It’s Monday, September 10th, and as the days tick down to the first Shonen Jump Championship of the new Advanced format, we’ve got our first glimpse of the next booster set!
Gladiator’s Assault Sneak Preview Dates Announced
The upcoming Gladiator’s Assault booster is still more than two months away, but Upper Deck Entertainment has already posted the next Sneak Preview web page. It announces the next Sneak weekend to be that of November 3rd-4th, and it also reveals the new world-exclusive promo card that will be handed out to attendees. It’s called Gladiator Beast Octavius, and you can see an image of the card over on the official site.
Centered around the new Gladiator Beast monsters, Gladiator’s Assault also features Jaden Yuki’s Evil Hero monsters, Adrian Gecko’s Cloudians, some awesome support for the Six Samurai, and a bunch of cards that seriously competitive duelists are going to take note of. You can be amongst the first to get your hands on the new cards, earn a chance to win a Gladiator’s Assault t-shirt, and score the exclusive promo card Gladiator Beast Octavius—all just for signing up! Find a Sneak Preview in your area and start making your travel plans now.
Shonen Jump Washington This Weekend
The new Advanced format list has really shaken things up, and this weekend we’ll get our first real taste of the fallout. Apprentice Monarchs are in, Destiny Heroes appear to be out, and between the two are a ton of decks that may or may not emerge from the weekend as heavy hitters. Tactical Evolution will be legal for play for the first time in Shonen Jump history, so there are a number of factors that add up to one volatile weekend.
You can find the official Shonen Jump Washington event listing right here, but for tons of extra info on venue location, side events, and directions, head over to the PTO’s official website for details. Be sure to check out the side event playoff on Sunday: things are a bit different this time around, with a Top 8 cut instead of just Top 4 to determine who goes home with the fourth copy of Gold Sarcophagus.
If you can’t make it to College Park to be part of the action, then join us here on Metagame.com for the next best thing! We’ll be coming to you live from the University of Maryland all weekend long with feature matches, deck profiles, and insight into the metagame. Dozens of questions are being debated by duelists across the globe even as I write this, and this weekend we’ll finally get some answers.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Action Hits “The Festival On H Street” This Weekend
Not too far from SJC Washington, the Time 2 Duel Tour will roll into the Festival on H Street this weekend in Washington, DC. Frank Debrito and the rest of the Time 2 Duel staff will be on hand, teaching new and aspiring duelists how to play the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG: a great opportunity for you established duelists with friends or younger siblings. For directions to the event, hit up the Time 2 Duel page over on the official site for more details.
Want to help out at an upcoming Time 2 Duel event, or volunteer your services as an experienced duelist at a stop on the Kids’ Time Mall Tour? Just e-mail Upper Deck Entertainment’s Julia Hedberg at demo@upperdeck, with your contact information and the event you’d like to help out at.
This Week On Metagame.com
Mike Rosenberg kicks off our week today with a second look at a card he’s profiled before: Jinzo. This time everything has changed, as Jinzo’s recent move from the Limited list to the Semi-Limited list has left duelists viewing the popular android in a totally different light. Why is the change such a big deal, and what impact might it have on the Advanced format? More than that, how can you take advantage of Jinzo in this new era of dueling? Mike will answer those questions and more, so click on over!
Jerome McHale takes a crack at creating a rather unique Gadget variant tomorrow, centered around Machine Duplication. Oh yes, the dreaded “Troop Dupe” may be dead and gone with the Limiting of Card Trooper, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still wreak some havoc with Duplication. The trick? A seriously under-played monster from Structure Deck 10, which at this point should have at least a few of you nodding your heads. Boot-Up Soldier - Dread Dynamo is a force to be reckoned with in Jerome’s deck this week.
On Wednesday, Curtis Schultz wraps up his multi-part series on the rules and mechanics behind Gemini monsters. This time around, Curtis is going to take a look at the individual effects of popular Geminis like Il Blud and Chthonian Emperor Dragon, making for some precise observations that will help you understand your cards.
Thursday, I’ll fix up a deck that I can’t wait to take to a local tournament. Tactical Evolution brought a lot of competitive additions to the game, but it also gave us some support for age-old hijinks and shenanigans. I’m going to take a reader-submitted normal monster deck and turn it into a full-fledged Enchanting Fitting Room strategy, creating a do-or-die deck capable of spectacular failures and even more glorious victories. If you’ve never kicked someone’s butt with Dragon Zombie, well, tune in on Thursday.
The weekend kicks into gear with another Practical Duelist article from Bryan Camareno. A lot of successful people in the worlds of business and professional athletics believe in the 80/20 rule, a philosophy which states that 80 percent of your success is due to just 20 percent of your actions. Bryan’s going to discuss how this concept applies to your dueling skills, the metagames you compete in, and how one simple equation can make you a better player.
On Saturday, Matt Peddle delves into the past to show us what might be the future of the Monarch archetype. Kyle Lopez utterly decimated his opponents in last year’s Shonen Jump Seattle, packing his own version of Lazaro Bellido’s classic Monarch build. Now, his deck could be powerful inspiration for duelists in the current format, and Matt’s going to show you why.
Finally, Ryan Murphy has taken advantage of the new Traditional Format’s Limited and Semi-Limited lists to create a brand new OTK deck. If you’re a fan of The Forgotten Format, you won’t want to miss this strategy: blending Chaos monsters with potent special summoning capabilities to control and eliminate the opposition. The deck is so promising, I already netdecked it, and the article won’t go live for days. Ah, the perks of writing Seven Days!
That’s it for articles this week, but be sure to join us this weekend for coverage of Shonen Jump Washington. I don’t know about you guys, but I can’t wait to see what makes the cut to Day 2, and you’ll get to follow the action right along with us on Saturday and Sunday.
See you then!
—Jason Grabher-Meyer
Contributing Editor, Metagame.com