1799 Duelists are gathered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania this weekend to compete in the first YCS since the latest Forbidden & Limited List update took effect! Cards that dominated the Top Cut at the recent YCS Anaheim, like Archnemeses Protos and Artifact Mjollnir, are now Forbidden, and Duelists will need to adapt to the changes in order to triumph this weekend. In addition to a new Forbidden & Limited List that took effect on October 27^th, 2025, new cards from THE CHRONICLES DECK: The Fallen & The Virtuous (All-Foil Edition) released on October 24^th gave a boost to the Branded strategy.

Mitsurugi, Yummy, K9, Crystron, Onomat, Ryzeal, Branded, Dracotail, and more strategies have all had success in recent YCS events. While the newest Forbidden & Limited List Update affects some of the cards used by Decks containing those strategies, it leaves the core of those strategies entirely intact. As a result, many Duelists this weekend anticipate that Decks using those themes will continue to prevail, and chose to compete using one of those Decks.

The impact of THE CHRONICLES DECK: The Fallen & The Virtuous (All-Foil Edition) also cannot be underestimated by Duelists trying to win this weekend. The Fallen & The Virtuous and The Dragon that Devours the Dogma – the two new cards from THE CHRONICLES DECK: The Fallen & The Virtuous (All-Foil Edition) – boost the strength of Branded strategies built around Fallen of Albaz, including those incorporating the Dracotail strategy. Although Branded and Dracotail strategies fell short of the Top 8 at YCS Anaheim at the start of October, Joaquin Pojagni won YCS Sao Paulo, Brazil with a Branded Dracotail strategy just a week later. While the exact positioning in the metagame of Branded strategies, Dracotail strategies, and strategies that combine the two themes is up for debate, the release of The Fallen & The Virtuous and The Dragon that Devours the Dogma undoubtedly makes Branded Decks stronger than they were in recent YCS events.

Subtle changes to the Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME Advanced Format through the Forbidden & Limited List update, plus and a couple of powerful new cards that were released less than 2 weeks ago, may have a drastic effect on the Decks that are able to prevail this weekend. The field of competitive Decks is wide open, with Duelists betting their successes in the tournament on a variety of different strategies. At the end of the weekend, however, only one Duelist can be crowned the champion of YCS Pittsburgh and take home the Ultra Rare Anotherverse Stratios, the accompanying trophy, his or her choice of a GIANT card, and lots of other great prizing.

The pressure is on! Duelists are shuffling up their Decks for the first Swiss Round of YCS Pittsburgh. It’s almost time to Duel!