|
|
 |
|
Michael Lux is a seventeen-year-old kid from Wesley Chapel, just an hour and a half south of here. A relative unknown up until now, he came here this weekend and played alone without a team backing him. “I don’t need a team,” he said with a good-natured smile. |
|
|
 |
|
Thrilled by his quarterfinals win against Roberto Martinez, Michael was very confident in his ability to win this match. Raheel had just come off a victory over Leonard Hamilton, and he scored another one in the opening die roll. |
|
|
|
|
Daniel Fitzgerald was keeping the NeXus dream alive and defending Orlando for the natives, but now he was up against Roy St. Clair. Both competitors have made the Top 8 in the past. While their Day 1 match had been played casually, since both competitors were guaranteed a spot in the Top 8, this one was for keeps. |
|
|
 |
|
Both players were grinning wildly during their deck checks as they discussed their past accomplishments. |
|
|
|
|
Emon Ghaneian almost went down in history as the first duelist to ever no-show a Shonen Jump Championship Top 8. |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Check out the Top 8 decklists here! |
|
|
 |
|
Both duelists are on the bubble. One will likely make Day 2, while the other will fall just short. Which one will it be? Let’s find out! |
|
|
 |
|
Tech is the dividing line between victory and defeat in many a match. It’s also usually the border between boredom and amusement for the creative, cutting-edge duelist, and in that respect, this event was certainly anything but boring. |
|
|
|
|
Both players were excited to be here at the start of round 8. After 7 rounds of competition, Brian and Richie were both riding on the bubble at 6-1. |
|
|
|
|
With Feroze Ramcharan, Miguel Garcia, and John Jensen all eliminated from contention, Team NeXus’s hopes rested on the shoulders of the newest member, Daniel Fitzgerald. Undefeated today, he’s a definite rising star in the game. |
|
|
|
|
My strategy in writing this article was to wait until after Paul had established a considerable winning streak before discussing his deck. |
|
|
|
|
The round began with both players commenting on the lack of burger breaks in the Shonen Jump schedule. Unfortunately, there’s no rest for the wicked. |
|
|
|
|
Despite the fact that he’s kept a relatively low profile for the past year, Sang Bui is still one of the most recognizable players in the North American Yu-Gi-Oh! scene. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chris Pittao is a player for Team Xtreme, and is, at a glance, the only Canadian in competition today. Well-reputed in the Toronto area, a Top 8 showing this weekend would be a much-deserved breakthrough performance for him. |
|
|
|
|
Jerome McHale is no stranger to our readers. Zak Bishop is no stranger to Jerome McHale. With both players running Treeborn Monarch decks, albeit with different tech selections, this one was irresistible! |
|
|
 |
|
Like Comic Odyssey before them, Team Fallen has numbers on their side. |
|
|
|
|
Jon Hochberg is a pro poker player, the number-one ranked player in Georgia, and the captain of Team Collusion. Bryan Coronel is a former Top 8 competitor and a star player of Team Overdose. This is bound to be interesting. |
|
|