I risked a closer look at the deck choices of some of the favorites. Props to Hartmut Glücker and the other judges on the deck check team!

Florian Chitic

Better known as 'Master1' on the message boards, Florian is one of the most successful and consistent members of Team Royal. The deck of his choice is the popular Field Control Deck, filled with a few tech cards to better suit Florian's own style. Besides Blast with Chain, a card that was pushed hard by all Team Royal members, Florian picked two Strike Ninjas, one of the strongest weapons in the late game. Three Cyber Dragons and three Spirit Reapers are staples in the current format, but Flo skipped D. D. Assailant, another popular choice.

The Warrior had to go in order to make room for Mystic Tomatos, shining together with Newdoria, Sangan and Don Zaloog. Creature Swap is another good combo card for the Tomato, so Chitic's deck looked promising. The last tech in his deck seems to be Blowback Dragon, kicking one Monarch out of the main deck. The side deck isn't that surprising. Florian chose the burner board for another time, being flexible enough to catch unprepared opponents in a weak spot.

Monsters: 19

1 Mobius the Frost Monarch

1 Blowback Dragon

3 Cyber Dragon

1 Exarion Universe

3 Spirit Reaper

3 Mystic Tomato

1 Don Zaloog

2 Strike Ninja

1 Newdoria

1 D.D. Survivor

1 Breaker the Magical Warrior

1 Sangan

Spells: 11

1 Heavy Storm

1 Mystical Space Typhoon

1 Scapegoat

1 Creature Swap

1 Dark Hole

1 Reinforcement of the Army

1 Brain Control

1 Swords of Revealing Light

1 Premature Burial

1 Nobleman of Crossout

1 Snatch Steal

Traps: 10

2 Widespread Ruin

3 Sakuretsu Armor

3 Blast with Chain

1 Call of the Haunted

1 Torrential Tribute

Side Deck: 15

3 Wave-Motion Cannon

3 Stealth Bird

3 Solemn Judgment

1 Ceasefire

1 Mobius the Frost Monarch

2 Smashing Ground

2 Level Limit – Area B

Adrian Madaj

Adrian from Bremen, also known as Swordsman_Deluxe, is one of the most famous duelists in Germany. Being one of the founding members of Team Royal, he will try to prove again why every other duelist should attempt to become a member of his team.

He chose a completely different deck, as compared to Florian Chitic. Three Brain Controls show his will to pay a higher price for the win, and together with three copies of Blowback Dragon, it looks like he has some serious trust in his coins. Two copies of Gravekeeper's Spy are Adrian's preferred solution to slow down his opponent, unlike Spirit Reaper, seen in a lot of other duelists decks. Strike Ninja seems to be Adrian's favorite monster, and this time his deck features three copies of the warrior. Chaos Sorcerer and Deck Destruction Virus are also very unexpected tech cards. Looks like Adrian wants to break with the rules and succeed with a completely different deck.

Monsters: 19

1 Chaos Sorcerer

3 Blowback Dragon

3 Cyber Dragon

1 Tsukuyomi

2 Exarion Universe

1 Breaker the Magical Warrior

2 Gravekeeper's Spy

1 Magical Merchant

3 Strike Ninja

1 Sangan

1 D.D. Warrior Lady

Spells: 9

3 Brain Control

1 Snatch Steal

1 Nobleman of Crossout

1 Mystical Space Typhoon

1 Dark Hole

1 Heavy Storm

1 Premature Burial

Traps: 12

3 Widespread Ruin

1 Call of the Haunted

3 Blast with Chain

1 Torrential Tribute

1 Deck Destruction Virus

3 Sakuretsu Armor

Side Deck: 15

1 Des Koala

3 Stealth Bird

1 Ceasefire

1 Gravity Bind

3 Solemn Judgment

1 Gravity Bind

2 Level Limit – Area B

3 Wave-Motion Cannon

Michael Martin

Michael is the most successful member of Team Chopper and won Pharaoh Tour Würzburg. We don't know yet if he will be one of the top finishers today, but let’s take a look at his deck. Unlike in Würzburg, Michael dropped some of his D. D. Assailants. He’s featuring only one copy today so he has more room for Chaos Sorcerer. Only one copy of Mobius the Frost Monarch, together with three copies of Cyber Dragon, prove his attempt to cut down some of the death draws. One Blast with Chain and three copies of Smashing Grounds are more proof of this idea. Two copies of Enemy Controller can be somewhat risky, but Michael has some trust in the versatile quick-play spell.

