This was it: in mere moments, we would have our first-ever North American Champion. Both of these Duelists would be heading to Amsterdam for the Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME World Championship in August, but right now it was all about the glory of the title win. Hansel Aguero is piloting Tech Genus, while Samuel Pedigo is running Tour Guide Tengu Synchro.
Welcome to Day 2! With 2 Rounds of Swiss competition still remaining before the cut to Top 64, there are several undefeated Duelists as we head into Round 10. Derric Brewer is one of them, securing a 9-0 record yesterday with a pure Tech Genus build! Tech Genus Decks actually did remarkably well yesterday, and the “pure” version – with no Plant-Types – may prove to be the breakout Deck of the tournament. Jeff Jones is 8-1 here this morning with a very similar strategy, and Brewer was his only loss yesterday: a Tech Genus mirror Match.
Mark Lundin and Mike Powers are both currently 7-1 in the WCQ. Lundin is using a Psychic Deck without Mind Master, and his opponent, Mike Powers, is playing a T.G. Deck. Lundin made it to the Top 64 at last year’s WCQ, and is looking for a repeat performance this weekend; but first, he’ll have to get through Mike Powers.
13-year-old Brandon Miotke got second place in last year’s WCQ Dragon Duel Championship, losing to Jack Hoyt in the final round. Now, he’s 5-1 with his X-Saber Deck in the WCQ Main Event, and facing off against Justin Reyes – a Duelist who made it to the Top 16 of YCS Toronto with X-Sabers. Miotke is running a T.G. Plant Deck in today’s tournament, and he’s facing off against Justin Reyes’s Gladiator Beasts. This may be a tough Match for Miotke, since Reyes can remove Miotke’s T.G. monsters with the effect of Gladiator Beast Retiari to prevent their effects from activating in the End Phase.
Boyajian made it to the Top 32 of YCS San Jose with a Blackwing Deck built by Jeff Jones, made it to the Top 32 of YCS Atlanta with a Debris Plants Deck built by Jeff Jones, and made it to the Top 16 of YCS Orlando with a Worm Deck that he built on his own. Now, he’s 5-0 in the WCQ and facing off against none other than Jeff Jones – the Duelist who built his Deck for 2 of the last 3 events that he succeeded in. Jeff Jones won the largest YCS event ever held, YCS Edison, with his Quickdraw Dandywarrior Deck, and won YCS Anaheim with his Dark Skill Drain Deck in 2009. Now, Robert Boyajian’s new Tengu Synchro Deck faces off against Jeff Jones’ new T.G. Deck.
Thomas Luebke made the Top 16 of YCS Charlotte piloting Karakuri Machina Plants, and today he’s competing for a shot at the continental Championship with a T.G. Tengu Deck. His opponent is Dallas’ Lane Woodall, who qualified for this tournament through a Lubbock Regional in March. Woodall is playing Six Samurai.
Traviis Massengale has traveled this weekend from Topeka, Kansas, making it to the Top 16 yet again. His opponent this round is Jordan Faulkenberry, hailing from the self-described “backwoods of South Carolina.” Faulkenberry’s piloting an interesting T.G. Flamvell Deck that sailed under the radar of most competitors this weekend. We’ve never seen a Deck like Faulkenberry’s in a Feature Match before, so we’re hoping for an excellent show!
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This was the last Swiss Round of the tournament, and both of these competitors had 7-2 records: a win here is the only way either Duelist can reach the Top 32. We showed you Alex Vansant’s innovative Ultimate Offering Synchro Deck yesterday in a Deck Profile, and later in a Feature Match. We also saw Kenneth McCarthy in action last night in a Feature Match as well. After this Match, only one would still have a shot at making the playoffs.
If you read our Round 2 Feature Match, you saw Alexander Thomas take an astounding 2-0 victory with his T.G. Deck. Thomas’ strategy is all about big defense: in a format where cards like Hand of the Six Samurai, Gemini Spark, and Gravekeeper’s Descendant often make for crushing second turns that immediately devastate the opponent, T.G. monsters are totally unique. There are four T.G. monsters that form the core of the T.G. Decks being played here this weekend, and each has a similar effect: when they’re destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, their controller gets to search another T.G. monster with a different name, adding it to their hand from the Deck. That makes it really hard to wear down a T.G. Duelist’s defenses: destroy an on-field monster and it just gets replaced. That effect lets a T.G. Duelist chump block attacks and build combos, exploding with Special Summon tricks that are unique to the T.G. theme.
Add some Spirit Reapers and a dash of Meklord Emperor Skiel, and you get Alexander Thomas’ T.G. Deck that we saw claim victory earlier today. Here’s what it looks like!
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Joseph Giorlando is undefeated with a draw, and Kenneth McCarthy is paired up with a 6-1 record. McCarthy is playing T.G. Plants, a groundbreaking Deck the likes of which we’ve never seen before. Giorlando is running X-Sabers, which have performed extremely well here today. Giorlando’s knowledge of the T.G. Deck and the cards it plays may prove to be a deciding a factor in this Match. A win here would place either Duelist in great position to make the Top 32 tomorrow.
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