It’s been two weeks since Shonen Jump Washington and, now that the dueling world has had time to recover, we’re about to shake things up yet again. Zombies and Perfect Circle are on top, but that could change here today as hundreds of duelists have come prepared for those matchups. Many players are looking to beat what they see as the established metagame, but Chicago has a history of defying predictions.
In the eyes of many, the deck to watch this weekend is Big City. With a strong matchup against Zombies, the Elemental Hero classic has the control capability to withstand an early-game press from decks like Zombies and Demise OTK, as well as a degree of monster control matched only by Gadgets. Variant builds of the strategy are already rearing their heads here today, with Phoenix Wing Wind Blast seemingly a strong pick.
Gadgets themselves also appear to have gained a boost in play, with many competitors regarding them as their deck of choice for the weekend. Gadget Monarchs in particular may make an impact, as many Apprentice Monarch users continue to look for a strategy capable of more aggression.
Competition will no doubt be high this weekend. Looking across the crowd I can see star players like Jeff Baumgartner, Paul Levitin, Guy Israel, Hugo Adame, Chris Pittao, Jeff Jones, Vincent Tundo, Max Suffridge, and countless other big names. After claiming one Championship and another Top 8 finish in this city, Dale Bellido has returned to try and reclaim his title. There are some great creative minds in contention this weekend, and I’m sure by the end of the day we’ll have a few surprising strategies in the Top 16.
One card that may play a big role here today is Dark Bribe, the new counter trap promo from Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Tag Force 2 for the PSP. A cost-free counter to any spell or trap card, many duelists see it as the perfect answer to the increase in spell and trap removal in this format. At least one Shonen Jump Champion is using it here today in a redux of the deck that won him title gold. You’ll find out who it is as the day wears on.
Registration is about to close, the player meeting is about to begin, and competition will soon be underway. Welcome to the second Shonen Jump Championship of this format. Welcome, to Shonen Jump Chicago!