Hey guys, Chief Siddharth here. YCS Chicago just concluded this weekend, bringing us a much changed competitive hiatus than that of ARG Detroit. Time to look at the standings, popular cards and decks in use.

Congratulations to Stephen De Lara for winning the YCS. He piloted a Nekroz deck till the draft pick, similar to his opponent Barrett Keys. The ironic thing is that both these players met in the final of YCS Tacoma, only for the reverse result to occur. 

The tournament saw a massive number of people tied on points leading up to the 11th round of Suisse.

For the round 9 Suisse results, click here. Prominent names such as Patrick Hoban coasted through the Suisse. The Suisse lasted 11 rounds and dug into day 2, as the lowest players were cut from an otherwise as-per-usual YCS turnout. 

Breakdown of decks in the last 32

• Nekroz– 17
• Tellarknight-6
• Shaddoll-3
• Burning Abyss-3 
• Qliphort-2
• Ritual Beast-1

The last 32 saw some rogue deck eliminate themselves, and left a staggering amount of Nekroz. The pairings can be found here. 

Breakdown of decks in the round of 16

• Nekroz- 11
• Tellarknight- 3
• Shaddoll- 1
• Qliphort- 1

YCS Chicago Key Cards:

• Artifact Lancea- countered trishula very well
• Mistake– prevention proved better than cure as mistake prevented the Nekroz searches better than shared ride.
• Secret Village of the Spellcasters– Shaddolls employed this card to shut out Nekroz spells and boy did it work. Falco’s continuous presence on the field was capitalized upon.
• Denko Sekka- Made a stirring comeback this YCS, saw quite a bit of play in Nekroz decks. 
• Effect Veiler– Hand traps all the way. 

 Analysis

• Nekroz players learn their lesson. With MST back in main decks post Detroit, Nekroz players also began to main Denko Sekka. The half decent tellarknight showing and shaddoll artifacts’ newfound popularity meant that this card put in a productive shift. 
• Mistake and Shaddolls show synergy. The thunder king rai-oh without legs put in a similarly productive shift as it gave Shaddoll players the edge in the Nekroz matchup. In fact, some dolls used Denko Sekka too. This is promising for Shaddoll users as next month we will see a new Shaddoll neutralize the Nekroz threat too. Will the feared deck of old restore its past success?

• Tellarknights exceed expectations. Konami’s heir to the throne has disappointed in the past and has a single YCS to show for all its exploits. Yet the promising numbers which saw multiple tellarknight players outclass their peers means that their all set up for the new releases. Zefras are not too far away either. 
• Qlips on the edge. Once more, the odd Qliphort player set himself up for the knockouts, catching the ignorant player off guard. Yet the future Zefra support will likely shut this deck out. The Qliphorts aren’t leaving without a fight though. 
• Rogue yet to get recognition. Gladiator beasts and Sylvans haven’t made the comeback expected. 

The release of world superstars next week means the results of this YCS won’t set the tone for the future yet. Heroes will live to tell the tale.

For tier rankings this format click here.

That’s it for this post, hope everyone enjoyed.