Team profiles are largely a thing of the past here on Metagame — with only one reporter at most Shonen Jump Championships, we just don’t have the time to cover all the promising up-and-coming teams making names for themselves in this game. But sometimes a team comes along that’s so huge, it just can’t be ignored. After immense showings at Costa Mesa and Houston, Team Overdose has restructured and recruited some of the world’s greatest duelists, while Kris Perovic, Anthony Alvarado, and Rhymus Lizo are finally back after taking long hiatuses from dueling. How could I not cover this?
Matt Peddle, Marc Glass, and the brothers Bellido are the newest members of Team Overdose, and each duelist is a massive addition to the all-star team. Without a doubt, Overdose is united and stronger than it’s ever been before — check out their amazing roster.
Lazaro Bellido
Age: 19
From: Mississauga, Ontario
Accomplishments: Shonen Jump Champion, 8 SJC Day 2’s
The dueling world gave unanimous praise three weeks ago, as one of its greatest deckbuilders finally claimed his long overdue Shonen Jump title. Lazaro Bellido was the mind behind the three-Zaborg, three-Thestalos Monarch build that dominated in 2006, and the creator of Zombies with Card of Safe Return. His innovations define formats, and his win at the fiftieth Shonen Jump was the result of a series of clever tech picks that brought Dark Armed Return to a brand new level. Obviously the single most celebrated duelist in the game right now, he brings an incredible amount of insight and deckbuilding prowess to Overdose’s roster. With one Championship and a tremendous number of SJC Day 2’s behind him, he’s not spending a single moment looking back.
Dale Bellido
Age: 21
From: Mississauga, Ontario
Accomplishments: Shonen Jump Champion, 6 SJC Day 2’s, 2 National Championship Top 8’s
Lazaro’s brother, Dale Bellido is never one to miss. If you look carefully you might notice that Lazaro’s picture shows him on crutches, the result of a foot injury earlier this month: “I said we were going to break the legs of whoever won Costa Mesa,” grinned Dale this morning. “No exceptions!” The creator of Tomato Control, Dale’s sunshine smile rivals Theeresak Poonsombat’s, and his reputation speaks for itself. Dale is one of the most consistent, respected, and clean duelists ever to play this game. After winning Shonen Jump Championship Chicago in 2005, he came exceptionally close to defending his title in 2006, and he’s been looking for his second Championship ever since.
Matt Peddle
Age: 20
From: Mississauga, Ontario
Accomplishments: 4 SJC Day 2’s, 3 National Championship Top 8’s
What can I say about Matt Peddle? Immensely respected for his peerless performance and exceptional sportsmanship, he made Machine Beatdown famous last summer and came oh-so close to what still seems like an inevitable National Championship victory. Writer, friend, and Shonen Jump Championship regular, Matt just keeps upping the stakes each month, getting better and better with every event he plays. After an underwhelming showing at Costa Mesa, he’s back and ready to demonstrate why he’s one of the greats.
Oh, and those three Doomcaliber Knights Overdose has? Matt’s running them. Cool stuff.
Kris Perovic
Age: 21
From: Clifton, New Jersey
Accomplishments: 7 SJC Day 2’s
I don’t know a single Shonen Jump competitor that’s harder on himself than Kris Perovic. I can safely say that there is no one in the world who wants a title win more than Kris, and after coming within mere inches of winning the fiftieth Shonen Jump Championship he’s clearly not going to slow down until he tastes title gold. At one point Kris was the spokesman for the Team, a definite underdog compared to his teammates. Now he’s the undisputed master of Diamond Dude Turbo, taking the deck to levels unknown to anyone else. Returning from a long break, he spent his last few dollars on a redeye flight to California three weeks ago and shattered expectations with a miraculous second place finish. This weekend he’s rested, prepared, and packing yet another refined version of DDT; this could be Kris’ event.
Adam Corn
Age: 17
From: Anaheim, California
Accomplishments: 6 SJC Day 2’s, 2007 American National Champion
By far the youngest member of the team, Adam Corn is the reigning American National Champion and one of the most feared, cerebral duelists on the Shonen Jump circuit. After scoring his fifth Shonen Jump Championship Day 2 just weeks ago with a second place finish in Houston, and then making another Day 2 finish at Costa Mesa, Corn is one of the most respected and consistent competitors in the building. We’re only three months into the year and it’s already been a tremendous 2008 for Adam Corn — he’s a definite fan favorite for another Day 2 this weekend.