Monsters: 18

1 Mobius the Frost Monarch

1 Chaos Sorcerer

3 Cyber Dragon

1 Breaker the Magical Warrior

1 D.D. Warrior Lady

1 D. D. Assailant

1 Sangan

1 Magician of Faith

2 Mystic Tomato

2 Spirit Reaper

1 Don Zaloog

1 Strike Ninja

1 D.D. Survivor

1 Exiled Force

Spells: 14

1 Dark Hole

2 Enemy Controller

1 Book of Moon

1 Nobleman of Crossout

1 Snatch Steal

2 Reinforcement of the Army

1 Heavy Storm

1 Mystical Space Typhoon

1 Premature Burial

3 Smashing Ground

Traps: 8

3 Sakuretsu Armor

1 Torrential Tribute

1 Call of the Haunted

1 Dust Tornado

1 Widespread Ruin

1 Blast with Chain

Björn-Christian Schulze

Björn succeeded in winning a close match against Johann Papst in round 2 and is on track to a strong finish today. I had a look at his deck ideas and he came up with three promising lists. He made his decision after some brainstorming and picked a very consistent deck.

Like Michael, he picked solid cards like D. D. Assailant, Spirit Reaper, and Cyber Dragon. He didn't choose to go for Mystic Tomato and Strike Ninja, unlike a lot of other duelists. Drillroid is his preferred tool to deal with his opponent’s face-down threats, and Mystic Swordsman LV2 had to take a time-out in the side deck. Most of other cards in the deck are less impressive, Injection Fairy Lily and Magician of Faith are some of the tech cards that a lot of other duelists dropped. Two Dust Tornados and three Smashing Grounds might force a chuckle from some duelists.

Monsters: 17

2 Cyber Dragon

1 Mobius the Frost Monarch

2 Spirit Reaper

3 D. D. Assailant

1 D.D. Survivor

1 D.D. Warrior Lady

1 Exiled Force

1 Sangan

1 Don Zaloog

1 Breaker the Magical Warrior

1 Magician of Faith

1 Drillroid

1 Injection Fairy Lily

Spells: 14

2 Reinforcement of the Army

1 Premature Burial

1 Book of Moon

1 Scapegoat

3 Smashing Ground

1 Nobleman of Crossout

1 Heavy Storm

1 Snatch Steal

1 Dark Hole

1 Mystical Space Typhoon

1 Enemy Controller

Traps: 9

1 Call of the Haunted

2 Widespread Ruin

3 Sakuretsu Armor

1 Torrential Tribute

2 Dust Tornado

Side Deck: 15

0 Harpies Feather Duster (that's what Björn wrote on his list)

2 Goldd, Wu-Lord of Dark World

1 Waboku

1 Cursed Seal of the Forbidden Spell

1 Spell Canceller

1 Mobius the Frost Monarch

2 Jowgen the Spiritualist

1 Drillroid

1 Chiron the Mage

2 Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer

1 Lightning Vortex

1 Bottomless Trap Hole

1 Battle Ox (and yes, it's a regular Battle Ox, there's no Enraged in front of it)

Vittorio Wiktor

I reserved the last spot for another great player from Berlin who is also one of the most consistent German players. Some guys make fun of Vittorio's preferred color of his clothes (pink), but most of the time it's not funny after Vittorio has won a few duels. Like Björn, Vittorio chose a very consistent deck with only a few cards that can't help in every situation.

With two Mystic Tomatos, Vittorio is following the trend of more Control and a little bit less Warrior action. Besides from that, hand control with Don Zaloog and Spirit Reaper are his preferred ways to win the game. His deck also features Pot of Avarice, which is underestimated by a lot of the other duelists. Vittorio can also follow a slower pace with his burner side deck, giving him the element of surprise against unprepared opponents.

Monsters: 18

1 Mobius the Frost Monarch

3 Cyber Dragon

3 Spirit Reaper

2 Mystic Tomato

2 D. D. Assailant

1 Exiled Force

1 Don Zaloog

1 Breaker the Magical Warrior

1 D.D. Survivor

1 Mystic Swordsman LV2

1 Sangan

1 D.D. Warrior Lady

Spells: 14

2 Reinforcement of the Army

1 Heavy Storm

1 Mystical Space Typhoon

1 Nobleman of Crossout

1 Premature Burial

1 Enemy Controller

1 Pot of Avarice

1 Book of Moon

2 Smashing Ground

1 Dark Hole

1 Scapegoat

1 Snatch Steal

Traps: 9

1 Call of the Haunted

3 Sakuretsu Armor

3 Widespread Ruin

1 Torrential Tribute

1 Dust Tornado