Nine rounds have come and gone here in Baltimore, and after one of the most anticipated tournaments of all time, it’s clear that a changing of the guard is taking place. Heading into the weekend the big question on everyone’s minds was whether Gladiator Beasts would remain dominant, or get totally blown away by the new breed of Synchro strategies. Now we have our answer.

While Gladiator Beasts in a variety of forms are still alive and kicking, they’ve taken one heck of a beatdown this weekend. They’re no longer the dominant deck heading into Day 2.

Instead, a tremendous eight Teleport Dark Armed Dragon decks made the Top 16 cut, compared to six Gladiator Beast builds — an impressive number that takes on a lot of significance when you remember that one deck has had four months of testing and development while the other has had virtually none. Also joining the fray is a Monarch deck, and a very innovative Lightsworn build packing Herald of Orange Light and Quillbolt Hedgehog. There were several Lightsworn decks on the bubble today, which was impressive considering the very low number of players running them due to a shortage of Charge of the Light Brigade.

It’s too early to make a decisive call, but after four rounds tomorrow we’ll have our results. Will Gladiator Beasts fall to Teleport Dark Armed, or will the tenacious tag-out deck hold on to the top spot? Could Lightsworn or Monarchs defy the odds and beat both strategies to score the upset? Join us tomorrow as we bring you extended feature match coverage of the Top 16, and we see how things play out, here at Shonen Jump Championship Baltimore!