Yesterday, 627 of America’s best duelists faced off, and, after ten rounds of dueling, just sixteen competitors remain. Some of the most renowned players are in contention here today, but Day 2 is also a treasure trove of new talent.
Five different decks made it to the Top 16. Gladiator Beasts came out on top yet again, with six duelists carrying them into Day 2. Of those six decks, four play three copies of Elemental Hero Prisma, while two play the more common two copies. Half of the Gladiator Beast players are even running Stratos, a trend that may have emerged from play patterns in the now-frequent Gladiator Beast mirror match.
From there five competitors are playing Dark Armed Dragon builds. None of the Dark Armed decks in Day 2 play Light and Darkness Dragon, a huge swerve from deckbuilding choices made at the most recent Shonen Jump Championships. Just like Saint Louis, Gladiator Beasts have outperformed Dark Armed Dragon by a hair — but will the Dragon fall to Gladiators in such a brutal fashion as they did in that event?
Once again, two Monarch duelists have earned a place in the Top 16, but both builds are drastically different. Adam Corn is main decking copies of one of this weekend’s biggest tech cards — Prime Material Dragon. Paul Blair, the second Monarch player of the Top 16, is running a heavy control build. Packing three Phoenix Wing Wind Blast, two Raigeki Break, and three Volcanic Shell to fuel them, his deck is all about disruption.
The last two competitors of the Top 16 are Frank Schifano and Zachary Lechtner. Schifano is the lone Lightsworn player in Day 2, and his deck borrows heavily from Dale Bellido’s build at Shonen Jump Championship Saint Louis. Lechtner is the one Gadget duelist who made it to the final rounds this weekend. His deck is textbook, with Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo, Banisher of the Radiance, and Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer. If he can make it even just to the Top 8, his build will see some serious netdecking over the coming months.
The Top 16 is about to begin, and feature matches have been selected. First, we’ll see Shane Scurry throw down against Michael Lux, in a match that pits Shonen Jump Champion against Shonen Jump Champion. Then, we’ll see Eric Taylor with Dark Armed Dragon go up against Frank Schifano with Lightsworn. Can Lightsworn make it past the Top 16?
We’ll find out in mere minutes. Welcome to Day 2 of the American National Championships!