It’s Monday, April 2nd, and we are less than two weeks away from the first ever Shonen Jump Championship in Montreal!
SJC Action Returns to Canada on April 14th
In just two weeks, duelists from all over the continent will flock to Marche Bonsecours to compete. The Bonsecours Market is one of Canada’s finest and most celebrated historical buildings, a site renowned for its pedigree, heritage, and a wealth of fine restaurants and boutiques . . . and two weekends from now it’ll be flooded by hundreds of duelists. One way or another, this is going to be interesting.
With Lazarro Bellido taking a trend-setting second place finish just days ago at SJC Columbus, the Canadians are sure to make a very strong appearance. Last time around, we saw three different Monarch builds, Card Trader Gadget, Insect Demise OTK, and even a deck running Dark Dust Spirit in the Top 8. But Diamond Dude Turbo powered through the field to take top honors, and it may prove to be the deck to beat in Montreal. The field is wide open, and while Day 1 of Columbus seemed to foreshadow an OTK-heavy metagame for the next few months, in the end only two such decks made it to the quarterfinals. Montreal’s going to be a very difficult tournament to predict.
If you’re one of the many duelists interested in competing, check out Upper Deck Entertainment’s official event listing. You should also hit up the website for the Premier Tournament Organizer, Cartamagica. There’s some great information on their site about accommodations in the vicinity of the tournament, and they’ve got a side event schedule that looks really promising. There’s an impressive number of Duelist Pack—Jaden 2 and Aster Phoenix boxes, playmats, and iPods being given away to top finishers.
As always, Metagame.com will be coming to you live from the event, as Jerome McHale takes to the tournament floor yet again to bring you all the deck profiles, tech, and feature matches you crave. With a truly historic venue and an unpredictable metagame, SJC Montreal should be a weekend to remember.
Toys “R” Us Throw Down This Saturday
If you’re under the age of 18, then you should head out to your local Toys “R” Us this Saturday! Locations across the United States are going to be hosting a new, four-part event series called Toys “R” Us Throwdown, targeted towards younger and more casual duelists.
Every Toys “R” Us in the country (except for the Times Square one in NYC) will be hosting one Throw Down this weekend, one more in May, another in June, and a final Store Championship in September. All you’ll need is an Advanced format deck, and the competition is run in King of the Hill-style so there’s little down time between duels. Prizes include Yu-Gi-Oh! sticker books, dueling guides, dorm patches, GX DVDs, and brand new Ojama token cards to complement last year’s Sheep tokens. For more information on the Throw Down in your area, just call your local Toys “R” Us!
This Week on Metagame.com
Mike Rosenberg opens up our week today with an investigation into an old card with newfound popularity. Mask of Darkness has seen a huge resurgence in play, and it’s a lot more than just a replacement for Magician of Faith. Mike’s going to look at the consistent functions the Mask has had throughout its history, and show you how that information translates to modern strategic uses. Cool stuff!
On Tuesday, Jerome McHale takes another run at Ancient Gear monsters. This time around, he’s using a bunch of new cards to take the theme to new heights, and stuff like The Transmigration Prophecy takes center stage in his efforts. If you’re an Ancient Gear fan, or just looking for a deck that really messes with your opponent through a series of unpredictable effects, then you won’t want to miss this one.
Then, Crellian Vowler lectures on the task of fixing up an aggressive Spellcaster build that seeks to take advantage of new developments in the environment. Injection Fairy Lily, Shrink, and Sage of Silence make for an explosive, flexible deck that blends control with raw aggression, and the result is something really unique.
The release of the Nintendo DS’s Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship 2007 game brought us three cool new promos, and all of them have an intriguing effect. Got a set yourself? Curtis is going to show you all the important rulings you need in order to get the most out of Exploder Dragon, Destiny Hero - Disk Commander, and Spell Striker. All three cards are discussed in this week’s Duel Academy on Thursday.
Theme decks mean different things to different players, and understanding why you want to play one is going to influence how you construct your build. Julia Hedberg’s Solid Ground on Friday delves into the different approaches that lead players to build specific themes, and shows you how to be successful given your goals. It’s an interesting article that can help you understand your own play style!
Two weeks ago, Matt Peddle profiled the deck that took Chris Sorelle to a strong showing at SJC Houston: Bazoo Trooper Return. This week, Matt looks at a similar deck that won the event for Emon Ghaneian, and you might be surprised at just how different the two builds are. What made the difference between a title win and a tie for fifth? Matt will show you on Saturday.
That’s it for this week! Head on back in another seven days for more of the best in dueling today, right here on Metagame.com.