The Yu-Gi-Oh 2006 U.S National Championships is almost underway. Many of the best players have shown up today, including consistent duelists such as Anthony Alvarado and the newly recruited veteran Emon Ghanian from Overdose, along with old veterans to the game such as former Team Savage members Jae Kim and Evan Vargas.
The US National Championships consists of the best players in the country fighting to earn a chance to compete in the 2006 World Championships in Tokyo Japan. While all of today's players are indeed great, only four duelists today can earn the chance to compete against the best on the planet. Here are my picks on who you will see in the Top 8 tomorrow.
Emon Ghaneian: Emon has been placing consistently well in just about every tournament he goes to, whether it's a Shonen Jump Championship or a regional event. He's probably one of the greatest Yu-Gi-Oh personalities of the Southern California area, and he'll most likely make a splash throughout the U.S Nationals. So far, his skills at the game have carried him to three Shonen Jump Championship top 8s, and he carried one of those Top 8s to a victory. He's arguably one of the best players at this tournament, and I highly expect to see him winning a trip to Tokyo this weekend.
Anthony Alvarado: This Yu-Gi-Oh juggernaut has made the Top 8 in three Shonen Jump Championships. He's a huge icon all on his own, and that's without the iconic Team Overdose backing him up. Anthony, as one of the team's original members, has the chance to be one of the best finishers at the tournament today. His devastating and psychologically threatening play gives him huge control over his opponent's actions, and any leeway that his opponents will give him will most definitely lead to their losses throughout the weekend.
Jae Kim: What is there to say about Jae Kim? He’s one of the former members of Team Savage and is currently a writer for this site. He's also one of the most famous online and offline personalities in the Yu-Gi-Oh! community. You can't talk to him for a minute without having a new Yu-Gi-Oh! player ask him for his autograph. He's definitely one of the best players in this game, and he's past due for a good performance here this weekend.
Richard Treadwell: After watching Richard Treadwell, a pro who finished in the top 8 of Shonen Jump Durham earlier this year, play against David Simon in round 1 today, I believe that this Yu-Gi-Oh! veteran has a great chance of making it to day 2 tomorrow. Unlike many Yu-Gi-Oh! veterans who are choosing to play reactively, Richard opted to put pressure on David throughout the match with an aggressive play style. This eventually forced David to activate two copies of Return from the Different Dimension just as a method of staying alive. Richard is a shining example of how an aggro play style can reward you, and it has a good chance of carrying him into Sunday.
Miguel Garcia: He may not be one of the most well known players in this game, but Team Nexus's Miguel Garcia has a ton of great Yu-Gi-Oh! accomplishments. He finished second at last year's Yu-Gi-Oh! US Nationals and also has a Top 8 performance from Shonen Jump Durham under his belt. He also plays some of the most consistent and theoretically dominating decks I’ve ever seen. Qualifying for Worlds '06 here will make him the first US player to compete in two consecutive World Championships.
Kirk Leonhardt: Kirk is not only one of the classiest players in the game, but he is also famous for making some of the most innovative tweaks to every established deck type. He has one Shonen Jump Championship Top 8 to his name, and he has performed well at various other tournaments as well. The inventive choices he makes for various decks such as Chaos Return can definitely give him the surprise factor in his matchups and can dramatically decrease the luck factor that may come into some of his matchups. With a lot of skill and a little luck, we should see him on Sunday with a Light Sealed Hex Fusion on the field.
Eric Wu: Eric and his brother Patrick haven't had the chance to compete in as many Shonen Jump Championships over the past few months. However, he got a chance to compete at Shonen Jump Long Beach, and he's here today at the US National Championship. He has been able to credit two Cyber-Stein promos to his collection through a Shonen Jump win last year and a side event victory a few months later. He's long overdue for a successful comeback, and I believe this weekend will be exciting for Eric and his family.
While I believe these will be the faces you will all be seeing tomorrow, there are plenty of other duelists who are trying to prove me wrong as I write this up. Paul Levitin and Shane Scurry are also here, and they definitely have a chance to make the Top 8 tomorrow. At the U.S National Championships, you have no idea what the final results will hold. It should be an exciting day tomorrow, no matter who is playing!