Day 2 has begun!  Yesterday 591 intrepid Duelists gave it their all, taking their shot at the prizes, the glory, the respect, and the title of Central American Champion!  Today 128 of those competitors are still in the hunt, as two more Rounds of Swiss-style tournament play whittles down the field to a final Top 64.

From there we’ll play six more Rounds of elimination play, and at the end of it all one Duelist will remain – a newly minted Champion, ready to vie for the ultimate honor in Dueling at the World Championship in August.  The title of King of Games.  But before the final throwdown in Orlando, there’s just one question left to answer here in Guadalajara.

…Who’s it gonna be?

With that in mind, let’s take a look at the Top 10 tables with the most successful Duelists in the tournament, and while we’re at it let’s check in at the remaining VIP tables to see how our former Champions are doing.

Table 1:

Jonhathan Sebastian Vazquez Herrera with Extra Deck Monarchs

Versus

Jesus Isimar Serafin Fabian with Performapals

Table 2:   

Fernando Valle Gonzalez with Fire King Kozmos

Versus

Mario Enrique Pulido Blanco with Burning Knights

Table 3:

Giovanni Salvador Castillo Martinez with Performapals

Versus

Guillermo Villicana Santillan with Extra Deck Monarchs

Table 4:   

Hector Ivan Rodriguez Simental with Domain Monarchs

Versus

Miguel Adolfo Torrez Daura with Burning Knights

Table 5:

Brandon Ossiel Aguilar Gonzalez with Extra Deck Monarchs

Versus

Eduardo Schommer Torres with Qliphorts

Table 6:   

Jesus Abinadab Negrete Gonzalez with Burning Knights

Versus

Ricardo Ruiz Mendoza with Fire King Kozmos

Table 7:

Jose Andres Aranda Barboza with Kozmos

Versus

Alsonso Valente Llerenas with Yosenju

Table 8:   

Omar Eduardo Meraz Saucedo with Performapals

Versus

Andres Alejandro Soto Vega with Extra Deck Monarchs

Table 9:

Luis Angel Valle Serratos with Domain Monarchs

Versus

Alexis Eduardo Garcia Sanchez with Burning Knights

Table 10: 

Julio Cesar Ortega Galindo with Yosenju

Versus

Israel David Camarena Gomez with Kozmos

Just like our Round 7 Top Tables Update toward the end of yesterday, the top table field this morning is dominated by Monarchs and Kozmos.  To save you the task of counting, here’s the breakdown of the Decks at those top tables.

Extra Deck Monarchs: 4

Burning Knights: 4        

Performapals: 3

Domain Monarchs: 2

Kozmos: 2

Fire King Kozmos: 2

Yosenju: 2

Qliphorts: 1

There are definitely some surprises here!  Despite slim representation and an under-the-radar showing late into Day 1, Burning Knights are doing exceptionally well and rivaling Extra Deck Monarchs at the top tables equaling the number of Kozmo players across both Fire King and normal variants, and besting the Performapal Duelists.

Yosenju made a big rally as well, actually outpacing Qliphorts in this snapshot of the WCQ metagame.  Both strategies leverage Card of Demise to overpower more played Decks with floodgate cards, so the strategies are similar, but Qliphorts have received far more attention and way more Regional success in the run-up to this event, so it’s interesting to see Qliphorts on par with Decks like the two Kozmo variants.  We’ll definitely follow up with that in Round 10 if one of the two Yosenju Duelists won their Round.

Meanwhile here’s how our VIP status competitors are doing!  VIP players have their own reserved tables in a showcased area for the duration of the tournament, giving them more convenient seating and the crowds of Duelfans a chance to watch some of the best of the best in action!  That’s awesome, but it means that no matter how well they do, they’ll always miss out on Top Table Updates.  So let’s take a quick peek at their records, and what they’re playing.

Table 1001:

Alejandro Vivaldo Reyes Suarez with Fire King Kozmos (YCS Sao Paulo Champion)

Versus

Cesar Eduardo Medina Garcia with Fire King Kozmos

Table 1002:

Alejandro Garcia Moreno with Fire King Kozmos (YCS San Jose Champion/Mexico National Champion)

Versus

Alan Daniel Santacruz Guzman with Burning Knights (YCS Monterrey Champion)

Table 1003:

Walter Elgio Lopez Ramirez with Domain Monarchs (Guatemala Champion)

Versus

Adrian Madriz Espinoza with Extra Deck Monarchs

Table 1006:

Gerald Yagans South Chaves with Burning Knights (Costa Rica Champion)

Versus

Rishi Nishant Doodhnath Tripathi with Extra Deck Monarchs (Trinidad & Tobago Champion)

It bears noting that our VIP Champions were some of the most successful Duelists of the tournament heading into this Round.  Guatemalan National Champion Walter Elgio Lopez Ramirez  was ranked 1st after Round 8, with an undefeated record and 24 Match Points.  YCS San Jose winner Alejandro Garcia Moreno was ranked 3^rd with a 7-1 record and 21 Match Points, and Trinidad & Tobago Champion Rishi Nishant Doodhnath Tripathi was just below him in 4^th.  YCS Sao Paulo winner Alejandro Vivaldo Reyes Suarez was 7-1 in 5^th Place, while Alan Daniel Santacruz Guzman was ranked 6^th, winner of YCS Monterrey.  Costa Rican Champion South Chavez was ranked 10^th, also 7-1.

Nearly all of our Champions are still in contention, and the ones that remain are all doing really well, essentially one win away from a locked seat in the Top 64.  But as you can see above, four of them had to duke it out against each other this round, so at least two of them will be stuck with a 7-2 record in the last round of Swiss.  Another loss at that point could be ruinous, seeing them potentially kicked off the bubble and unable to make the cut to the playoffs.

Stay tuned, as we bring you live coverage of Round 10, and we see who makes it to the Top 64 here at the 2016 Central American World Championship Qualifier!