There are lots of experienced YCS competitors here in Indianapolis, Indiana this weekend, but not all of the Duelists in attendance have competed in YCS events before. Check out some of this weekend’s Duelists competing in their first-ever YCS!

Connor Brown from Maywood, Missouri has been playing the Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME for about 6 months and is here today competing in his first YCS event! He had attended local tournaments and one Regional Qualifier in the past, but today he’s in for a new experience! “This is a lot bigger than I thought it would be,” he said. “It’s very intimidating! The Regional I went to had about 180 people.” Brown is using a Branded Chimera Deck in his first YCS event, featuring his favorite card in the Deck: Chimera the King of Phantom Beasts.

James Moyers is from Maywood, Missouri and attends the same locals as Connor, who is also his brother-in-law! James has been Dueling for about three years, but like Connor, he had never attended a YCS event before today! He had attended a Regional Qualifier and several local tournaments, but this is the largest Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME he has ever attended! “I’m a little nervous seeing so many people playing and competing in a tournament of this size,” he said. Moyers is using a Dragon Link Deck this weekend, featuring his favorite card Rokket Tracer!

Douglas Black from Indianapolis, Indiana has been playing the Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME for 11 years and has only competed in a couple of local tournaments, never anything larger! He mostly just played casually with friends, but is attending his first YCS this weekend because it’s so close to home! After a 20-minute drive, he’s here at the convention center ready to compete with his Z-ARC Pendulum Magician Deck! Describing the size of the tournament, he said, “It’s nothing like anything I’ve ever experienced in my life before”. Here’s a photo of Douglas holding up his favorite card in his Deck: Supreme King Z-ARC!

Bobby Mitchell from Whiteland, Indiana is a local Duelist who has been playing the Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME for about 4 years and has competed in several local tournaments at his local OTS, but never in a larger event. Today, he’s experiencing his first YCS! “I’m excited! It’s big, and it’s a little intimidating because there’s so many people, but I’m expecting to have fun! I don’t care if I win – I just wanted to be here.” Bobby is using an Unchained Deck featuring his new favorite card in his Extra Deck – S:P Little Knight from the new Age of Overlord booster set!

Edward Smith II and his son Edward Smith III are both attending their first-ever YCS events! Edward Smith II has been Dueling for about 12 years, and taught his son how to play the Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME. His son has been Dueling for over 8 years! Both Duelists have attended local tournaments, but never a YCS! When asked about the tournament starting, Edward Smith II told me “I’m excited, I can’t wait!”, whereas his son indicated he was nervous. Edward Smith II is Dueling with a Dragon Link Deck in his first YCS because he likes the way the Deck plays and enjoys seeing how the field changes from turn to turn. His son is using a Cubic Deck, featuring Aigami’s monsters from the Yu-Gi-Oh! The Dark Side of Dimemnsions movie. He said, “I just know the Deck so well and like the way it works.” Their favorite cards in their Decks are Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon and Crimson Nova the Dark Cubic Lord.

There are lots of other YCS first-timers in attendance too! Follow the coverage to see if a first-timer manages to take a YCS victory this weekend here in Indianapolis!