It’s Tuesday, September 18th 2007, and two days ago we witnessed the finale to the first big tournament of the new Advanced Format.
Jonathan Labounty Wins Shonen Jump Championship Washington
Zombies took the dueling world by storm this past weekend as a whopping five duelists maneuvered their undead creations to the Top 16, but in the end it was the return of an older favorite that stole the show. Monarchs captured only two spots in Day 2, but it was Jonathan Labounty’s cleverly-customized Perfect Circle build that claimed victory. Phoenix Wing Wind Blast, The Transmigration Prophecy, and double Pot of Avarice brought what many regarded as a dead-end archetype back to the forefront of competition. Missed it? Check out all the live coverage right here on Metagame.com.
The action’s nonstop this month too: we’re just eleven days away from Shonen Jump Chicago. The Shonen Jump Circuit returns to the Odeum Expo Center next weekend, and with many solid trends demonstrated at Indy, we’re sure to see a refined metagame (and a huge turnout) at this event. Will Zombies claim the day, or will Perfect Circle’s sudden boost in popularity give it the edge? Better yet, what new techs, decks, and counter-strategies will duelists use to take on the newly-predicted field?
Want to be there to answer those questions yourself? Check out the official tournament listing over on UDE’s Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG website, and hit up Premier Tournament Organizer Pastimes site too for further details. If you can’t be there yourself, join us on Saturday the 29th for live coverage of Day—it’s the next best thing to being there.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Tour News
The Time 2 Duel Tour has visited more than twenty events across the nation, and this weekend it all wraps up on the East Coast. This Thursday the crew rolls into the Navy Yard Boys & Girls Club in Brooklyn, New York. On Friday, they’ll hit the Edward A. Dalton Boys & Girls Club in New Jersey, and then they’ll finish Saturday and Sunday at Chelsea Piers in New York.
But while the Time 2 Duel Tour is drawing to a close, the It’s Kids Time Mall Tour is booked to run right through December, bringing demos, dueling, and more to an area near you. Targeted at a younger audience of new and aspiring duelists, the Tour offers a great opportunity to get a first taste of the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG plus some tips from the experienced volunteer staff. You can even do some trivia or compete in carnival-style games to win swag like Yu-Gi-Oh! action figures and booster packs.
The Tour is on the road this weekend, but on September 29th, it’ll be business as usual at Minnesota’s Mall of America. If you have younger family members or friends who might like to try their hand at dueling, this is a great way to introduce them to the game. If you’re an experienced duelist yourself and would like more information about volunteering at this, or other upcoming Kids Time events, just send an e-mail to Julia Hedberg at demo@upperdeck.com
This Week at Metagame.com
Mike Rosenberg opens up our week with a look at yet another card that’s getting dusted off thanks to the new Advanced Format: Bottomless Trap Hole. With Breaker the Magical Warrior back and special summoning more popular than ever, Bottomless is getting a second look from some and a lot more table time from many others. If you’re running Sakuretsu Armor or Widespread Ruin, you should definitely consider the role Bottomless could have in your deck, and Mike’s going to show you why.
Then on Tuesday, Jerome McHale takes inspiration from the latest Hobby League card to put together a Crystal Beast deck on a budget. Want to see what the hubbub’s about, and add another deck to your gauntlet without breaking the bank? Crystal Beasts are even better this format than they were in the last, and Jerome has a deck list you won’t want to miss. If you’ve never played with Jesse Anderson’s monsters in a Constructed environment before, this is a must-read.
Destiny Hero - Plasma is an all-new promo card available in this year’s Collector’s Tins, and it’s a lot like Relinquished with a triple-tribute special summoning condition. Yeah, I know: not exactly a rulings-free card concept, is it? But Curtis Schultz has your back in this week’s Duel Academy, and come Wednesday he’ll answer some of the more pressing questions about how this unique monster works. If you’re a serious player you’re probably planning to get a few copies of Plasma, so make sure you know how to use it.
On Thursday, I’ll fix up a Dark World deck in The Apotheosis, creating a competitive heavy-hitter that wields one of the format’s most powerful (and currently most underrated) weapons: Deck Devastation Virus. Dark World has seen high praise from a lot of people over the past weeks, but it failed to represent in Day 2 at Washington. I’ll take a run at the deck and see what I can come up with.
One of the most important keys to being a successful duelist is to understand yourself. Whether they like to admit it or not, every player in this game has things they do well and things that they’re not very strong at. This Friday, Bryan Camareno will show you some potent techniques for self-evaluation, helping you capitalize on your strengths and meet your personal challenges.
On Saturday, Matt Peddle looks way back at the history of Zombie decks, turning our eyes to Jae Kim’s build from SJC Charlotte years ago. Kim’s build adhered to several principles that modern Zombie strategies are also making use of, so it’s a great time to look at what the deck accomplished and how it managed that. Matt’s going to show you what made Kim’s strategy so groundbreaking, and what we can learn from it now that Zombies are back.
Matt Murphy just keeps making surprising, awesome decks in his Combination Attack! column, and for his newest entry in the popular series he created something really unique. The Six Samurai aren’t generally mixed with other deck themes, but Matt’s discovered a hybrid between Samurai and Counter Fairies that he calls “Angelic Bushido.”
That’s it for this week. If you can’t make it to Shonen Jump Chicago, be sure to mark it on your calendar anyways, because you won’t want to miss our live coverage on the 29th and 30th.
Thanks for reading!
—Jason Grabher-Meyer
Contributing Editor, Metagame.com