We’ve been through a weekend full of twists, turns, upsets, and surprises here in Philadelphia, and now, after 2 days and 14 rounds of competition, we have a winner. Jessy Samek had only played in one Shonen Jump Championship prior to this one, but that didn’t stop him from posting a 9-1 record on Day 1 and sweeping through his Day 2 opponents to take home the title. He first had to face off against one of the two pure combo decks in the playoffs, the Diamond Dude Turbo deck run by Joseph Parchman. With Parchman out of the way, Jesse moved on to Paul Levitin, who had just come off a win against Jeff Jones’ Big City deck. A huge amount of aggression pulled Jesse thorough the match, and he found himself face to face with another second-time SJC competitor, Karim Ahamjik. It was a mirror match between Destiny Hero Monarch decks, but despite Karim’s strong play and excellent openers, Jessy was able to win, 2-0. Finally, Jessy had to square off against six-time Day 2 finisher, Lazaro Bellido. Jessy’s powerful Destiny Hero cards came to his aid at all the right times, and he made the most of his opportunities with solid play skills to defeat Lazaro and take home the title.

It’s been an exciting weekend here in Philadelphia. We’ve seen Elemental Heroes in the Top 16, Demise OTK beaten soundly, and a new rising star in the dueling scene. Minneapolis will bring us our first taste of the post-Force of the Breaker­ metagame, so, if you can’t make it, be sure to check out Metagame.com for live coverage from the event. Until then, congratulations to Jessy Samek, Shonen Jump Philadelphia Champion!