I don’t even know what to say. Time and time again, this weekend’s Shonen Jump Championship here in Houston has left me speechless. First it was Jake McNeely dominating in Round 1 with the Gladiator Beasts. Then Hugo Adame attacked with Cosmo Queen for game. An Elemental Hero duelist Jaden’d up and smashed two-time Day 2 alum Harry Anderson with Bubbleman into Elemental Hero Mariner for game, and just when I thought it couldn’t get any crazier it does.

In a Day 2 field where nine, arguably ten, players were running Dark Armed Dragon decks, Jonathan Moore has claimed the title of Shonen Jump Champion.

. . . With The Six Samurai!

In a metagame packed with spell-heavy decks vulnerable to big, aggressive thrusts, Great Shogun Shien was the MVP of Jonathan Moore’s weekend. With huge ATK and a control effect that ruined opponent after opponent, Shien took Moore all the way to a feature match in the Finals against American National Champion Adam Corn. Then, with the help of the new Phantom Darkness card Six Samurai United, Moore became the decisive victor of a game 3 topdecking war that ended with Yaichi, Grandmaster of the Six Samurai, and Shien all hitting the field in a single turn.

This weekend has been unbelievable. Dark Armed Dragon made good on the hype, OTK and FTK decks fizzled out, and a plethora of strong rogue strategies made astounding showings. Easily the most entertaining Shonen Jump of all time, this tournament is truly one for the ages.

If the 49^th Shonen Jump Championship was this awesome then I can’t imagine how much fun the 50^th will be. Congratulations to Jonathan Moore: goofball, risk taker, master of the Six Samurai, and your newest Shonen Jump Champion!