Everything is different.

For months, the dominant strategies in Championship competition were Decks like Geargia, Traptrix Hand Artifacts, Mermails, Mythic Rulers, and Sylvans. From Regional Qualifiers and the Yu-Gi-Oh! Championship Series to World Championship Qualifiers across the globe, these mighty contenders defined competition for 2014. Global testing by thousands of Duelists the world over refined these strategies, honing each to a razor-sharp edge. When the new Forbidden & Limited List arrived to blunt and strengthen select forces no strategy was lost – instead competitors tweaked and adapted, and the greatest Decks of the year continued on.

But the wheel of Fortune turned.

Duelist Alliance shattered the competitive landscape as we knew it: Satellarknights, Burning Abyss, Shaddolls, and Yang Zings have decimated Regional Qualifiers the past two weeks, while the previous top Decks are fading quickly into obscurity. Now Duelists face two big questions. The first? Of the new strategies, which is the greatest: Shaddolls restrict and punish Special Summoning; Yang Zings wield incredible defense and the power of Skill Drain; the Satellarknights adapt to outwit opponents with Rank 4 Xyz, and explode to make crushing plays; while the Burning Abyss field their trump card in the first moments of a Duel, and then become a grinding, nigh-unstoppable force.

But another question lurks in the background: could the Decks of old – cast aside by so many – offer unique opportunities? Mermails have persisted as a successful rogue choice in recent competition, unencumbered by once-popular Side Deck picks like Debunk. And with Mystical Space Typhoon rejoining the fray as a popular three-of, Artifact cards could catch players unaware. Could we see an upset this weekend? Anything is possible.

It’s a new dawn! Welcome to a new era and the YCS debut of Duelist Alliance. Welcome, to YCS Toronto!