Duelist ID

Awesome. Konami's site now accomodates duelist ID registration from the Philippines.

My new duelist ID is: 333-232-323.

I guess this means that sanctioned events will come under our way.

x-2 Scrub Monthly Report

Thinking about what cards I can use to replace my third "Black Whirlwind" and second "Allure of Darkness" with, I opted to change the build by adding "Dark Grepher" with a slower format in mind. Decided to swap "Gorz, the Emissary of Darkness" for "Blackwing - Ghibli the Hot Wind" due to synergy issues. Anyway, here's what I ran:


Monsters (20)
3 Blackwing - Sirocco the Dawn
3 Blackwing - Shura the Blue Flame
3 Blackwing - Bora the Spear
3 Blackwing - Kalut the Moon Shadow
1 Blackwing - Gale the Whirlwind
2 Blackwing - Blizzard the Far North
2 Blackwing - Vayu the Emblem of Honor
1 Blackwing - Ghibli the Hot Wind
1 Dark Grepher
1 Dark Armed Dragon

Spells (9)
2 Black Whirlwind
1 Black Feather Treasure
1 Allure of Darkness
2 Book of Moon
1 Heavy Storm
1 Mystical Space Typhoon
1 Brain Control

Traps (11)
1 Trap Hole
2 Bottomless Trap Hole
1 Torrential Tribute
1 Mirror Force
3 Icarus Attack
1 Solemn Judgment
2 Royal Oppression

Extra Deck (15)
1 Magical Android
2 Ally of Justice - Catastor
1 Goyo Guardian
1 Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier
2 Blackwing Armed Wing
2 Blackwing Armor Master
1 Black Rose Dragon
1 Stardust Dragon
1 Colossal Fighter
1 Blackwing - Silverwind the Ascendant
1 Dark End Dragon
1 Mist Wurm

Side Deck (15)
3 Dimensional Alchemist
1 D.D. Crow
1 Morphing Jar
1 Book of Moon
1 My Body As A Shield
1 Nobleman of Crossout
2 Light-Imprisoning Mirror
3 Delta Crow - Anti Reverse
1 Trap Hole
1 Trap Dustshoot

Woke up at 10:30 only realizing that this is the first time I will ever be playing in the new March 2010 format, tournament or casual. Got in the place very early and play tested against a "Fabled" deck with Paul Santiago. The build was working wonderfully. He then opted to use his "Blackwings" after a few rounds. Pairings for Swiss rounds was then posted and we immediately went to our respective tables.

After the brief announcement by Irwin, the head judge of the tournament regarding the upcoming sanction coming to the country, I was then ready-or not, for my first match with Gadgets.

Round 1: "Blackwing" vs. Gadgets
Game 1: I double "Black Whirlwind", but he was able to destroy every "Blackwing" monster I play, resulting in me getting mobbed by his Gadgets.

Game 2: His field is clear and I summon "Blackwing - Blizzard the Far North". He activates "Solemn Judgment". I respond with my own "Solemn Judgment". I summon "Stardust Dragon" and his deck has no answers against it.

Game 3: He brought out "Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier" and bounced my "Goyo Guardian". I got smashed afterwards my field being clear after that. What a bad way to start the tournament.

1-2, x-1

Round 2:"Blackwing" vs. "Lightsworn"
Game 1: You really can't come back after two successful "Icarus Attack"s.

Game 2: He plays "Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner" I activate "Royal Oppression". He tries to Summon "Celestia, Lightsworn Angel", I respond with more "Icarus Attacks". "Blackwing - Bora the Spear" made quick work out of him.

2-0, x-1

Round 3:"Blackwing" vs. Anti-Meta
Game 1: He cannot find a way to destroy my "Blackwing - Shura the Blue Flame" with a "Black Whirlwind" in the open. His "Tiger King Wanghu" was smashed to pieces.

Game 2: I drew all the small "Blackwings" with him having a "Tiger King Wanghu" throughout the duel.

Game 3: Match proceeded to become a top deck war. He suddenly tops "Cyber Dragon" and destroys my "Blackwing - Ghibli the Hot Wind" with him having only 800 life points left. I top "Mirror Force". He tops "Caius, the Shadow Monarch". Good game.

1-2, x-2

Ughh tournament not looking so good at this point...

Round 4:"Blackwing" vs. Petit Inmato plants
Game 1: He synchros so much monster I was not able to respond properly, with my "Royal Oppression" being chained with his "Mystical Space Typhoon".

Game 2: He accidentally screws up and reveals his Face Down "Mirror Force", thinking it was "Bottomless Trap Hole", which he had in his hand. Given this knowledge, I synchro for "Stardust Dragon" and proceeded to win the duel.

Game 3: He gets double "Stardust Dragon" in the field with a "Goyo Guardian" to boot. He got them through "Mark of the Rose" targeting my "Blackwing Armor Master" with the help of "Spore". Too bad I had "Blackwing - Vayu the Emblem of Honor" in my Graveyard. I brought out "Blackwing - Silverwind the Ascendant" and a "Blackwing - Bora the Spear" from my hand, destroyed both "Stardust Dragon" with the help of "Blackwing - Sirocco the Dawn". Ultimately in the end, I ended up with 3 different Synchro Monsters and he couldn't come back from it. This match was clearly the best game I had in the whole tournament.

2-1, x-2

Round 5: "Blackwing" vs. Horus lv 8
Game 1: He brings out "Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8" and attacks. I activate "Mirror Force". He flips "My Body as A Shield", I chain "Solemn Judgment". He scoops.

Afterwards he kept muttering about facing another "Blackwing" and opted to drop the whole tourney. How rude.

1-0, x-2

Round 6:"Blackwing" vs. Fader Monarchs
Game 1: He runs out of options fast as my "Shura - the Blue Flame" keeps ramming up his "Treeborn Frog" and "Battle Fader"s. I often respond with "Book of Moon" with his "Raiza, the Storm Monarchs", resulting in more "Blackwing - Shura the Blue Flame" Special Summons.

Game 2: He opens with 6 different kinds of Monarchs in his hand and I was able to easily win the game and the match.

2-0, x-2

Closing Thoughts: Ended up taking 19th spot over 51 players. Pretty bad since almost all of the players I defeated had horrible standings and they were not able to push me up in the Swiss Rounds. Ultimately, Jomer Flores won the whole tournament, running "Lightsworn". It was a so-so experience overall.

Props:
Brought a very cheap "Blackwing Armor Master" for just $8. Thank you Tim Vivit!
Brought Oran-rief, the Vastwood for just roughly $1 (Yes, I play Magic: the Gathering as well)
Playing polite people
Play testing with Paul prior to the tournament
Playing against Chunky and his Plant deck
Playing personally with Irwin and his Flamvell Cat
Dark Grepher

Slops:
A lot of misplays where I fail to drop "Dark Armed Dragon" properly
Playing rude people
Scrubbing
Paul, William, Chunky and Dann scrubbing as well
Major headache after the tournament
Shelling out more money for "Yu-Gi-Oh!" than intended
Unable to sell cards to break even from total cost
Blackwing - Ghibli the Hot Wind

Sleeves for Nationals

In yesterday's Monthly tournament that I participated in(which will be covered in an upcoming post), Irwin, our official Judge, made some announcements in regards to the upcoming Nationals this June.

