The Yu-Gi-Oh! Time 2 Duel Tour is a series of cross-country events all over the United States this past summer, and this weekend it was just a few miles away at The Festival on H Street in Washington, D. C. The Tour crew, including the well-recognized Judge Franklin Debrito, stopped by right here at the University of Maryland last night to show off the Time 2 Duel Cruiser, so I took the opportunity to get some pictures of their swanky setup.

For nine weeks the Tour has stopped at theme parks, county fairs, community centers and more, appearing at dozens of events in just over two months. The tour’s part of a continued initiative to educate new duelists and draw fans of the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX animated series into the TCG, and it’s resulted in literally millions of attendees being exposed to the game. Numbers have been through the roof, and response to the tour has been really strong.

So what happens at the Time 2 Duel Tour? New and aspiring duelists can learn how to play from members of the traveling Tour staff, or members of the new UDE Specialist program. Demos are offered around the clock, and instructional material is available for those who’d like to begin their dueling career. There’s a dueling area where more experienced competitors can bring their own decks and play against each other or members of the staff. If you didn’t bring a deck, some pre-made ones are available too. Play Yu-Gi-Oh! themed carnival games, and visit the prize station to claim your share of Tournament Packs, promos like Machine King, T-Shirts, Pins, and other cool swag.

The Summer tour is almost over, but there are still tour stops left in Maryland today and New Jersey next week. Check out the official Time 2 Duel website for dates and directions. Today, the Time 2 Duel crew is at the St. Charles Towne Center, and next week they’ll hit the Edward A. Dalton Boys & Girls Club in New Jersey. If you’ve got younger siblings it’s a great chance to get them into the game, and if you’re an experienced duelist interested in helping out you might still be able to e-mail UDE’s Julia Hedberg at demo@upperdeck.com to find out about remaining volunteer positions.

If you’re in New Jersey, bring a new player or two and get ready to meet tons of fellow duelists!