YCS Niagara Falls First-Timers!
There are lots of experienced Duelists here this weekend, many of whom have competed in several big tournaments. But not every Duelist in attendance has experienced the excitement of a YCS before. Some of these Duelists are attending their first YCS ever this weekend! In fact, six of those Duelists came here together after meeting at the University of Toronto, and they’re looking to take the tournament by storm! Check it out!
Sam Wang from Toronto is attending his first-ever YCS this weekend! He traveled here with his group of friends, all of whom attend the University of Toronto. Wang has been Dueling since 2017, but this was his first opportunity to attend an event this large. He was first inspired to play the Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME after playing Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links. “It’s pretty awesome here. I heard the event capped before it even started! I’m very excited for this event,” he said. Sam is using a Spright Deck. His favorite card in it is the popular Spright Blue!
Weiquing Zheng is a second-year student at the University of Toronto. He played the Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME when he was much younger, but just started Dueling competitively in February of 2022. He was inspired to return at a competitive level after playing the recently released Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel. Weiquing traveled here with Sam and the rest of their friends from the University of Toronto, and all of them met through the Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME. “There’s a lot of people here! It’s my first large tournament. I’ve been to Regionals before, but this is the biggest,” he said. Weiquing missed out on pre-registration, but was lucky enough to get a last-minute spot in the tournament yesterday. Weiquing is playing a Tearlaments Deck this weekend. “I like Fusion Summoning and the art is really cool,” he explained. “I played a Branded Deck before, and before that I played Shaddoll on Master Duel.” Weiquing gravitates toward Decks that Fusion Summon and is hoping that this strategy will carry him to victory this weekend. Weiquing’s favorite card in his Deck this weekend is Guardian Chimera.
Jianyu Wen is an engineering student at the University of Toronto in the Masters Degree program. Jianyu started playing the Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME about four years ago and has been playing ever since, but never had the chance to play in a large tournament. After finding his group of Dueling friends at the University of Toronto, he has been playing a lot more. He participated in Regional Qualifiers in the past, but never a tournament of this size. “It’s surreal to see famous content creators in person that I watch basically every day on YouTube,” he said. Jianyu is playing a Rikka Sunavalon Deck this weekend because he believes it’s the strongest of his Decks. His favorite card in his Deck is the controversial Mystic Mine!
Luke Kuo is a third-year student at the University of Toronto and used to play the Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME about eight years ago, but recently started Dueling again after playing Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel. His friend bought him a booster box on his birthday, bringing him back into the physical card game after a long hiatus. Luke has never even competed in a Regional Qualifier before, so this event is much larger than any tournament he has ever seen. “It’s pretty amazing. It’s a big tournament and I can see all of the best players from around the world. It’s also a great opportunity to engage in the community,” he explained. Luke is playing a Spright Deck this weekend, featuring his favorite Spright monster – Gigantic Spright!
Jianan Yin is a second-year student at the University of Toronto and has been Dueling for the past 5 years. He’s attending the tournament this weekend to meet other Duelists, practice, and enjoy the competition. Jianan has Dueled in OCG tournaments in the past, but never a TCG event of this size. “It’s a different experience,” he said. He’s using an Eldlich Deck this weekend, featuring his favorite monster, Eldlich the Golden Lord. Here’s his best Golden Lord pose!
Xunchi Chen is a fourth-year student at the University of Toronto and has been Dueling for the past three years. He has only competed in local events, but never a Regional Qualifier or YCS! “I think it’s interesting. It’s an exciting experience for me.” He’s happy to see a lot of friends here and competitors from all over. He’s using a Spright Deck this weekend featuring his favorite card in it, Toadally Awesome!
Countless friendships have forged over the Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME, and the group of six friends from the University of Toronto competing this weekend is just one example of it. Sam, Weiquing, Jianyu, Luke, Jianin, and Xunchi united to play the Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME, and they practice against one another with a variety of Decks. Even though this is the first YCS for each of them, their collective experiences Dueling and love for the game may give them an edge over some of the more veteran tournament players. Follow the coverage to see how this group fares in the competition!