Aside from the usual stuff like card pool issues and the exact date of the said event, one more important issue was raised.

Apparently you can only use official "Yu-Gi-Oh!" sleeves in the Nationals. Ultra Pro, Player's Choice and any other type or brand of sleeve are absolutely forbidden.



And yes, I am referring to the "Majestic Dragon Sleeves" or the upcoming "Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon Sleeves" for the TCG.

This is kind of perplexing because if I heard correctly, they don't allow the official sleeves on official tournaments in TCG areas due to them becoming easily mark-able. The sleeves also have a huge tendency to split in between edges. Needless to say, double sleeves are absolutely forbidden as well.

They come off expensive at Php300 for 50 pieces. Probably more than double the price for regular Ultra-Pro ones. Plus you need two sets to be able to completely sleeve your Side Deck as well for a grand total of Php600 (US$12). Good thing my deck is already sleeved properly prior to this announcement.

List of Forbidden Cards in Worlds

1. All Duel Terminal cards, potentially even cards included in "Hidden Arsenal". (Good thing "Ally of Justice - Catastor" and "Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier" does not belong in this category because they have OCG Gold Series reprints)


2. All cards that are unobtainable via regular packs. (Cards from the Limited Edition packs such as "Dark End Dragon", and possibly "Mezuki" belongs in this category. I am not sure about this one.)


3. Promo cards bundled in other products, video games, manga and magazine ("Thunder King Rai-Oh", "Infernity Archfiend", "Gorz, the Emissary of Darkness", "Starlight Road", "Elemental Hero Absolute Zero" etc.)


4. TCG exclusives not included in EXP2 (All TCG exclusives from "Raging Battle" and up)

I do not know if they will allow reprinted versions of cards from disallowed sets. ("Duel Terminal" versions of "Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier", "Goyo Guardian" or "Book of Moon", etc. or promo versions of "Beast King Barbaros" or "Dandylion", etc.)

Keep these information in your head as you plan out your build for the upcoming Worlds this June. There might be something wrong here but I think this is the complete list of cards that are forbidden in the said event.

From the Behind Victory

From Sherjack, the official distributor of "Yu-Gi-Oh!" in the Philippines.

"The Philippines is back in the Yugioh map baby!!!


Just got this wonderful news and I could not contain my excitement. It's 1:30 am now but I can't wait to share this to all of you. Konami is giving us the LOVE. We will have a Philippines representative for the World Championship to be held in Los Angeles this coming August 14. Our Nationals this June will determine who we will send to represent us all. Details will follow as things and venue has still to be worked out.

I've been ranting in this forum and to some of the players in person. Honestly, I was worried that what we promised last year about us going to the Worlds will never become a reality. I was very down and was thinking of giving up. Sales and tournament support from the players were nothing to brag about. But I guess the amount of products (specially the Asian English) we got were enough for Konami to give us a chance. Our reputation is at stake here that's why our company was willing to take a big risk of getting so much products. A lot of you know we're still stuck with a lot of the boxes. But I still can't thank enough those of you who were very supportive with your time and money. This Worlds achievement is for all of us. Yahoo!!!

Hope you can all spread the word. We still need all the help we can get in terms of outright sales and tournament support. We would not want our participation in the world stage a one and done. With everyone's help, we can make this an annual thing. "

Source: http://z3.invisionfree.com/ygocgph/index.php?showtopic=4076&st=0&#entry3853951

The Wall: Passable?

Most often than not, a duelist who choose to play "Yu-Gi-Oh!" competitively will encounter a, for a lack of a better word, wall. This wall is something that needs a lot of time and patience to be conquered. This so-called wall will block most aspiring duelists and it is also the one who segregates the "scrubs" from the "pros".

As I browse Pojo looking for SJC Nashville results (which is already irrelevant as I post this), I saw Roy St. Clair top SJC Nashville with "X-Sabers". Now this is something.

Then I recalled some posts at Pojo. I remember the threads dismissing "X-Sabers" as a deck without any potential. I also remember the posts that "X-Sabers" are totally outclassed by everything, in fact, the posts that says everything bows down to "Lightsworn" last format. As I laughed, I also saw a Space Fighter deck that topped along with "X-Saber" which intensified the whole experience.

This only proves that "Lightsworn" was not unstoppable last format. There were other decks capable of bringing it down. It was just the people that smelted the thought "Lightsworn">all in their heads after all. And sadly, one of them was me.

And an OCG player(Satoshi Kato) came out on at the whole event in the end. So much for "poor card choices" and "inefficient builds".

I think, in my current state, I am in front of the wall. It is just a matter of me going to attempt at crawling past it or stay in front of it. I have yet made my decision.

January 16 Weekly Tournament Report

Saturday is "Yu-Gi-Oh!" day for me, and January 16 is no exception. Came in locals a tad bit early and handed down the payment for the usual Saturday weekly. Pairings were announced and I was fully prepared for the 3 rounds of Swiss. Then I realized I still don't have "Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer" in my Side Deck. Uh oh.

Tournament was healthy all around with more than 15 participants. Here's what I ran:


Monsters (19)
3 Blackwing - Sirocco the Dawn
3 Blackwing - Shura the Blue Flame
3 Blackwing - Bora the Spear
3 Blackwing - Kalut the Moon Shadow
1 Blackwing - Gale the Whirlwind
2 Blackwing - Blizzard the Far North
2 Blackwing - Vayu the Emblem of Honor
1 Gorz, the Emissary of Darkness
1 Dark Armed Dragon

Spells (12)
3 Black Whirlwind
2 Allure of Darkness
2 Book of Moon
1 Heavy Storm
1 Mystical Space Typhoon
1 Brain Control
1 My Body as A Shield
1 Giant Trunade

Traps (11)
2 Bottomless Trap Hole
1 Torrential Tribute
1 Mirror Force
3 Icarus Attack
2 Royal Oppression
1 Trap Dustshoot
1 Solemn Judgment

Extra Deck (15)
1 Magical Android
1 Ally of Justice - Catastor
1 Gaia Knight, the Force of Earth
1 Goyo Guardian
1 Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier
2 Blackwing Armed Wing
1 Blackwing Armor Master
1 Black Rose Dragon
2 Stardust Dragon
2 Colossal Fighter
1 Blackwing - Silverwind the Ascendant
1 Mist Wurm

Round 1: "Blackwing" v.s. Flamvellsworn
Game 1
Started getting straight advantages from "Black Whirlwind" and "Blackwing - Shura the Blue Flame". Midway through he used "Rekindling" and swarmed me.

Game 2
The deck pretty much got crippled since I was able to flip "Royal Oppression" early.

