New mat has arrived.

I always like to have one of my custom mat designs printed for myself, so that I have something unique to bring to big events. Sometimes though, I'd get a trade offer for my mat that I can't refuse, and I have to part with it. When I do that I order another design off my preferred printer, Jason Pryor of Millhouse Graphics. Just in time for the UK & Ireland National Championship this weekend, my latest mat arrived, pics of which can be seen below.

Herald of Perfection

There are many useful and powerful Fairy-Type monsters available to Duelists who want to make a Fairy Deck. Archlord Krystia is a powerhouse, adding a Fairy-Type monster from your Graveyard to your hand when it’s Special Summoned by its own effect, and then stopping all Special Summoning. Dimensional Alchemist can remove the top card of your Deck from play to gain 500 ATK, and when it’s destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, you can choose any of your removed from play monsters to add to your hand. In The Shining Darkness, Fairy Decks have another card that can swing Duels in their favour, the Level 6 Ritual monster Herald of Perfection.

The Great Debate - Starlight Road (Part 1)

Welcome to the first Great Debate! In this new feature, two writers will each discuss a major topic in Yu-Gi-Oh! strategy. You readers at home will get a chance to have your say too, and some of the best comments will be posted right here on the Strategy Site! If you want to take part, read both sides of the debate, and then send an email to us-ygorules@konami.com with your comment!

Starlight Road is one of the most powerful new Trap Cards we’ve seen in a long time, and many Duelists have reacted to it in different ways. While lots of Duelists have decided to stop using cards that Starlight Road can negate, cards like Heavy Storm, Lightning Vortex and Icarus Attack, I’m here today to tell you that you can still use them and not lose out to one Yusei’s strongest cards.

UK & Ireland National Championship 2010

_{Sources: yugioh-card.com, ukaypro.co.uk}

This is where the action is! Players from all over the country gather at this tournament to Duel for the title of “National Champion”, for a qualification to the European Championship and of course, for cool, exclusive prizes.

National Championships often attract several hundred players – the main event is often accompanied by open side events and other attractions*, so National Championships have something in stock for everyone. Don’t miss your chance to participate in this unique Yu-Gi-Oh! party!

Date: May 29/30, 2010
Location: ExCel London, E16 1XL (at the 2010 London MCM Expo)

The MCM Expo in London will not only host the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game National Championship, but you can also participate in various other Yu-Gi-Oh! events and win great prizes. Please find more information on the National Championship and the different side events below.

The new look is here!

Something seem a little different? That's because, as of today, The Irish Duelist (and Custom Playmat Designs) have been completely redesigned. Click on the 'Read more' button to find out more.

How to beat Shura and Firedog

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This article's also available on Konami's official Yu-Gi-Oh! strategy site, just click the link up above.

Flamvell Cat and Blackwings are 2 of the most popular Decks around right now. Both Decks like to Special Summon free monsters whenever they can, and both Decks are very good at Summoning lots of Synchro Monsters. Both Decks also have strong monsters that can pull off big combos all by themselves, Flamvell Firedog for Flamvell Cat, and Blackwing – Shura the Blue Flame for Blackwings. Today we’re going to look at these 2 cards, how they work, and what cards you can use to beat them.

Smashing Ground and Dimensional Prison

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This article's also available on Konami's official Yu-Gi-Oh! strategy site, just click the link up above.

You might have noticed in the event coverage from SHONEN JUMP Championship Edison that lots of Duelists were playing Smashing Ground and Dimensional Prison in their Decks.Today we’re going to ltalk about why they’re doing that!



First up is Smashing Ground, a Spell Card that destroys your opponent’s monster with the highest DEF.Your opponent’s strongest monsters often have high DEF to go along with their high ATK, which makes them easier to destroy with Smashing Ground. This card was Limited to 1 copy per Deck for a very long time, but Duelists can now use up to 3 of them in any Deck they wish now. This helps out Decks that can’t always take down bigger monsters in battle, Decks like Gadgets and Gladiator Beasts, both of which were successful in Edison.

Blackwing - Breeze the Zephyr

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Blackwings have been popular among Duelists ever since Crow’s signature cards first appeared in Crimson Crisis. With Blackwing Armor Master, Black Whirlwind and Delta Crow – Anti Reverse at their disposal, it’s easy to see why many people choose to go with Blackwing Decks for big events. Now, with The Shining Darkness, those Duelists will have several more tricks to surprise their opponents with.

75th SJC : The Report

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As regular readers of my blog already know, I tend to write rather long tournament reports after every major event I attend. With the 75th SHONEN JUMP Championship being the largest event of all, I wanted to try something different with my report this time. Instead of one (very) long article, I've split the report up into several smaller articles instead, each one focusing on a different aspect of my week in America. Just click the links below and read on. Quick note to anybody I met before you do though, if your name isn't mentioned and you said hi to me, please don't take offence. I spoke to about 200 different players at the Jump and signed about 50 autographs, so I'm having trouble remembering you all. Feel free to say hi again in the comments though to jog my memory.

75th SJC : Photos and Videos

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I managed to score a loan of a digital camera off my roommate for the weekend of the SJC, which I eventually needed up trading for (2 European Infernity Archfiends did the job). There were a lot of cool things going on at the Jump, so it was worth taking a few shots. I also had a few of my duels recorded over the weekend, which can be viewed below.

75th SJC : The Main Event

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The 75th SHONEN JUMP Championship was first announced at the start of February, due to be held in Edison, New Jersey. At the time I was still working on a deck for the UkayPro Championship, which was only a few short weeks away. In the back of my mind though, I was always planning on attending an SJC, I just needed the right circumstances to actually go ahead with it. First off, this was initially announced as the 75th, which meant it was going to be bigger and better than any regular Jump (the 50th one in Costa Mesa had already set a precedent). Secondly, Aer Lingus were offering discounted rates on all flights to the US in April (my flights cost a total of €500), so I wouldn't be breaking the bank if I decided to go. Finally, Sean McDonough, a duelist from New Jersey that I already knew through Pojo and so-on, had offered to let me stay at his apartment for a week, which saved me a small fortune in hotel and travel expenses. With all that in place, I took the plunge and was heading to America.

75th SJC : Cool stuff going on.

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There were plenty of different and interesting things going on at the Jump, and I got to see some really unique Yu-Gi-Oh!-related items as well. Here is a brief recap of the things that you wouldn't usually come across at other events.

75th SJC : Yu-Gi-Oh! in America

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My first (and last) ever SHONEN JUMP Championship was also my first ever taste of 'big time' Yu-Gi-Oh! While I have played against top players in big events in Europe in the past 3 years, playing in America is a totally different experience.