We’re halfway into the first day of the North American World Championship Qualifier. We’ve got two undefeated Duelists for our Round 5 Feature Match – Blake Dauterive from Lafayette, LA, and Michael White from Minneapolis, MN. Dauterive is playing a HERO Deck using new cards like Elemental HERO Flame Wingman – Infernal Rage. White is playing Rikka, the Plant Deck that is anything but sedentary.

It’s Round 3, and we have another Bounty Duelist Feature Match! Douglas “The Captain” Haddad is here from Closter, NJ, representing the scurvy dogs of the Plunder Patroll! We’ve put a bounty on the head of this pirate, and Michael Bowden, from Las Vegas, NV, is looking to claim that bounty for himself with his HERO Deck! Will the HEROes triumph over these scallywags, or fall in the face of The Captain’s naval superiority?

Joseph Presnell is here from Indianapolis, Indiana. He’s facing off against Quaddus Hunt, here from Chicago, Illinois.  Both Duelists have a good shot at making the top cut tomorrow, but the loser will be in a much tighter spot for the remaining Swiss rounds.

Read more…

Charlie Overton is from Atlanta, Georgia!  The twelve year-old competitor has topped one Dragon Duel in his Dueling career – enough to get him to the tournament today – and is looking to have a breakout showing with Elemental HEROes this weekend!  His opponent is Dakota Ticheli – son of Yusei Fudo voice actor Greg Abbey – an eleven year-old Inzektor Duelist from New York City.  Ticheli has also topped one Dragon Duel thus far, taking second place in Kansas City back in October of last year.   Read more…

Today we’ll see ninety-five competitors throw down across seven rounds of Swiss competition, to determine a Top 16 that will compete in elimination rounds tomorrow!  Here in Round 1 we were sitting at Table 1 for the first Feature Match of our Dragon Duel weekend.  Ten year-old Kevin Froman hails from Saint Louis, Missouri: he’s piloting a Batteryman deck filled with powerful combos that can end the Duel in an instant. His opponent is Michael Sakowicz, a thirteen year-old Duelist from Naperville, Illinois playing a HERO Deck with Skill Drain.  Froman has huge, powerful moves, and Sakowicz packs a lot of defense, so this one is anybody’s game. Read more…

Welcome to Round 2! These Duelists are both coming off wins last round, and are hungry for more. Michael Justiniano is using his Skill Drain HERO deck today, while Pasquale Crociata is hoping not to croak with his Frog deck packing Sea Lancer. Read more…

Alexander Reed is the last Dragon Lightsworn Duelist in the tournament, and Justin Duren is the last Gemini HERO Duelist. For one of these Duelists and one of these Decks, the journey is over. But the other Duelist will advance to the Finals and compete against Dino-Rabbit for a YCS victory! Read more…

Juan Flores from Austin, Texas ended the Swiss Rounds with a 10-1 record using his Inzektor Deck. Justin Duren from Wichita Falls, Texas piloted his Gemini HERO Deck to a 9-2 finish by the end of the Swiss Rounds.  Gemini HERO Decks typically have a strong matchup against Inzektors because of cards like Skill Drain, Hero Blast, and Gemini Spark that can stop Inzektor effects or destroy Inzektors before their effects can resolve. But if Flores gets a fast start, he may be able to beat Duren before Duren can pin him down with his cards. Read more…

Alexander Reed is from Dallas, Texas and came to this tournament with a couple of friends. All of them are using the same Dragon Lightsworn Deck and currently have 8-2 records or better. Reed is currently 9-1, and is Dueling against Tulsa, Oklahoma’s Benito Garcia in Round 11. Garcia is using a Gemini HERO Deck. Both Duelists have a great shot at making it into the Top 32, but the winner here will be guaranteed a spot.
Read more…

Herman Herrera and Dominique Eskridge are both Texas locals and both have 8-1 records going into Round 10. Herrera traveled here from Fort Worth to compete with his Gemini HERO Deck (featuring Elemental HERO Bubbleman), and Eskridge came from Austin to battle it out with a teched out Dino Rabbit Deck that Main Decks Macro Cosmos.
Read more…