It’s March 26th, and the dueling world has a brand new star!
Marc Glass Wins Shonen Jump Championship Columbus
Sergeant Marc Glass made waves these past few months when he qualified for Day 2 at both Shonen Jump Championship Orlando and Shonen Jump Championship St. Louis. Inches away from claiming the title his second time around, he was devastated by Carlo Perez in the finals of that latter event, but his story didn’t end there.
Making yet another Day 2 with Diamond Dude Turbo this past weekend in Columbus, Glass started off his Sunday going head to head with Metagame.com’s own Matt Peddle. From there he ascended to the Top 8, taking on the only other combo player in the quarterfinals, Dan Bilbrey. The match pitted Bilbrey’s much-vaunted Demise, King of Armageddon OTK against Glass’ Destiny Heroes and, when the dust settled, Glass was victorious. He then tore through Philip Anthony’s Monarchs before coming face to face with Lazaro Bellido. Lazaro was arguably the most influential player in North America last format, and he was back with an updated version of the Thestalos / Zaborg deck that he pioneered.
Lazaro handed Glass an absolutely crushing defeat in the first game of the match, but he fought his way back to win two duels straight. Our congratulations go out to Marc Glass, your newest Shonen Jump Champion!
Columbus will certainly be an important event for the rest of the year. In a tournament that seemed to be all about combo decks, only two made it to the Top 8. The rest of the field consisted of Six Samurai, Card Trader Gadget, three Monarch variants, and a bizarre-yet-effective strategy involving Dark Dust Spirit. A lot of these decks will be mimicked in future events, so be sure to check out all the coverage and study up!
This Week on Metagame.com
This time around we get the week started with a stellar article from Mike Rosenberg. After Marc Glass’s Destiny Hero victory in Columbus, Destiny Hero — Malicious is more relevant now than he ever was before, and Mike’s going to show you what makes this pint-sized villain such a big deal. Why is Malicious so good? How has he been used, and how might he be used in the future? Mike discusses all those issues and more, so click on over: you won’t want to miss this one.
Demise, King of Armageddon was certainly a big deal in Columbus, but perhaps the best build was not the one that made it to Day 2. Jerome McHale’s going to take a page out of Vincent Tundo’s book and build a version of the deck that focuses on Earth monsters. The catch? Jerome’s version is control-oriented and aims for reliable domination over speed. The result is a unique strategy that really represents the cutting edge of deckbuilding. Check it out tomorrow!
Also tomorrow, The School of Duel is back in business as Jerome talks about one of the most important issues in the competitive game: side decking. Loved and hated by different types of duelists, side decks make and break championships, and Jerome’s got a crash course for you that might prove a little surprising. Read it, learn it, and be a better player — it’s that easy.
Crellian Vowler locked himself in his office cackling cheerily at the success of Jeff Baumgartner this past weekend. JBaum made it all the way to the Top 8 in Columbus, and he did it with Six Samurai, finally proving that the deck has what it takes to make Day 2. The secret to his success? Vowler’s going to spell it all out for you on Wednesday as he fixes up a reader’s Six Samurai deck and takes Baumgartner’s game plan one step further.
Speaking of the Samurai, Curtis Schultz finishes up his series on everybody’s favorite new team this Thursday, when he looks at important rulings on Grandmaster of the Six Samurai and Great Shogun Shien. If you’re eager to try out a Samurai deck of your own, be sure to read this article first.
You’ll get another pair of back-to-back articles on Friday, as Julia Hedberg hits us with Solid Ground and Agents of Judgment. The former this week is all about the recent changes to the game we know and love. From new sets, expansions, and promos to judge rewards and Shonen Jump Championships, there have been a lot of new developments to keep track of. Julia’s going to make sure you stay on top of it all, keeping you current and knowledgeable.
Then, in Agents of Judgment she’ll discuss the functions and challenges of the unsung heroes of the judging world, the match slip team! Risking life and limb in the face of deadly paper cutter blades, the slip team is arguably the most important group when it comes to ensuring the speed of an event. The job’s a lot more complicated than it might seem. Everyone’s going to be on slips one time or another, so read up and know what to expect.
On Saturday, Matt Peddle will discuss the Monarch deck that Steven Arias took to a Top 8 finish at SJC Houston. Matt thinks Arias’ build is a seminal and formative example of Monarchs at their prime, and with Arias’ influence already reflected in Phillip Anthony’s performance at Columbus, it looks like he’s right on the money. What made Arias’ deck so good, and why will it prove to be influential? Matt will tell all this weekend.
Finally, Jae Kim rounds out our week on Sunday with a new deck based around Shrink! The mass-release of Shrink in Strike of Neos — Special Edition has spurred a ton of interest in the powerful quick-play, and Jae’s got a killer build designed to take advantage of current trends. If you’ve got three Shrink and don’t know what to do with them, this is the article for you.
What a packed week! Enjoy the articles, and head on back in seven days for another look at what’s new in dueling!