Say hello to James Markowitz, who will be representing North America at the Yu-Gi-Oh World Championship in Paris, France! James is originally from Los Angeles, but now resides in West Lafayette, very close to Indianapolis where he won his invite! We sat down with James for a bit after his big win.

You’re headed to France to play in the Yu-Gi-Oh World Championship! How are you feeling?

“I’m so excited to go back to Paris, it’s one of my favorite cities,” James said. He said he’d lived in Europe for a time and had traveled a lot while there. “A chance to go back to Paris and play the game I enjoy, it’s an amazing feeling, I can’t even describe it.”

You played Mitsurugi Ryzeal in the event. What made you pick this Deck?

“Every time I play a Deck, one of my personal requirements is a strong going second ability, and Mitsurugi Ryzeal has the strongest going second ability of any Deck in the game.”

How did you prepare for today?

James made sure to shout out his team mates with Frozen Card Gaming, who helped him playtest, as well as fellow WQP competitor John Wilkin.

What were you most worried about heading into today’s tournament, and how did you prepare for that?

I was just thinking everyone in the playoffs most likely were very good players or they wouldn’t have made it this far. But I think the biggest concern wasn’t the skill level of the players, but the amount of variance in the format. When skilled players play each other, a lot of it comes down to variance and what cards are drawn.

The World Championship is a very different format, with a unique card pool and Forbidden & Limited List. How do you plan to approach the World Championship format?

James said his plan was to analyze the Forbidden & Limited List and deduce which Decks are the best, and which of those will be the most played. From there, he hoped to “devise a strategy against what I expect to be the most played.”

One last question: what’s your favorite Yu-Gi-Oh card?

“You know what, after this, it’s gotta be Triple Tactics Talent.” James was referencing his game-winning play, where he used Talent to take control of a Primal Being Token with 8600 ATK.

“I actually thought I would lose that game because my hand was so terrible. I opened three or four bricks and one starter card, but I was able to bait out his other interruptions and take the Token to attack for game.”

Any closing thoughts for the people out there?

“I’m super excited and I’ll see everyone in Paris!”