Game 3
Somehow he didn't have "Honest" in his hand and my Goyo proceeded to steal all his monsters. Trap Dustshoot on the first turn removed that only "Honest" he was supposed to have in his hand. Plus I knew his hand cards.

2-1, 1-0

Round 2: "Blackwing" v.s. Zombies (Chester)
Game 1
He has a "Breaker the Magical Warrior" in play but he over extended and used up all his resources because he felt confident that I couldn't return anymore. Sad for him I "Brain Control" his Breaker and destroyed the "Swords of Revealing Light" and proceeded to Synchro for game.

Game 2
I made a huge misplay on the first turn, summoning "Blackwing - Bora the Spear" without playing my "Black Whirlwind" first. I asked him if I was able to redo my turn but he declined. He got this game.

Game 3
I drop "Dark Armed Dragon" to wipe his field. He Summons "Snipe Hunter", tried to destroy my "Dark Armed Dragon". Unfortunately, he rolled in a 6 and I respond with "Bottomless Trap Hole".

2-1, 2-0

Round 3: "Blackwing" v.s. "Gladiator Beast" ("The Beast" Jovic Leovis)
Game 1
I erase all his Monsters from the field and was able to harass further with my "Blackwing - Sirocco the Dawn". He was forced to set all his hand cards. I worked my way up to finally take game with a swarm.

Game 2
He Summon "Gladiator Beast Heraklinos" and I use up 2 Traps to destroy it, turning the duel into a top deck war. Turns out he topdeck what he sided against me: "Holy Light". Good game.

Game 3
"Royal Oppression" really hurts "Gladiator Beasts".

2-1, 3-0

Top 8: "Blackwings" v.s. NecroChaos
Game 1
I "Trap Dustshoot" early to remove his "Battle Fader". I saw Tragoedia though. He "Gold Sarcophagus" for "Necroface", removing a lot of cards from his deck and mine. He beat me down with "Dimension Alchemist" and finally got game with the "Caius the Shadow Monarch" from his hand.

Game 2
I was able to double "Black Whirlwind" early on and he couldn't recover from all the advantage I was able to obtain. He scoops.

Game 3
I Dustshoot again and removed the only summon-able monster from his hand, "Cyber Dragon". The rest were "Dark Armed Dragon", "Chaos Sorcerer", "Caius the Shadow Monarch" and "Dimensional Alchemist". Without any Spell or Trap in his hand, my "Gorz, the Emissary of Darkness" destroyed him.

2-1

Top 4: "Blackwing" v.s. Twilight (Kai)
Game 1
He use up his deck, dropped "Judgment Dragon" but I flipped "Royal Oppression". I Synchro for "Blackwing Armor Master" and he was running out cards in his deck.

Game 2
He FTK me with 2 "Judgment Dragon" and "Chaos Sorcerer"

Game 3
I got scared of him having "Heavy Storm" and did not set my "Royal Oppression". He FTK me again with the same setup from game 2.

Closing Thoughts: Jovic won over Kai in the end, making him the Champion yet again. I could have stood a chance at becoming a Champion if I did not hesitate to set my "Royal Oppression". Part of this logic was because this is the first time I was able to face a "Lightsworn" deck and did not know how to play around them. I was playing conservatively not knowing that they can OTK at any given time. Firsthand experience at tasting the reason why "Lightsworn" and friends has got to go this coming March.

Props
Undefeated in Swiss
4th Place in locals
"Trap Dustshoot" is a beasty tech

Slops
Was not able to buy my "Dark End Dragon" due to lack of funds
Double OTK
Crap from Booster Packs
Was not able to find any "Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer" to complete my deck

Stay tuned for the upcoming post: Deck Analysis: "Gladiator Beast"

SJC LA

It has finally been concluded.

Shonen Jump LA was finally concluded yesterday with over 1500 participants. This hallmarks the biggest ever single card game tournament in history, at least according to Konami.

With a staggering 11 rounds of Swiss before the cut to the top 16, players dueled until midnight to show what they've got. In this event, the saying 'no pain no gain' proved itself.

Over 1500 participants and just a cut to the top 16-this simply means that doing x-2 or worse would automatically mean that you are in the red zone. Even x-1 players are not guaranteed to have a spot at the top 16 due to the humongous amount of participants in this mind blowing event.

Rogue decks are present here and there and Dimensional Eatos and other deck from the East has also participated in the event. Unfortunately, none of them were able to prove victorious.

The top 16 was full of "Lightsworn", Twilight and Zombies, with only one "Blackwing". Surprisingly and as I predicted, "Gladiator Beasts" make a comeback in this jump, proving once again that they deserve to be on the Tier 1 spot.

This event insured that both "Lightsworn" and Zombies will take a huge hurt in the ban list coming this March, as both took all the top 4 spot of the tournament. Two "Lightsworn" decks competed for the Championship and so it has been concluded that "Lightsworn" has officially won the tournament all in all.

With a few more events remaining for the format, one thing is for sure: This is a "Lightsworn" tailored format.

December Monthly Results

The Philippine December Monthly is over with a staggering amount of 84 total duelists who attended.

As usual, players from all over the world are mindlessly criticizing the top 8 decks over at Shriek.

Here's what I hope to happen: Some five to ten people from the TCG regions bringing top tier decks pay a visit in the Philippine meta and see and participate in one to three tournaments. I know this is a long shot, but I am seriously curious about what will be the results.

After which then we'll see who is finally right.

Top 8 Deck Lists for the December Monthly can be found here.

Congratulations to the top 8 and Chan Discipulo for winning that PSP and getting first place!

December 5 Weekly Tournament Report

It was another Saturday, the time for everyone to play their favorite card game in my locals. I came early to check people's binders and look for certain cards that I might be able to use. I was able to buy a D.D. Crow for $3. This narrows my list of needed cards to 1 more Royal Oppression and a spare Blackwing Armed Wing to finally complete my deck. Nonetheless, I was still able to participate in the regular weeklies.

The tournament was surprisingly short with only three rounds of swiss and a cut to top 4 (13 total participants).

Blackwings v.s. Blackwings (Jovic Leovis' Son)
Game 1
I was paired by Mr. Leovis' son. I did not ask his age, but I think he is less than ten years old. I rolled in first and started to immediately put pressure on him without hesitating. He ends up using all his resources early on and I had too much advantage to lose.

Game 2
Same concept, except that I used my Sirocco's effect to steal all of the monsters in the field's attack and dropped Dark Armed Dragon.

2-0, 1-0

Blackwings v.s. Zombies (Kent Dino)
Game 1
He played Spirit Reaper early on and was able to generate advantage with it, due to me having all my Monsters either destroyed or removed from the game. He dropped Dark Armed Dragon to finish me off.

Game 2
I realized I did not add Dimensional Fissures in my Side Deck. I opened god and was able to generate so much advantage and got too carried away. He somehow dropped Dark Armed Dragon with me having a D.D. Crow in my hand, not realizing that he already had 3 Dark Monsters in his grave. He then proceeded to wipe out my field and used Burial From A Different Dimension to refill his ammo to continue and pulverize me. This was one of my most dissapointing loss in all the games I played. Good game Kent!

