7:45 And One Final Team Profile: Team Outlook

These guys are based out of Brockton, Massachusetts, and they’re very happy to be here in Orlando this weekend. It’s cold up there! The team has five members: Tyler Shafer, 16, who is qualified for 2005 and 2006 Nationals and has won multiple Regional x-2’s; Adam Donahue, 17, who took 14th place at Shonen Jump Boston 2006 and qualified for 2006 and 2007 Nationals; Ben Sears, 17, who qualified for 2006 Nationals and has won multiple Regional x-2's; Bryce Lapierre, 17, who has multiple Regional x-2's, and Austin Donahue, 14, who has yet to make his mark on the tournament environment, since he hasn’t played in as many events. Four of them are here today — Tyler, Adam, Ben and Bryce.

 

The team got its start as a group of friends who played at the same local tournaments and attended major events together — it was a logical next step to form a team. So, Team Outlook was formed in October, 2005. They rarely traveled to big events, sticking to the local Regionals and Shonen Jumps. In July of 2006, Team Outlook traveled to Shonen Jump Philadelphia, which was their first Shonen Jump as a team. They made a decent showing for their debut, but didn’t manage to get anyone into the Top 8. Shonen Jump Boston 2006 was Team Outlook's strongest showing to date — Adam Donahue finished 8-2, losing Round 10, just missing the Top 8. The day after Shonen Jump Boston 2006, the team fell apart after accusations of cheating and stealing, but since then the team has reformed, eliminating problem members, and they feel stronger than ever. They pride themselves for being the best team in Massachusetts, and believe they’ve got the credentials to back it up. They’re currently 5-0 in Team Battles, including a recent win over Team Rampage. While they may not have the strongest showings in major events, or the best credentials otherwise, they caution others against underestimating them. With luck, they’ll expand those credentials today!

 

 

7:35 Team Profile: Team Total Anarchy

Here’s another southern team out to show us what they’ve got — They’re a small team but each one has accomplishments they are proud of.

 

Leading off, we’ve got Elmo Gonzales Jr., 30 years old, who took 2^nd at a Savannah Regional and 9^th at an Orlando one. Steven Tsilimos, 18, can boast of 1st in a Jacksonville Regional, 1st in Best Team in Jacksonville, 2nd in Best Player in Jacksonville, 2nd in a Savannah Regional, 4th in an Alabama Regional, 7th at the 2006 U.S. Nationals (hey, I remember that!), U.S. Nationals qualifications for 2005-2007, and a ranking of 32nd in Florida. James Tsilimos, 18, has hardly got room to list all of his — 1^st In Orlando Regional, 1st In Tampa Regional, 1st In Best Player in Jacksonville, 1st in Best Team in Jacksonville, 3rd In Alabama Regional, 3rd In Alabama Regional, 4th In Jacksonville regional, 4th In Orlando Regional, and then x-2 in at the Shonen Jumps in Atlanta and Megacon. He’s ranked 8th in Florida, and has U.S. Nationals invites for 2005-2007. Jonathan Barber, 19, is ranked 53rd in Florida, and took 1st In Best Team in Jacksonville, 2nd in an Atlanta Regional, 4th in Best Player in Jacksonville and received a Nationals invite  in 2006. Rickey Barber, 20, has been inactive for the last year and a half, but he can lay claim to 1st In Best Team in Jacksonville, 3rd in Best Player in Jacksonville, 7th in Jacksonville Regional, and a ranking of 198th in Jacksonville.

 

The entire team attended the event. They’ve been together as a team for over two years, but have been friends for more than three. They enjoy the small size and family sense of their team, preferring it to having too many people and being more like an organization.

 

The team is sponsored by Roger's Collectables.

 

 

 

7:20 Who’s at the Top Tables — Round 9

Ok! This is it! Last chance to make it to Top 8! Make your final predictions!

Table 1 — Ivan Flores (8 wins) vs. Mark Vazquez (8 wins)

Table 2 — John Brewer (7 wins) vs. Ray Chau (7 wins)

Table 3 — William Bokunic Jr. (7 wins) vs. Marc Glass (7 wins)

Table 4 — Chris Evans (7 wins) vs. Nareg Torossian (7 wins) [this round’s feature match]

Table 5 — Paul Lynn (7 wins) vs. Zay Wilson (7 wins)

Table 6 — Jamall Plummer (7 wins) vs. Shane Scurry (7 wins)

Table 7 — Jonathan LaBounty (7 wins) vs. James Laurent (7 wins)

Table 8 — Toby Boas (7 wins) [SBC competitor] vs. Zach Pelo (7 wins)

Hmm . . . well, we’ve got one SBC  competitor for the final round. Will he make it in?  Or will we see another Challenge go by with no winners?

