The first Sealed Format for the States had an international appeal, below are some of the notable faces seen around YCS San Diego.

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As a player in a Sealed YCS, your job is very simple. Show up, get your cards, and play! But have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes? The answer is: quite a lot! Here’s an inside look at what we did to prepare for the very first Sealed YCS in North America. Read more…

The YCS is nearly underway, but first, we’ve got to get the players their cards!
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Judging by discussions on the tournament floor this morning, alot of Duelists spent a fair amount of time practicing Sealed Play to prep for this weekend.  A quick walk of Hall C here at the San Diego Convention Center let us overhear everything from discussions of Prideful Roar and Darkworld Shackles, to debates about cards like Obelisk the Tormentor and Blue Thunder T-45.  It’s a completely different environment at this YCS than those in the past, and everyone’s looking to compare notes and make last minute tweaks to their strategies.

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Pasquale Crociata just defeated Michael Green in the Semi-Finals, but now he was up against John Fox – the Duelist who dealt him his only loss during the Swiss Rounds!  Fox managed to construct what’s basically a viable Machine Deck from his Sealed pool, complete with Machina Fortress and about half a dozen supporting Machine-Types.  But Crociata plays a defensive strategy with multiple Monarch monsters.  This Match will pit two very different Decks against each other, and anything could happen! Read more…

“You realize if you win this, you’re sleeping outside the room tonight,” joked Green.  Michael Green and Michael Kash are long-standing friends, and traveled here together this weekend.  Now they were facing off in the Top 8!    “And it’s a looooong drive to Dayton!” added Green.  Both Duelists laughed.

“Your deck is so good, though,” said Green, offering Michael Kash some serious praise in return for his jesting.  “I’m so glad they came up with this format.  There’s so much less pressure: you can just have fun with it, you don’t have to be super-stressed.  You’re just given the hand you’re dealt, you don’t have to worry about who owns the biggest collection.” Read more…

If you read the coverage of the Dragon Duel WCQ yesterday, you probably saw Marissa Chow pulling off some awesome moves with her Dragunity Chaos Dragon Deck in our Round 2 Feature!  Today, her father is undefeated in the Sealed Pack Ultimate Challenge: Patrick Chow has been Dueling for over a decade, and today he opened an amazing Sealed pool including Harpie’s Feather Duster, Call of the Haunted, double Premature Burial and more!  His opponent is Danny Tripodi, a Syracuse Duelist who’s 2-1 so far with a Deck that can Summon Obelisk the Tormentor.  This could be a good one! Read more…

John Fox and Adam Parvanehgohar both won their first Matches here in the Ultimate Challenge, and now they’re pitted against eachother.  Parvanehgohar’s strategy is pretty mixed, with no real theme per se, but Fox managed to open al ot of Machine-Type monsters that he can use to fuel his Machina Fortress.  Will Fox’s synergy pay off?  Let’s find out! Read more…

Remember Michael Green?  Yesterday, we saw him win one of the Battle Pack Sealed tournaments, where he walked away with a Spirit Reaper Starfoil Prize Card.  Today he’s back, competing in the Ultimate Challenge to win an entire set of Starfoils!  His opponent this round is Maxwell Ebsen.  This is Ebsen’s first Battle Pack event this weekend, and he’s only played Battle Pack Sealed once before.
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One of the biggest events here at the WCQ today is the Battle Pack: Epic Dawn Sealed Pack Ultimate Challenge!  All through this weekend, 8-man Battle Pack Sealed and Battle Pack Draft tournaments have been pitting Duelists against eachother in three-round elimination play, where the winner walks away with one random Championship-level Starfoil Prize Card.  The Ultimate Challenge is similar, but it’s way bigger, way better, and the stakes are so much higher. Read more…