Yu-Gi-Oh! players vie for shot at World Championships

Yu-Gi-Oh! players from Sydney, Newcastle, Canberra and further afield will descend on Orange next month, duelling it out to win a shot at a world title.

Yu-Gi-Oh! is a popular trading card game that pits players against each other in a one-on-one duel using specially curated decks of cards, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. The object of the game is to remove your opponent’s 8000 ‘life points’ but the gameplay encompasses practically limitless variables.

Good players need planning, strategy and a small amount of luck.

In a first for a regional town, Orange will host a Yu-Gi-Oh! Regional Tournament, with the top eight players winning invitations to attend and compete in the Oceanic Championships, a qualifying event for the Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championships.

“This is the first time that it has ever been this side of the Blue Mountains,” said Games n More owner Nic Drage, who is hosting the local event.

“The closest to Orange that a regional event has been held is either Penrith or Canberra, so it is pretty big for us to get this!”

The trading card game is extremely popular all over the world. The last World Championships in Japan had about 4,000 players attend.

“Which is absolutely mind boggling,” said Nic. “It is quite popular and it is growing all the time. We hold events every Sunday and we generally get between 12 to 16 players coming every week.”

Since announcing the Orange Tournament, set 15 December, 40 players have already registered.

“Even with a month to go before the event we've got about 40 people who have pre-registered. We have people coming from Canberra, Sydney, Newcastle — people travel a long way for these events!”

The tournament is being held at the Orange Ex-Services Club and will have the capacity for 80 players to participate, making it one of the biggest qualifiers in the state, said Nic.

“People wouldn't think that a trading card game can attract people from all over but if you win the Oceanic Championships, you get a paid trip overseas to represent the country,” said Nic.

“Plus, it's a great way for people to interact as well. You get to meet a lot of interesting people and it’s a lot of fun!’