 

6:45 Team Profile: Team Metabreaker

All teams need a starting point, so now I’m going to give you a quick introduction to a new local team — Team Metabreaker. They’re a new team, made up of six good friends who share common goals in Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG. The roster now stands at:

Deangelo Hoover — 16

Lynn "Buddy" Mikkelsen — 18

Chase Castillano — 16

David Dumass — 19

Jordan Tyler — 12

Anthony "Magic" A. — 17

They’ve all been playing for a while, and they play the game for fun. The team is based in Vero Beach, Florida. They can be found playing at the Burger King by the Books-a-Million in Vero, and every other Sunday they’re on display at DaVinci’s.

They decided to form a team because they were already good friends, with limited card supplies. Combined, they’ve got enough cards to make better decks, and do better in events. Good luck to them in the future!

 

6:20 Who’s At The Top Table — Round 8

Well, this is the next to the last round, so I suppose you can begin making some Top 8 predictions . . . who’s up here this round?

Table 1 – Ivan Flores (7 wins) vs. Zay Wilson (7 wins)

Table 2 – Shane Scurry (7 wins) vs. Mark Vazquez (7 wins)

Table 3 – Andrew Ahn (6 wins) vs. Marc Glass (6 wins)

Table 4 – William Bokunic Jr. (6 wins) vs. Andrew Novoa (6 wins)

Table 5 – Paul Levitin (6 wins) vs. Zach Pelo (6 wins) [this round’s feature match]

Table 6 – Brian Cornish (6 wins) [SBC competitor] vs. Chris Evans (6 wins)

Table 7 – Randall Parker (6 wins) vs. Nareg Torossian (6 wins)

Table 8 – Calvin Bryant (6 wins) vs. Jamall Plummer (6 wins)

6:00 Who Turned Out the Lights!?

There are control panels for the lights placed on the walls all around the room. Players will keep leaning on them, and then the lights start going crazy. They’re all on dimmers, it seems like, so there’s a constant up, down, up, down, up, down of the lighting in here. It’s kind of disorienting, actually.

5:30 It’s Really Nice Outside, Here in Florida

Apparently, Florida is enjoying the best weather in the country right now. I’m all about best weather — it was like, ten degrees outside when I left New York yesterday. In Florida though, the sun is shining, palm trees grow, the plants are green and flowery, and little lizards perch happily on the trees. I guess it could be a little warmer outside, but I’m not going to complain. Much.

I am slightly tempted to complain that I’ve spent pretty much the entire day inside . . .

5:15 Who’s at the Top Tables — Round 7

Well there are only two rounds left now . . . who’s in the running?

Table 1 — Jonathan LaBounty (6 wins) vs. Mark Vazquez (6 wins) [this round’s feature match]

Table 2 — Zach Pelo (6 wins) vs. Shane Scurry (6 wins)

Table 3 — Chris Evans (6 wins) vs. Ivan Flores (6 wins)

Table 4 — Davin Ruiz (5 wins) vs. Zay Wilson (6 wins)

Table 5 — William Bokunic Jr. (5 wins) vs. Kirk Dorozsmay (5 wins)

Table 6 — Carlos Alfonso (5 wins) vs. Nareg Torossian (5 wins)

Table 7 — Andrew Ahn (5 wins) vs. Max Bryant (5 wins)

Table 8 — Lawrence Slyvan (5 wins) vs. Paul Watts (5 wins)

Shane and Ivan are determinedly hanging in there, but here comes Nareg back into the top of the game! I’m sure all these guys wish they were playing in a Top 16 event . . .

4:30 Team Profile: Team Kenshin

Team Kenshin has a few regions covered, with a North & South division. North is the bigger section, and every single one of them is here today!

Kenshin North

Richard Clarke, 25

Ben Parker, 22

Chuka Yabui, 28

Danny Brown, 18

Donovan Singleton, 18

Erick Pfister, 23

Andrew Gumpp, 21

Kenshin South isn’t at the event, but here’s a list of their names:

Kenshin South

Jeremy Waxman, 22

Kevin Toolan, 19

Owen Batista, 17

Ron Monks, 16

The Kenshin team up is motivated primarily by respect and observation. Teammates strive to show respect for any player they come across, regardless of their skill level. Watching what goes on in a game helps increase their understanding — “every card and every deck has an answer and what better way to find it than to look for it?”

 

4:15 Who’s at the Top Tables — Round 6

A few familiar faces here this time . . .

