We singled out some players at Canadian Yu-Gi-Oh! Nationals (July 9–11 in Mississuaga, Ontario) for an interview, to get a clearer view of their game philosophy and examine the choices they made. There were a variety of duelists and play styles at the event—a great example of diversity in gameplay. Chaos wasn't the only deck to make an impression, and top honors went in the end to a deck that included neither Chaos Emperor Dragon nor Black Luster Soldier. The most successful competitors relied on originality—whether in the form of sweeping changes in strategic concept or small tweaks that challenged popular conventions, thinking outside popular archetypes won through. We sat down with three such players to talk to them about their performances, their backgrounds, their decks, and their impressions about the event.


Joseph Leung
Canadian National Champion

A 13-year-old Toronto resident, Joseph ran a very interesting and different deck in Canadian Nationals, which was eye-catching apart from his win. Combine the novel deck with his victory in the tournament, and Joseph was obviously a duelist worth learning more about.

Q: What would you like to say about the deck you ran? Anything you feel is somewhat unique about it or that you're proud of? We noticed you made some unusual choices, such as your lack of Jinzo, lack of Chaos, inclusion of Metamorphosis, and so forth . . .

A: “The deck revolves around Metamorphosis getting out a first turn Dark Balter the Terrible, or topdecking it (Metamorphosis) to get out Thousand-Eyes Restrict against a Jinzo and a Kycoo, with a Sinister Serpent in the graveyard. D. D. Crazy Beast was tech for the metagame, assuming that 90 percent of the decks were Chaos. I didn't play Jinzo because it wasn't a level 5 monster and cannot be morphed into Dark Balter. I didn't run Chaos because I never got any good Chaos draws with Chaos.”


Q: Why did you make the side decking choices you made? Gravekeeper, especially, seemed like an unusual choice..

A: “I knew that Metamorphosis could not win against Chaos itself, since once I get my opponent in the Dark Balter lock, he or she could easily topdeck Chaos Emperor Dragon - Envoy of the End or Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning to break out of it. I saw Simon Tsang's side deck at Toronto Regionals and thought I’d give it a go with Necrovalley. Surprisingly, it works very well, as about seven of a Chaos player’s cards become useless (Chaos Emperor Dragon, Black Luster Soldier, Magician of Faith, Monster Reborn, Call of the Haunted, and Premature Burial). The Book of Moons work well as tech, and the Torrential Tribute is tech against Beatdown. I was planning to run Autonomous Action Unit in the sideboard to counter First Turn KO, but I decided to play Book of Moon instead.”


Q: What did you expect the field to be like?

A: “I expected a lot of Chaos on day 1, but I ended up only facing about three Chaos decks on day 1 and barely making it on the Top 64. I also expected some First Turn Kill decks and some Beatdown decks here and there.”


Q: Did you participate in any other events on Friday or Saturday? If so, which ones did you compete in, and how did you do?

A: “No, I didn't participate in any other events, though on Friday I went playtesting till about 1:30 a.m. At one point I had Beatdown as a sideboard, but I figured it didn't do well against Chaos.”


Q: Did you make any changes to your deck before Sunday as a result of testing or competition on the two days prior?

A: “On day 2, I expected Chaos to be played more, so I thought about keeping the deck as it was. The only thing I considered changing was the second Book of Moon. I was thinking about playing Chaos, but my Morph deck did much better.”


Q: What individual cards do you feel made the most impact on the games? Feel free to mention the obvious ones, like Chaos Emperor Dragon and Black Luster Soldier, but if there was anything a bit surprising you'd like to decry or sing the praises of, please feel free to do so.

A: “The staples made a big impact on the games, there's no doubt about that. I wasn’t really worried about Chaos Emperor Dragon and Black Luster Soldier. It’s just when my opponent gets good hands (Pot of Greed, Graceful Charity, Mirage of Nightmare) it’s usually game no matter what they draw.”


Q: What decks did you play against? What decks did you see that you reallyliked?

A: “I played against Chaos, Beatdown, a Strike-Ninja deck and a pretty cool Harpie Lady deck. I really liked my friend David's Chaos Morph deck.”


Q: Did you attend the event as part of a group or team?

A: “I attended the event with my friends.”


Q: What tournament experience (wins, Top 8’s, and so on) did you have prior to Canadian Nationals?

A: “I've won a few tournaments here and there, but that's about it.”


Q: Can I ask what Regionals, if any, you participated in, and what you ran there?

A: “I was at Toronto Regionals running a Control deck with Chaos Emperor Dragon and side decking Metamorphosis. I lost first round to Jordon Denk and then won my next six matches. I went 6–1 and placed twelfth using my 127 card Fusion deck.”