0-2, 1-1

Blackwings v.s. Gladiator Beast (Jovic Leovis)
Game 1
Was able to flip Royal Oppression early, and his options were running out as my advantage was continuing to multiply thanks to the two Black Whirlwinds in play that I control. He tried his best to counter my assault but was unfortunately in too much disadvantage that I won over him easily.

Game 2
Almost the same thing happened but this time he was able to blow away 2 of my Icarus Attack with 2 of his Dust Tornadoes. I still had the advantage until he Brain Control for game.

Game 3
Basically I pushed him and even though he was able to fuse for his Gladiator Beast Gyzarus, I still had cards that would destroy his deck. I flip Mirror of Oaths in the last moment to eliminate his Darius for possibly another Gyzarus summon. He was out of cards and I still had Monsters. Nice game Mr. Leovis!

2-1, 2-1

Top 4

Blackwings v.s. Zombies (Kent Dino)
Game 1
Not again! This was a really bad match up as I was again paired to the same guy who beat me before on the swiss pairings. He kept utilizing his Necro Gardnas with his Dark Grepher and I played offensively, ending up me using most of my cards midway with him still having more than 3 cards in his hand. He then exploded and I was not able to survive.

Game 2
I was finally able to push him to a corner with just a card in his hand and no cards on the field with me having a Stardust Dragon and a Book of Moon. He then tried to utilize Mezuki for Plaguespreader Zombie, then used another Mezuki for Mezuki. I used my Book of Moon to flip his Mezuki face down and luckily he played his Plaguespreader Zombie in attack position. This resulted in my victory as he had less than 3000 Life Points left.

Game 3
The deciding match. He dropped Gorz, but I was already aware of it. Then he exploded yet again with Goyo Guardian and Zombie Master. I was able to delay the constant barrage of attacks until it drew me into 50 Life Points left. Thinking I still had a chance, he tributes for Caius, the Shadow Monarch and used its effect on his own Dark Monster, burning me for game.

Closing Thoughts: Zombies are really the deck to beat today. Not only for their capacity to easily generate +1s with ease, but for their capability to explode and potentially OTK any unaware players. Spirit Reaper is also a Zombie and he really did a number against me. As this is the last tournament that I will be participating in this year, I hope that the people who read this article had enjoyed and learned something from it.

Props
D.D. Crow
Trap Stun in entry pack
Making it to Top 4

Slops
Same guy beat me twice
Did a ton of misplays here and there

List:

Monsters (21)
3 Blackwing - Sirocco the Dawn
3 Blackwing - Shura the Blue Flame
3 Blackwing - Bora the Spear
3 Blackwing - Kalut the Moon Shadow
1 Blackwing - Gale the Whirlwind
2 Blackwing - Blizzard the Far North
2 Blackwing - Vayu the Emblem of Honor
2 Dark Grepher
1 D. D. Crow
1 Dark Armed Dragon

Spells (11)
3 Black Whirlwind
2 Allure of Darkness
3 Book of Moon
1 Heavy Storm
1 Mystical Space Typhoon
1 Brain Control

Traps (8)
2 Bottomless Trap Hole
1 Torrential Tribute
1 Mirror Force
2 Icarus Attack
2 Royal Oppression

Extra Deck (15)
1 Sea Dragon Lord Gishilnodon
1 Magical Android
1 Ally of Justice - Catastor
1 Gaia Knight, the Force of Earth
1 Goyo Guardian
1 Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier
1 Blackwing Armed Wing
1 Blackwing Armor Master
1 Black Rose Dragon
1 Stardust Dragon
1 Colossal Fighter
1 Blackwing - Silverwind the Ascendant
1 Thought Ruler Archfiend
1 Red Dragon Archfiend
1 Mist Wurm

Side Deck
2 Caius the Shadow Monarch
1 Plaguespreader Zombie
2 My Body as A Shield
1 Lightning Vortex
1 Fissure
2 Mirror of Oaths
2 Royal Decree
1 Call of the Haunted
1 Trap Dustshoot
1 Waboku
1 Threatening Roar

Top 8 decklist for November Philippine Monthly

Winner: Zombie Drago (Player: Ian "Chunky" Chanco)

Monster: 18
1 Dark Armed Dragon
1 Gorz the Emissary of Darkness
2 Il Blud
2 Zombie Master
2 Mezuki
2 Goblin Zombie
1 Zombie Carrier
1 Dark Grepher
3 Knight of the End
2 Necro Gardna
1 Sangan

Spells: 16
1 Heavy Storm
1 Mystical Space Typhoon
1 Lightning Vortex
1 Brain Control
2 Supervis
1 Reinforcement of the Army
2 Allure of Darkness
3 Book of Life
2 Foolish Burial
3 Burial from a Different Dimension

Traps: 6
1 Torrential Tribute
1 Mirror Force
2 Bottomless Trap Hole
2 Raigeki Break

Extra Deck: 15
1 Mist Wurm
2 Black Bull Drago
1 Red Daemon's Dragon
1 Gigatech Fighter
1 Mental Sphere Daemon
1 Dark End Dragon
2 Stardust Dragon
1 Goyo Guardian
1 Dark Ressurection Hades
1 Death Kaiser Dragon
1 Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Boundary
1 Flembell Urquitas
1 Magical Android

Side Deck: 15
2 Mirror of Oaths
2 Threatening Roar
2 Light-Imprisoning Mirror
2 Royal Decree
2 Dust Tornado
1 Lightning Vortex
2 Soul Release
1 Smashing Ground
1 Nobleman of Crossout
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2nd: Necro Chaos (Player: Dann Julius Tan)

Monster: 21
1 Dark Armed Dragon
1 Gorz the Emissary of Darkness
2 Caius The Shadow Monarch
2 Chaos Sorcerer
2 Ryko, Lightlord Hunter
2 Dimensional Alchemist
1 Raiou
1 Breaker the Magical Warrior
1 Mystic Tomato
2 necroface
1 Black Feather - Gale of the Hurricane
1 Sangan
1 Krebons
1 Zombie Carrier
1 D.D. Crow
1 Morphing Jar

Spells: 13
2 Allure of Darkness
2 Golden Chest of Sealing
1 Heavy Storm
1 Fissure
1 Smashing Ground
1 Lightning Vortex
1 Brain Control
1 Mind Control
1 Mystical Space Typhoon
1 Book of Moon
1 My Body as a Shield

Traps: 8
2 Bottomless Trap Hole
1 Trap Dustshoot
1 Torrential Tribute
1 Mirror Force
1 Royal Oppression
1 Return from the Different Dimension
1 Solemn Judgment

Extra Deck: 15
1 A.O.J. Catastor
1 Magical Android
1 Flembell Urquitas
1 Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Boundary
1 Chain Dragon
1 Goyo Guardian
1 Arcanite Magician
1 Ancient Fairy Dragon
1 X-Saber Urbellum
1 Black Rose Dragon
1 Stardust Dragon
1 Dark End Dragon
1 Mental Sphere Daemon
1 Red Daemon's Dragon

