Shane Scurry Wins Shonen Jump Championship Baltimore

After an impressive showing in private team vs. team play at Shonen Jump Orlando, Shane Scurry of Team Scoop tore into the field in Baltimore this past weekend, destroying many of his opponents in record time. The deck that carried him to victory was a Return from the Different Dimension build that used Chaos Sorcerer as its remove-from-play agent, creating a conundrum for opponents. While the Sorcerers cried out to be disrupted by Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer, any player swinging into Scurry with a Kycoo was just loading his out of play area for a Return. It was a paradox that took him all the way to the finals table, where he faced Canadian competitor Chris Pittao in a match that ended in a third game. Pittao was decked out first, and Scurry took home top honours.

After many Shonen Jump Championship appearances alongside teammates Paul Levitin and Carlos Santiago, Scurry has finally distinguished himself as an all-star competitor. Our congratulations go out to him, and all the competitors at Shonen Jump Baltimore. Relive the first Shonen Jump Championship of the new Advanced format, and check out all the extended coverage right here on Metagame.com.

Shonen Jump Championship Columbus One Month Away

With Baltimore in the past, all eyes now turn to the future, and we're just twenty-six days away from Shonen Jump Columbus!

With Baltimore setting the tone for the format, we’re bound to see plenty of aggressive decks featuring Return from the Different Dimension. That said, lots of questions will be raised as this event draws closer. While a lot of duelists ran Deck Devastation Virus in Baltimore, there was no conclusive evidence in either direction for its worth in this format. Is it viable? Sure—but we’ll need to see it in action a lot more before judgment can be made about its playability.

What about Dark World? Though many duelists ran variants on the theme at Baltimore, few, if any, widely-recognized competitors did so. While some, like Brent Yetter, borrowed elements of the deck for a more conventional overall strategy, we have yet to see what a full-out Dark World run by an Anthony Alvarado or a Wilson Luc can really do.

And Pacman? Andrew Bollinger has already created new innovations for the deck, flying in the face of his disappointing showing at the Shonen Jump Championship. Will we see a more stable build in Columbus, or are the Camels That Munch down for the count?

We’ll get the answers to these questions and many more when we attend Shonen Jump Championship Columbus. We’ll be there live, so keep May 6 and 7 blocked off on your calendar. We’re at the beginning of a new era for the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG, and if you want to see what the proven pros and rising stars are playing, we’ll have your hookup.

Upcoming Hobby League Promo And New Champion T-Shirt

The next Hobby League Kit distributed to hobby stores in the coming weeks will feature parallel rare Marauding Captain as the new League promo. With cards like Hero Kids and Inferno Reckless Summon, this looks to be a really well-timed release.

In addition, this League Kit will come with a special prize: a T-shirt that’s exclusively reserved for the League’s current champion. Emblazoned with the terror-striking image of Cyber Dragon, it’s the perfect way to celebrate your proficiency at destroying opponents in casual play. If Hobby League isn’t about boasting over your ability to wreck your friends with Ojama Delta Hurricane!!, I don’t know what else it’s meant for.

Next Structure Deck To Ship on May 10

The upcoming Structure Deck, the seventh in the series, will ship to retail and wholesale outlets one month from today!

Titled “Invincible Fortress,” the deck focuses on Rock monsters and the unique abilities they bring to a duel. With an emphasis on huge defense and the ability to return the opponent’s cards from the field to their hand, it’s packed with tricks that are deceptively powerful. Invincible Fortress stars Exxod, Master of the Guard as the deck’s new and exclusive ultra rare monster. It’s the newest incarnation of the unstoppable Exodia, and is sure to please fans of the old-school characters. The deck has plenty of other exclusive cards, too, as well as reprints of powerful picks like Guardian Sphinx and Magical Mallet. Watch for it to hit store shelves soon after the shipping date.