Table 1 – Jamall Plummer (5 wins) vs. Mark Vazquez (5 wins)

Table 2 – Shane Scurry (5 wins) vs. Nareg Torossian (5 wins)

Table 3 – Ray Chau (5 wins) vs. Jonathan LaBounty (5 wins)

Table 4 – Grant Kelly (5 wins) vs. Zay Wilson (5 wins)

Table 5 – Kirk Dorozsmay (5 wins) vs. Zach Pelo (5 wins)

Table 6 – Ivan Flores (5 wins) vs. Donald Myers (5 wins)

Table 7 – Chris Evans (5 wins) vs. Paul Levitin (5 wins)

Table 8 – Fili Luna (4 wins) [SBC competitor] vs. Andrew Novoa (5 wins) [this round’s feature match]

Well, we lost Chris for the moment, but we did get Fili. Only 3 rounds left after this one!

 

3:40 Speaking of the Trophy . . .

I realized I haven’t talked about the new trophy! It’s a very nice silver one on a wooden base, engraved and shiny and good-looking. It would make a good flower vase, too, now that I sit here and look at it. The Millennium Puzzle trophies were popular in the earlier run of the Shonen Jumps; we’ll see how the winner likes this new one. Everyone keeps coming up to admire it, so it will probably go down pretty well.

3:20 Who’s at the Top Tables — Round 5

Table 1 — Chris Evans (4 wins) vs. Tristan Scott (4 wins)

Table 2 — Ivan Flores (4 wins) vs. James Tsilimos (4 wins)

Table 3 — Andrew Ahn (4 wins) vs. Donald Myers (4 wins)

Table 4 — Ray Chau (4 wins) vs. James Laurent (4 wins)

Table 5 — Chris Moosman (4 wins) [SBC Competitor] vs. Jamall Plummer (4 wins)

Table 6 — Ervin Cabret (4 wins) vs. Mark Vazquez

Table 7 — Eric Herdzik (4 wins) vs. Grant Kelly (4 wins)

Table 8 — Austin Blair (4 wins) vs. Paul Levitin (4 wins)

Well, it’s downhill from here, so players can’t afford to make many mistakes if they want to be in the final Top 8. So far, Chris Moosman is looking like he’ll be the first ever two-time winner for the Scrub Brush Challenge.

3:15 Kris Spots the Trophy

Kris Perovic has come up to talk to Jason, after dropping out. He realizes that the new trophy isn’t secured to the table. “Wait, that’s just sitting there?” He then bemoans the fact he’s a person with morals. I snap his picture.

After seeing his picture, he decides that he needs a tan. So, in order to look more tanned, he requests his picture be displayed next to mine. I make everyone look tan.

 

2:48 And That’s Time, For Round 4!

OK, we just finished round 4 of 9. Which means, technically we’re over half way done. It’s not yet 3:00 p.m., so things are looking positive! Let’s hear it for Franklin, the floor judges, and the event staff who are working hard to keep things moving, and also thank the players who are doing their part to not slow everything down.

2:15 Who’s at the Top Tables — Round 4

Round 4 already? My, my, we’re almost halfway done! Let’s see who we’ve got . . .

Table 1 — Andrew Ahn (3 wins) vs. Michael Wright (3 wins)

Table 2 — Kirk Dorozmay (3 wins) vs. Marc Glass (3 wins)

Table 3 — Tristan Scott (3 wins) vs. Dave Stewart (3 wins)

Table 4 — Ashton Glenn (3 wins) vs. Brian M. Jones (3 wins)

Table 5 — Bill Dykstra (3 wins) vs. Michael Lux (3 wins) [SBC Competitor]

Table 6 — John Brewer (3 wins) vs. Charles Brandon Jude (3 wins)

Table 7 — James Laurent (3 wins) vs. Victor E. Reinert (3 wins)

Table 8 — Luis Molina (3 wins) vs. Zach Pelo (3 wins)

Well, a competitor reappears, and there’s a few people holding on to the top spots.

1:45 Honestly, I Don’t Know the Answer to All Your Questions

I need another one of those signs . . . “I don’t work for UDE, or Unity Entertainment, I’m not here as a judge, I’m not from Florida, and I’m not part of the event staff,” because I looked around and I’m the only person on the stage. Which means everyone comes up to ask me everything. I can live with being a traffic cop, but I really don’t have time to answer complicated rulings questions when I’m reporting.

1:20 Who’s at the Top Tables: Round 3

Well, we’re moving along now. Let’s see who’s up at tables 1-8, shall we?