Side Deck: 15
1 D.D. Crow
1 Legendary Jujitsu Master
1 Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer
1 Soul Release
2 Trap Hole
2 Dust Tornado
1 Malevolent Catastrophe
1 Call of the Haunted
1 Royal Oppression
1 Mirror of Oaths
1 Light-Imprisoning Mirror
1 Divine Wrath
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3rd: Black Feather Magpakailanman *Filipino for Black Feather Forever* (Player: Dino Roman)

Monster: 17
3 Black Feather - Qual'at of the Moonlight
3 Black Feather - Shura of the Blue Flame
3 Black Feather - Blast of the Black Lance
2 Black Feather - Blizzard of the North Pole
2 Black Feather - Sirroco of the Dawn
2 D.D. Crow
1 Black Feather - Gale of the Hurricane
1 Dark Armed Dragon

Spells: 10
1 My Body as a Shield
1 Mystical Space Typhoon
1 Brain Control
1 Giant Trunade
1 Heavy Storm
3 Black Whirlwind
2 Allure of Darkness

Traps: 13
3 Royal Oppression
2 Bottomless Trap Hole
2 Threatening Roar
2 Icarus Attack
1 Trap Dustshoot
1 Call of the Haunted
1 Torrential Tribute
1 Mirror Force

Extra Deck: 15
2 Gigatech Fighter
2 Stardust Dragon
2 Red Daemon's Dragon
2 Magical Android
1 Black Feather - Armored Wing
1 Arcanite Magician
1 Black Rose Dragon
1 Goyo Guardian
1 Knight of the Earth Gaia
1 Chain Draon
1 Mental Sphere Daemon

Side Deck: 15
1 My Body as a Shield
1 Gorz the Emissary of Darkness
3 Raiou
1 Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer
2 Lightning Vortex
1 Solemn Judgment
2 Light-Imprisoning Mirror
2 Delta Crow - Anti-Reverse
2 Book of Moon
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

4th: HyperWell Synchro (Player: Paul Dizon)

Monster: 22
1 Dark Armed Dragon
1 Gorz the Emissary of Darkness
2 Chaos Sorcerer
1 Caius the Shadow Monarch
1 Summon Priest
1 Black Feather - Gale of the Hurricane
2 Krebons
2 Gravekeeper's Spy
1 Gravekeeper's Guard
1 Breaker the Magical Warrior
3 Raiou
1 D.D. Warrior Lady
1 Mind Master
2 Dimension Alchemist
2 Hyper Synchron

Spell: 12
1 Emergency Teleport
1 Telekinetic Power Well
2 Allure of Darkness
1 Mystical Space Typhoon
1 Heavy Storm
1 Lightning Vortex
1 Smashing Ground
2 Enemy Controller
1 Brain Control
1 Mind Control

Trap: 6
1 Torrential Tribute
1 Return from the Different Dimension
2 Bottomless Trap Hole
1 Call of the Haunting
1 Mirror Force

Extra Deck: 9
1 Junk Warrior
1 Chain Dragon
1 Goyo Guardian
1 Psychic Life-Trancer
1 Stardust Dragon
1 Avenging Knight Parshath
1 Mental Sphere Daemon
1 Gigatech Fighter
1 Red Daemon's Dragon

Side Deck: 15
2 Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer
1 D.D. Crow
1 D.D. Warrior Lady
1 Meiku the Barrier Master
3 Honest
1 Freed the Wandering General
3 Royal Oppression
2 Compulsory Evacuation Device
1 Solemn Judgment
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

5th: Hopeless Drago (Player: Paolo Calma)

Monster: 20
1 Dark Armed Dragon
3 Red-Eyes Darkness Mental Dragon
3 Dark Horus
2 Red-Eyes Wyvern
1 Prime Material Dragon
2 Core Chimair Drago
3 Dark Grepher
2 Dark Creator
2 Phantom of Chaos
1 Gorz the Emissary of Darkness

Spell: 14
2 Allure of Darkness
2 Arms Hole
2 D.D.R.
2 Monster Reincarnation
1 Lightning Vortex
1 Mystical Space Typhoon
1 Heavy Storm
1 Giant Trunade
1 Future Fusion
1 Golden Chest of Sealing

Trap: 7
2 Compulsory Evacuation Device
2 Bottomless Traphole
1 Solemn Judgment
1 Torrential Tribute
1 Call of the Haunted

Extra Deck: 1
1 Five God Dragon

Side Deck: 15
3 Mirror of Oaths
2 Light-Imprisoning Mirror
1 Escape from the Dark Dimension
1 Return from the Different Dimension
1 Mirror Force
1 Deck Devastating Virus
1 System Down
1 Core Chimair Drago
2 Axe Dragonute
2 Twister
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

6th: Black Feather "Bomber 2" (Player: Jhonn Paull Santiago)

Monster: 20
1 Dark Armed Dragon
1 Dark Creator
2 Black Feather - Sirroco of the Dawn
3 Black Feather - Blizzard of the North Pole
3 Black Feather - Blast of the Black Lance
3 Black Feather - Qual'at of the Moonlight
3 Black Feather - Shura of the Blue Flame
2 Black Feather - Vayu of the Big Flag
2 Priestess Ohm

Spells: 12
1 Heavy Storm
3 Black Whirlwind
1 Mystical Space Typhoon
1 Mind Control
1 Brain Control
2 D.D.R.
2 Allure of Darkness
1 Swallow's Nest

Traps: 8
2 Icarus Attack
1 Delta Crow - Anti-Reverse
3 Reckless Greed
1 Mirror Force
1 Trap Dustshoot

Extra Deck: 14
2 Black Feather - Armored Wing
1 Black Feather - Lone Silver Wind
2 Black Feather - Arms Wing
1 Dark End Dragon
2 Stardust Dragon
1 Goyo Guardian
1 Gigatech Fighter
1 Black Rose Dragon
1 Magical Android
1 Mental Sphere Daemon
1 Arcanite Magician

Side Deck: 15
1 My Body as a Shield
2 Soul Release
2 Threatening Roar
2 Bottomless Trap Hole
2 Mirror of Oath
2 Fairy Winds
2 Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer
2 D.D. Crow
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

7th: Superstar Deck (Player: Byron Diño)
*Note: Decklist not 100% Authentic*

Monster: 20
3 Gladiator Beast Laquari
2 Zombie Master
1 Gladiator Beast Beastiari
2 Lyla, Lightlord Sorceress
2 Goblin Zombie
2 Mezuki
2 Krebons
1 Zombie Carrier
1 X-Saber Airbellum
1 Black Feather - Sirroco of the Dawn
1 Black Feather - Vayu of the Big Flag
1 Dark Armed Dragon

Spell: 12
3 Burial from Another Dimension
1 Heavy Storm
1 Brain Control
1 Mystical Space Typhoon
1 Mind Control
1 Book of Life
1 Lightning Vortex
2 Allure of Darkness
1 Creature Swap

