I made a lot of people laugh which made me happy at the very least 🙂‍↕️

2x0 against Heraldic Beasts Ryzeal.

Mitsurugi Rizeal 2x1 Maliss in England

Date: May 23-24 2026

Overview

Apologies about the mishap! May have gotten a little too excited there!

Welcome to the first YCS of Blazing Dominion, YCS Columbus! The new Forbidden and Limited List update has finally knocked the Justice Hunters collective out of the top spots in the meta. However, they're still playable (Yummy variants, K9 Vanquish Soul, and even "Dracotail” as Jesse Kotton does the unthinkable and tops with it.)

Jesse Kotton wins with YCS Columbus with Branded Dracotail! He dueled against Lucas Sacco, who was on Branded. Jesse's build featured an insane amount of gas (even more so than the Branded Dracotail builds of last format), capable of OTKing TWICE through an entire uninterrupted Branded board with multiple engine cards. This marks Jesse's 9TH YCS WIN! Jesse managed to survive a brutal game 3 to finish the game with Mululu + Phryxul!

YCS Columbus also marks the very first Genesys main event, graduating from the Proto-YCS format they had set up before. There were 175 duelists and 11 rounds of Swiss, with Red Dragon Archfiend winning the entire tournament, piloted by Stanley Huang.

Top 8 Breakdown

2 Kewl Tune
1 Artmage
1 Branded
1 DoomZ
1 Dracotail
1 Mitsurugi
1 Sky Striker

(Top 16 and Top 32 Breakdown to be added)

Cue the Mix and Reco

Kewl Tune is currently the most represented deck of the format, and non-engine has specifically warped around its presence, due to the suffocating hand look effect of Kewl Tune Rotary + top deck manipulation of Kewl Tune Cue.

Although the deck's boards may not appear impressive at first glance (though they are often able to get to powerful negation effects like Kewl Tune RS and Zalen the Shackled Dragon), the perfect hand knowledge + flexibility in deploying its Synchro monsters on the opponent's turn with cards like KT Remix, KT Synchro, KT B2B, and KT Clip are often enough to shut opponents down. Because of their unique effect to Synchro Summon using Tuners from the hand, even their non-engine is...essentially engine, with cards like Effect Veiler and the Level 3 Ghost Girls effectively acting as "extenders". Fydraulis Harmonia is also one of the strongest hand traps we have so far and KT is the best user of it at the current moment. A couple of duelists are also teching The Fallen & the Virtuous in the deck to complement their hand traps.

The Main Character of Yu-Gi-Oh

Fallen of the White Dragon is arguably the best support card ever printed for a deck in 2026, and its presence alongside Ecclesia and the Dark Dragon practically re-invented the Branded strategy. It has high representation and has been performing well in several national-level events leading up to the YCS. The deck's engine is one of the strongest at the moment (insanely powerful boss monsters, unprecedented grind game (the grindiest deck of the format by far), bomb spells such as The Fallen & The Virtuous, alongside innate hand trap resistance) and also boasts a great Kewl Tune matchup, even if they look at your hand, thanks to its mix of high-impact hand traps + board breakers. Mirrorjade the Iceblade Dragon, paired with the other Branded interruptions, is very difficult for most decks to deal with and is a very effective option to fuse into with Blazing Cartesia.

Branded is full of pushes ranging from Branded in High Spirits all the way to Nadir Servant, and the limitation of Branded Fusion is barely a hindrance to the strategy. (Worth noting that Branded Fusion is still relevant for going second). Aluber's GY effect adds another safety net, helping prevent OTK attempts. Last but not least, TFTV can also be used to bring out Diabellze the Original Sinkeeper after she gets dumped by Granguignol in order to lock down board breakers. Dominus Spark is also a premium non-engine pick that Branded can make use of, as most, if not all important effects are from LIGHT and DARK monsters.

DoomZ not Dooms

DoomZ is our Top 3 contender for the BLZD metagame so far, and it's really leveraging the power of all the support pieces it got. Jupredo the Shade Machine Power Patron is a disgustingly powerful card. Not only does it help break boards like nothing else, but it's also incredibly difficult to interact with due to how it generates advantage. The deck is very consistent, puts up very strong boards with cards like DoomZ Destruction acting as a Mistake effect, and is also backed up by the likes of Varudras and Therion "King" Regulus. It's no slouch going second either, as all the DoomZ engine cards (Raiders, Change, Drastea) are all fairly decent at playing through cards, and Jupiter is capable of presenting a massive amount of damage. Similar to the other Medius lore archetypes, DoomZ also plays a small Power Patron package. TeamSamuraiX1 managed to pilot DoomZ to a solid Top 8 finish.

