The Yu-Gi-Oh! Championship Series is back in Orlando, but not all of today’s Duelists have been here before. Lots of this weekend’s competitors are experiencing their first every YCS tournament. Take a look at some of this weekend’s YCS first-timers, and check out what they think of the event so far!

Matthew Caldwell is 13 years old and is an Orlando local competing in his first ever YCS tournament! He’s running a Gladiator Beast Deck, with 3 copies of Gladiator Beast Essedarii in his Extra Deck. He chose to use Gladiators in his first ever YCS because of their consistency, and he’s really excited about the tournament. He’s been to locals and Regionals, but never YCS! “It’s really, really big! There must be over 500… 700 people here! Everyone’s been really nice so far!” Check out Matthew holding up his favorite Gladiator Beast, Gladiator Beast Essedarii!

Thaddeus Tusa is 15-years-old from Titusbille, Florida, and is running a Tuningware Deck in his first ever YCS tournament. He’s excited about all of the different types of Decks he’s going to get to face in the tournament, and can’t wait to compete against all of the players. Look at Thaddeus holding up the star of his Deck!

13-year-old Stephen Whitehurst traveled here from Winton Salem, North Carolina to compete in his first ever YCS event! He has competed in local and Regional tournaments, but never a tournament this big. He decided to take his chances with Gravekeeper’s in the tournament this weekend. It’s his first time traveling 10 hours to a tournament, and he’s really enjoying it. If you Duel against Whitehurst, watch out for his favorite card, Royal Tribute!

Sean Stone is 13-years-old and traveled here from Saint Augustine, Florida to compete today. He plays in a local tournament every week, but has never competed in a Regional level tournament or a YCS. “A lot of the players here are my friends from locals,” he told me. His favorite part of the event is the fact that he can hang out with all of his friends during the heat of intense competition. He’s running a Chaos Deck in the tournament this week, packed with a full 3 copies of his favorite card, Thunder King Rai-Oh. Check out Sean holding 1 of them up!

The Duelists named in this article aren’t the only first-timers here. Every YCS tournament has tons of new players looking for their shot at a championship victory. Even the most casual players enjoy hanging out with people who share a common interest, and competing against other fans of the game. When a YCS tournament comes near you, make sure you check it out!