Nationals, May–June 2022
The first relatively big events to come back after the end times were the Nationals from May to June! They were very welcome, considering we had YCS Utrecht still canceled in January. What a thrill and a time! These tournaments took place during the May 2022 ban list, and the meta at the time represented this, with most decks some variety of "normal a bird, end on a statue" or "summon a scythe, and dome you next turn." However, the release of the Structure Deck: Albaz Strike meant that this strategy was extremely prevalent and ended up taking many spots in the top cut.
I first experienced the sweet taste of defeat when I missed the top cut by a rough last-minute loss on day two. This didn't turn turn out to be too bad, though, as it allowed me to take part in the side events. Big events like this are known for running many smaller tournaments on the side, like Attack of the Giant Card, where you can win the covetous giant cards that sell for a pretty penny. Or you can try and win yourself some tickets for smaller prizes in on-demand events.
I also got to take the Rulings Comprehension Level 2 test to become qualified for judging larger events. Thankfully, I passed! However, positions are currently reduced due to COVID, so I already secured my spot for the EU Championships.
European Championships
Continental Qualifiers are the biggest Yu-Gi-Oh! events bar the World Championships themselves. To compete in these tournaments, you need to either top bigger, sanctioned events or earn enough points from grinding out locals every week like nobody's business. This makes these events very competitive, and the level of play is as high as it gets! The championships came shortly after Power of the Elements and as a result were filled to brim with Tearlaments and Spright players. If you weren't playing one of these decks, you supposedly weren't competing.
But congratulations to Marcus Patel who, despite the swarm of Spright and Tearlaments, dared to bring Rikka Sunavalon. He took the whole tournament without losing a single match, flying in the face of what many were calling the best decks.
This event was a ton of fun and had a bunch of side events to boot, with some of the best prizing in quite a while, especially the giant cards!
Regionals
Following the conclusion of the 2022 European Championship season, the regional qualifiers began for the 2023 season. Got to stay on the grind!
These events are much smaller with no side events. The focus is on the main tournament and trying to top in order to guarantee a spot at the next Continental Championship (EU/NA). I actually won one of these events and locked a spot for next year! I ran Runick Spright, and you can read the in-depth breakdown of the deck here.
So expect an extensive report of the next European Championships to come!
Yu-Gi-Oh! Championship Series
Similar to Magic: The Gathering's Grand Prix events, this series is for players to flex their competitive muscles. It offers a highly competitive stage for players not only to prove themselves but also to earn a chance to win even bigger at their respective Continental Championships.
We've had several of these events this year, and each one has been a wild ride. The wildest, in my opinion, was in Brazil, where João Paulo Lima made the big-brain meta call to run
Everybody's favorite German sweetheart and wizard deck builder Joshua Schmidt took down YCS Utrecht with Runick Spright at a time when Tearlaments was looking unstoppable!
I myself went to YCS Dortmund, met with many people who follow the Cardmarket Yu-Gi-Oh! channel, and took over the Instagram for the weekend. So many cool things to see at these evens from the new giant cards …
… to exceptionally talented cosplayers …
… to the coveted YCS trophy:
Also, congratulations to Vincenzo Orofino, who won the event proving to everyone that Ishizu Tearlaments is indeed tier zero!
What will next year hold for events? We can't know for sure, but I hope to see you all in Lyon in February!
Opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, not of Cardmarket.