A YCS is a gathering of Duelists of all backgrounds, from the most experienced to those just getting started on their journey. We spoke to a few Duelists who are stepping up their game by attending their very first YCS!

First up, we have Saxton Porter, shown here with his favorite card and its counterpart: Stardust Dragon and Accel Synchro Stardust Dragon! This 23-year-old Duelist lives right here in Houston, making this the perfect chance to check out a YCS! At local events, he would usually spend a lot of his time trading, but there’s just so much more to do here. He said he had been preparing a lot and was excited to try his Blue-Eyes Deck in the Main Event. He also enjoyed seeing so many fellow Duelists gathered in one place.

After speaking with Saxton, we sought out a few more first-timers. What we found was a whole squad of them!

This group of Texas Duelists are all attending their first YCS this weekend! Shown here we have Ephram Hebges, Carlos Motta, Henry Nguyen, Alex Sanchez, David Payare, Zane Lassiter, Ian Galloway, Andrew Lo, and Maury Funez, plus a few more Duelists that squeezed in at the last second. This was a huge team! Here’s a few of their thoughts on the event.

Sitting in the front and center, we having Zane Lassiter, from nearby Dallas. This 25-year-old Duelist is playing Bystial Fiendsmith Maliss in the Main Event. He’s got high hopes for a Day 2 finish, but he’d be happy to play in some Public Events if that doesn’t happen. His favorite card is Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss, but he didn’t bring his Burning Abyss cards with today – instead, he’s showcasing Mansion of the Dreadful Dolls.

On the far left in back, we have 20-year-old Carlos Motta, who’s also from Dallas. He’s got hopes for a Day 2 finish, but admits he is a little out of practice. First and foremost, he just wants to have a good time using his Crystron Deck. Carlos said his favorite card was Heavymetalfoes Electrumite, and he’s shown here with Crystron Quariongandrax.

Next up is David Payare, wearing orange in the back. He’s 22, from Katy, Texas, and has brought Genex Runick to test his mettle in the Main Event. He’s been to a Regional Qualifier before, and plenty of local tournaments, and now he’s excited to be here at his first Tier 3 event. David is shown here with his favorite card and a key part of his Deck today: Genex Ally Birdman!

Good luck to all of our first-timers as they take their Dueling adventure to the next level at YCS Houston!