EVERYTHING CHANGES IN THE Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME AT YCS KNOXVILLE 

Weekend’s Events Include Dragon Duel Tournament for Younger Players

El Segundo, Calif. (May 22, 2019) – The Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME (TCG) is coming to Knoxville for the first time ever, where the Yu-Gi-Oh! Championship Series (YCS) will be contested under the new Advanced Format. Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. (KONAMI) levelled the playing field with the latest Forbidden & Limited List, and now Dueling’s finest innovators will seek new opportunities and new paths to success.

Knoxville also marks the YCS debut of the Dark Neostorm core booster, delivering new support for over 30 fan-favorite Decks just in time to meet the wide-open field. Will victory go to the likes of Sky Strikers, Salamangreats and Thunder Dragons? Or will innovated strategies like Orcusts, SPYRAL and Cyber Dragons reign supreme? We’ll answer those questions and more when Championship Dueling takes over the historic World’s Fair Exhibition Hall on June 1 – 2.

YCS Knoxville is the final Yu-Gi-Oh! Championship Series tournament in the 2018-2019 Dueling season, and with so many unknowns to explore, the action in Tennessee will set the pace for the North American World Championship Qualifier (WCQ) in Pittsburgh just three weeks later. More than just prizes and glory hang in the balance at the YCS: by the time the weekend is over, the very future of Championship Dueling will be irreversibly changed. Competitors will spend the remaining weeks studying the results and making important decisions on their way to the WCQ.

But make no mistake: plenty of prizes and glory will be on the line! A win at YCS Knoxville will give one triumphant Duelist incredible momentum as they rocket toward their WCQ, the last hurdle on the way to the Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship 2019 in Berlin, Germany. The winner of the YCS will earn paid travel and accommodations to Pittsburgh, where they’ll compete in the invitation-only WCQ main event with VIP status. That means early round byes, exclusive seating throughout the tournament, and special opportunities for tournament coverage all weekend long.  They’ll also capture a coveted Ultra Rare copy of the exclusive YCS Prize Card: Chaos Emperor, the Dragon of Armageddon.

2018-2019 YCS Prize Card
2018-2019 YCS Prize Card

A modern update to the Invasion of Chaos classic, Chaos Emperor is a powerful addition to the Thunder Dragon strategy proven to be one of the most popular and successful Decks of the year so far. To win that sought-after Ultra Rare version is to claim one of the most prestigious prizes in Dueling, while opening up new opportunities for the Duelist who earns it. The competitors who finish in 2nd and 3rd Place in the main event will also win Super Rare copies of Chaos Emperor, the Dragon of Armageddon, every bit as powerful as the Champion’s Ultra Rare.

Finalists will also be awarded an exclusive YCS-branded premium Messenger Bag, and every Duelist in the Top 8 will win PlayStation®4 gaming systems. All Duelists who finish in the Top 32 mark their achievement with an exclusive YCS Top Cut Game Mat featuring Chaos Emperor, the Dragon of Armageddon, plus World Qualifying Points, Ultimate Duelist Series Points, and an invitation to their 2019 WCQ.

Pre-registration for YCS Knoxville will open from 3 p.m. – 7 p.m. on Friday, May 31 at the World’s Fair Exhibition Hall. All Duelists who pre-register and submit their valid Deck list on Friday will receive one of the Millennium Dice, only available during pre-registration at YCS events. Registration will reopen at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday June 1, continuing to 9:45 a.m with Round 1 beginning promptly at 10 a.m. All Duelists will receive five booster packs of Dark Neostorm upon registering. While supplies last, attendees can also get a “Kuriboh Headband” when registering. The YCS Knoxville main event will be played in the Constructed Advanced Format. Attendees can find the answers to many questions here.

Event Address:

Two Dragon Duel tournaments will be offered at YCS Knoxville on Saturday June 1 and Sunday June 2, for Duelists born 2006 or later. Each tournament will be played in the Advanced Constructed Format, a departure from previous Dragon Duel tournaments in North America. The time has come for Dragon Duelists to compete with their own Decks! Both Dragon Duel tournaments award invitations to the 2019 Dragon Duel World Championship Qualifier based on attendance.