Trap: 8
1 Mirror Force
1 Gladiator Beast War Chariot
1 Torrential Tribute
2 Threatening Roar
1 Compulsory Evacuation Device
1 Transmigration Prophecy
1 Bottomless Trap Hole

Extra Deck: 15
1 Stardust Dragon
1 Red Daemon's Dragon
1 Mental Sphere Daemon
1 Dark End Dragon
1 Black Rose Dragon
1 Goyo Guardian
1 Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Boundary
1 Chain Dragon
1 A.O.J. Catastor
1 Magical Android
1 Psychic Life-Transer
1 XX-Saber Gatoms
1 Black Feather - Arms Wing
1 Black Feather - Armored Wing
1 Gladiator Beast Gyzarus

Side Deck: 2-???
2 G.B. Hunter
*The rest unknown*
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

8th: D.G.B. Dimensional Gladiator Beast (Player: William "StacKing" Sy)

Monster: 18
1 Gladiator Beast Beastiari
2 Gladiator Beast Laquari
1 Gladiator Beast Murmillo
1 Gladiator Beast Hoplomos
1 Gladiator Beast Darius
1 Gladiator Beast Samnite
1 Rescue Cat
1 Test Tiger
2 X-Saber Airbellum
1 Cyber Dragon
2 Gladiator Beast Equeste
1 Morphing Jar
1 Slave Ape
1 Gladiator Beast Retiari
1 Summon Priest

Spell: 11
3 Dimensional Fissure
1 Heavy Storm
1 Mystical Space Typhoon
3 Gladiator Proving Ground
3 Book of Moon

Trap: 12
2 Bottomless Trap Hole
1 Torrential Tribute
2 Gladiator Beast War Chariot
1 Return from the Different Dimension
1 Solemn Judgment
1 Mirror Force
1 Call of the Haunted
1 Trap Dust Shoot
2 Waboku

Extra Deck: 15
1 Gladiator Beast Heraklinos
2 Gladiator Beast Gyzarus
1 Natural Balkion
1 Natural Beast
1 Goyo Guardian
1 Gigatech Fighter
1 Knight of the Earth Gaia
1 X-Saber Urbellum
1 A.O.J. Decisive Arms
1 Stardust Dragon
1 Black Rose Dragon
1 Arcanite Magician
1 Mental Sphere Daemon
1 Magical Android

Side Deck: 15
2 Gravekeeper's Guard
1 Black Feather - Gale of the Hurricane
1 Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer
1 Gladiator Beast Inner Strength
2 Shrink
1 Mind Control
1 Brain Control
2 Dust Tornado
2 Light-Imprisoning Mirror
2 Compulsory Evacuation Device
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Special Thanks to:
- Mangaholix for the venue
- Courtside for being a great sponsor
- Irwin & Carlito for being a great Judge

Source: http://z3.invisionfree.com/ygocgph/index.php?showtopic=3536&st=0&#last
- Posted by William Sy

November Monthly Tournament Report

There I was ready and prepared for the November Monthly that was held yesterday. The tournament was not so much impressive as only thirty people attended the event. Started to scout for people and preview the decks they run. Finally was able to pass my deck sheet to the judges and waited for the Swiss pairings.

I was running Blackwings inspired by the first SJC this new format and ran an almost similar build with a little bit of tweak here and there to specifically counter the meta in the Philippines. The Side deck was majorly modified for this purpose. I missed a lot of cards for my side due to financial reasons. Deck list is at the bottom if you are interested to see it.

Nothing was stopping me now and I was paired for my first match of Swiss.

Blackwings v.s. Morphtronic OTK
Game 1
I rolled in first, was able to get Blackwing - Shura the Blue Flame and Black Whirlwind in my opening hand. I then played both to search for Gale. Set down Bottomless Trap Hole and Mystical Space Typhoon and ended my turn. He begins with playing Morphtronic Cellfon. He was activated its effect for a Morphtronic Scopen. He then used Morphtronic Scopen for a Morphtronic Boarden and proceeded to Synchro Summon all for a Power Tool Dragon. Needless to say I activated my face down Bottomless and proceeded to swarm him the following turn.

Game 2
I opened bad with 2 Blackwing - Sirocco the Dawn and 2 Blackwing - Shura the Blue Flame and a Mirror Force. I played the Blackwing - Shura the Blue Flame and set the Mirror Force to end my turn. He opened god and somehow got Morphtronic Slingen on his equation of his FTK and then proceed to FTK me as expected.

Game 3
Opening hand was okay. In the middle of the duel, he Torrential Tribute my 2 Blackwings and Was able to Synchro for a Power Tool Dragon and attached two Equip Spells in it and he set a card face down. I already had a Brain Control in my hand and topped Caius the Shadow Monarch for game.

2-1, 1-0

Blackwings v.s. HyperWell Synchro
Game 1
Opened with 2 Black Whirlwinds and 2 Royal Oppression. My Blackwing - Bora the Spear was not able to pierce his Gravekeeper's Spy. I cannot activate my Royal Oppression in response to this, and he played Heavy Storm to wipe my field. I topped my third Black Whirlwind and he proceeded to mow me down with Thunder King Rai-Oh.

Game 2
Opened decent. He again pushed for +1 with his Gravekeeper's Spy. He was able to Synchro a Colossal Fighter and I misplayed by activating my Blackwing - Kalut the Moon Shadow. By this time I ran out of options and the Colossal Fighter beat me to a pulp. I had a Blackwing - Blizzard the Far North in my hand and could have Synchro Summoned for a Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier, but unfortunately, I did not have one in my Extra Deck due to financial reasons.

0-2, 1-1

Blackwings v.s. Stun
Game 1
He caught me off guard by activating his Mirror Force, resulting in a +2. My only Blackwing - Sirocco the Dawn was Removed from play by his D.D. Warrior Lady. He then proceeded to Summon Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer and removed my Blackwing - Vayu the Emblem of Honor from the game, turning the tide in his favor and finally resulting in his victory.

Game 2
I opened with 2 Black Whirlwinds and a Shura. The amount of +1's I was able to acquire from those two Black Whirlwinds was too much that he was not able to get the chance at the momentum. I won the duel.

Game 3
In the near end of the duel in my favor, He Brain Control my Bora, Normal Summoned a Krebons and planned to Synchro Summon using my Bora. I responded with a Book of Moon, targeting Krebons. He called a judge to see if the move was legal or not. The judge ruled over that it was and he was not able to recover from it.

2-1, 2-1

Blackwings v.s. Crystal Beast
Game1
Hoo boy this was a lucky pairing. Whatever play I make puts immediate pressure on my opponent. He tries to Ram his Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger to my Sirocco but I activated Icarus Attack in response. He tries to use Crystal Beacon to Special Summon Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus but I responded with Royal Oppression. Without any more options in his disposal, I easily won over him.

Game 2
The same as game 1, and this was easier as I had Heavy Storm in my opening hand. And we all know what happens when Heavy Storm pushes through with Crystal Beasts.

