Seven Days—August 14th
It’s Wednesday, August 15th 2007, and we’re just days away from the official release of Tactical Evolution!
Tactical Evolution Hits Stores This Week
The latest Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG booster set has generated a ton of discussion in dueling communities worldwide, and everybody seems to be clamoring for at least a few new cards. That’s not surprising: it’s the biggest set since Ancient Sanctuary, and whether you’re a hardcore competitor or the most casual of cardfloppers, there’s something for everybody. Crystal Seer, Frost and Flame Dragon, Zombie Master, Il Blud, and more are tempting the competitive crowd, while Rainbow Dragon leads the pack for collectors and GX fans as possibly the highest-demand card of the year. Gemini monsters, legacy support for decks like Cyberdarks, new world premier cards, and a ton of other stuff have made Tactical a booster set to remember.
Tactical Evolution will start appearing in stores this Wednesday. If you plan to pick up a box (or several boxes) there’s still time to contact your local hobby store and try to cut a deal, so don’t be afraid to give them a call. Local game stores will often be happy to offer a discount for big purchases, and every penny counts when you’re looking to get your hands on the new hotness.
Zombies! Braaaaaains . . .
It’s Time 2 Duel in Chicago
The cross-country Time 2 Duel Tour hits the Windy City this weekend, as Frank Debrito and Co. roll into the 49th annual Chicago Air & Water Show. The Air & Water Show is one of Chicago’s most popular festivals, drawing a record 2.2 million people in 2005. Formation flights, air and water-borne daredevils, boating competitions, and parachutists will be joined this year by plenty of dueling action for beginners and new players.
Just starting your dueling career? Know some younger duelists or siblings who want to learn how to play? The Time 2 Duel Tour is a great opportunity for new duelists to learn the ropes, with a strong focus on demos and help for younger kids. For experienced veterans, it’s a great chance to give back to the dueling community: new players are the lifeblood of the game and help keep it healthy. Volunteer positions are still open for this weekend, so if you’d like to help out and earn some nice swag in the process, just e-mail Demo Team Manager Julia Hedberg at demo@upperdeck.com.
For more information, including directions to the Time 2 Duel Tour location this weekend, just check out UDE’s official web page. There’s information on upcoming Tour stops in Indiana, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania too.
Gen Con Indianapolis and Shonen Jump Action This Weekend
The “Best Four Days In Gaming” are just two days away! The Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG has a massive presence at this year’s Gen Con Indianapolis, and if you’re like me, you’re counting down the hours to the big event with plane, train, or bus ticket in hand.
Premier Tournament Organizer Professional Events Services is going all out, with big tournaments starting every two or three hours for most of the weekend. Two Regionals every day and plenty of iPod tournaments mean tons of opportunities for savvy duelists. There are Traditional tournaments on Friday and Saturday too, so bust out the Emperor Dragons and Scientists and get ready for nostalgia!
You’ll need a badge to get into the convention, but there are some great options for duelists and their chaperones. Parents of Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG competitors can get a free one-day limited access badge, and if you’re a player yourself, you can purchase a $20 Yu-Gi-Oh! badge that gets you into the tournament hall and the exhibitor’s hall. It comes with a coupon for free entry to any one Yu-Gi-Oh! tournament of your choice, including the Shonen Jump Championship! For the price of just the Shonen Jump, you get admission to the convention too—a first for this event. It’s a great deal and Yu-Gi-Oh! badges are still available for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
You can view the entire Yu-Gi-Oh! event schedule at Professional Event Service’s official website. You can find detailed info about the SJC itself over on PES’s site as well.
Interested in helping the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG grow? Demo Team Manager Julia Hedberg will be actively recruiting for the Demo Team at Indy, so seek her out if you’re interested in joining the revamped program. She’ll be at the Judge Certification booth for several hours each day, so she shouldn’t be hard to find. There’s a ton of new stuff in store for the Demo Team this year and Indy’s a great chance to get in on the ground floor. If you’re an existing member of the Judge or Demo Team programs, don’t forget to attend the Volunteer Convocation Sunday night, too!
This Week on Metagame.com
Mike Rosenberg opens up our week with a new perspective on Gemini Summoner. Jerome McHale showed you the ins and outs of this new world premier card in his Preview a couple weeks ago, but Mike’s going to show you a different side to the card: one that focuses primarily on its use without Geminis. Summoner is an incredibly versatile card with a lot of tricks, and Mike’s going to demonstrate all of its varied uses.
Then, Jerome follows up with his very own Gemini deck. A whopping four different Geminis unite to create a deck that’s perplexing to duel against, and that takes advantage of the Gemini mechanic in a surprising number of ways. If you’ve been looking to try Geminis out yourself, this is a great build to start with, because it explores everything Geminis have to offer.
Shifting gears a bit, I bring you a deck on Wednesday that’s centered around two of the flashiest cards from Tactical Evolution: Vennominon the King of Poisonous Snakes and Vennominaga the Deity of Poisonous Snakes. Professor Viper’s most fearsome monsters can shred opponents if they’re used correctly, and they can be a ton of fun to play. If you dream of dropping enormous snakes on the opposition, The Apotheosis has you covered this week.
You’ll get a double dose of poison when Curtis brings you another installment of Duel Academy. It’s all about Venom Counters this time around, as Curtis investigates the counters themselves alongside Venom Swamp and Venom Burn. The Venom cards can cause some baffling rulings situations, but Curtis is your one-stop solve-it-all this Thursday.
On Friday, Bryan Camareno discusses the importance of decision-making skills to your dueling performance. Why are such skills important, and what tools can you use to ensure you make the right plays? As always, Bryan’s got a system that can help you be your best, so this is a must-read if you find yourself making regrettable choices on occasion.
Finally, Matt Peddle investigates the success of Dexter Dalit at the 2007 World Championships just a few weeks ago. In a metagame filled with Gadgets (arguably Dalit’s signature deck in this format) he opted to play Monarchs instead, and Matt’s going to show you why his deck was worth a Top 4 finish. Dalit continues to be one of the most consistent players in the world when it comes to Championship events, and there’s a lot to be learned from the deck he used at Worlds.
That’s it for this week, but don’t forget to join us Saturday and Sunday as we bring you live coverage from Shonen Jump Championship Indianapolis! If you can’t be there (and you really should be: it’s going to be a blast), then don’t miss out on all the feature matches and deck profiles, plus an all-new prize card!
—Jason Grabher-Meyer
Contributing Editor, Metagame.com