Today marks Day 1 of the final Shonen Jump Championship of 2005, and as duelists filter into the San Mateo Expo Center one thing is clear—as the year draws to a close, the competition just keeps getting more and more intense.

Team Scoop declared victory just weeks ago at Shonen Jump Championship Los Angeles when they placed multiple team members into the Top 8 and took home their own Des Volstgalph. The tournament marked Paul Levitin’s fourth consecutive Shonen Jump Championship Top 8 showing, and his first win. Unveiling the Return from the Different Dimension deck (which has become a staple of the Advanced environment in a relatively short time), Scoop dominated the tournament and overcame a field of respected duelists, like Jonathan Navarro and Anthony Alvarado.

But before then, the Canadian group Team Superfriends pulled the upset at Shonen Jump Championship Chicago. Canadian superstar Dale Bellido, along with powerhouse duelists like Matt Peddle and Jason Tan, handed out loss after loss all day long. After a respectable, but ultimately disappointing, showing at Canadian Nationals this past summer, Dale Bellido came back to win Atlanta and become the first Canadian Shonen Jump Champion. His Tomato Control build instantly became a deck to be reckoned with.

Superfriends skipped Los Angeles, but both teams are present here today, and they’re each looking to prove themselves dominant. Will one of them add yet another Des Volstgalph, and the glory of another championship title, to their list of winnings?

Maybe so, but the rest of the field won’t be giving up without a fight. Team Overdose has not had a Shonen Jump win since Anthony Alvarado’s domination at Charlotte, but the team is present here today. Overdose has had no trouble making the Top 8 in the past half year, and they continue to be one of the most consistent teams in the game. Bryan Coronel, Jerry Wang and others will be representin’ for OD today, but so will one duelist from whom we haven’t heard since US Nationals—Rhymus Lizo is back! Though team spokesman Kris Perovic isn’t present this weekend, he was quick to hype a new strategy that he believes could lead the team to victory. Stay with us to find out what it is!

Several local teams, as well as Teams Savage and Comic Odyssey, join the throng of well-recognized independent players and hopeful vets just waiting for their taste of the spotlight. David Simon, Jae Kim, Wilson Luc, Ryan Hayakawa, and more fraternized together before the event kicked off this morning. “Look at this” said Jae Kim. “Comic Odyssey and Team Savage, teaming up to beat those dirty East Coasters.” He grinned.

Virtually anybody who’s anybody is here today: fewer than half a dozen recognizable players are missing from competition here today. The competition is hotter than ever!

With 400 duelists in the mix, it’s anybody’s game, as always. In addition, with Elemental Energy finally legal for play in a Shonen Jump Championship, innovation could yet again be the order of the day. Will Return from the Different Dimension prove to be the strongest deck in the format, or will knowledge of strong new tech bring it to its knees? Will Dark World see serious play, and if it does, will it be able to survive in an environment that’s thick with D. D. Assailant? Could Elemental Hero Wildedge (or another of Jaden Yuki’s signature monsters) form the basis for something completely new?