2-0, 3-1

Blackwings v.s. Blackwings
Game 1
I was surprised to duel against a mirror for the first time. I got Vayu and Sirocco in the graveyard via Dark Grepher early in the game for a Blackwing Armed Wing. He then summoned Sirocco and also used his Vayu to get his Blackwing Armed Wing, then activated his Sirocco's effect, stealing all the attack of all the monsters on the field. I thought it was over for me until I topped Brain Control and did the same, this time Special Summoning Bora and ending the duel with Kalut for the game push.

Game 2
We dueled and everything was equal until he had a Colossal Fighter out with just a card in his hand and no set cards. I have 5 cards, one of them was Blizzard and had a Bora or Shura on the grave. I didn't have Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier in my Extra Deck... He only had less than 4000 LP left.

Game 3
Midway through the duel, I summon Dark Armed Dragon, set Torrential Tribute and Mystical Space Typhoon.. His back row was clear. He Mind Control my Dark Armed Dragon and proceed to destroy everything in my field. He summoned a Monster and attacked for game.

1-2, 3-2

Closing Thoughts: Sad that I could have won the last match if I had Brionac in my Extra Deck. Also realized that what maybe Tier 1 over at one country might not be the same tier 1 deck at another. Finally, I realized that Colossal Fighter is one of the most annoying Synchro Monsters out there.

I was able to get to 12th place, after getting cut to top 8. In light of that, I get a consolation prize of 1 Raging Battle booster pack, only to get Morphtronic Repair Unit as my rare.

Props:
Was able to see people cosplay since the tournament was held at an anime convention
OCG Black Rose Dragon
Completed play set of Book of Moon
3 Posters of Raging Battle
Making it to top 12 in the first tournament scene of my Blackwing Deck
Pulled Blackwing - Kalut the Moonshadow in my first entry pack

Slops:
Got a bit lost on the way to the event
Air conditioning at event was too cold
Lost a lot matches due to lack of Brionac
Colossal wrecked me bad
Pulled Morphtronic Repair Unit as my rare on my consolation pack
Terrible Traffic on the way home and an unfortunate event happened along the way
Tired to even move a muscle as I plop on my bed
One Brionac away from Top 8

List:

Monsters (21)
3 Blackwing - Sirocco the Dawn
3 Blackwing - Shura the Blue Flame
3 Blackwing - Bora the Spear
3 Blackwing - Kalut the Moon Shadow
1 Blackwing - Gale the Whirlwind
2 Blackwing - Blizzard the Far North
2 Blackwing - Vayu the Emblem of Honor
2 Dark Grepher
1 Plaguespreader Zombie
1 Dark Armed Dragon

Spells (11)
3 Black Whirlwind
2 Allure of Darkness
2 Book of Moon
1 Heavy Storm
1 Mystical Space Typhoon
1 My Body as A Shield
1 Brain Control

Traps (9)
2 Bottomless Trap Hole
1 Torrential Tribute
1 Mirror Force
1 Call of the Haunted
2 Icarus Attack
2 Royal Oppression

Extra Deck (9)
1 Sea Dragon Lord Gishilnodon
1 Gaia Knight, the Force of Earth
1 Goyo Guardian
1 Blackwing Armed Wing
1 Blackwing Armor Master
1 Black Rose Dragon
1 Stardust Dragon
1 Colossal Fighter
1 Blackwing - Silverwind the Ascendant

Side Deck
1 Caius the Shadow Monarch
1 Book of Moon
1 My Body as A Shield
1 Lightning Vortex
1 Fissure
2 Mirror of Oaths
2 Trap Stun
1 Trap Dustshoot
2 Dust Tornado

Yu-Gi-Oh! 2009 Philippine Unsanctioned Championship

*Click to enlarge picture

WHEN: DECEMBER 19, 2009
VENUE: 3rd FLOOR, ROBINSON'S GALLERIA
FORMAT: Advance (All cards are allowed)
ENTRANCE FEE: Php 600 (includes 1 Yu-gi-oh! booster and 1 Philippine Championship T-shirt)

IMPORTANT: Pre Registration (with payment) is a MUST. T-shirt will only be given to Pre-registered players. You will receive your Shirt and Booster upon registration/payment @ COURTSIDE GALLERIA. Pre-registration is up to DECEMBER 16, 2009 ONLY!

*We will be charging an additional Php100 for players who register later than dec. 16 or on the tournament day itself*

Prizes:

-Champion Will Receive A trophy, Booster packs, and a Brand new PSP!!!

Runner-up will receive a Trophy, Yu-gi-oh Booster packs, and a brand new I-pod Shuffle

-Other prizes and Lot's of Yu-Gi-Oh Boosters at stake!!!

Losing: Key to Winning the Game

As promised, I will write an article about how I suffered my defeat in the last local tournament that I have participated in.

Seemingly confident, I registered to join the second batch of the weekly tournament that was held regularly in my locals. With victory in mind, I was confident that I would crush or defeat any adversary without breaking a sweat, seeing that everyone were only using non-meta decks. My deck was completed and was ready to go and destroy everything in sight...

Or so I thought.

Pairings were announced. My confidence suddenly turned to fear as I face my first ever adversary in the tournament scene. We then proceeded in the duel with my hands trembling as I draw my first card. I found out that he was using a Gladiator Beast deck. I knew the deck inside out-what it can and can't do, and how to defeat it. Theoretically.


On his first tag, he immediately tagged for Gladiator Beast Retiari, removing the Neo-Spacian Glow Moss which he just destroyed (I was using a Junk & Debris deck). I kept drawing dead draws and the opponent soon proceeded to annihilate me.

I was surprised as I face my first loss. I was trembling and I thought what did I did wrong. What did he do to get the win? I shunned the thoughts and proceeded to rummage my Side Deck.

The end result was the same. I was beaten to a pulp. I did not even manage to damage his life points. I then lost confidence, thinking that all the theories and all the articles I've read and studied was useless.

Feeling sad, I then was paired for round 2.


Up against a Zombie Dual deck, I managed to win game 1 without much trouble. I was still tense up to this point until the mid game of game 2. I started to feel relaxed while dueling with my opponent. We were conversing while dueling, which made the whole experience worthwhile, even though he was able to take game 2. By this point, I already gave up my competitive spirit and was only dueling for fun, in which I realized that that was the thing that I was missing since the beginning of the tournament. I forgot that playing the game was fun. I made a major misplay at game 3, (attacking his Shutendoji with a Ally of Justice - Catastor with him only having 500 LP left, I had 2 other different Synchro Monsters on the table) which caused me the game. Even though I lost, it seemed like a fun experience and I didn't flinch much about learning that I lost.

What makes a player great? Is it his clear understanding of the game or his knowledge on rulings? Is it how well-built his deck is? In my way of thinking, the only thing that makes a player great is that he is enjoying whatever deck(s) he made and shows great sportsmanship. Yu-Gi-Oh! is just a game after all and people should enjoy playing the game, win or lose.

Mangaholix Manga Mania Yu-Gi-Oh Tournament

*Click on the image to enlarge*

Nuff' said.

