1430 Duelists are currently registered for the Yu-Gi-Oh! Championship Series (YCS) event in Houston, Texas this weekend. They’re ready to compete for a chance to win a YCS trophy!

YCS Houston follows the victory of a Mermail Deck used by Luca Garcia last weekend at YCS Buenos Aires, Argentina and follows the triumph of Team Legionnaire with their 2 Ryzeal Decks and 1 Fiendsmith Ryzeal Deck just two weeks before that at TEAM YCS Las Vegas. Although the card pool has not changed since these two events, Duelists are still innovating their Decks and adapting to the top Decks’ shifting popularities.

Mermail Decks have gained respect among Duelists as a result of their recent successes, and many Duelists are determined to take a Maliss Deck to its first YCS victory. Meanwhile, while Ryzeal Decks continue to remain dominant in competitive tournaments, Duelists are split on the best variants of the Deck to use. Since the release of Maze of the Master on March 14, 2025, many Duelists have been using Seventh Tachyon with a variety of Number monsters to increase the consistency and power of the Ryzeal Deck. Others remain reliant on the Fiendsmith cards or other packages of cards to enhance their Ryzeal Decks.

While there are a number of powerful Decks competing in this weekend’s YCS, many Duelists are prepared to compete against all of them. The best Duelists fine-tuned their Decks to optimize their chances for victory, and carefully selected tech cards that will put them ahead of the competition. At the end of the weekend, only 1 Duelist can prevail and take home the Ultra Rare Anotherverse Solaria, the YCS trophy, and a variety of other prizes.

The Duelists are seated and the first Swiss Round of YCS Houston is about to begin. It’s time to Duel!