Mike Fan


Mike Fan, a 23 year old from Toronto, opted to play outside the popular Chaos archetype as well. A skilled player with several years of experience, Fan has a lot of decided opinions on the game. The degree of focus Mike showed towards advancing play from a tournament organizer and judge perspective was readily apparent when speaking to him at the event. Since support in those areas is vital to maintaining the viability of the game, it is always good to see it in strong players.


Q: What would you like to say about the deck you ran? Anything you feel is somewhat unique about it or that you're proud of? What prompted you to choose that deck for the tournament?

A: “The deck that I chose to play in the tournament was a Burn deck with, hopefully, very unique ideas and strategies. Yu-Gi-Oh! has a plethora of Burn cards available, so I took that as a hint that direct damage could offer me the most variety in terms of creativity, skill, and challenge. In terms of strategy, there is no “clutch” card or combo in my deck. I built it to utilize every card in any given situation to achieve my objective. The original idea behind the deck came from a statement made by a customer of mine a few months ago. He felt that in order to be successful in Yu-Gi-Oh!, one must spend a lot of money. I wholeheartedly disagreed, and offered a challenge in which I would build a deck that had financial restrictions pertaining to the rarity and price of the cards. I built a deck that was loaded with commons, rares, and only a few easily accessible super rares. The end result was the Burn deck that I played here at Nationals. I feel that the reason I am so proud of this deck is because it proves that money and rarity of cards, although they are very influential, are not the deciding factor when it comes to playing, enjoying, and winning in this game. However, for National-level competition, I did include some cards that many people deemed expensive and hard to get in order to increase the challenge and competition level of the deck.”


Q: Why did you make the side decking choices you made? In your case, it was the choice not to use a side deck, which is unusual in a high stakes tournament.

A: “My deck actually does not contain a side deck or a Fusion deck. I’ve been playing Yu-Gi-Oh! ever since it came out, and I’ve never resorted to using a side deck. I am a player that believes in the simple fundamentals of a game, that what you build and how you build it should determine how good of a player you are. Granted that a side deck is beneficial and is an option to improve your game, I for one feel that if I am to succeed, it should be because I defeated my opponent using only my skill and what I have readily available to me, and not because I gave myself an advantage or hindered my opponent in any way.


Q: What did you anticipate the field to be like?

A: “For the given metagame, it is obvious what is 'hot' and what cards are most played in many people’s decks. Obviously, the Chaos strategy is very popular and well known right now, and last year’s game changing strategy was hand disruption, so it’s not a surprise that many of my opponents were capitalizing on these themes. However, because this game is very diverse, it was nice to see that some others felt the way I did and brought decks other than Chaos Control. Needless to say, that when I was put up against one of these innovative decks, it made playing that much more enjoyable.”


Q: Did you participate in any other events on Friday or Saturday? If so, which ones did you compete in and how did you do? Did you make any changes to your deck before Sunday as a result of testing or competition on the two days prior?

A: “Unfortunately, I did not get a chance to participate in any of the events that were on site. However, if I’d had the time and opportunity, I feel that I would have played with the deck I had, as is. I always welcome a new challenge with my deck.”


Q: What individual cards do you feel made the most impact on the games? There’s the obvious Chaos Emperor Dragon and Black Luster Soldier, but if there was anything a bit surprising you'd like to decry or sing the praises of, please feel free to do so.

A: “Truly, other than the obvious (Black Luster Soldier, Chaos Emperor Dragon) and all of the “staples”, there aren’t many cards available that impact the game on the dramatic level. I feel that it is up to the player to be creative with what they have, or what is accessible, to them. I am never one to claim that there are individual, great cards out there. I am more of a person to give props and respect to the player themselves, for having an idea, and making it work, especially if the idea is a unique one. To win with that kind of deck is such a great feeling.”


Q: What decks did you play against? What decks did you see that you really liked?

A: “Again, being at a national-level event, it was not surprising to see your typical Yu-Gi-Oh! tournament decks. A couple of people had some fresh ideas with certain combos that they used, but nothing really stood out in my mind. Casual play, if anything, is much more exciting to me, because the players have less stress and fewer things to worry about, so the 30–40 minutes that two people are sitting down together to enjoy the game are a much more rewarding experience.”


Q: Did you attend the event as part of a group or team?

A: “I attended the event as part of a fair-sized group of 15–18 people. This was nice because the moral support was always there. If you lost a game, you had sixteen other people to give you support, and vice versa. I would definitely not want to attend these events by myself.”


