Kevin Sanchez Espinoza Wins Belen Regional on Angelechy
Anyone checking regional results across Central and South America knew the drill heading into the October 11 Belen WCQ Regional in Costa Rica. Elfnote had been swallowing top cuts whole across the circuit, and the finals felt pre-ordained when Esteban Jesus Mena Campos sat down with Elfnote Ars Magna Power Patron. Instead of another coronation, Kevin Sanchez Espinoza blew the bracket wide open, steering pure Angelechy to first place in a field of approximately 200 duelists.
Angelechy had spent months dismissed as a fringe gimmick archetype, but the arrival of the Beyond the Brave booster set gave the chess-themed deck the exact pieces it needed. Espinoza leaned heavily on Angelechy Opening to e4 to dictate tempo during the opponent's opening turn, parking Angelechy Destrier and Angelechy Bastion in the Spell and Trap Zones to tax life points and shield his board. Backed by the field spell Angelechy Endgame Problem, which restricts opposing zone placement and banishes summons, Espinoza converted positional control into clean wins through swiss and the knockout rounds.
The top cut demonstrated that the Belen room brought plenty of firepower beyond standard builds. Alongside Espinoza, Joshua Artavia carried Angelechy into the Top 4, joined by Johnny Cadena piloting Maliss @Ignister. The Top 8 rounded out with Stanley Barquero Jimenez on Dogmatika Branded Shaddoll, Michael Lam Young running Light and Darkness Ritual, and both Pablo Abarca Escorriola and Issac Guerrero on Ars Magna Elfnote. Mena Campos entered the finals as a heavy favorite after his run through swiss, yet Espinoza's defensive column locks smothered the Elfnote engine before it could set up its standard end board.