John Jensen Wins Shonen Jump Championship Atlanta!
John Jensen proved that Chaos is still alive in the new Advanced format, taking down Daniel Fitzgerald in the finals of a heated Day 2. With Chaos Sorcerer filling in for Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning, and a plethora of new powerhouses (like Cyber Dragon and Enemy Controller), the highly-respected Florida duelist took the last match of the day 2-0. As Jensen ran Airknight Parshath into a Sheep token for the win, it was clear that certain play trends have definitely carried over from the previous format.
One of the many elite members of the relatively quiet Team Nexus, the group that sent Miguel Garcia to the World Championships, Jensen has long been hailed as one of the best players in the nation by those truly in the know. A favorite for Shonen Jump Championship Orlando earlier this year, Jensen battled his way to the finals of that event, but was laid low by a poor hand in game three. Now he's finally claimed his spot amongst the greats, and has the Des Volstgalph to prove it!
Des Volstgalph Sold on Ebay
Speaking of which, the Des Volstgalph that Brian Long won last month at Shonen Jump Championship Boston was sold over the course of the weekend to an unidentified high bidder. At a final price of $2,586.00, it means a significant chunk of change for the relatively small Hunger Force group. Our congratulations again go out to them! Check out the auction for yourself over on eBay.
Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Premieres Today!You’ve waited all summer for it, and now it’s finally here. Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, the latest and hottest Yu-Gi-Oh! series from Japan, will finally hit American shores tonight!
For those not yet in the know, GX looks into the not-so-distant future of the duelist world and is a spin-off of the original Yu-Gi-Oh! animated series. Following the adventures of Jaden Yuki as he makes his foray into the world of high-level dueling, this exciting new show is centered around Duelist Academy. A boarding school for prospective duelists in high school, the Academy rests on a remote and private island. It’s the home of all future Yu-Gi-Oh! champions.
Is this description not ringing any bells? If not, it’s not too late to get up to speed. Check out Metagame.com’s previous coverage of Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, and prepare yourself for the newest chapter of the Yu-Gi-Oh! legacy.
Elemental Energy Preview Articles Here On Metagame.com
Metagame.com is two weeks away from our biggest set of previews yet, where we’ll be giving you a look at thirteen different cards from the upcoming set. Elemental Energy rocked the Japanese play environment upon its release, and the same may very well happen here. Duelists are just settling into the new Advanced format, but some of the hot new cards from November’s upcoming set will change the game all over again.
Previews kick off here on October 24, and will continue for two action-packed weeks. Want to get ahead of the pack and learn about the newest cards before the Sneak Preview Weekend arrives? Check out our exclusive coverage for all the advance information you can handle before Elemental Energy hits the streets.
This Week On Metagame
Today, Mike Rosenberg looks at a monster that may become a driving force in the new Advanced environment. Pot of Greed’s newly-forbidden status has sent duelists scrambling for alternate methods of drawing cards, and Mike investigates Des Lacooda, which is currently one of the strongest options. Everybody’s favorite undead camel is back with a vengeance (thanks to the recent format shakeup), and Des Lacooda could be just what Lockdown variants need to dominate in this aggressive environment.
On Tuesday, Jerome McHale delivers the goods on his much-awaited Horus the Black Flame Dragon deck. Advanced format games will often revolve around one-for-one trades, and the most common form of this type of control is Smashing Ground. Horus completely shuts it down, as well as every other spell known to man. With Royal Decree looking to be a top pick for the format, and spell counts getting higher than ever, “forcefield” monsters like the fan-favorite Dragon are bound to be useful. Check out the cool deck that Jerome puts together.
On Wednesday, I bring my own deck to the table, and this one’s a doozy. My column often aims to make a risky or utterly out-there idea playable, but that’s not the case this week. Instead, I’ll take a look at a contribution from a former deck submitter, Steven H., and work on tweaking the strategy that he calls Coffin Control. Blending the core elements of Soul Control with new-age Magical Hats combos and some fresh tech, it could be the next big thing. If you’ve been looking for a great deck in which you can exploit everyone’s favorite mystical headgear, this might be what you need.
Curtis Schultz follows up with another installment of DuelistAcademy, taking a look at the newest Spellcaster powerhouse. Want to get the most out of Silent Magician LV4? Curtis shows you all the important rulings you’ll need to know in order to maximize the efficiency of this hot Nightmare Troubadour promo. As an added bonus, he’ll also examine Magician’s Circle, touching on a few subtle points that can easily be overlooked when one is faced with this brutish thug of a trap.
Julia Hedberg helps you find some Solid Ground a day later, dealing with one of the trickiest points of Yu-Gi-Oh!’s core mechanics—mandatory and optional trigger effects. What’s the difference? How do you identify them? Why should you care about them? Julia answers these questions and more with her introductory article to this tricky and often confusing topic.
Jae Kim rounds out the week with a follow-up to his previous article about traps in the current environment. This time, Jae looks at the much broader topic of spells, discussing the impact of the many staples that were removed from the new Advanced format. He touches on the future of set monster plays and theme decks, and predicts which cards will be “the next big thing” for most duelists.
Stay with us for an exciting week. It’s a great time to be a duelist, and with so many old conventions being broken down, you’ve got an ideal opportunity to be on the cutting edge. Metagame.com will help you get there.
—Jason Grabher-Meyer
Contributing Editor, Metagame.com