October 10, 2009 visit at the locals - Tournament Report

The stage was set and everything was in order. Deck list. Check. Decks, check. Game mat, check. Dice and notebook, check. Calculator, check. This was the grand debut of me and my brother's deck in our locals, finally after we deemed it to be "playable" to some extent. The first player to use the deck was my brother, and he was ready to face whatever was thrown at him. Or so we thought.

I. First Tournament (Over 20 Participants)
First Match:
V.S.
Junk and Debris versus Gadget Monarch

This game started with me not yet still on the venue. According to my brother, he was overrun by the massive amount of Fissures and Smashing Ground and he couldn't summon Stardust Dragon for some reason.

(0-2 match)(0-1 total)

Second Match:
V.S.
Junk and Debris versus Dark Variant

*I came around midway this match.*

Game 1
Junk and Debris was able to quickly summon Stardust Dragon and despite the Necro Gardnas who were sent to the graveyard by Dark Grepher, the opponent was not able to recover and my brother ended up taking game 1.

Game 2
My brother opened god and was able to send almost all the Neo-Spacians on his graveyard as early as turn one, and proceeded to bash the opponent with Neo-Spacian Grand Mole and Cyber Dragon.

(2-0 match)(1-1 total)

Third Match
V.S.
Junk and Debris versus DHZ Tele-DAD

Game 1
The match started out intensely, with both players countering each other with their Traps. My brother dropped a Dark Armed Dragon and proceeded to wipe out the opponent's side of the field. On the opponent's next turn, he also dropped his own Dark Armed Dragon and played Brain Control for game.

Game 2
Also an intense duel, the match was dominated by Tele-DAD at the early game until my brother topped Heavy Storm. My brother then quickly summoned Stardust Dragon and proceeded to swing for three straight times against his opponent. The opponent was able to react but it was too late.

Game 3
The match that would determine who will win, I switch on to spectating the Tele-DAD's side of play this time. My brother was able to summon a Goyo Guardian early in the game only to be responded with by a Torrential Tribute. Despite the powerful draw engine of the opponent, he was unable to counter a Stardust Dragon with Neo-Spacian Grand Mole locking him. They then quickly shook hands and the match was over.

It was interesting to see that the Tele-DAD player was not scooping and stayed to calculate the damage until the very end. He was one of the duelists in my locals whom I look up to for his sportsmanship.

(2-1 Match)(2-1 Total)

In the end, my brother was cut and was 9th in the run, despite his record of 2-1. A very interesting and insightful first time tournament for us, despite not being able to reach top 8. The people were really friendly and showed sportsmanship.

Props:
Asian-English Blackwing Armor Master UtR for $10 or 500 PhP
Japanese Dark Armed Dragon for $6 or 300 PhP
First time experience in tournaments
Players were very good and friendly
Was able to enjoy my final duels with Oliver and his Dual Zombie deck

Slops:
Learning that Japanese Blackwing Arms Wing already costs $18 each. Thanks Rodrigo Togores
I ran second batch using the same Junk and Debris deck, scoring 0-2 and ended up dropping
My friend who was looking for Helmet Cat was not able to buy one because it was too expensive for a common

My run for the second batch will be posted in another time, even though I ran bad with 0-2. Stay tuned for it. In the end, what was important was that everyone had fun playing the game they love.

09-12-2009 and Lightsworns

With midterm exams nearing and mock-defenses for project proposals and research just around the corner, my time for the blog was shortened to some extent, being unable to post stuff regarding the game. I was still able to visit my locals this weekend, and was able to buy certain cards that are missing in the deck. What's left now is actually play testing it and using it to participate at my locals.


Extra Pack Volume Two is nearing its release on September 19, and I was surprised that Charge of the Light Brigade came out as a rare. This would finally help OCG players get the TCG unique Lightsworn monsters and experience them for the first time. I was surprised that some people already got their hands off the cards, prior to its release date.

With Charge of the Light Brigade, Aurkus, Lightsworn Druid and Ehren, Lightsworn Monk finally out in the OCG, I hope the Lightsworn Curse will be lifted and that they would finally be given a chance to win a major event.

What's left for me to do is actually create my own Lightsworn deck, before my prediction that the theme finally dies at the upcoming March list.

First month blog anniversary with store pics

Today marks the first month anniversary of this blog. I will now take this opportunity to thank you readers for actually taking notice of this simple piece on the world wide web. For a month, the blog enjoyed 913 Unique readers with 2312 Page views. This is more than enough to make me happy. I wish that you would continue to keep supporting me, if you already are and continue to read my experiences with regards to the card game. I hope to improve my posting quality for everyone to better appreciate and enjoy.

As promised, here are the pics of yesterday's journey with my local community.

As you can see, people are enjoying by talking about their cards and trading, and the players were participating in our weekly locals.


This is just a simple shot of what's outside the store. I couldn't possibly take pictures inside as it might open me to legal problems and besides, its too crowded.

Till next post.

09-05-2009 - Visit at the local community

Me, along with my brother actually went to our local community and traded/bought lots of cards today. After hours and hours of searching for certain cards, we were able to wrap up with buying most of the cards needed to build my brother's deck. I was surprised that most of our locals carry on their binders most of the cards that are widely used today.

There was a local tournament ongoing, and as I passed by the players who are competing, I was constantly seeing Zombie variants and Anti-Meta decks. I was confused on why there weren't much Gladiator Beasts, Lightsworns, although Blackwings were also common.

It might be possible next week for me to join the local tournaments, provided I am able to acquire certain cards I still need. Getting a Dandylion is difficult, along with Ally of Justice - Catasor and Mist Wurm. Although I can set up a temporary level 5 Synchro to replace Catastor like Magical Andrioids, it just wouldn't be the same. I still don't know the effects of running the Extra Deck with no level 9 Synchro.

I did not know that scanning through tens of binders were mind tiring and hectic. Despite these experiences. I really had fun. Total spending for today was at around PhP2500 (US$51). It was a good haul. My brother was happy that he finally got his Ancient Fairy Dragon at last. Needless to say, he is a Luca fan.

I was able to take some pictures, and promise to post it on my next post just to show the world our community exists. I asked a new friend met today on what are the reasons why the locals were using tier 2 decks and Lightsworn was non-existent. He said the reason was it was difficult to find certain cards to be able to actually run the decks. Gladiator Beasts share similar problems as well.

In case you're curious, Some of the cards we bought were:
Red Dragon Archfiend - The guy whom we bought this from really cares for his cards
Ancient Fairy Dragon (UtR) - Same for this guy too
Goyo Guardian (UtR)
Cyber Dragon (GS01-JP007)
Magical Android
Psychic Lifetrancer
Iron-Chain Dragon x2

...and other cards that are needed to create J&D. Yes, we chose to run J&D and show its potential on the locals. A little more and I would be able to experience true duels on organized play, despite me using my brother's deck.

Also, tomorrow will mark my first month anniversary of existence in the web. I will post pictures of my journey for everyone to see. Stay tuned.