Lately players have speculated on what the future holds for organized play. The future meaning next year. >_< Who knows? Nobody really, but its pretty easy to make some educated guesses. Not only that, UDE has released minimal, but valuable information on next year's organized play.

The Western (USA) Banned List
        THE BANNED LIST IS COMING TO WESTERN SHORES. THE BANNED LIST IS COMING TO WESTERN SHORES. THE BANNED LIST IS COMING TO WESTERN SHORES. THE BANNED LIST IS COMING TO WESTERN SHORES. I cannot stress this enough. Most players, me included knew this would happen sooner or later. Now, let there be NO DOUBT IN ANOBODY'S MIND- THE BANNED LIST IS COMING TO WESTERN SHORES.

OFFICIAL UDE Release About the Banned List

Here's another resource about the banned list. Just something to keep in mind, DM7's view on the banned list is based on the way it works in the OCG, where you HAVE to play banned list in sanctioned events. According to the TCG release about the banned list, you have a choice. Actually you don't have a real choice. It's in the hands of the tournament organizer. You can pick and choose which tournaments you go to, which is a good thing in some aspects.
        I am Pro-Ban myself, but not in this way. The producers of this game have to choose one way or the other- if the tournament system (due to release October 1st 2004) works like it is described it would be the equivalent to drawing a huge line and telling each player to pick a side. That would be chaotic. Not to mention the fact that some large-scale tournaments would be Ban or Non-Ban so it wouldn't be fair to everyone. What about spliting the large scale tournaments in 2? That would be a major headache for everybody. Do you really expect UDE to run 2 World Tournaments? They may not be perfect, but I don't think they'd be stupid enough to do that. Personally, I think this game will follow Pokemon. The bans will be played in 75%+ of large-scale tournaments and they'll let you play non-ban casual. In other words, it wouldn't be smart to play non-ban for the most part. Why? Sitting down and playing non-ban while the "big dogs" play bans isn't going to help you around regional time.

Next Year's Regionals
        Speaking of regionals, here's a few things to keep in mind. There's no guarantee that they will start "Next Year." I am subscribed for an online newsletter from Kings Games (a store in NY that works closely with UpperDeck), and a recent e-mail says that they will be between September 1st and March 31. A copy of this e-mail is below this paragraph if you are blind. A lot of tournament organizers are already trying to get concrete dates. This means we have a lot of time to prepare. If you paid close enough attention, the Bans won't come out at the very start of regional season, so you Anti-banners might have a final (I use that term lightly) taste of "the old ways." That's only my view, of course.

Copy of Said E-Mail "Hi folks, Hope the summer is treating you well. We are currently working on scheduling the next round of Regionals (they will take place between September 1 and May 31 and qualify for the 2005 U.S. Nationals) and hope to have some concrete dates within a few weeks..."

        What you guys voted on was Next Year's Regionals, not the banned list, even if it is big news. As mentioned before they will take place between September and May. There is one undeniable fact surrounding these regionals... Chaos will be the dominant deck type. I guarentee it. In the end, it comes down, "Is your Deck Chaos or can it stop it?" The worst thing you can do against a strong decktype is to not have anything to stop it with. In other words, your side deck should contain somethings of this sort: Gravekeepers, Soul Release, Kycoos, End of Anubis, etc. IMO, Chaos decks got stronger with the bans... Painful Choice being gone is just a minor disadvantage- it just leaves room for another LIGHT/DARK Monster.
        What else will be played? Around the time of Regionals, we'll have the tins (Insect Queen, Obnoxious Celtic Guard, Swift Gaia The Fierce Knight, Blade Knight, Total Defence Shogun, and Command Knight), Soul of Duelist (first 61/62 english set, first set with an ultimate rare, and the first set with the same release date as its japanese counterpart), and a promo set, if my memory serves me correctly. SOD is the set that brings the new LvL monsters. Think Pokemonish evolution. There's one set of cards in this release that will bring about a wave a decks based on it. The Black Flare Horus Dragon LV.# cards. Read Edo's CotD on it. It gives free magic negation, so one whole dimension of your deck is pretty much useless. It also ties ATK with the Chaos monsters, so either of them with have to use their effect to kill it.
        A lot of people complain about the unfairness of regionals (placement, "luck factor"). There's nothing you can do to stop big states from getting 10+ regionals and smallers states getting none. You can plan ahead now, so you can not only take care of your decks, but you can also plan your trips. Here comes my next block- "Preparing for a Large Scale, Out of the Way Tournament AKA Regionals 2005."

Preparing for Regionals 2005

I. PLANNING

• The first thing you should do is to do a megascan of different tournament stores around you. Around you meaning within your Tri-State Area. Store Locator
  • Don't be afraid to call and ask "Do you plan on running regionals at your store?" Most likely if they are, you'll be able to know before its posted on the UDE site.
• BE SMART: Unless you/your child are/is like the Ultimate Yu-Gi-Oh player of All Time, don't go to a way out of the way regional with the exception of ones you were invited to (Nationals, Worlds). Why? It hurts twice as much to know that you wasted the money if you lose. Not only that, but unless the prize included free airfare, Nationals will be pricey to get to. Keep this in mind, especially if you are a soccer Yu-Gi-Mom/Dad.
• If you do go to out of the way tournaments, make sure you have the next day free. "Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong." Bad traffic, late flights... Its good to plan them during school breaks, if possible.
  • If you plan to stay there for 1+ days, you should definately make up you mind quickly and reserve a room. ESPECIALLY if it's one next to the tournament site or if it IS the tournamnent site.
• If you can, bring a friend. That way, if you lose anything or get distracted, they can watch your stuff.

II. WHAT TO BRING

• Deck List. You can pre-make it so you don't have to wait one line for a copy. here is an official one that is used in all official UDE tournaments. Ignore the restricted list at the bottom.
• Your Deck.
• Calculator+Pen And Paper. I say to bring both- if you accidently turn off your calculator or have one of those "Auto Turn Off" Calculators, you can lose the score.
• A closeable bag.
• Place to put cards you may trade/win/buy.
• Identification.

III. Before you leave...

• TRIPLE CHECK your supplies

IV. When you're there...

• Be paranoid and watch your stuff 24/7.

This is just a little heads up article. Thats all folks! Vote below!

Questions? Comments? E-mail at Suicune@optonline.net.

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