main Phase, with the memory gauge at 4.

He has used 2 Shadow Wing Option cards.

I imagine a lot of you out there are unfamiliar with the card, as it came out way back at the very beginning of the Digimon Card Game.

It's easy to see that the <Security> effect is amazing, but the [Main] effect is simply a DP increase.

Owen tends to carve out progress bit by bit, and this card's capabilities are a good match for that playstyle. Other players have become quite familiar with his usage of the card, which was notable in several tournaments.

This straightforward DP boost meshes perfectly with his partner's <Progress> effect.

Thanks to Shadow Wing, Lamiamon's DP is up by 6000. Now, he pays a cost of 4 to digivolve it into a Mega.

Your first impression of the newcomer might be "youthful and showy." But that appearance is merely a trap luring its opponents into carelessness. The same is true for those long blue braids. They might appear stylish, but they're actually snarling wyverns. That striking giant eye is able to fire petrifying flashes of light that lock their target in an eternal tomb of stone. And the fanged attire is by no means strictly for appearances.

It's as stylish and as sly as they come. Its name? Medusamon. A Mega Digimon, named after a titanic mythical beast.

Taking Shadow Wing's contribution into account, its DP is up to a menacing 18000.

Medusamon's [When Digivolving] effect: A flash from its eye deletes Pteromon, who has the lowest DP, and the [All Turns] effect plays a Petrification Token to Shoto's field.

Medusamon's centerpiece special attack, which recreates the Eye of the Gorgon, quickly forces opponents to become familiar with these tokens. So long as one remains in your playing field, you're constantly at risk of your opponent trashing your security cards, and risk of your "Scramble" <Delay> effects being hindered due to Digimon remaining in the battle area. The effect is straightforward and aggressive, but also calm and rather technical.

Via an effect of Owen's Tamer at [End of Turn] timing, Medusamon is granted <Piercing>. It promptly capitalizes on this, going in to attack the suspended Muchomon.

The fangs on Medusamon's boots catch Muchomon, and Owen uses <Piercing> to force a security check.

The first card is a 4000 DP Galemon, easily brushed aside. Now with Shoto's security weakened, we have a chance to see Owen showcase his specialty in this situation.

Firstly, due to inherited effects from Elizamon and Dimetromon, Owen gains 1 memory twice. That moves the memory gauge from 2 on Shoto's side to 0, meaning that Owen's turn continues.

He then suspends the 4 cost Tamer, causing the Petrification Token on Shoto's field to be deleted. The token's [On Deletion] effect trashes 1 of Shoto's security cards.

Finally, Owen gets to use the inherited effect from Lamiamon to play a Dragonkin trait Digimon from his hand, in this case Cyclonemon.

That concludes the effects related to Shoto's security stack being removed from. However, there is still Medusamon's attack to consider: another security check—and it's Pteromon. With that, Medusamon's attack is over.

Owen then uses the Raging Serpentine Option card from his hand.

The Zephagamon that had been holding the line on Shoto's field is at last deleted. This only cost Owen 4 memory due to Shoto having 3 security cards—an astounding value indeed.

Then, Raging Serpentine is placed on the field, and Owen's turn ends.

In the Digimon Card Game, what you can accomplish each turn depends on how much memory you have available. No matter how gloomy the situation on the field appears, it's always possible to turn the tables on someone. Owen's turn here is an example of that.

Now, Shoto's turn starts with the memory gauge at 4. He was almost in position to swing for game, but fortunes have entirely reversed now. If he can't figure out how to do away with Medusamon imminently, his defeat is all but assured.

A more positive spin on it is that if he -can- figure out how to take care of Medusamon, then victory is still very much a possibility. And looking at Shoto's current deck, that might very well be achievable with <Vortex>.

During the Breeding Phase, he hatches Fluffymon. Then, at [Start of Your Main Phase] timing, he places his Tamer on the bottom of his deck, and plays Pteromon, plus a Tamer who can grant <Blocker> and <Piercing>.