This Week on Metagame.com

Mike Rosenberg opens the week with a long, hard look at one of the current format’s most popular cards, Sakuretsu Armor. He addresses the advantages and versatility that make it so strong, while also taking a closer look at what can render it a dead card. Think Sakuretsu Armor is for everybody? This article might have you reconsidering that notion, as Mike discusses which decks can benefit the most from running Sakuretsu and which ones perhaps shouldn’t try it. With some added attention to the concept of battle evasion, Mike guides you on an interesting new look at what often appears to be a simple card.

On Tuesday, Jerome McHale’s efforts to find a replacement for Dark Hole’s field-clearing power leads him into the mysterious back alleys of the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG’s past. He’s got a trick up his sleeve that lets him simulate the field control of days gone by, while also negating virtually anything that could threaten his field presence in advance. Mirage Dragon adds momentum, Spell Shield Type-8 protects the deck’s key monster, and the entire thing proves to be a surprising blend of old cards and new metagame trends. Jerome calls it “Judgment Day.” Be sure to read the article and see what he’s put together.

Speaking of weird decks that simulate Dark Hole, I’m looking to do the same on Wednesday, but this time it’s with one of my favorite combos in the current format; namely, Dark Dust Spirit and Treeborn Frog. Armed with a constant Raigeki effect to pick off face-up monsters, Dark Dust Spirit can create field advantage or keep an opponent locked down. The Frog lets it do its trick for free every turn, and the result is an aggressive combo deck that’s perfectly suited to the new aggressive format.

If you’re a fan of Yu-Gi-Oh! GX and Shadow of Infinity’s Sacred Beast monsters, you’ll want to check out Curtis Schultz’s Duel Academy article this week. He follows up last week’s article on the rulings for Raviel, Lord of Phantasms by investigating the ins and outs of the two remaining Beasts. Uria, Lord of Searing Flames and Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder are both broken down to their component parts, and you’ll be able to see what makes each massive monster tick. If you’re considering building a deck around any of the Beasts, read this article first—there are some important rulings you’re going to want to know about, and they’ll work in your favor.

It’s a double dose of Julia Hedberg come Friday. First up, Agents of Judgment deals with an important issue: judge support. Nope, not the kind of support you get when you finish a hard day’s judging and a TO rewards you with cards, but the support you’re obligated to give to your fellow judges, event staff, and the judge program as an entity. Do you want to be a respected judge? Do you want the program itself to continue earning the respect of players? If you answered “yes,” then this article is a must-read.

Then, Solid Ground kicks off an entire series on chaining. One of the most complicated and important mechanics in the entire game, chaining is also frequently the most misunderstood, so Julia’s going to spend a few weeks showing you what you can and cannot do. This week she starts off with the basics—if you don’t know when you can respond to what, have forgotten what spell speed three even is, or just have questions you need answered, you’ll want to check out this series.

Jae Kim steps back into his Juncture series for a while to show you what makes Deck Devastation Virus so darn good. A hotly debated card in the current format, the Virus can swing games in the favor of an opponent who would otherwise suffer bitter defeat, and Jae’s going to break down all the reasons why. He’ll also show you how to get the most out of Deck Devastation, and even give you a sample deck that will let you try it out for yourself. If you’ve wanted to give the Virus a shot, or have yet to fully examine its potential, you won’t want to miss this!

Finally, we round out the week with another Back 2 Basics article from Matt Peddle. This time around, Matt looks at the mechanics behind effect monsters by dividing them into a handful of over-arching categories and showing you how you can interpret certain traits. He then shows you how to use those traits to identify potentially significant cards, giving examples from the current card pool so that you can apply that knowledge to future releases. The article doesn’t stop there, and Matt’s level of detail will leave you seeing effect monsters in a whole different light.

Whew! It’s another jam-packed week here at Metagame.com. Be sure to check back every day for new articles from the cutting edge of the game, and as always, thanks for reading!

—Jason Grabher-Meyer

Contributing Editor, Metagame.com