It’s Tuesday, January 22, 2008, and we are just a few days away from the weekend we’ve all been waiting for!
Phantom Darkness Sneak Previews This Weekend
Unless you have some sort of deranged job that requires you to work this weekend (like mine!), you’re probably going to head over to your local Sneak Preview to gorge yourself on the delicious Phantom Darkness packs. In previous weeks, I’ve said that Phantom Darkness is "probably" or "virtually" the most anticipated booster set of all time. At this point, it’s probably safe to drop those diminishing qualifiers. I think we’re all ready to open some packs.
By now, you probably know what the set’s about: big Dark monsters doing stuff we’ve never seen before, accompanied by some high-impact support for previous themes. With stuff like The Dark Creator and Dark Armed Dragon leading the central theme for the set, it’s almost too easy to overlook other great cards like Volcanic Counter and Cyber Valley.
Attend your local Sneak Preview and receive five boosters from the new set to build a deck. You’ll use the deck to compete in Open Play to win a guaranteed sixth pack, or you can try your luck at winning even more packs in Swiss-style tournaments. Everybody who attends will get a chance to win a Yubel t-shirt, and each registered player will land a copy of the all-new Dark Grepher card, the event’s exclusive promo.
To find a Sneak Preview in your area, just check out the official event locator page. From there, you’ll be able to find hundreds of Phantom Darkness Sneak Previews across the globe.
Shonen Jump Championship Orlando on Saturday
The first Shonen Jump Championship of the new year is also this weekend, and we here at Metagame.com will be bringing you live coverage from the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida! This weekend’s tournament will be the final Shonen Jump before Phantom Darkness changes everything. Competitors in Orlando can attend a two-day Sneak Preview right in the same building. If I’m lucky, I’ll catch the tail end of it!
When last we left the Shonen Jump circuit, we saw Jerry Wang take on Fili Luna in the finals of San Mateo, a match that pitted Dragon against Dragon in a Light and Darkness mirror match. But weeks later, things have changed, and most duelists will come to Orlando prepared to deal with the Dragon’s threat. Will Light and Darkness Dragon reign triumphant again, or will we see Macro Cosmos, Green Baboon, Zombies, Volcanic Monarchs, or something totally new claim the title? Whatever happens, you’ll be the first to know if you join us on Saturday and Sunday. With big names and big teams like Nexus and Yu-Gi-Oh! ETC attending in full force, it’s bound to be an explosive weekend.
Still need the event information to finalize plans for your trip to Orlando? You can find the event listing page right here, and you’ll find even more information over on the Unity Entertainment web page, the weekend’s Premier Tournament Organizer.
New Strategy Articles on Wannaduel.com
The official Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG site got its own article archive earlier this month, starting things off with a look at the Gladiator Beasts. Strategy articles had previously been posted on the Yu-Gi-Oh! animated series site operated by 4Kids, but it looks like those articles are transitioning to official Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG territory, complete with longer word counts and a bit more strategic depth for younger players.
Currently, it’s unclear how often new articles will be published, but my guess would be a return to the weekly format we used to see on the 4Kids site. We’ll keep you posted as new articles hit the archive.
Phantom Darkness Previews Continue Here On Metagame
It’s Tuesday, just four days before the Sneak Preview release of Phantom Darkness, and we’re right in the middle of our in-depth look at some of the set’s most exciting cards.
Yesterday, Bryan Camareno profiled Escape from the Dark Dimension, an awesome new take on Call of the Haunted that perfectly fits the marquee mechanics of Phantom Darkness. What makes it so good—and in the right deck, absolutely superior to the old Pharaoh’s Servant standby? Click on over to Bryan’s article and find out.
Today, Ryan Murphy investigates one of the biggest draw cards ever printed: The Beginning of the End. Giving a dedicated Dark duelist the power to draw three cards is one thing, but this potent new spell does more than just rejuvenate an empty hand. How can you use it as quickly as possible, and how can you take advantage of its full ramifications? Let Ryan show you, and get ready for not one, but two game-shaping effects.
Wednesday through Friday, (if all goes to plan) we’ll have a look at three new world-debut cards that were never released in Japan. Join me, Matt Murphy, and Matt Peddle as we give some of the first commentaries on cards you have never seen before!
On Friday, I’ll talk about our latest preview card, one you’re probably quite familiar with: Dark Grepher. The Sneak Preview promo for Phantom Darkness has generated a lot of debate since it was first revealed. And now that we’ve looked at some of the best cards Phantom Darkness has to offer, I want to examine Dark Grepher again. How well does it support the Dark theme, and how does it work on an individual basis with centerpiece-worthy cards? Maybe even more importantly, how does it stack up to Armageddon Knight? I’ll answer those questions and more on the eve of the Sneak Preview weekend.
Then on Saturday, Duelist Academy is open for lessons as Curtis Schultz finishes up his series on the damage step. This week, Curtis looks at flip effects, damage triggers, and effects that activate in the graveyard, concluding one of the most detailed examinations of the damage step I’ve ever seen. Whether you’re a competitive player or more of a casual duelist, you’ll definitely want to read the last part to this important series.
That’s it for this week, but head back in another seven days as we examine the first impacts of Phantom Darkness!
—Jason Grabher-Meyer
Contributing Editor, Metagame.com