10:59 pm: Who’s At The Top Tables? Round 10

Table 1: Andrew Fredella (9 wins) [SBC Competitor] vs. David’Ody Gordon (8 wins)

Table 2: Chris Evans (8 wins) vs. John Henry Schalk (8 wins)

Table 3: Robert Morgan (8 wins) vs. Michael Powell (8 wins)

Table 4: James Laurent (8 wins) vs. Brent Yetter (8 wins)

Table 5: Andrew Bartlett (8 wins) vs. Zach Johnson (8 wins)

Table 6: Richard Burgess (8 wins) vs. James Tsilimos (7 wins)

Table 7: Michael Lux (7 wins) [SBC Competitor] vs. Carlo Palazzo (7 wins) [SBC Competitor]

Table 8: John Patrick Boring (7 wins) vs. Donald Kiss (7 wins) [SBC Competitor]

 

Wow . . . for the final round, we’ve got four Scrub Brush Challengers sitting up high. Andrew’s a guaranteed in at 9-0, but who might make it in from the Michael Lux/Carlo Palazzo matchup? This is the last chance for your Top 8 predictions, folks!

10:20 PM: This Has Been A Really Long Day.

I’m tired. I really want to go to sleep. I didn’t tell you about my airport adventure yesterday, did I? Well, I booked a flight on a 5 pm flight that was supposed to get me here at 7:30. That flight was delayed for over an hour, and I was stuck at the White Plains airport, which is very small. You go through security and there are 4 gates, and a tiny waiting room without enough seats, so it’s the worst place in the world to wait for a delayed flight. Anyway, finally it arrives, and then they announce, “This flight is overbooked. Seven passengers need to give up their seats before we can board.”

 

This is New York, so everyone stands around glaring at everyone else. Two people crack and volunteer. We wait some more. They make the announcement again – “We need five people to give up their seats, in exchange for $200 travel credit, before we can board this flight.” Everyone stands around and glares at each other. The large, noisy party from Texas finds this very funny. 3 more people give in. It’s now a showdown of determination between the Delta gate staff and the remaining passengers. No one wants to give up their seat, and the clock continues to tick. 2 more people decide they’ll take the flight credit. We only need one more.

 

No one is willing to budge.

 

“We’ll put you on an 8 o’clock flight, we promise,” the gate agent cajoles us.

 

Fine—I’m not going anywhere as it is, so I take the bullet so all the rest of those selfish jerks can board the plane. Plus I get a $200 travel credit, which means I can go cover a farther away event!

 

That flight turned out to be at a different airport, so they threw us all in a van and drove us over to LaGuardia, then put us on the DELAYED flight, with the net result of landing me in Atlanta at 11:00pm. Blah.

Oh yeah, my luggage? It went on the earlier flight. And they took away my baggage claim sticker because it was on my original boarding pass. It took about 40 minutes to communicate to the baggage services what the problem was, have them discover they had my bag, and to wait for someone to go and fetch it.

 

I got to my hotel at about 12:30, and that’s why I’m really tired today.

 

10:00 pm: Who’s At The Top Tables? Round 9

 

Here we go! One round left after this! We’re all getting kind of tired in here.

 

Table 1 – Andrew Fredella (8 wins) [SBC Competitor] vs. Robert Morgan (8 wins)

Table 2 – David’Ody Gordon (7 wins) vs. Jason Zigander (7 wins)

Table 3 – Miguel Garcia (7 wins) vs. Zach Johnson (7 wins)

Table 4 – Shawn Long (7 wins) vs. Brent Yetter (7 wins)

Table 5 – Chris Evans (7 wins) vs. Ronshawn Williams (7 wins)

Table 6 – David Jamieson (7 wins) vs. John Henry Schalk (7 wins)

Table 7 – Andrew Bartlett (7 wins) vs. Paul Levitin [SBC Competitor] (7 wins)

Table 8 – James Laurent (7 wins) vs. Michael Lux (7 wins) [SBC Competitor]

 

We’ve still got 3 competitors going strong. It looks like Andrew’s going to make it for sure. Michael and Paul have come up from a slower start, and who knows what the next and final round will hold for them. Did any of the rest of you notice how much Nexus we’ve got going on here? This is technically still their territory, and they’re holding onto it in a determined fashion. Go Nexus!

9:13 pm: A Little-Known Fact

The best thing about being female at any kind of Yu-Gi-Oh! event? Your restroom is just as clean at the end of the day as it was at the beginning. Think about it . . .500+ guys per restroom, vs. 8 or so girls. We’ve got like, a separate room in there too, just for the mirrors and sinks. And it smells like potpourri! Heh, heh, heh.

 

(Editor’s note: I’ve always said that the loneliest place in the world is the ladies’ room at a TCG tournament.)

 

8:40 pm: Who’s At the Top Tables? Round 8

Table 1: Robert Morgan (7 wins) vs. Brent Yetter (7 wins)

Table 2: Andrew Fredella (7 wins) [SBC Competitor] vs. Zach Johnson (7 wins)—feature match for the round!

