Yesterday we saw 448 duelists battle their way through nine rounds of dueling, right here at Shonen Jump Championship Indianapolis. After Gladiator Beasts’ domination at SJC Toronto the field appears to be shifting, and while Gladiators are still the most-played deck in Day 2, their grip on the field is no longer the stranglehold it was just weeks ago.
Competing against the nine Gladiator Beast decks in the Top 16, there are three Dark Armed Dragon builds, one Lightsworn, one Little City, and one Vanity’s Fiend/Prime Material Dragon deck. It’s a breakthrough showing for the last two of those strategies, neither of which have ever made it to Day 2 before.
First, former U.S. Champion Adam Corn will take on Canada’s Jason Tan in a Gladiator Beast mirror match. Once again, Adam Corn proved to be unstoppable here today, chalking up yet another undefeated Day 1 performance. But Corn has never won a Shonen Jump Championship—will this weekend finally be his chance to shine?
Then Jose Prado will take on Worlds 2008’s runner up Robert Ackerman in our first feature match of the morning, pitting his Prime Material Dragon/Vanity’s Fiend deck against Ackerman’s Gladiator Beasts. Prado’s deck is specifically designed to take out Gladiators, but Ackerman is coming in hot off the best Worlds performance of any U.S. player in history. Can Prado take him down?
Up-and-comer Logan Snider then duels veteran Augustin Herrera, in another of the Top 16’s Gladiator Beast mirror matches. Snider is most certainly the dark-horse pick in this matchup—Herrera has been to the Day 2 tables many times, and may deal with the pressure better. Experience is on his side, but a win here for Snider would be a huge stroke for his reputation.
Next, David Duran takes on Rob Cedar, and this one is anybody’s duel. Both competitors have been around the Shonen Jump circuit for ages, and each has had their shares of successes and failures. Careful and creative side decking may make the difference here, but luck will also play a significant role.
Moving out of mirror match country, we have Teriq Patel dueling Marco Cesario in our second feature match. Patel is one of three Dark Armed Dragon players in Day 2, but he’s up against Cesario’s Little City build. Armed with Skill Drain and Royal Oppression, Cesario has a huge advantage in this matchup, and may go on to win it all with a favorable bracket.
Next, Jerry Wang pilots Gladiator Beasts against rising star Greg Smith Jr. Smith is playing Dark Armed Dragon, the deck Wang made famous in not one, but two iterations. Can Wang defeat the deck he took to whole new levels, or will Dark Armed Dragon reign supreme once again?
Metagame.com’s own Ryan Murphy has made Day 2 with Gladiator Beasts, a first for this star writer and dueling theorist. His opponent is Dwayne Delamotta—Day 2’s only Lightsworn competitor—and Delamotta may have a big advantage in this matchup. Can Murphy overcome what’s traditionally a bad matchup for Gladiators? Or will we see Lightsworn reach the Top 8 yet again?
Finally, The Princess has made Day 2 with Dark Armed Dragon yet again! Reprising his Top 16 showing at Toronto, Cesar Gonzales is back yet again, and this time he’s up against Omar Beldon. Beldon’s got a strong reputation in some circles, but Gonzalez just keeps racking up those Day 2’s, and has a Shonen Jump title to his name. A win here would be no surprise.
Decks are being shuffled, and spectators are already jockeying for the best seats in the Duel Dome. Welcome to Day 2 of Shonen Jump Championship Indianapolis!