It’s Monday, March 24, 2008, and we are just days away from the return of Shonen Jump action to Ohio!
Shonen Jump Championship Columbus This Weekend
Weeks have passed since the 1,056-duelist showdown in Costa Mesa, California, and this weekend we’ll see the fallout from that tremendous event. Dark Armed Dragon Return is most certainly the deck to beat, a dominating strategy of Chaos-like proportions, and if we had to ask just one question heading into the weekend, it would be this: can anyone topple the Dragon?
Hundreds of duelists will gather at the Franklin County Veteran’s Memorial Center to try to answer that question this Saturday. A venue that has seen some of this game’s biggest, toughest tournaments, the Memorial Center will now play host to one of the most important Championships of the year, an event that will no doubt set the tone for coming Shonen Jumps.
Because Ohio is accessible to competitors from all across the country, some of dueling’s best will be in attendance this weekend. Expect at least one big team shake-up, as well as some reprised showings from Day 2 finishers at Costa Mesa. Will Dark Armed Return’s dominance prove to be short-lived, or will Columbus be just another notch on the Dragon’s scaled haunch? If you’re within driving distance of the Columbus area, you can be there to find out, just check out the official event listing over on UDE’s site, and then hit up Premier Tournament Organizer Professional Event Service’s website for more details. There, you’ll find info on side events, registration, start times, and everything else you’ll need over the course of the weekend.
Can’t make it? Join us here at Metagame for our live-from-the-floor event coverage—it’s the next best thing to being there. We’ll be bringing you feature matches, deck profiles, and more to keep you in the loop as the weekend progresses. See you there!
Voting for the 2007 Scrye Player’s Choice Awards Is Open
Each year, the Scrye Player’s Choice awards gives gamers a chance to raise their hands in favor of their favorite games, and this year is no exception. The polls are open, and you can cast your ballot for the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG in the category of "Best Expansion of 2007." With cards like Grandmaster of the Six Samurai, Neo-Spacian Grand Mole, and D.D. Crow, as well as the first TCG exclusive in years, Strike of Neos was a huge turning point for the game. That might make it a strong bet to take the award, but it can’t happen without us, the fans. Click on over, cast your vote, and represent your game!
This Week on Metagame.com
I get things started today with a look at three of my top picks from Shonen Jump Championship Costa Mesa. Players like old-schooler Sang Bui and rising star Peter Navarro really set the bar to all-new levels with innovative tech picks, and I want to give them their dues while showing you some awesome cards you could be using to outplay your competition. Want to find out what I looked at? Click on over to check it out.
Then, Jerome McHale builds a deck that’s near and dear to my heart: Zombies! There’s been a lot of Zombie talk on this site the past few days, and Jerome’s going to show you a build with the speed and spell and trap removal needed to compete in today’s Dark Armed–heavy environment. Think Zombies are dead in this format? Maybe in the most literal sense, but certainly not as a playable archetype, and Jerome’s going to show you a great starting place on Tuesday.
Wednesday, rulings guru Curtis Schultz dives into his mailbag to answer questions from readers like you. Heart of the Underdog and Veil of Darkness? Dark Armed Dragon and Hero’s Rule 2? Cyber Ouroboros and more Cyber Ouroboros!? Curtis tackles several tricky card interactions this week, continuing to keep his column a must-read for competitive duelists and judges alike.
I’ll be filling in on Thursday with an article I like to call "The Five Things You Shouldn’t Do Anymore." Each of the five things listed can make a huge difference to your dueling success. Tournament protocols have changed, judges have different expectations, and you need to keep up in order to play your best. Let me help you out.
Bryan Camareno ushers in our weekend with a discussion of balance and control in the current format, leading into a cool deck that illustrates his point. Water strategies have really seen renewed interest from duelists over the past several weeks, and Bryan’s going to show you why a classically styled control deck might be the way to go in your metagame.
Saturday, Matt Peddle breaks apart one of the most interesting and successful decks from Costa Mesa: Kris Perovic’s Diamond Dude Turbo. The innovator himself went through hell to get to the fiftieth Shonen Jump Championship before defeating opponent after opponent on his way to the finals. DDT is a defining deck of the current format, and there’s just nobody who knows it better than Kris—Matt’s going to show you why his build was so good this weekend.
Finally, we welcome back Ryan Murphy after his brief hiatus. He takes an interesting approach to his Forgotten Format column. Dark Armed Dragon Return’s dominance certainly isn’t limited to the Advanced format, but that’s not Ryan’s focus this Sunday. Instead, he’ll discuss some of his own success with a previous deck, and show you how it could be relevant to both the Advanced and Traditional environments. Don’t miss it!
That’s it for this week, but we’ll return in another seven days to discuss the backlash from Shonen Jump Championship Columbus. Until then, the count down to one of the year’s biggest tournaments begins. Be with us bright and early this Saturday to catch all the action, live!
—Jason Grabher-Meyer
Contributing Editor, Metagame.com