Table 3: David’Ody Gordon (6 win) vs. Jason Rosenberg (6 wins)

Table 4: Andrew Bartlett (6 wins) vs. Brian Cornish (6 wins) [SBC Competitior]

Table 5: Miguel Garcia (6 wins) vs. Gary Kuchta (6 wins)

Table 6: Jacob Medley (6 wins) vs. John Henry Schalk (6 wins)

Table 7: Dakota Hickey (6 wins) vs. Shawn Long (6 wins)

Table 8: Michael Lux (6 wins) [SBC Competitor] vs. Chad Toutague (6 wins)

 

Hey, we’ve got three competitors in there! Andrew Fredella is at table 2 (check out his feature match), and Brian Cornish continues to hang around as he takes table 4. Michael Lux makes his first appearance at table 8. Is he going to stick around? With only two rounds remaining in today’s event, there’s no room left for mistakes for any of these guys.

 

(pics Round8-Top1-4.jpg Round8-Top5-8.jpg)

7:21 pm: Who’s At The Top Tables? Round 7

Okay, we’ve got 3 rounds to go. Let’s see who’s making a serious bid for the Top 8.

Table 1: David Jamieson (6 wins) vs. Zach Johnson (6 wins)

Table 2: Kevin Wickware (6 wins) vs. Brent Yetter (6 wins)

Table 3: Andrew Fredella (6 wins) [SBC Competitor] vs. Jason Zigander (6 wins) Aw, this is a teammate match.

Table 4: James Laurent (6 wins) vs. Robert Morgan (6 wins)

Table 5: Gary Kuchta (6 wins) vs. John Henry Schalk (5 wins)

Table 6: Marcial Bode (5 wins) vs. Chad Toutague (5 wins)

Table 7: Jacob Medley (5 wins) vs. James Tsilimos (5 wins)

Table 8: Brian Cornish (5 wins) [SBC Competitor] vs. Phong Nguyen (5 wins)

We’ve still got 2 competitors holding strong among the upper tables, and players like Marcial Bode, Brent Yetter and Gary Kuchta are refusing to budge. Anyone revising their opinions for Top 8?

6:33 pm: Where did you Get That Kuriboh!?

Lots of people come up and ask “Where did you get the Winged Kuriboh? I want one!” Actually I made it . . .so, alas, they aren’t commercially available. If you want one of your own, then make me an offer. It had better be a good offer, too, because I don’t work cheap.

Winged Kuriboh is made of very nice, expensive and luxurious shag plush, in the perfect shade of Kuribrown. This makes it much more pleasant to handle than the earlier Kuriboh, and few people can pass it by without wanting to pick it up. Just look at those soulful eyes. No wonder it’s so popular.

6:15 pm: Who’s At The Top Tables? Round 6

Table 1: Brian Cornish (5 wins) [SBC Competitor] vs. Gary Kuchta (5 wins)

Table 2: Chris Evans (5 wins) vs. Zach Johnson (5 wins)

Table 3: Aaron Couture (5 wins) vs. Robert Morgan (5 wins)

Table 4: Marcial Bode (5 wins) vs. Kevin Wickware (5 wins)

Table 5: John Jensen (5 wins) vs. James Laurent (5 wins)

Table 6: Miguel Garcia (5 wins) vs. Brent Yetter (5 wins) and a Feature Match for this round

Table 7: Andrew Fredella (5 wins) [SBC Competitor] vs. Talha Khan (5 wins)

Table 8: Quincy Gordon (5 wins) vs. David Jamieson (5 wins)

We’ve got 2 Scrub Brush Challenge competitors in there this time, not to mention a few players that are popular picks for the win. The field continues to narrow as each loss becomes more important…who will we see sitting here round 7?

5:20 pm: Team Profile: Team Pretty People

With a name like that, how can they go wrong? This is a team built of more than pretty faces, though. Among the three teammates, they’ve got 10 Top 8 East Coast Regional finishes.

Most likely today’s newest team (they just formed at this event), spokesman Carlo Palazzo, Malcolm Xavier, and Bobby Thumb are ready to keep rolling. “We’re going to Shonen Jump Philly,” Carlo said, “Well . . . and any other Shonen Jump we can make it to.” They are recruiting, but aren’t interested in collecting power names. “We aren’t recruiting just on credentials. We don’t need the drama. What’s the use of a team that’s a time bomb?”

They take pride in their accomplishments, and look forward to more. Despite being qualified, none of the team was able to make it to Nationals –but they hope to put at least 2 members in this event’s Top 8. Carlo is participating in the Scrub Brush Challenge, and was 3-0 heading into round 4 where he faced a disappointing loss to an OTK deck.

“We play for fun,” he said, taking it philosophically.