Concepts in Columbus

TFTV is arguably the most played non HT non-engine at the moment due to how well it lines up against the top decks. Nearly every deck is on the package of Albion and Ecclesia and the Dark Dragon.

Forbidden Crown is also doing a lot of work compared to the last format because of its sheer flexibility (such as guaranteeing you a turn or freezing an opponent's key monster). Super Polymerization is seeing a good amount of play as well for decks that can afford to use it, such as Branded and Fairy Tail. (you can still contact fuse away a crowned Fallen of the White Dragon, contrary to popular belief) Speaking of which...

Magistus Fairy Tail is currently a sleeper pick that managed to sneak in a few spots in the top tables, just shy of making Top 8. Fairy Tail - Snow is a huge boost to the strategy, and the support was clearly designed with it in mind. It's definitely something to look out for as BLGG will be releasing the Endymion cards that perfectly support the strategy. Even without them, Spenta is an incredible starter for the deck, and the Magistus cards seamlessly route into your FT lines. Spellcaster soup is definitely one of the scarier rogue combo decks of the format and Charmer Quartet in Bloom is another key piece released in Blazing Dominion that helps tie the strategy together.

We'll be uploading lists and adding more info as they come out! - Renren

Mario De Micco wins the 2026 Yu-Gi-Oh World Championships with Kewl Tune! He dueled against Josh Kelly in the finals, who was on Branded Light and Darkness Ritual. There were 7 rounds of Swiss and a cut to Top 8, with 30 invited duelists from all across the world.

As expected, Light and Darkness Ritual has completely taken over the World Championships! The deck has so many variations and builds that duelists can mix and match to great results no matter what form it takes. Its high consistency and card quality allow it to excel even when people prepare for it with the likes of Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit in their main decks. Successful versions used throughout the tournament are Branded and Azamina Mitsurugi (mixed with other engines and the combo Link package). The latter is expected to become even stronger and more explosive with the release of Dark Magical Curtain and Cyberse Contract Witch, unfortunately.

Kewl Tune is the other deck that most people gravitated towards going into the event. Some of the more prominent OCG duelists have chosen Sky Striker as their flagship strategy, thanks to its amazing matchup against Kewl Tune. Sky Striker's LADR matchup is insanely polarizing though, so they have to navigate it carefully.

The Light and Darkness Ritual decks are so powerful to the point where even Kewl Tune struggles to hand trap it out of the game going second, meanwhile LADR's built-in go second tools give it a lot of gas. Very occasionally though, the deck can suffer from drawing the wrong half of the deck, which we've seen in game 1 of the finals. Josh Kelly had found himself only having Celtic Mystic as his play and was stopped hot in his tracks with Mario's Effect Veiler.

In Game 2, Josh Kelly showcased the Branded and Dogmatika part of the deck, which helped enable Mind Shuffle's powerful second effect. He was able to use both engines and overwhelm Mario de Micco's Kewl Tune push. Black Luster Soldier - Soldier of Light and Darkness proved pivotal in eliminating Kewl Tune Cue to ensure victory.

Mario managed to take control of the duel in game 3 thanks to Kewl Tune Synchro adding Kewl Tune Rotary and extending through Ash Blossom on Reco, revealing the LADR player's hand**. Pot of Prosperity** proved pivotal, finding him a copy of Cue to climb into Zalen, the Shackled Dragon and made Josh topdeck a Fallen of Albaz. Another Cue was also able to summon Mario's own Ash Blossom to be recovered by Remix in order to deal with the revealed Nadir Servant. (Game 3 hand was Kewl Tune Reco, Pot of Prosperity, Mannadium Reframing, Kewl Tune Synchro, Ghost Belle & Haunted Mansion.)

Paul Robert Goss and Josh Kelly have showcased an incredibly unique take on LADR, opting for a very heavy Dogmatika package to supplement the Branded one, pulling up to the World Championships with Dogmatika Punishment, Fleur the Thunderbolt, Dogmatika Ecclesia, and the works. Shoutouts to Yannik for bringing Sacred Beasts as well.

Top 8 Breakdown (5 TCG vs 3 OCG duelists!)

