It’s Monday, April 28, 2008, and we are just five days away from the Sneak Preview release of Light of Destruction!
Light of Destruction Sneak Previews This Weekend
For months now, Dark Armed Return has been the deck to beat in Regionals and Shonen Jump Championships, with only a handful of duelists succeeding against it. But all that may change this weekend as hundreds of venues throw Sneak Previews to celebrate the arrival of a new era.
The word on everybody’s minds is Lightsworn, the new theme that seems set to take the dueling world by storm. A mix of independently playable monsters with high stats and great effects, combined with the best finisher ever printed, has made for a ton of excitement and high expectations. Like I’ve said, I’ve been waiting to get my hands on Lightsworn for months, and now I’ll finally get the chance this weekend.
Gladiator Beasts got a ton of attention earlier this month when Paul Levitin played them to capture Shonen Jump title gold in Minneapolis. A lot of duelists wondered if his victory was a fluke, and they openly debated whether or not Gladiator Beasts could win again. I think we covered this question last week when Ryan Murphy discussed Gladiator Beast Gyzarus—the all-new powerhouse contact fusion from Light of Destruction. At the very least, it seems that Gladiators and Lightsworn will emerge as top competitive decks from this set.
But many wild cards remain, everything from Batterymen to Destiny Heroes to Frogs get extra support in Light of Destruction, and it’s anybody’s guess how well these revamped themes will fare in big tournaments over the next few months. Regardless, the best way to get a jump on the competition in your area is to get out to your local Sneak Preview this weekend and snap up some new cards!
Sign up to play in one of two formats: Sealed Deck tournaments or Sealed Deck casual play. You’ll bust open five packs, build your deck, and compete in either a tournament-style competition for a shot to win more boosters, or a casual run that’ll earn you one more pack whether you win or lose. You’ll get to keep all the cards you open, plus you’ll get a copy of the new world-debut promo, Guardian of Order—if you haven’t seen it yet, check in with us on Friday for an in-depth look at what the new promo can do.
You can find a Sneak Preview in your area by using the Event Locator over on the official Sneak Preview page, so find your venue and arrive early: supplies of boosters and the new promo card are limited, and given the hype surrounding this event I think some locations are definitely going to run out of cards. Remember, if you’re headed to the Sneak Preview in San Diego, that’s where I’ll be, so come and say hello!
Shonen Jump Championship Nashville in Two Weeks
One week after the Sneak Previews, the title of Shonen Jump Champion will be on the line in Nashville. The final Shonen Jump Championship before the introduction of Light of Destruction to premier level play, this event will feel the backlash of Paul Levitin’s Gladiator Beast win in Minneapolis.
Hundreds of duelists will flock to the Nashville Convention Center in downtown Nashville, Tennessee, for what may be the final tournament in the Dark Armed Return era. Two weeks later in St. Louis, Missouri, duelists will have to face Lightsworn, Gladiator Beasts, and many more new or revamped decks, but in Nashville, Dark and OTK decks will still dominate much of the field. Will another rogue deck pull out the win, or will Dark Armed Dragon have one last hurrah? If you can’t be there in person to find out, join us here on Metagame all weekend long as we bring you live coverage from the tournament floor.
Thinking of heading out to compete? Be sure to hit up the official event listing over on UDE’s website for venue, date, and contact information. It looks like hotel rooms are still available in the area, but if you’re going to stay in the city, you should book soon. See you there!
This Week on Metagame
Today, we continue our look at some of the highlight cards from Light of Destruction as Ryan Murphy shows off Jinzo – Returner. Have you ever wanted to summon three copies of Jinzo in one turn for just a single card? Do you want to harass your opponent’s trap lineup like never before? Jinzo – Returner is all about teaching an old (bionic) dog new tricks, and Ryan’s got a ton of tips and combos. Click on over to check it all out!
Tomorrow, Matt Peddle looks at a new flip-effect monster called DUCKER Mobile Cannon and speculates about its role in today’s fast-paced global metagame. Can a flip-effect monster reignite the pacing of the days of old? If so, which new cards and decks does it find synergy with? Matt will answer those questions and more on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, Jerome McHale will show you the amazing power of Light of Destruction’s pack-cover monster, Honest. An awe-inspiring battle trick for Light monsters, Honest flat-out trumps previously popular cards like Rush Recklessly and Shrink. What makes it so good, and how can you use yours if you’re lucky enough to get one at the Sneak Preview? Jerome will tell all this week.
Thursday, Bryan Camareno stops by to discuss one of the few known Japanese promo cards imported for the global-release version of the set. Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo has duelists in the know pretty pumped up, but some players may not see how good it is. A staple of Gadget decks in Japan, it’s just what the doctor ordered to give a power boost to the declining Machine archetype. Plus it’s adorable!
Finally, on Friday, I’ll deliver our last Light of Destruction preview article one night before the big weekend. Guardian of Order is the newest Sneak Preview promo, and you’ll get a copy of this stellar new Light monster just for signing up. Terms like "too good" and "too fast" have been applied to the Guardian since an Italian newsletter leaked it earlier this month, but one thing’s for sure: it’s a great card for a wide variety of decks. I’ll show you a spread of archetypes the deck fits into, and I’ll explain what it does in each strategy.
On Saturday, Matt Peddle is back with another installment of his biweekly column. Matt will take a look at the tactics top players use to win Championship events. This time Matt takes inspiration from duelists like Paul Levitin and Kyle Duncan, examining the competitive application of aggression with the intent to wipe your opponent clear off the field. Matt calls it the clean sweep, and there’s some really interesting history in this article. Be sure to give it a read!
Curtis Schultz will finish out our week on Sunday, as he continues looking at basic (and some not-so-basic) core game mechanics. This time around Curtis carries over his discussion of successful summons to look at flip summons. He also takes a look at priority and how it functions in the context of summoned monsters. If you’re a serious tournament player, or just want to know how your favorite game actually works, this article’s a must read.
That’s it for this week. Good luck at your Light of Destruction Sneak Preview, and get ready for an amazing month of dueling!
Thanks for reading Metagame,
—Jason Grabher-Meyer
Contributing Editor, Metagame.com