Q: What previous tournament experience (wins, Top 8s, and so on) have you
had?

A: “Over the past two years of playing this game, I’ve had my share of victories and defeats. Once upon a time, I considered myself a “hardcore” player, but I have settled into enjoying the game on a different level. To win a tournament is a great milestone, but to create an atmosphere and event that unites a bunch of people under one roof because of this game is more rewarding. I find much more pleasure in that now. However, don’t get me wrong. On the day of the qualifier, to win seven out of my eight matches with the deck that I had was a tremendous feeling. There are certainly many times when I miss the excitement of attending events and performing well.”




Nam Dang
Top 8 Finisher

Nam Dang, 20 years old and hailing from Toronto, is frequently seen at larger Toronto-area tournaments and is very active in online Yu-Gi-Oh! communities. He made it to the Top 8 of Nationals after qualifying in the Open Qualifier on Saturday. He also chose to play against the popular archetype, selecting a Hybrid deck instead of Chaos.


Q: What would you like to say about the deck you ran? Is there anything you feel is unique about it or that you're proud of?

A: “The deck I ran was a Beatdown Control deck which was pretty rare, considering I faced mostly Chaos decks that revolved around either Chaos Emperor Dragon - Envoy of the End or Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning. There was a uniqueness to my deck that I changed the night before the tourney, and that was my Dark Ruler Ha Des. He made an impact.”


Q: Why did you make the side decking choices you made?

A: “My side deck was very important, because I faced two Magical Scientist decks on Saturday, and it really opened my eyes to the possibility of a one-turn kill. It’s pretty devastating to be sitting there while your opponent plays half of his or her deck on the first turn and kills you with life points to spare. I put in cards like Curse of Darkness, Magic Drain, and Skill Drain just in case I happened to come across a Scientist deck again. I also sided my Chaos monsters because I didn’t like the way they were performing on Saturday, when I went 5-3 and barely made the next day.”


Q: What did you anticipate the field would be like?

A: “I thought the field would be as competitive as it was, needless to say. Everyone had a goal, and that was to win. I was no different. I met some really nice people while dueling, though. Taking the game too seriously really downplays the fun it can be. Like the judges say, “They are your opponents, not your enemies.”


Q: Did you participate in any other events on Friday or Saturday? If so, which ones did you compete in, and how did you do? Did you make any changes to your deck before Sunday as a result of testing or competition on the two days prior?

A: “On Friday, I came to play in the tournament at 5 p.m. I forget what it was called, but around 40 players were involved. It was a great warm-up for the upcoming Nationals. I ended up winning that tournament. As a matter of fact, there were a lot of Chaos decks at that tournament, and that’s what made me change my mind and not play the same thing on Sunday that the majority of the duelists played. I think it worked out in the end.”


Q: What individual cards do you feel made the most impact on the games? Feel free to mention the obvious ones, like Chaos Emperor Dragon and Black Luster Soldier, but if there was anything a bit surprising you'd like to decry or sing the praises of, please feel free to do so.

A: “Honestly, seeing Chaos Emperor Dragon and Black Luster Soldier is not surprising to me anymore. They are abusive cards that almost everyone runs in his or her deck simply because they are so hard to get rid of, especially if you have a bad hand with no monster removal cards. Once they are summoned, it normally spells the end for the opponent. One card did help me a lot in my duels, and that was the good ol’ Fiber Jar, or as I like to call it, “the broccoli rocket.” Many of my games came down to this card being played.”


Q: What decks did you play against? What decks did you see that you really liked?

A: “Obviously the Chaos decks were the most popular, so playing against them was not a big surprise. The three main types of decks I played against were Chaos, Beatdown, and the occasional Magical Scientist deck. I enjoyed watching the way the Magical Scientist deck worked. It was like nothing I had ever seen before.


Q: Did you attend the event as part of a group or team?

A: “I was there with a large group of friends. You would probably notice us because we are so loud sometimes. Yes, that’s us, the Untouchables crew: Dexster, Chris, Jamie, Mac, Jo Jo, Dale, Lazaro, Aaron, Matt, Erwin, and myself.”


Q: Can I ask what Regionals, if any, you participated in, and what deck you ran there?

A: “I was in the Toronto Regionals in April. I ran Chaos there and placed about fifteenth, I think.”



Competitors came from all across Canada, many driving 20 hours or more. Out of hundreds of duelists present, there were many with interesting and innovative decks, exciting personal stories, and intriguing insights into the game of Yu-Gi-Oh! It would be an impossible task to interview them all, but the small cross-section we’ve featured here gives a personal look at the way the game was played at the Canadian National Championships.