Let’s go back to a simpler time, when Synchro Monsters reigned supreme, and Pendulum Monsters and Link Monsters didn’t exist. Or maybe you’d like to go even further back, to a time that Fusion Monsters were the only cards that went into Extra Decks, and Thousand-Eyes Restrict was the scariest of them all. That’s the magic of the Time Wizard Format. It’ll take you to any time period you want to be in. In the Time Wizard Public Events, a point in time is fixed for each event, and Duelists may only use cards that were available at that point in time. In addition, the rules of the game – including the Forbidden & Limited List – are set to imitate the exact rules that were followed at that point in time. This allows Duelists to compete in their favorite formats of the past over and over again, reliving the happiness those formats brought them so many years ago.

That’s part of why Time Wizard Public Events are so popular this weekend here at YCS Philadelphia. Duelists all have fond memories of long-ago Duels, and want to relive the format in which they experienced those Duels. On Saturday alone at YCS Philadelphia, 39 Public Event tournaments were held for the April 2010 Time Wizard Format, 6 were held for the July 2005 Time Wizard Format, and 2 were held for the March 2002 Time Wizard Format.

The April 2010 Time Wizard Format imitates the game exactly as it was played at the Yu-Gi-Oh! Championship Series in Edison, New Jersey – the 75^th YCS tournament ever held. At that point in time, Synchro Monsters were the newest monsters that could be added to the Extra Deck, and a wide variety of Decks proved themselves to be competitive contenders on the tournament scene.

The July 2005 Time Wizard Format resembles a time when Scapegoat was often used with Metamorphosis to Summon Thousand-Eyes Restrict, and powerful cards that are now Forbidden – Pot of Greed, Delinquent Duo, and Graceful Charity – were universally known as three of the most powerful cards available for Duelists to use in the Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME Advanced Format.

The March 2002 Time Wizard Format marks a time when only the Legend of Blue-Eyes White Dragon booster set and original Starter Deck: Kaiba and Starter Deck: Yugi were legal. There was no Forbidden & Limited List in effect, so players are able to use 3 copies of any card available in that extremely limited card pool.

Lots of Duelists came out to YCS Philadelphia just to play in Time Wizard Public Events, and tournaments were offered for any Time Wizard Format that players expressed interest in playing. The three Time Wizard Formats described above, however, had the most interest. If you’re interested in playing a past format but couldn’t make it out to YCS Philadelphia, check with your local Official Tournament Store! Several Official Tournament Stores around the country have been offering tournaments in the Time Wizard Format and they have rapidly been gaining popularity!