The winning Dragon Duelist from Saturday will compete against Sunday’s Dragon Duel winner in a best-of-3 match, again played with their Advanced Format Constructed Decks. The winner will celebrate with a Dragon Duel Championship Trophy, a Super Rare set of the Darklords YCS Prize Cards and will earn the title of YCS Knoxville Dragon Duel Champion! 

For Dragon Duelists who do not have their own Deck but would still like to Duel, a Dragon Duel Public Event will also be available. A more casual Dragon Duel experience, all Dragon Duelists who enter will compete with one of two random Speed Duel Starter Decks in non-Championship competition. This event is free for Dragon Duelists, and all participants will take home the Speed Duel Starter Deck they compete with. The special Speed Duel event does not award a seat in the Dragon Duel Championship Playoff nor an invitation to the Dragon Duel World Championship Qualifier, but Dragon Duelists can become some of the first Duel fans to learn about the new format and score some brand-new product!

A wide array of Public Events will be held all weekend, including 2019 Regional Qualifiers; Ultimate Duelist Series Qualifiers; 3 vs. 3 Team Tournaments; two ATTACK OF THE GIANT CARD!! events; plus Win-A-Mat, Sealed Structure Deck, Sealed Starter Deck, Battle City, Yu-Gi-Oh! School Tournament Series, Duelist League, Speed Duel Tournaments (Sealed and Constructed), and Duel Links tournaments.

YCS Knoxville Prizing Information:

  • 1st place – Ultra Rare Yu-Gi-Oh! Championship Series Prize Card: Chaos Emperor, the Dragon of Armageddon; Yu-Gi-Oh! Championship Series Trophy; paid travel and accommodations to the winner’s 2019 World Championship Qualifier, with invite to compete and VIP status; YCS-branded premium Messenger Bag; PlayStation®4 Pro 1 TB system; Yu-Gi-Oh! Championship Series Top Cut Game Mat; and 30 Ultimate Duelist Series Points.
  • 2nd place – Super Rare Yu-Gi-Oh! Championship Series Prize Card: Chaos Emperor, the Dragon of Armageddon; invite to the 2019 World Championship Qualifier tournament; YCS-branded premium Messenger Bag; PlayStation®4 Pro 1 TB system; Yu-Gi-Oh! Championship Series Top Cut Game Mat; and 10 Ultimate Duelist Series Points.
  • 3rd place – Super Rare Yu-Gi-Oh! Championship Series Prize Card: Chaos Emperor, the Dragon of Armageddon; invite to the 2019 World Championship Qualifier tournament; PlayStation®4 Pro 1 TB system; Yu-Gi-Oh! Championship Series Top Cut Game Mat; and 10 Ultimate Duelist Series Points.
  • 4th place – Invite to the 2019 World Championship Qualifier tournament; PlayStation®4 Pro 1 TB system; Yu-Gi-Oh! Championship Series Top Cut Game Mat; and 10 Ultimate Duelist Series Points.
  • 5th – 8th place – Invite to the 2019 World Championship Qualifier tournament; PlayStation®4 1TB system; Yu-Gi-Oh! Championship Series Top Cut Game Mat; and 10 Ultimate Duelist Series Points.
  • 9th – 16th place – Invite to the 2019 World Championship Qualifier tournament; 24 Booster Packs of Dark Neostorm; Yu-Gi-Oh! Championship Series Top Cut Game Mat; and 10 Ultimate Duelist Series Points.
  • 17th – 32nd place – Invite to the 2019 World Championship Qualifier tournament; Yu-Gi-Oh! Championship Series Top Cut Game Mat; and 10 Ultimate Duelist Series Points.

Players that make the Top Cut at the YCS will also be awarded World Qualifying Points based on standings.

YCS Knoxville Dragon Duel Prizing Information:

  • 1st – 4th place –2019 Regional Game Mat; Dragon Duel Medal; and a Dragon Duel T-Shirt.