Here in the St. Charles Convention Center the Top 16 are assembling for the final four rounds of this tournament. A massive lightning storm is raging outside, and thunder is shaking the foundations of the building, but the storm outside is nothing compared to the one brewing indoors.

Today we’ll see sixteen duelists wield a total of seven different decks, and, at the end of the day, one duelist will emerge victorious. Gladiator Beasts have supplanted dedicated Dark Armed Dragon decks with a representation of six players to four, while two Monarch players and four rogues make up the rest of the field.

Steven Harris will tackle Dale Bellido, taking Gladiator Beasts against the only Lightsworn deck in the Top 16. Harris is playing two copies of Elemental Hero Prisma, a factor that will be worth keeping track of across the Gladiator Beast matchups this morning. This is Dale’s best matchup, one that he sacrificed other matchups to win, so he should be the strong pick for progression to Top 8.

Jerome McHale made history yesterday as the first player ever to take Counter Fairies to Day 2, but today he’s up against the legend, Shane Scurry. Gladiator Beasts are Jerome’s best matchup too, and Scurry is playing a slower build with just one Prisma. But today is his first trip to the Top 16, while Scurry has made the final tables time and time again. Will strategy win out, or will experience in high-pressure situations win the day for Scurry?

Another first-time Top 16 competitor takes on another vet, as Jose Arocho duels Jason Holloway in a Dark Armed Dragon mirror match. Holloway is coming off hot after his victory in Nashville two weeks ago, and plowed through plenty of high-profile duelists yesterday on his way to a 7-1 finish. Arocho’s going to need to pull out all the stops to take down Texas’ odds-on favorite.

Another Texan player will also represent his home state in the Top 16, when Ryan Spicer faces off against Joseph Rechis. Spicer has the advantage of experience, but Rechis is playing Gladiator Beasts, and is the only duelist committing to three copies of Elemental Hero Prisma. This one’s a tough one to call, but a win here for Rechis would be formative for the future of the Gladiator Beast archetype.

Chris Schwarz will compete against Cody Bryant, taking Gladiator Beasts with two Prisma against Bryant’s Monarchs build. Bryant may be a sleeper-pick for the dark horse win here this morning, and has the airs of a rising star here on the Shonen Jump Circuit. But Shwarz is no pushover — this one is anybody’s game.

Chris Randall made huge waves yesterday, scoring up a Top 16 finish with the near-forgotten Elemental Hero deck, Big City. But he’s facing David Rodriguez, another player packing Gladiator Beasts — Big City’s worst matchup. With two copies of Prisma, Rodriguez’s build is formidable, and a win here may be nothing short of academic for Gladiators.

Scott Happel duels Christopher Ballard, in a match that pits the cookie cutter deck of choice against the most innovative strategy here in Day 2 — Dark Armed Dragon will clash with Jinzo – Returner. Ballard demolished Dragon after Dragon yesterday, and packs two copies of Dark Armed himself, but can his bizarre innovation continue to bring him success? This matchup is tremendously unpredictable, but a win here for Ballard might just bring an all-new deck into competitive rotation.

Finally, Edgar Flores will play Danny Magnin, taking the Top 16’s second Monarch deck against Gladiator Beasts. This matchup is a relative mystery, so it’s anybody’s game on a strategic level, but again, Flores has the advantage of experience.