The stage is set and a new era is upon us!

Weeks have passed since the release of Starter Deck: Link Strike and Code of the Duelist, ushering in a new ruleset for the Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME and an all-new kind of monster card: Link Monsters.

The game is different.  While Duelists once considered how, what, when, and why they were Summoning, a new factor has been added to the mix: where.   The places you play your monsters to the field are now tremendously important, as new innovations create opportunities and pitfalls we’ve never seen before.

The Extra Monster Zone now changes how Xyz, Fusion, Pendulum, and Synchro Monsters are Summoned, while Link Monsters direct traffic and lengthen combos.  With Zoodiac variants one of the big favorites heading into the weekend, Missus Radiant is sure to play a starring role, but yesterday’s release of Proxy Dragon in the 2017 Mega-Tins could easily prove to be a game changer.  Meanwhile we’re seeing some early buzz surrounding Trickstars, so we can expect to see big Links like Firewall Dragon in action too.

The story on the tournament floor this morning seems to be one of two competing generations.  On one hand, oldschool competitors like Lazaro Bellido, Jarel Winston, Jeff Jones, and Matt Peddle are on hand to reclaim past glory… and in some cases, defend their home turf!  But today is a showcase for newer Dueling talent too, as competitors like Hanko Chow, Chris LeBlanc, Johnny Li, and Dragon Duel World Champion Ryan Yu are out in force, deep in the hunt for title gold.

With Link Monsters in the mix and new strategies emerging, this morning might be all about new versus old, and nowhere will that be more obvious than our Round 1 Feature Match: 2017 Worlds competitor Jesse Kotton will take on Toronto legend Dale Bellido.

We’re going to see some spectacular Matches and some incredible performances here this weekend, and the tournament is already getting into swing!  Can old dogs learn new tricks?  Will the weekend belong to the old guard, or a new generation of stars?  We’ll answer those questions and more!

Welcome to the Link Summoning era.  Welcome, to YCS Toronto.