YCS Knoxville: And the Winner is…
Congratulations to the winner of YCS Knoxville!
Jesse Kotton from Toronto, Canada has become the champion of YCS Knoxville! Two-time World Championship Competitor Jesse Kotton has consistently achieved high rankings in recent YCS events, and now he has a North American YCS win to add to his accolades. Kotton bested 895 other Duelists with his Danger! Thunder Dragon Deck to claim the title of YCS Champion this weekend, making him a two-time YCS Champion.
The field of Decks was wide open this weekend, as a new Forbidden & Limited List and the recent release of Dark Neostorm shaped the Advanced Format. Four Main Deck Types made it to the Top 32: Orcusts, Danger! Thunder Dragons, Salamangreats, and Sky Strikers. Most of the Orcust Decks utilized a variety of different themes, including Trickstars, Phantom Knights, and Danger! cards, creating a complex Top 32 in which successful Duelists needed to be familiar with all sorts of strategies. The success of Orcusts this weekend was largely due to the release of Dingirsu, the Orcust of the Evening Star, which was one of the most impactful cards from Dark Neostorm. Omni Dragon Brotaur from Dark Neostorm may have been equally impactful, as it was used throughout the weekend alongside the Guardragons to enable easy Summoning of Hot Red Dragon Archfiend Abyss and gain easy access to Chaos Dragon Levianeer.
The current Advanced Format is still relatively new, and there’s still plenty of time for Decks to change as Duelists adapt to the tournament environment. The South America WCQ, Central America WCQ, and North America WCQ are likely to attract brand new Decks to the competition, built to compete with the big four that triumphed this past weekend. But for now, Jesse Kotton and his Danger! Thunder Dragon Deck reign supreme.
