It is 6PM and Day 1 of the first Shonen Jump ever to come to Hawaii is over. A strong 154 players battled it out over an exciting eight rounds of Swiss with some of the best in the country reaching toward that elusive Day 2 cut and a shot at the hottest prize in the Yu-Gi-Oh! world today, Doomcaliber Knight!
The Top 16 is a great showcase of skill, with players from more than one Hawaiian Island, the US mainland, and even a vacationer from Canada! All of them are gathered with the judges now, anxious to show the world they are ready to compete for the top spot and the title of Shonen Jump Champion.
The decks being played today had few surprises, with Dark Armed Dragon, Gladiator Beasts and Lightsworn appearing in large numbers, alongside well-known Monarch and Gadget variants. We’re working on a count of the decks in the field today, so look forward to a metagame breakdown by deck type soon.
The side events were worth noting, with local player Arnold Yago winning the first of these. For his achievement, he’s going home with thirty-three Champion Packs. He’s also hoping to win the one Doomcaliber Knight that’s going to be given out through the side events this weekend. Two other side events are still in progress.
There were almost 100 players pre-registered for today, and to say Mahalo (that’s Hawaiian for “Thank you”), Da Planet, the Tournament Organizer, rewarded these players with a parallel rare promo card and a chance to win a brand new Nintendo Wii. The winner of that Wii was announced today and the lucky player was Travis Kumano, a Hawaii resident and Yu-Gi-Oh! Enthusiast.
The player lounge, replete with Super Smash Bros. and Guitar Hero stations on big screens, was a big hit as well, as players were able to relax there between rounds. There was excitement everywhere.
The tournament players weren’t the only people excited today. Tony Yamada of Ideal Collectibles had a list of the cards that were flying today, and they were about what you might expect. “Everyone wanted Solemns,” he laughed. Other cards like Prime Material Dragon and Destiny Draw were sought after throughout the day.
Lee Yoshimoto of Da Planet also noticed a lot of demand for tournament legal sleeves, which many players today didn’t have. He was very glad that everyone was able to play great games and have a good time today. Of course, he and his teammates had more than a little to do with it.
Da Planet’s was the host of the Shonen Jump, handling the setup, judging, player lounge, and all the tournaments. There were only a few small hiccups during the day, but Da Planet’s staff was well prepared and ready for anything. Everything went on schedule and by the book, and I can say we’ve never seen the first day of an event like this go as smoothly.
Will Chris Bowling, the 2008 US National Champion and ranked 1st after day 1, go all the way to win? Will a player from the Aloha state take the Championship? Who will go home with a Doomcaliber Knight? Check back tomorrow and we’ll find out!