Table 1 — Ricky Barber (2 wins) vs. Michael Wright (2 wins)

Table 2 — Abrahiem Darmish (2 wins) vs. Andrew Novoa (2 wins)

Table 3 — Josh Bolin (2 wins) vs. Justin Kilburn (2 wins)

Table 4 — Val Bakalar (2 wins) vs. Brandon Jude Charles (2 wins)

Table 5 — Max Bryant (2 wins) vs. Bruce McGregor (2 wins)

Table 6 — David Javery (2 wins) vs. Brian M. Jones (2 wins)

Table 7 — Tyler Schafer (2 wins) [SBC competitor] vs. Joshua Williams

Table 8 — Brian Long (2 wins) vs. Shane Scurry (2 wins) [this round’s feature match]

“I need me a Crush Card,” Shane came up to tell us. “What are you running?” Jason asked. Shane wouldn’t show him his deck, though. “C’mon, I won’t jinx it,” Jason coaxed. “He’s going to rub bad luck over each and every card,” I warned. Shane pulled his deck back into the box. “I’ll . . . show you later . . .” he said.

12:30 I Wonder If The Food Court Is Open Yet . . .

I just realized I’m really hungry. Must . . . finish . . . Scrub . . . Challenge . . .

12:15 Who’s Who at the Top Tables — Round 2

Wow! Time flies when you’re trying to get an oversized Scrub Brush Challenge ready to post . . . anyway, let’s check back in with the top of the tournament!

Table 1 — Daniel Allen (1 win) vs. Jason Stone (1 win)

Table 2 — Zachary Barvian (1 win) vs. Brad Lendzian (1 win)

Table 3 — Jose Anzualda (1 win) vs. Jonathan Vadi (1 win)

Table 4 — James Saint Surin (1 win) vs. Tai Wu (1 win)

Table 5 — Kevin Coulon (1 win) vs. Josh Thiboudeaux (1 win)

Table 6 — Randall Parker (1 win) vs. Michael Vilca (1 win)

Table 7 — Kris Guardiario (1 win) vs. Warren Kusel (1 win)

Table 8 — Marc Glass (1 win) vs. William Rice (1 win)

Looks like a new lot of players, and no SBC competitors. Aww . . .

11:30 Please Let Me Process These Pictures in Peace

We’re sitting up on the stand, and while it’s nice to see everybody, it’s really hard to get work done when people keep coming up to talk to us. You’ll have to forgive me if there’s some lag in handing stuff in . . . looks like 27 players survived the Snipe Hunter elimination to make it into the Challenge, and getting all those pictures done is taking a while.

11:15 Who’s at the Top Tables — Round 1

Well, it’s only the first round, but still. Who’s starting off under auspicious circumstances?

Table 1 — Jose Sui vs. Ryan Spicer [Scrub Brush Challenge competitor]

Table 2 — Henry W Minis vs. David James Piercy

Table 3 — Matt Aprim vs. Peter Irizarry

Table 4 — Dante Gutierrez vs. John Lizama

Table 5 — Bobby Mori vs. Ladarl Washington

Table 6 — Carlos Alfonso vs. Ivan Flores

Table 7 — Nick Morris vs. Shane Scurry

Table 8 — Jose Castellon vs. Isaac Johnson

Hey! We’re starting things off with one SBC competitor sitting at table 1. I will treat this as a good omen.

 

11:00 Player Mill Insanity

Well, they’re seating for round 1. An hour after the tournament start time, which, considering it was a little difficult to find the right part of the Convention Center (I think it’s bigger than my town), is pretty good. There are a lot of players here I haven’t seen in ages! If they ran the Top 16 today, there’d probably be quite an impressive roster. Anyway, I need to get these pictures processed for the Scrub Brush Challenge, and the players need to take their seats and get playing.

10:45 Players, Take Your Seats!

Franklin DeBrito is giving the announcements for the player meeting. We’ll be playing nine rounds today, and his reminder that Cyber-Stein is banned raised a hearty round of applause. He’s going with his usual ‘no nonsense’ approach — no slow play, put those headphones away, and play right!

Announcement of the new prize card, Crush Card, as well as the news of extra copies has made a lot of players here very happy.

 

10:00 OK. That’s Enough of That

No more Scrub Brush Challenge entrants!!! There’s over forty people who want to take the challenge and that is just not going to happen. Let’s see if I can fit twenty four in. Time to make some cuts . . . thank goodness I’ve got a six-sided die in my bag. I’m going Snipe Hunter for the final list.

9:20 I Wonder How Many People Want To Take The Scrub . . .

Well, as soon as I showed up (after answering rulings questions on my way to the stand) people started queuing up to register. I’m going to have to roll dice or something to decide who’s in and who’s out! I’ll raise the total entrants from sixteen, though, to give more people a chance.

Hmm . . . no Cyber-Stein and now everyone wants to take the challenge? Coincidence???