Return of the Different Jaekimsection
 

I'm sure you're astounded by the pun.

Hello, after watching my dear Lazaro Bellido sweep Costa Mesa, and seeing Hugo Adame rocket back onto the scene, I've decided to return to the game of Yu-Gi-Oh! that we know and love. I'll be entering law school next year, and the lure of the competitive Yu-Gi-Oh! culture is too great to ignore. Plus, I have some things I want to get off my chest.

I think it's rather fitting that a lot of people haven't even linked my JAELOVE persona to the ghastly figure I became on Metagame.com. For the past two years, I have been creating articles for the official arm of Upper Deck Entertainment. When I was first approached, I was at the top of my game having made strong showings at Shonen Jumps, while spearheading Team Savage. The naive person in me believed I could make a mark on the website by contributing insights into the nature of competitive Yu-Gi-Oh! After a year of churning out deadlined-induced articles that were heavily edited and not really mine, I grew fed up and quit Yu-Gi-Oh!

I mean, having to shill pathetic cards like Goe Goe the Gallant Ninja as if they were the next coming (by then, half of the words in the article weren't even mine) is quite the interesting experience.

Now that I'm back, I feel like Rip Van Winkle falling asleep in a Delorean and going Back to the Future. That's how much the game has changed. I'm coming back to Pojo.com. This isn't a temporary tease like my last comebacks for this site either. This time, I have five articles queued up. When I mail PojoBill, I am sending the goods.

But here are the pertinent facts of the situation.

I will spend much of  my time complimenting friends, rivals, and even enemies in the interest of promoting the game. Creating star players creates more incentive to play (since the prize support is still a bit lacking). In this regard, I have written for the three biggest Yu-Gi-Oh sites in existence. I have made day 2 at multiple Jumps (a feat quite cheapened now, I must admit), came close to winning it all, pioneered a few deck types, have *intimate* access to most of the best players in the game, have arranged special events in the past such as gigangtic INTERCONTINENTAL team battles, and have exposure into the business practices of Upper Deck Entertainment and Metagame.com.

I have forsaken a paid, contracted position and put my proverbial "money where the mouth is." The unfiltered truth of my message is more important than the company line.

When it comes to competitive, tournament Yu-Gi-Oh! analysis, there is a huge hole in the market. None of the current writers on any site, other than Matt Peddle (Conspire, Superfriends all star), have been there. This isn't meant as a slam at anyone, it's just a simple fact. Yet people and players everywhere on different communities are posing as if they have a sublime understanding of the game! When you pose as an authority, you have people relying on your word as a lesson. I don't like this. I didn't like this while writing on Metagame (and gradually selling out), and I don't like it now.

In short, I will be striking back. My articles on Pojo.com will not involve inane deck constructions. Everyone has gotten so good at Yu-Gi-Oh! (I love you all), and decklists are so prevalent, it would be presumptuous and downright arrogant to try to make some themed decks. I might be doing a few deck fixes or spotlight a new theme. But let me offer a delicious table of contents of what JAELOVE's new journey, now retitled Jae Kim: Theory and Practice, will offer.

If you use Dgz, XC, YGOrealms, or any other communities, post a link to this article and alert everyone to it. Pojo.com is the new hot spot for Yu-Gi-Oh! I aim to make all of my writings *required* reading for any solid player who is looking to gain insights into how the best operate. Yes, you can be the next Yu-Gi-Oh! superstar by reading these works.

1. One series of articles will involve interviews, with REAL cutting questions offered by a qualified interviewer, with some of the best players in the game. Yes, right here on Pojo.com. I'm not talking about silly questions like "What's your favorite monster." I'm talking about exchanges like (on the phone)

JK: "Do you feel the players trying to work their way up to the elite, or at the elite, have begun to learn toward stacking their decks? What do you, as a player at lucrative events, do about this?"

JK: "Team Yu-Gi-Oh ETC! is a rising star that's really challenging for the top spot. How do you feel about their chances of supplanting you, and are there any messages you want to get across?"

Also, I may at times interview myself.

*SCINTILLATING YUGIOH DRAMA BOMB ALERT*

JK: "How are you doing?"

JK: "Fine."

JK: "Good."

*SCINTILLATING YUGIOH DRAMA BOMB ALERT*

2. I will be "reviewing" the different article contributors of different sites. I am a fan of many author's works, and I am a constructive criticizer so I tend to never simply go on a flamefest. However, I haven't been a big fan of some of the stuff that's been churned out lately, and I would love to speak out on it in an instructive manner.

I don't think spreading false information to players who look up to these writers as authority figures, or even experts, is the way to go. In a classy and reserved manner, I seek to bring the truth to the young Yu-Gi-Oh youth.

3. I will be constantly griping about the designer's lack of vision for the game. This will involve rigorously analyzing card-advantage mechanics, explaining complex mechanics for players, explaining how a pro goes through reads on the field, and how to set your opponent up into mind-games and second and third level thinking.

4. I will spotlight players who either make notable contributions to the game, or play sloppily and/or submit terrible decklists.

5. I'm back. Hello.

Jae Kim is a creative contributor to Pojo.com. You may contact him (every e-mail will be answered) at JAELOVE@gmail.com. He can also be found contributing to the Message Boards and the Card of the Day.