We've put a lot of focus on teams in this event, but we can't let the coverage go by without one more team interview. Team Revolution didn't arrive in matching shirts, but they made a definite mark in the top-level finishers. Two members went 9-1 and earned a spot in the Top 8, while the remaining members finished at 8-2. As the tournament passed the midnight hour after the end of round 10, team spokesman Kris Perovic sat down to give me some more information about his group.
It's a small to medium-sized group—there are nine official members, along with a number of “honorary” members. The team consists of Kris Perovic, Anthony Alvarado, Rhymus Lizo (Top 8), Bryan Coronel (Top 8), Mike Pianka, Harry Deodharry, Jonathan Hallock, Nate Rodriguez, and Marco Sedrak. All of the members have qualified for Nationals, and several have consistent Top 8 records for Nationals. That's an impressive background for a developing team.
“April 2 was the pinnacle of Overdose,” Kris explained. “It started a couple of weeks before with just a few members, but the Regionals here on April 2 is where the team expanded.” Membership ranges across the tri-state area. “We've got people in New York, some in Connecticut, and there's some here in New Jersey too. We play in a couple of shops, usually Neutral Grounds (in Manhattan) or at Bayonne Comics (Bayonne, New Jersey).”
“Our biggest strength as a team is that we're all friends. We're more than a team, we're great friends with a great connection. We'd do anything for each other. It makes us tight, and keeps us close and keeps us improving.” The kind of records this team racked up at the event doesn't come without a lot of work. “We did deck testing, I'd say literally every day for the last month. We tried out all kinds of new things. The new rulings, especially the battle position changes, screwed with us a bit. We worried a lot about Goat Control.”
For this event, each member of the team went with what they were most comfortable with. “We brought a nice mix of aggro and passive Warrior/Chaos, and some different teched out decks.” Kris said. “I ran a deck with Magicians. It was really all about what we were comfortable running. A lot of Chaos.”
Kris enjoyed the event, but wasn't overwhelmed with the implied grandeur of a Shonen Jump. “We took it like, it was just a bigger Regionals. But with more prizes . . . and Comic Odyssey was invited.” He laughed. “Just another tournament, and a lot longer day.” The team's finishing performance bore out the assertion. “I've had 7 top 8's in like, nine Regionals, most of us have multiples. Every one of us finished at 8-2, except for the guys that qualified, they went 9-1.”
What about sponsorship? That's a goal for most teams, since it gets them out and about to more events. “We've had an offer, but turned it down because it wasn't a full sponsorship. We aren't really looking for anything less. We're really hoping to get one, since we need funding to get to Nationals. The Stein we'll be taking home tomorrow could do it, too. It's all for Nats—we all have invites, we all plan to go if there's a Stein to pay the way.” Kris went on to discuss the personal significance of a Shonen Jump win. “We want to hold on to New Jersey turf, that was the point of coming. How can we fail when we want it so much? It's not just another trophy on the wall for us, it's our future and supporting our hobby for another year. It's not just one more thing for us.
Talk of Nationals and Shonen Jump wins led to talk of the team's future. “What we want to achieve in the game is to reach that level of the top players. In Yu-Gi-Oh!, you get to a certain level and that's as good as anyone gets. We want to prove we belong on that level with the best in the game.” He paused to think for a bit. “Winning Nationals, winning Worlds, we want to be on the highest level of players. We see ourselves doing it again and again as long as the game lasts, because we love the game. We want to just keep doing it.”