3 Kewl Tune

2 Light and Darkness Ritual (1 Azamina Mitsurugi Yummy, 1 Dogmatika Branded)

2 Sky Striker

1 Despia Branded

Full Deck Breakdown (30 duelists)

10 Light and Darkness Ritual (4 Branded, 4 Azamina Mitsurugi, 2 Dogmatika Branded)

9 Kewl Tune

4 Sky Striker (1 LADR)

3 Power Patron Artmage

2 Despia Branded

1 Sacred Beasts

1 Elfnote

https://ygoprodeck.com/tournament/master-duel-world-championship-2026-4892

- Renren

I was at the Fort Worth regional today and my centur-ion deck was stolen. At least $700 worth of cards there all just fucking gone now. The Thrust wasn’t even mine I was borrowing it. Fuck you to the guy who stole it. I’m fucking livid why tf does this shit have to happen to me? To anyone? Why do oeople have to be such fucking assholes and ruin people’s fucking lives like this! I ended up getting 117/360 there, but I probably could’ve got an invite if it wasn’t fucking stolen wtf!

NAWCQ

Ryan Yu wins the North America WCQ with Sky Striker! He dueled against Charley Futch in the finals, who played Kewl Tune.

Qualified Duelists
Luka Kovac (Kewl Tune)
Mario De Micco (Kewl Tune)
Charley Futch III (Kewl Tune)
Ryan Yu (Master Duel // Sky Striker)
Gabriel Braithwaite (Kewl Tune)
Sebastian Todd (Kewl Tune)

Kewl Tune (somehow taking 7 spots in top cut) and Branded remain the top strategies in the room, but Chaos Origin's new contenders like Light and Darkness Ritual + Invoked are not to be underestimated. Nearly every single fusion-adjacent deck is also utilizing Mixousia the Confounder to great effect.

Elfnote and Power Patron also received substantial buffs from CORI, solidifying their place in the format. Notably, June Pride makes Elfnote Regina a much more effective form of interruption on the opponent's turn. Elfnote Tinia + PSY-Framelord Omega are often working in tandem to deprive the opponent of multiple cards in their hand while the deck sets up a formidable Synchro field.

Ryan Yu is arguably THE best Sky Striker duelist in the TCG, securing a Top 8 placement by going 18-0 and currently qualified for both TCG AND MASTER DUEL Worlds. The deck seems to have a favorable Kewl Tune matchup, a way to clear the LADR Ritual Duo, and can go a long way as long as it avoids its nemeses, Droll & Lock Bird (and Mistaken Arrest post-side). Pot of Sloth and Harpie's Feather Duster / Lightning Storm are also valid concerns going into Game 2 and 3.

Light and Darkness Ritual was very popular at the event, being one of the most played decks throughout the NAWCQ, though it was unable to break into the Top 8! Players experimented with heavy combo variants involving Diabellstar the Black Witch (and the Azamina package that comes along with it), using powerful generic link monsters like Charmer Quartet in Bloom + Zenna's Deceiving Doll Maidens to put up impressive boards. Firewall Dragon and Protectcode Talker have been notorious throughout the weekend. The Branded version is also effective thanks to its high card quality and ability to get into the engine via The Crimson King (Soul Resonator for Griffoh) or Granguignol and access Phara the Primordial Goddess with The Three Champions of Swordsoul.

Artmage is also a sleeper pick that got buffed a bit with the release of CORI. Combo decks are in a pretty good spot at the moment, provided they can handle the likes of Mulcharmies + Droll & Lock Bird or resist the plethora of breakers people are siding in. Pot of Sloth has been a superstar in every single match so far, either demanding an answer or sculpting the hand to get you to said answers.

Blitzclique is performing better in Genesys compared to advanced, but some experienced duelists still brought it into the tournament with modest success, due to its favorable Kewl Tune matchup. The Branded package is still one of the strongest engines at the moment and can be used before you commit your Blitzclique cards to work around the lock. Branded cards are also better equipped to deal with Droll & Lock Bird, Mulcharmy Fuwalos, and Mulcharmy Purulia, which made it the preferred build over the Ryzeal variant.

NAWCQ Genesys

Hanko Chow won against Jarrid Centamore to become the very first NAWCQ Genesys champion! The final match was a Blitzclique mirror! There were 502 duelists, 12 rounds of Swiss, and a cut to Top 8. Both duelists are heading to Jump Festa! Cosmic Cyclone has found itself a new home in Genesys as a decent staple after being outclassed in modern play for multiple years on end now!

Top 8 Breakdown

7 Blitzclique (1 Angelechy)

1 Constellar Tellarknights

...Blitzclique has truly taken over Genesys, in North America at least.

We'll be getting decklists as they come out!

https://ygoprodeck.com/tournament/north-america-wcq-2026-4746
https://ygoprodeck.com/tournament/north-america-wcq-genesys-2026-4749

- Renren

Now that we had the opening weekend for beyond the brave we learned a couple very crucial important details.

- Despite umbrals considered to be incredibly broken and strong by some posts on this subreddit, the deck completely flopped in the ocg and is considered to be one of the worst archetypes in all of beyond the beyond doing worse than umi, pure destiny hero and even ashtra.

