The release of Turbo Pack 5 isn’t the only new thing happening this weekend. Many of this weekend’s Duelists are in for a brand new experience, competing in their first ever YCS tournament! I asked some of this weekend’s YCS first-timers about their experience, to find out what it is that will make this a weekend they’ll never forget. Check it out!

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Riley Kline is 13 years old and from La Verne, California. He’s played in a Dragon Duel at a YCS once, but this is his first time ever entering the big tournament. Riley has also been to some local and Regional events, testing his Vayu Turbo Deck for today’s tournament. When I asked him what he thought of the tournament floor, he answered, “It feels different from my locals. The locals aren’t very big. They’re like 10 to 15 people. I like that there are so many vendors and so many people.” Riley is excited to be surrounded by players who share his love for Dueling. Check out Kline, holding up his favorite Synchro Monster, Blackwing Armor Master!

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Spencer Valles is 13 years old from Garden Grove, California. He’s been to a bunch of locals and Regional tournaments, and attended the recent Yu-Gi-Oh! Extravaganza, but has never been to a YCS before! To Spencer, the people surrounding him is what makes the event so awesome. “There’s a lot of cool people,” he said, and Spencer will remember them long after the tournament is over. Spencer is running an Anti-Monster Deck in the tournament, featuring his favorite monster in the game, Doomcaliber Knight.

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Vincent Loza is 13 years old and also from Garden Grove, California. He traveled here with Spencer, his friend from locals. “I like the experience of being here,” he told me. “There’s a lot of cool people who came from all different places. I’m gonna have a lot of fun Dueling the different people.” Vincent is running Machina Gadgets in the tournament this weekend. Here’s Vincent, holding up his strongest Machina monster, Machina Fortress!

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14-year-old Daniel Cardno is from San Diego, California, and traveled here with his family so that he can compete in the tournament. “I really like the trading,” he told me. “It’s really, really, easy. I’ve been looking for Glow-Up Bulb for months, and got it within the first 10 minutes of arriving here.” Daniel enters locals just about every week, but has never entered a Regional or anything on this scale. “I’ve been doing pretty well with a Deck I’ve been working on,” he said. “It’s a Junk and Debris Zombie Deck!” His Deck features Magical Merchant, Zombie Master, and Junk Synchron. Take a look at Daniel, holding up Junk Synchron – his favorite of his 3 key cards!.

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14-year-old Keavin Ly from Los Angeles, California came here with his cousin to compete in this weekend’s YCS! He’s running a cool Deck built around Rainbow Neos, which he has been using at local tournaments. “There’s a lot of people here,” he told me. “But they’re all really friendly!” He said he’s having a great time Dueling random strangers.

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David Koster is 12-years-old and from San Diego, California. He traveled here with his dad and is entering the tournament with a Malefic Deck that uses a bunch of different Malefic Monsters and Field Spell Cards. “I think it’s a really fun way to trump the opponent’s monsters with higher-powered monsters that are easier to Summon,” he told me. David Koster is a fan of the recent 3D movie and has watched the show since the original series. David said he’s comfortable hanging around the tournament floor, and is really enjoying himself. “It’s nice, big, and roomy here,” he told me. But he’s even more excited about Dueling this weekend! David’s favorite Malefic monster is Malefic Truth Dragon because of its killer effect. Check out David Koster with his 5000 ATK Dragon!

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All of this weekend’s first-timers are excited to be entering such a big tournament, and are eager to Duel against the variety of competitors that traveled here this weekend. No matter how the tournament unfolds, all 6 of the Duelists interviewed for this article are sure to experience an event they’ll remember forever!