I think he played really badly. Here I think you would want Upgrade after the Cultist chain, to get Golds from the Cultists and the on-trash is great for a non-terminal trasher.
The Wharf + Chapel/Forager option and totally ignoring Cultist seems good also. Cultist without Upgrade afterwards seems weak to me, and I do not like combining both Cultist and Wharf, because it reduces the power of Cultist.