Home > 2019/09 - Niagara Falls, ON, Yu-Gi-Oh! Championship Series > YCS Niagara: And the Winner is…

YCS Niagara: And the Winner is…

September 22nd, 2019

YCS Niagara Falls is over, and it’s truly one for the history books. Congratulations to our new Champion!

David Mendoza traveled here this weekend from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with a Gren Maju Deck and a dream, and today that dream came true. Unflinching under the bright lights of Feature Match after Feature Match, Mendoza took win after win with a mash-up of Danger monsters, Gizmek Orochi and Gren Maju, wielding the most explosive strategy of the weekend.  Gren Maju Decks took 2nd Place at YCS Portland and won the Championship here in Niagara Falls; who knows what could happen next.

Elsewhere in the tournament we saw successes from some of the format’s biggest rogue strategies.  Cyber Dragons were the breakout theme of the tournament with a slew of Top Cut appearances, while Altergeists and Lunalights left their marks on the Top 32.  Sky Strikers and Orcusts commanded big table share in the playoff rounds but Thunder Dragons and Salamangreats took a bit of a back seat – it’ll be interesting to see how those Decks perform at YCS Dallas in two weeks.   Infernoids, Subterrors and countless other rogue Decks made impressive showings too.

The format’s wide open with strategies like Madolches, SPYRAL, Subterrors, and Dinosaurs topping Regional Qualifiers over the last four weeks.  The 2019 Gold Sarcophagus Tin had a democratizing effect on competitive Dueling, and more tournament caliber reprints are set to arrive in the Duel Devastator Collector’s Set in October.  It’s never been easier to compete in the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG, and it’s never been a better time to build the Deck YOU want to play.  It’s an incredible time to be a Duelist and YCS Niagara Falls was unforgettable.

Congratulations to all the competitors here this weekend, and special kudos go out to David Mendoza, our newest YCS Champion!