Name: Joe Spanier
Age: 16
Where are you from? New York
Occupation: Student/Debater
How many Regional or Shonen Jump tournaments have you attended? None!
What deck did you play today, and why did you choose it? Total Chaos, it’s fun and I have a clue how to play it without aspirin.
What matchups do you look forward to? Goat Control
What matchups are you hoping to avoid? Gravekeeper
Which do you feel are the top three decks in the current environment, and why? Chaos, Chaos with a touch of Goat Control, and turn one Deckout. Chaos wins out of nowhere, Chaos with Goat Control is nothing but staples, and Deckout because it’s fast.
Did the new “end of match” procedure affect your deck, side deck, or strategies today? No, my games don’t take 40 minutes.
Did you come to this event as part of a team? No
If you win at Nationals and earn the trip to Tokyo, what do you look forward to doing there, apart from competing in Worlds? Buying an unhealthy amount of CDs.
Name: Bin Zheng
Age: 23
Where are you from? Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Occupation: Student
How many Regional or Shonen Jump tournaments have you attended? This is my third.
What deck did you play today, and why did you choose it? Chaos Disruptive, it’s usually constant.
What matchups do you look forward to? Non-Disruptive.
What matchups are you hoping to avoid? Stall.
Which do you feel are the top three decks in the current environment, and why? Chaos Disruptive, Goats/[Tsukuyomi], and Chaos.
Did the new “end of match” procedure affect your deck, side deck, or strategies today? Yes.
Did you come to this event as part of a team? Unfortunately not, but hopefully I will next time.
If you win at Nationals and earn the trip to Tokyo, what do you look forward to doing there, apart from competing in Worlds? Traveling around Japan, I’ve heard wonderful things.
Name: Josh Wiseman
Age: 14
Where are you from? Greenfield, Ohio
Occupation: Student
How many Regional or Shonen Jump tournaments have you attended? Four.
What deck did you play today, and why did you choose it? Soul Control.
What matchups do you look forward to? Beast.
What matchups are you hoping to avoid? Chaos and Stall decks.
Which do you feel are the top three decks in the current environment, and why?
Chaos, Fusion, and Burn decks.
Did the new “end of match” procedure affect your deck, side deck, or strategies today? No.
Did you come to this event as part of a team? No.
If you win at Nationals and earn the trip to Tokyo, what do you look forward to doing there, apart from competing in Worlds? Everything.
Name: Zach Maher
Age: 16
Where are you from? Cincinnati, Ohio
Occupation: Student
How many Regional or Shonen Jump tournaments have you attended? I have attended two Columbus Regional Tournaments.
What deck did you play today, and why did you choose it? [Tsukuyomi] Control, it seemed like a fun and challenging deck to use.
What matchups do you look forward to? I look forward to mirror matches to see how other people use the deck.
What matchups are you hoping to avoid? I am hoping not to see [Last Turn] decks.
Which do you feel are the top three decks in the current environment, and why? [Tsukuyomi] Control, Aggro, and Warrior Beats.
Did the new “end of match” procedure affect your deck, side deck, or strategies today? Not really.
Did you come to this event as part of a team? No, I did not.
If you win at Nationals and earn the trip to Tokyo, what do you look forward to doing there, apart from competing in Worlds? I look forward to meeting other top players from around the world.
Name: Matt Guenther
Age: 31
Where are you from? Phoenix, Arizona
Occupation: Looking.
How many Regional or Shonen Jump tournaments have you attended? Six Shonen Jumps and seven Regionals.
What deck did you play today, and why did you choose it? Panda Beats, because it kills Goats.
What matchups do you look forward to? Anything with Goats.
What matchups are you hoping to avoid? Stupid Ben Kei!
Which do you feel are the top three decks in the current environment, and why? Panda, because I run it; Stupid Ben Kei, because we made it good; and anything with [Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning] because Black Luster Soldier is broken.
Did the new “end of match” procedure affect your deck, side deck, or strategies today? Yes, I lost in the first LCQ because of it.
Did you come to this event as part of a team? Yes, Team Prodigy.
If you win at Nationals and earn the trip to Tokyo, what do you look forward to doing there, apart from competing in Worlds? Eating some great food.
Name: Pat Field
Age: 14
Where are you from? Cheshire, Connecticut
Occupation: Student
How many Regional or Shonen Jump tournaments have you attended? Two, one in Rhode Island and one in Columbus.
What deck did you play today, and why did you choose it? Goat Control.
What matchups do you look forward to? Cookie Cutters.
What matchups are you hoping to avoid? Ben Kei, Deckout decks (with [Cyber Jar]).
Which do you feel are the top three decks in the current environment, and why? Mine, mine, mine!
Did the new “end of match” procedure affect your deck, side deck, or strategies today? No.
Did you come to this event as part of a team? Yes, Team Rampage.
If you win at Nationals and earn the trip to Tokyo, what do you look forward to doing there, apart from competing in Worlds? Getting things cheap, and seeing lots of Japanese people.
Name: Alex “Lofat” Tom
Age: 15
Where are you from? San Pablo, California
Occupation: Student
How many Regional or Shonen Jump tournaments have you attended? Three.
What deck did you play today, and why did you choose it? I played Chaos and Goat Killer.
What matchups do you look forward to? Anything, really.
What matchups are you hoping to avoid? Cookie Jar decks or Launch decks.
Which do you feel are the top three decks in the current environment, and why? Chaos, Beatdown, and Zombie, because I went against them today.
Did the new “end of match” procedure affect your deck, side deck, or strategies today? No, because I was always finished with my match.
Did you come to this event as part of a team? Yes, Team Punishment of NorCal.
If you win at Nationals and earn the trip to Tokyo, what do you look forward to doing there, apart from competing in Worlds? Eating all the food, and having fun and playing for the USA.