QQ: Your WCQ History
The World Championship Qualifiers offer a unique challenge for competitive Duelists – namely the chance to play in a Qualified tournament where every Duelist has proven their abilities. With more rounds of Swiss play and a cut to Top 64 instead of a Top 16 or Top 32, WCQ’s don’t just require a higher level of skill Duel to Duel – they also demand more endurance over the course of the day. And since the most popular strategies are well explored heading into the WCQ season, innovation and keen insight are a must.
Playing in your first WCQ can be a different experience from a Regional Qualifier, a National Championship, or even the Yu-Gi-Oh! Championship Series. So we polled a spread of attendees Dueling here this weekend to ask some Quick Questions: how’d you qualify, and how many WCQ’s have you Dueled in?
“This is my seventh World Championship Qualifying event, and I qualified by taking second place at YCS Bogota.” Galileo Mauricio De Obaldia Soza ~ Panama – Former World Champion
“This is my first WCQ! I got my invite in the Mexican National Championship in May.” Angel Ernesto Alonso de los Santos ~ Guadalajara, Mexico
“Today is my first WCQ. I got my invite in a Last Chance Qualifier yesterday!” Cesar Alvarado Ramos ~ Guadalajara, Mexico
“This is my third WCQ, and I Qualified by winning the Mexican National Championship.” Juan Carlos Coronel ~ Guadalajara, Mexico – Mexican National Champion
“This is my first WCQ. I got my invite in a Regional Qualifier.” Saul Torres Juarez ~ Estado de Mexico
“This is my second time playing in the WCQ! I qualified through the Dragon Duel National Championship.” Juan Pablo Francisco Amezcua Reyes ~ Guadalajara, Mexico – Age 8
“First WCQ! I got my invite winning an OTS Championship.” Cesar Eduardo Medina Garcia ~ Estado de Mexico
“This is my third WCQ, and qualified this year through the Morelia Regional Qualifier.” Gerardo Sotomayor Meza ~ Morelia Michoacan, Mexico
“This is my third WCQ, and I think I qualified by winning last year?” Laughed. “And I topped at YCS Anaheim and YCS Bogota.” Jose Lagunes ~ Vera Cruz, Mexico – Reigning Central American Champion
National Championships and Regional Qualifiers gave out the most WCQ invites, but if you’re planning to qualify for your WCQ next year, don’t underestimate Last Chance Qualifiers and OTS Championships (which you’ll find exclusively at Official Tournament Stores). 140 of our 599 Duelists earned their invites right here yesterday in LCQ’s, while OTS Championships often bring invites to places where Regionals may not be.
The current WCQ season is just getting started, but it’s never too early to start making plans for the next one. Know your options – if you can put in the time to practice and perfect your Deck, there are lots of ways to earn your invite to your World Championship Qualifier.