Anthony Alvarado
Age: 21
From: Jersey City, New Jersey
Accomplishments: Shonen Jump Champion, 6 SJC Day 2’s
After a long, long break from dueling, Anthony Alvarado is back and better than ever! The founding member of Overdose and long-time Shonen Jump Champion took a step back from dueling last year to get married, but once a duelist always a duelist; he’s officially back in the game. Alvarado made his name when he swept the West Coast in a 2005 East Versus West team war and won Shonen Jump Championship Charlotte in the same year. Since then he’s made repeated Shonen Jump Day 2s, but a second title has eluded him. After taking a rest from the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG and marrying his sweetheart, he’s carrying a tremendous amount of emotional momentum and is ready for competition here today.
Shane Scurry
Age: 22
From: Brooklyn, New York
Accomplishments: Two-Time Shonen Jump Champion, 6 SJC Day 2’s
Overdose’s original innovator, Shane Scurry is a deckbuilder to rival new recruit Lazaro Bellido. Largely credited with the creation of Chaos Return, his builds put Dark Armed Return on the map at Shonen Jump Championship Houston. After taking a step back from competition to run business for the team, Scurry returned triumphant at Costa Mesa to make the Top 8, before resigning to teammate Kris Perovic. Scurry is one of the most successful and respected deckbuilders in this game, and now that he’s teamed with Lazaro, the result is going to be some crazy collaborations. I really can’t stress what his partnership with Lazaro could mean. In the past, both duelists have been hailed as the greatest deckbuilders of their time. Now that they can work together, Overdose has a massive edge. You can count the number of players that build decks on this level on the fingers of one hand.
Paul Levitin
Age: 18
From: Brooklyn, New York
Accomplishments: Shonen Jump Champion, 8 SJC Day 2’s
Levitin has been Scurry’s partner in crime since the days of Team Scoop. After scoring a title in 2005’s Shonen Jump Championship Los Angeles, the controversial Brooklyn duelist has been questing for his second win. The result has been a long string of heartbreaking almost-wins, the most recent of which was a third place finish at Houston. Branching out into more creative deck ideas nowadays, Levitin has grown by leaps and bounds since he won his title, and the result is a duelist that’s more mature, more reserved, and more likely to win. Sure, he still talks a lot of smack, but he talks less smack, and his game has benefited as a result. After a humbling showing with a slightly misunderstood Gladiator Beast deck at Costa Mesa, Levitin is ready to redeem himself.
Rhymus Lizo
Age: 23
From: Jersey City, New Jersey
Accomplishments: 1 SJC Day 2, 1 Nationals Top 8
Described by many Overdose members as the heart and soul of the team, Rhymus is another founding member that’s made a big return after taking the longest break of all. Simply one of the nicest people you could ever have the honor of dueling, Rhymus has an extremely positive attitude that frequently carries his teammates through hard times. A Day 2 showing here this weekend would mean a tremendous comeback, and it’s something no one would begrudge this well-loved competitor. Whether he manages to succeed this weekend or not, his contributions to the team have made a visible impact already; everybody’s happy to have him back.
Marc Glass
Age: 24
From: Baltimore,
Accomplishments: Shonen Jump Champion, 3 SJC Day 2’s
The only Overdose duelist not on-site here today, Marc Glass is currently doing a tour of Iraq in service for the American military. Giving the term “new recruit” a whole new meaning, Glass’s discipline, skill, and determination made him one of the Top duelists of 2006, playing alongside Team Nexus members like John Jensen and Andrew Fredella. A long-time collaborator with Kris Perovic, Glass is also a celebrated Diamond Dude Turbo player, making him a no-brainer addition to the team. With Perovic and Glass working together, the future of DDT seems guaranteed.
The sheer number of credentials amongst these duelists is shocking. 55 Shonen Jump Championship Day 2s, seven Shonen Jump Championships, numerous Nationals Top 8’s, and one American Champion. But that’s all in the past: to me, the really impressive thing about this team is their incredible potential together. Kris Perovic and Marc Glass seem poised to do big things together, while I can’t even imagine what Shane Scurry and Lazaro Bellido will accomplish now that they’re on the same side. The raw synergy created by these guys when they’re together is astounding; it’s a series of partnerships based not just on mutual respect and friendship, but also just like-minded play styles and strategies.
The induction of Peddle, the Bellidos, and Marc Glass into Overdose was no quick process; these teams began sharing resources back at Shonen Jump Championship Washington, and the result was a ton of Top 16 showings. In truth, the partnerships behind this version of Overdose have already been proven since last year. But now it’s official: the gloves are off, the time has come, and nobody’s holding back. This could be the team that defines the next five months of competition.