Team YCS Atlanta: First Timers!
It’s a first time for YCS Team Dueling, and it’s a first time for these Duelists at Yu-Gi-Oh! Championship Series event.
First up is Team Bae! Duelist A is Alyssa Beaver from Greenville, South Carolina. She brought Pendulum Magician with her and has been playing Yu-Gi-Oh! for 9 months. She’s nervous since it’s her first event, but “being a team event makes it better.”
Duelist B for Team Bae is Ben Padgett, also from Greenville, South Carolina. He’s been playing the game since 2002 and is running Trickstars. He says about this being a Team YCS, “I’m excited for a 3000-person YCS being a team event” (editor’s note: we do not have 3000 players registered, final number of teams registered is 556 teams), “…it will be easier for newer players and easier for the judges as well.”
And Duelist C is Eric Sanders from Inman, South Carolina. Eric has been playing Yu-Gi-Oh! for 7 years and like Ben, he’s also using a Trickstar Deck. Regarding the Team YCS, “I think it’s a good idea for new players so they don’t have to do it all alone. It’s already nerve-racking enough as it is.”
Team 3-Star is made up of Jose David Sanchez from Los Angeles, California, Christopher Davila from San Antonio, Texas and Devin Doan from Atlanta, Georgia. Jose has been playing for 5-6 years and brought his Dark Magician Deck with him. When asked about his first YCS being a Team YCS, Jose says “it feels great! I get to play with my friends!” Christopher has been playing for 2 years and brought his Cyber Dragon Deck to the YCS. “I usually play against my friends but I get to play with them this weekend.”
Next up is Team Problems. Duelist A is Tavares Terrell from Birmingham, Alabama running a Zombie control Deck. He’s been playing the game for 10+ years and he feels confident about this weekend. Duelist B is his brother Courtney Terrell who has 60-card Infernoid with him. He’s also been playing for 10+ years and said about this weekend, “I feel like it’s gonna be great. It’s a good thing Konami’s doing. We get to learn and play as a team.” Duelist C is Ladarius Mendenhall from Pine Hill, Alabama. He has Dinosaurs with him and like his teammates has also been playing Yu-Gi-Oh! for 10+ years. “I am excited. It’s a learning experience, it’s my first YCS and it’s gonna be a good event today.”
Some teams have 2 veteran players and 1 YCS First Timer. One of those First Timers is Luca Kuhar, a Slovenian National living in Georgia. He’s here with a Crusadia Guardragon Deck and came back to the game 2 years ago after a long hiatus. He’s also a Rule Comprehension Level 1 certified judge who judges at Galactic Quest, an Official Tournament Store in Lawrenceville, Georgia.
Gary St. Louis is from Columbia, Georgia has been playing the game for 4 months and has True Draco with him. When asked about the Team YCS, he said “I like the idea, getting together with your friends.”
Stay tuned for more from YCS Atlanta!