Pteromon's [On Play] effect allows Shoto to add a Galemon and a GrandGalemon from the top 3 cards of his deck to his hand. Then, for a cost of 2 he digivolves Pteromon into a Galemon with <Vortex>, and uses the Option card Green Scramble from his hand for another 2 cost. He digivolves Galemon for a cost of 0: GrandGalemon arrives. Its [When Digivolving] effect drives Shoto forward—it suspends to gain immunity to Digimon effects, and then digivolves to Zephagamon ACE for a cost of 5.

Ordinarily, being safe from Digimon effects would allow one to rest easy and get set to <Blast Digivolve>.

However, Medusamon’s <Progress> effect renders [When Digivolving] effects useless at [Counter] timing, and Shoto has likely determined it wise to digivolve here.

Zephagamon ACE delivers a one-two punch, suspending Cyclonemon and sending Medusamon to the bottom of the deck. To top it off, Shoto's Tamer card's [End of Turn] effect grants it <Piercing> and <Blocker>.

He then attacks Cyclonemon using <Vortex>. Zephagamon ACE's [All Turns] effect is triggered, and it unsuspends itself.

Zephagamon's wind of swords cuts into Cyclonemon, and Shoto then checks Owen's security using <Piercing>. The card that turns up is Agumon. Owen now has 1 security card left.

In this turn, Shoto has used <Vortex> to tear down Owen's entire playing field in one go. And when the <Vortex Warriors> gain the upper hand on the playing field, it's difficult for the opponent to make a comeback. Will Shoto keep up the push and manage to suppress Owen?

Owen starts his turn, with the memory gauge at 5. He hatches Gigimon in the breeding area during the Breeding Phase. His [Start of Your Main Phase] Tamer card's effect boosts the memory gauge to 6.

Owen plays Cyberdramon for a cost of 7 and activates its [On Play] effect.

Owen's aim here is to use the <Delay> effect of the Raging Serpentine placed on his field.

The [All Turns] <Delay> condition requires an opponent's security card to be trashed. Owen intends to accomplish that by using Cyberdramon's [On Play] effect, and then digivolve it for no cost.

Shoto has no card with an effective [Security] effect in his hand. His best hope is Zephagamon, who can at least pose a challenge in a security battle with its high DP.

His final remaining security card is trashed. The trashed card is GrandGalemon.

Raging Serpentine's [All Turns] effect is thus activated. Owen uses <Delay> to digivolve Cyberdramon.

Clad in armor yet mobile, a new Digimon of immense physical strength arrives. With its emblem of bravery, it certainly looks the part of a heroic warrior. It's hard to imagine there's a Digital Monsters fan out there who doesn't know this Digimon's name.

WarGreymon, the brave Dragonkin. The unstoppable draconic warrior, Owen's longtime partner, has now come down onto the battle area.

This brave fighter's abilities include <Rush>, <Raid>, and <Blocker>. These are put into motion by Owen's Tamer card at [End of Your Turn] timing.

The focus of WarGreymon's <Raid> attack is Zephagamon ACE. The inherited effect from Cyberdramon sharply raises WarGreymon's DP to 15000.

A single, intensely powerful strike suffices to delete the star of the show in the battle versus Sam the Clown, Zephagamon ACE.

<Overflow (-4)> sets the memory gauge back to 3 on Owen's side, and WarGreymon is energized by its [All Turns] effect.

WarGreymon's <Piercing> effect checks Shoto's final security card. The predetermined Zephagamon is outmatched, and the battle is over.

And so, this fateful showdown between childhood friends ends in Owen's victory.

The former champion's abilities make him a force to be reckoned with still.

Despite the loss, it was a competitive battle until the end. Shoto's battles in Digimon Liberator have taken him to another level, and he was able to prove that here.

And that brings today's coverage to a close. We all look forward to even bigger and better things from these two!