May 2007
Grand Format and
Exhibition Tournaments
By Johnny Tek
There have been many concerns and doubts about the
viability of Grand Format for tournament play. This
article is written to explain how Grand Format is
used for tournament play.
First of all, it has been emphasized many times that
Grand Format is currently not to be used for the
open tournament system. Grand Format is to be used
for exhibition game play. An exhibition duel or
tournament is meant to be a show, casting special
invited players in the lead roles.
(If programmed into a video game however, Grand
Format could be used for open tournament play.)
The theory is that Grand Format matches are more
interesting to watch than Advanced Format matches
because they accurately recreate the
unpredictability and high-level strategy game play
as depicted in the popular Yu-Gi-Oh! fiction on
which the card game is based. Therefore if a Grand
Format match between champion level players is
filmed and made available for public viewing
(uploaded onto a web site for example), fans and
players of the game would watch it and find it
entertaining.
Here’s the general idea of exhibition game play in
tournament form: Invite a small number of the best
or well-known players and judges in the region or
beyond to compete against each other. Have them
construct Decks and Side Decks using Grand Format,
and then proceed with a single judge presiding over
each individual match. Since the number of players
is small and each judge (or just the one judge if
each match is handled one at a time) can focus all
of his/her attention into a single match, it becomes
possible to hold a fair competition using Grand
Format outside of computerized play.
Grand Format creates a particular motivation for
champion Yu-Gi-Oh! players to compete in exhibition
game play: The format is so much harder to master
that their skills will be pushed to their limits,
especially if they’re having to construct strategies
against fellow players of the same level. Add to
that the fact that it is practically impossible to
predict the strategies used by opponents due to the
forced variation in card selection and you have the
makings of some very tense competition.
Grand Format is also great for demonstration matches
and casual game play.
During testing, players often note that a lot more
thinking is involved when considering one’s next
move in a Grand Format match.
~I’d like to thank all the players who have taken an
interest in Grand Format at least enough to try it
out among friends. In coming weeks, the update for
Force of the Breaker will be posted.
~JohnnyBQuick@aol.com