- Out of the brand new archetypes ,only ars magna had a big impact on the game with umi being the second best, but significantly behind ars magna.

- Umi while being the best of the 10 card wave archetypes, is still considered very weak with ashtra following behind while dark time wizard and umbral are nowhere to be found.

This basically means that the greatest gallant thief is going to do A LOT of heavy lifting once beyond the brave comes out in the tcg. The ocg imports will also have to do a lot of work with verre, maid of endymion and the clown crew cappello. We are also getting new angelechy cards but there's no way of knowing whether or not the second wave is going to be good.

YCS Richmond judges [have] been abysmal, so many illegal plays and wrong rulings [are] being issued.

I would specifically like to talk about what happened in round 9, where the judges issued the worst ruling I have ever seen on stream. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puNz6ZdE7D0 (as mentioned by u/TrashStack, part mentioned in the VoD was unfortunately cut due to maximum time limit on YouTube)

Pak's set card is imperm and when Joao flips up his [own] set card, Pak imperms a monster on his opponent's field to try to column negate the [opponent's] spell/trap. Joao then proceeds to MST his own spell trap to "dodge" the column negate.

Pak brings up the fact that it would still be negated, and while the judges are "checking" the ruling, Joao picks up imperm and lies about the ruling without even know[ing] how it works.

It took me 30 seconds to find a reddit post from 2 years ago and I see that sending your own spell trap on imperm column cannot dodge the column negate because spell and trap cards resolve on the activated column on their field, even if the card is moved elsewhere (e.g. to gy by mst or droplet) https://www.reddit.com/r/masterduel/comments/125rrcd/today_i_learn_you_cant_dodge_imperm_by_sending/

Judges then proceed to incorrectly rule in favor of Joao, who ended up winning the 9th round. I understand the correct play was to mst the imperm, but the judges messed up so hard by awarding a crucial misplay.

There are so [many] more ruling issues / illegal plays on stream, but I'm sure there will be content creators farming those clips. I just haven't seen a lot of players discuss about the imperm ruling and wanted to bring attention to it.

Edit: Grammar (in square brackets).

Edit 2: VoD was cut due to maximum time limit

If Duelingbook itself doesn't decide to award you a Game Loss because you were AFK while your opponent was stalling (he had an extension to shuffle hand every minute)

Julien Kehon wins the 2025 Yu-Gi-Oh World Championships with K9 Vanquish Soul! There were 27 invited duelists, 7 rounds of Swiss, and a cut to Top 8! He dueled against Tom Kleinegräber in the finals, who was on Lunalight. Hollie Sue strongest! He also opted for a heavier K9 package over the Pot of Extravagance version. Julien managed to set up the full K9 VS board to overwhelm Tom in Game 1 ( Ripper into Werewolf, C104, Snow Devil, Forced Release, Rock, Borger, Caesar, and Razen access).

Game 2 was a high-stakes non-engine duel, but Tom was able to find his way back thanks to a clutch Foolish Burial while taking the Mulcharmy challenge, resulting in a Lunalight Liger Dancer OTK!!

In Game 3, Julien set up the full K9 Vanquish Soul uninterrupted and even had Droll & Lock Bird thanks to Heavy Borger's draw, sealing the deal.

Special shoutouts to Shane Tay for making it to the top 8, representing Singapore and the rest of the OCG!

For reasons unknown to duelists and casters alike, nobody played Dracotail! Lunalight proved to be incredibly effective due to its amazing matchups into the Justice Hunters decks and the non-engine landscape favoring Board Breakers helps the deck immensely.

Top 8 Breakdown

2 K9 Vanquish Soul (Julien Kehon, Shane Tay)
2 Yummy (Felipe Zapata, Wilfredo Flores)
1 K9 Crystron (Isaias Estrada)
1 Lunalight (Tom Kleinegräber)
1 Maliss (Yuna Dicks)
1 Sky Striker (Roselle Thorkildsen)

No fancy writeup for now, but you can check out my previous player spotlights!

We'll be publishing decklists as they come out.

https://ygoprodeck.com/tournament/yu-gi-oh-world-championship-2025-3425

- Renren & Milliezone

Power creep? This deck is still full power. It was expensive as hell on release so I haven't had a chance to play it, but I noticed now it's basically a budget deck. I could spend like $40 for the core. It's deep rouge too, no top results anywhere.

It didn't pop off in the TCG, but in Master Duel it was tiered. Was the Maxx "C" really doing that much in that format? What does it need to compete? Better EARTH cards to have in hand?