4:56 pm: Who’s At The Top Tables? Round 5

Table 2: Zach Johnson (4 wins) vs. Joshua Sutherland (4 wins)

Table 3: Marcial Bode (4 wins) vs. Shane Bradley (4 wins)

Table 4: Bruce McGregor (4 wins) vs. Kevin Wickware (4 wins)

Table 5: Allan Amancio (4 wins) vs. Talha Khan (4 wins)

Table 6: Andrew Fredella (4 wins) [SBC Competitor] vs. James Hames (4 wins)

Table 7: Andrew Bartlett (4 wins) vs. Carlos Santiago (4 wins)

Table 8: Miguel Garcia (4 wins) vs. Robert Troutman (4 wins)

Thank goodness for Andrew Fredella—keeping a Scrub Brush Challenge competitor in the top tables for this round!

We’re starting to see some well-known names . . . the competition at the upper tables is becoming much more serious, with 5 rounds still left in the day.

3:45 pm: Who’s At The Top Tables? Round 4

Let’s take a look . . .

Table 1 – Carlo Palazzo (3 wins) [SBC Competitor] vs. Williams Scoggins (3 wins)

Table 2 – Andrew Bartlett (3 wins) vs. Chris Evans (3 wins)

Table 3 – Brandon Brody (3 wins) vs. Quincy Gordon (3 wins)

Table 4 – Gary Kuchta (3 wins) vs. Quan Lewis (3 wins)

Table 5 – Dustin Allen (3 wins) vs. Aaron Couture (3 wins)

Table 6 – Brandon Holcomb (3 wins) vs. Bruce McGregor (3 wins)

Table 7 – Justin Cain (3 wins) vs. Brian Long (3 wins)

Table 8 – Richard Burgess (3 wins) vs. Adonis Fuller (3 wins)

Looks like we’ve still got a Scrub Brush Challenge competitor at the top tables!

In short, it sometimes takes a while because there’s a lot going on here today, and I also do a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff that helps Jason get more content done. The photo gallery will start up soon as well, bringing you a glimpse of your favorite players, strange sights, Winged Kuriboh and all the custom playmat action you can HANDLE.

2:40 pm: Who’s At The Top Tables? Round 3

Table 3: Chris Arantes (2 wins) vs. Brian Long (2 wins)

Table 4: Russell Jessen (2 wins) vs. Ben Massey (2 wins)

Table 5: John Jensen (2 wins) vs. Bruce Lawrence (2 wins)

Table 6: Billy Campbell (2 wins) vs. Brandon Holcomb (2 wins)

Table 7: Austin Hoyt (2 wins) vs. Joscan Rosario (2 wins)

Table 8: Duy Bui (2 wins) [SBC Competitor] vs. Bryan Gibbons (2 wins)

Hmm, two new Scrub Brush Challenge competitors took a turn at the top this round. Who will we see next time?

1:30 pm: 522 Really Is A Lot Of People

On paper, it just sounds big…but taking a walk around the tournament floor really drives it home. Just look at all the people here today! Clearing the event room once the players are done with their matches was a good call. There’s a nice lobby full of vendors for them to hang out in, and it makes the judges’ jobs so much easier.

1:20 pm: Top Tables—Round 2!

Who’s at the top tables? Let’s take a look and see . . .

Table 1: Cody Agostini (1 win) vs. Brian Cornish [SBC Competitor] (1 win)

Table 2: Marquell Gilles (1 win) vs. Jeffrey Rizzo (1 win)

Table 3: Moises Martinez (1 win) vs. Kevin Wickware (1 win)

Table 4: John Shepard (1 win) vs. Ed Watson (1 win)

Table 5: Tyler Davis (1 win) vs. Shirl Moore (1 win)

Table 6: Nicholaus Bloom (1 win) vs. Donald Kiss [SBC Competitor] (1 win)

Table 7: JJ Guzewicz (1 win) vs. Donaun Singleton (1 win)

Table 8: Joseph Stevens (1 win) vs. Henry Su (1 win)

Hmm, we’ve got two Scrub Brush Challenge competitors here already!  

There are a lot of people here today, but head judge Franklin DeBrito is doing a good job of keeping them all under control. He’s clearing the tournament floor of everyone who isn’t still engaged in a match, which makes it a lot easier on the judges, and keeps the room cooler and better ventilated! He’s continuing with some of the policies we implemented at Nationals a few weeks ago—more attention to shuffling, side and fusion decks on the table, and judges verifying the match slips. Yu-Gi-Oh! players are being held to a high, professional standard of play here today!

11:30 am

We’re finally ready to begin! We had to have more tables brought in and set up to accommodate the crowd, but Unity Entertainment moved on it quickly and we’ve got room for everyone now. The showdown begins! Look for feature match coverage between Max Suffridge, who’s playing an unusual Clock Tower deck, and Ryan Boohe.

10:45 am

Would you believe that people are still coming in to register? People who claimed this would be the “Nationals” for the East Coast weren’t too far off. Estimates of 700 players turned out to be a little off base, but it looks like there are already over 500 people here. I see a few faces from Nationals, so we’ve got our share of seasoned travelers. This should be an interesting event!