It’s May 8, and the first of the new Shonen Jump prize cards has been awarded!
Emon Ghaneian Wins Shonen Jump Championship Columbus
Upper Deck Entertainment shocked Yu-Gi-Oh! fans across the world on Saturday when they revealed the new prize card for Shonen Jump Championships. Ian Estrin, Organized Play Events Manager for UDE, trumped up the card after the event’s player meeting, calling it “one of the most powerful cards ever printed.” Crowd reaction was skeptical, until he finally revealed that the new card was the coveted spell card, Shrink! The attitude of the gathered players did a complete turn-around at that point, with huge cheers erupting from the crowd.
Emon Ghaneian is the first winner of the card, triumphing over a Top 8 that included Anthony Alvarado, Kris Perovic, and Jerry Wang of Team Overdose, plus Carlos Santiago, Lazaro Bellido, and more. Miraculously playing out of a game 1 loss in a matchup that favored his opponent in the quarterfinals, he triumphed over Jerry Wang in the semis, before taking down surprising newcomer Mike Ibrahim in the finals.
We here at Metagame.com want to congratulate everyone who competed at Shonen Jump Columbus, especially the amazing Top 8 and Emon Ghaneian. With the year not even half over, he’s managed to win two Shonen Jump promo cards in 2006 alone, and the summer Shonen Jump season is just kicking off! Check out all the exclusive Shonen Jump Championship action right here!
Wayne Pinkney Wins UK National Championship Title
Emon Ghaneian wasn’t the only winner this weekend, as the UK’s Wayne Pinkney has captured the national title overseas. Finding victory over Igor Kharin and his Cyber-Stein OTK build, he overcame a field of 192 duelists packed with plenty of tech and surprises to win the right to represent the UK at this summer’s World Championships.
Check out how he did it right here, at our exclusive coverage of the UK National Championships!
Enemy of Justice Previews This Weekend
The headline says it all, and duelists will get their first chance to crack boosters of the latest Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG expansion set this coming weekend! Hundreds of Sneak Preview events will be hosted across the globe this weekend, giving competitors a chance to get their paws on Enemy of Justice cards two weeks before its retail release.
Not only are these events going to be a ton of fun for everyone participating, they’re going to be of particular interest to anyone who’s playing in the US National Championships. Enemy of Justice will be legal for two days prior to the event, and potentially strong deck strategies like Macro Cosmos are going to be available to those who can get the cards. Check out the Sneak Preview event listings for an Enemy of Justice Preview event near you!
Enemy of Justice Preview Articles Continue Here on Metagame.com!
If course, we’ll have more previews of Enemy of Justice cards leading right up to the release of the set this weekend. Here’s what we’ve got lined up for the next seven days.
It’s a Matt Peddle Monday today, when he sounds off on Majestic Mech – Ohka. One of the most anticipated cards from the set, Ohka may prove to be a popular card for Chaos decks and aggressive duelists on the whole. Matt will show you why that is when he discusses the in-your-face Fairy’s effect, and demonstrates to you how best to make use of its restrictions.
On Tuesday, Jerome McHale looks at another popular pick with high fan expectations. Forced Back has generated a huge amount of buzz in internet communities as of late, and Jerome McHale is going to explore the factors that make this innocuous trap card a top prospect from the set. Sick of Mobius the Frost Monarch and Zaborg the Thunder Monarch? You won’t want to miss this preview!
Wednesday will see our resident control maniac, Mike Rosenberg, taking on not one, but two of Enemy of Justice’s new control cards. Herald of Green Light and Herald of Purple Light allow for unprecedented freedom to counter your opponent’s moves, and Mike’s got plenty of ideas as to how one might get increased mileage out of this dynamic duo.
On Thursday we’ve got another double-header for you, as Jae Kim looks at Icarus Attack and Harpie’s Pet Baby Dragon. Winged Beasts have never received as much support as some of the game’s more visible monster types, but Enemy of Justice has plenty of cards to help them out, and these two are some of the best. Jae will demonstrate how to play each, and if you like Wind monsters, then this preview is for you.
Finally, our Enemy of Justice Sneak Preview period goes out with a huge bang as Julia Hedberg opens up a can of blingin’ badness. In the upcoming Season 2 of Yu-Gi-Oh! GX a new student will transfer to Duel Academy, and his impact will be felt all over campus. He’ll bring a new kind of monster to the table, Destiny Heroes, and Destiny Hero – Diamond Dude is one of the best. Capable of unleashing the amazing power of forgotten spells like Mega Ton Magical Cannon and Chaos Greed, this thing is absolutely insane!
That’s it for this week, so get ready for Sneak Preview action this weekend and be sure to check back every day for insight on important cards that you might crack at your event. May is a huge month for dueling, and we’ll be back in another seven days with our regularly scheduled columns.
Good luck at your Sneak Preview, and thanks for reading!
—Jason Grabher-Meyer
Contributing Editor, Metagame.com