The 2022 North America Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG Dragon Duel Championship is over, and after a hard fought day of Dueling, eight up-and-coming competitors have claimed their place at the top of the mountain!

No, it’s not déjà vu! We already saw AJ and Connor go head-to-head in our Round 4 Feature Match earlier this afternoon. After losing Game 1 to Connor’s Mekk-Knights, 11 year-old AJ from New Jersey succeeded in taking two games back-to-back with his Tenyi Swordsoul Deck, keeping himself alive in the Swiss Rounds with an X-1 record. Now they’d face off again, this time for the ultimate prize: the title of North America Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG Dragon Duel Champion!

13-year-old Connor R. from Portland, Oregon has been Dueling since he was 10 years old and is now in the Top 4 of North America’s most prestigious Dragon Duel tournament of the year. His opponent, 13-year-old James H. from Eauclair, Wisconsin, has also been Dueling for about three years and is now facing off against Connor in this Top 4 Match. Connor is using a Mekk-Knight Deck, while James is using Sky Strikers. One of these Duelists will advance to the Finals, and the other will be eliminated. It’s time to Duel!

The Top Cut has arrived, and eight of North America’s most skilled youth Duelists were still left in the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG Dragon Duel Championship! 

Aiden was back for redemption after his Feature Match defeat in Round 2, while James was ready for his first moment in the spotlight. Aiden was piloting his Adventure P.U.N.K. Deck, James was on Sky Strikers, and the Top 8 was on.

AJ is 11 years old, and traveled here this weekend from New Jersey to play his Tenyi Swordsoul Deck. His opponent is 13 year-old Connor from Portland, playing an anti-meta Mekk-Knight Deck. These two competitors are seated at Table 1 this round: Connor was undefeated, while AJ was 2-1 and looking to even the score. 

Alright, so we already introduced you to some of the top competitors in today’s North America Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG Dragon Duel Championship, but who else is competing?! We got some time with four more Duelists making their bids for the title, asking about their Decks, their match-ups, and their achievements so far.

Dragon Duel tournaments are one of the crown jewels of any big event weekend: Yu-Gi-Oh’s youth division is an incredible opportunity for up-and-coming Duelists, and a showcase for the next generation of star competitors. Dueling greats like Chris LeBlanc, Dominic Couch, Oliver Tomajko and countless others all came up through Dragon Duels, levelling up their skills and beginning to make their names in the process. 

Round 2 of the Dragon Duel Championship pitted nine year-old Zephry from Chattanooga, Tennessee, against twelve year-old Aiden from Salem, Oregon. Aiden won his invite to this tournament back at YCS Portland in 2019, while Zephry got her invite at a recent Regional in Knoxville. Both of these competitors won their Round 1 match-ups, and are currently 1-0 for the day.