1839 Duelists have gathered here today for a shot at a championship title, and the honor of representing North America in the Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME World Championship. Many of the Duelists in attendance have had their sights set on a WCQ title for quite some time, and have participated in previous World Championship Qualifiers to pursue their ambition. But others are experiencing the excitement of a WCQ for the first time this weekend! Take a look at some of the competitors who are here this weekend, taking their first crack at a trip to the World Championship!

Ben Leverett is 11-years-old and is no stranger to big tournaments. He won the Dragon Duel at YCS Rhode Island, and now he’s back on the tournament scene for his first-ever WCQ! He traveled here from Texas and is running a Tengu Plant Deck in today’s tournament. Leverett currently has a 1-1 record. Leverett loves the giant cards hanging from the ceiling, especially the giant Glow-Up Bulb!

10-year-old Chase Fulmer is also 1-1 in the tournament. This is his first ever WCQ, even though he attended one YCS in Charlotte. I asked him if there’s anything he likes about the WCQ that he didn’t see at the YCS, and he responded, “At the YCS I went to, there was only the voice of Yusei. This time, Yugi is here! I got to get different cards signed.” Fulmer got his original Dark Magician from the Yugi Starter Deck signed by Dan Green! He’s running a Banishing Deck in today’s tournament, and counting on it to carry him to victory. Take a look at Fulmer, holding up a Super Rare Macro Cosmos from his Deck!

Brian Ahle is 12-years-old from Lebanon, Illinois and is here taking a shot at a WCQ title! He has attended 5 YCS events before, but never attended a WCQ! He qualified for the WCQ with his X-Saber Deck, but chose to run Tengu Plants in today’s tournament. He’s impressed by the giant cards hanging from the ceiling, and his favorite one is Legendary Six Samurai – Shi En. His favorite Main Decked Spell Card is One for One, so here’s a picture of Ahle holding it up!

Zacari Rowley is 13-years-old from Missouri and is here today for his first-ever big Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME event! He has never entered a YCS or WCQ, so the biggest event that he had ever attended before this one was a Regional tournament that only had about 200 Duelists. Now, he’s competing against over 1800 other players in the biggest tournament of his life! “I kinda knew there would be a lot of people, but not this many!”, he told me enthusiastically. Rowley is excited that the voice actors for Yusei and Yugi are here. “I’m gonna get a Junk Synchron signed by Yusei!”, he said. Rowley is running a Junk Doppel Deck that he has been practicing with at Gamers Bazaar, his local store. Take a look at Rowley, holding up his favorite monster, Junk Synchron!

Oliver Tomajko is 10-years-old and from New York. He’s no stranger to the tournament scene since he’s a regular YCS-attendee, but this is his first-ever WCQ! Tomajko is using Machina Gadgets in today’s tournament, and as much as he’s enjoying the tournament, his favorite part of the weekend is meeting famous people. He also enjoyed the Token Booth, where he got to take a picture of himself holding up Ooguchi, his favorite card!

The event hall is packed with Duelists, some of whom are tournament veterans, and others who are vying in their first-ever WCQ. Every one of these 1839 Duelists has a shot at this weekend’s championship title, and by the end of Sunday, we’ll have a new North American champion!