Japan 2023 Representatives Interview

Learn a bit more about the JP representatives for the World Championship.

Let’s take a look at the Deck recipes and interviews of the players who fought their way through the “Yu-Gi-0h! Duel Monsters Japan Representative 2023” event held on July 15th, obtaining the invitation to participate in the “Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship 2023”!

Winner: Akira Hasegawa
-Deck: Purrely
Decklist here
-Duelist interview:
Q: Can you tell us how you feel at this moment?
A: After losing last year, and finally winning this type of tournament for the first time becoming number one in Japan, I simply feel overjoyed!

Q: For how long have you been playing in the “OCG”? Also, for how long do you usually Duel?
A: I’ve been playing since the “Starter Box” from the very first series.
Normally I use one full day of the weekend when a tournament approaches to focus on the “OCG”, and I do it quite often when some other event approaches. Normally I play for 3 hours during weekdays and 8 hours during weekends. As for my opponents, I invite people on social media who have a high motivation to play the “OCG” and contact some friends that want to practice, however I don’t practice with just a set group of friends but rather a varied group of players.

Q: The event was held directly after the application of the July F/L List, but could you tell us your reasons behind you choosing this Deck or some of the cards that you used?
A: “Purrely” being strong while both going first and second was the top reason. It can be interrupted by hand traps like “Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring”, “Maxx “C”” or “Infinite Impermanence”, but it’s easier to use than other Decks and it can create strong boards in many different situations.

Q: Regarding the Side-Deck that you used, which Decks did you specially focus on countering?
A: I focused on “Rescue-ACE”, “Purrely” and “Tearlaments”. While practicing using “Purrely”, the most inconvenient card was “Retaliating “C””, so I used “Retaliating “C”” myself; also for “Rescue-ACE”, since they can avoid “Infinite Impermanence” and “Effect Veiler” easily, I used “PSY-Frame Gamma” and “PSY-Frame Delta”.

Q: Can you tell us about some card(s) that you felt were “the MVP of this tournament” and some scenario(s) were that was reflected?
A: Before top 4, my opponent went first and I stopped him, but he used “Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring” on my “Pot of Prosperity”, and since I had “PSY-Frame Gamma” in my hand, I negated the effect of “Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring”, while at the same time Special Summoning it, using it as material for a Link Summon and Link Summoning “Sky Striker Ace – Azalea”, destroying my opponent’s set card. As a result, my “Pot of Prosperity” successfully resolved while at the same time I got monsters on the field, and furthermore an opponent’s card was destroyed, for a very favorable end result.

Q: Tell us about your expectations for the World Championship.
A: I will become the world champion!

Finalist: Kazuya Sakamoto
-Deck: Rescue-ACE
Decklist here
-Duelist interview:
Q: Can you tell us how you feel at this moment?
A: I’m just exhausted (laughs).

Q: For how long have you been playing in the “OCG”? Also, for how long do you usually Duel?
A: I first tried it when I was in elementary school. I stopped playing during middle school and high school, but eventually returned when I entered university. Normally I play at the Satellite Shops and stores holding official tournaments, and I’ve won several small tournaments. I mostly Duel against the regulars at those stores. There are many players who participate in tournaments and I get to meet them and exchange our contact information so that we can socialize and Duel frequently. For this event, I had some of those players helping me in fixing my Deck.

Q: The event was held directly after the application of the July F/L List, but could you tell us your reasons behind you choosing this Deck or some of the cards that you used?
A: I used “Rescue-ACE” for this event, but I already had my eyes set on how powerful “Turbulence” is. In the booster before “Duelist Nexus” (“Cyberstorm Access”) both “Purrely” and “Mikanko” got 2 new cards, but Rescue-ACE only got 1. I was thinking how powerful the Deck would be if there was an easier way to get “Turbulence” on the field, and since right after that “EMERGENCY!” came out in “Duelist Nexus” to Special Summon it from the Deck, I realized that this would definitely make the Deck a lot stronger and decided to use it.

Q: Regarding the Side-Deck that you used, which Decks did you specially focus on countering?
A: Dimension Shifter is very effective against most Decks. And for that, I think “Rescue-ACE” being a Deck that can easily incorporate “Dimension Shifter” was not a bad choice.

Q: Can you tell us about some card(s) that you felt were “the MVP of this tournament” and some scenario(s) were that was reflected?
A: It has to be “EMERGENCY!”. It can also be used to protect “Turbulence”.

Q: Tell us about your expectations for the World Championship.
A: Even if I don’t win the tournament, I want to win at least once.

3rd Place: Keijirou Yamashita
-Deck: Labrynth
Decklist here
-Duelist interview:
Q: Can you tell us how you feel at this moment?
A: I lost, but I’m very happy that I made it this far.

Q: For how long have you been playing in the “OCG”? Also, for how long do you usually Duel?
A: During 2009, the game became popular at class, so I bought some cards for my younger brother, but I ended up wanting some for myself and I started playing as well. Lately the friends I used to played with have other responsibilities, so it’s hard to match our schedules and I end up fixing my Deck by myself. After the Area Tournament I didn’t play any tournaments until this event.

Q: The event was held directly after the application of the July F/L List, but could you tell us your reasons behind you choosing this Deck or some of the cards that you used?
A: I used “Labrynth” for this event, which can make use of many powerful Trap Cards, and is stable enough to fight against “Purrely”. “Big Welcome Labrynth” is particularly strong, but it’s also possible to reuse it with “Transaction Rollback”, increasing its adaptability.

Q: Regarding the Side-Deck that you used, which Decks did you specially focus on countering?
A: Keeping in mind how it’s hard to use “Dimensional Barrier” against “Rescue-ACE”, I added “Barrier Statue of the Abyss” and “Evilswarm Knightmare” and other Rank 4 Xyz Monsters that can be used as interruptions. I’m also using cards like “Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit” that can be used against any Deck over cards that can only be used in limited scenarios. Specially “Archfiend’s Ghastly Glitch”, which I used to replace “Dogmatika Punishment”, helped me destroy the “There Can Be Only One” that my opponent activated. I think “Dogmatika Punishment” is standard, but because there’s a big risk of banishing [certain monsters] with the effect of “Pot of Extravagance”, I did not use it.

Q: Can you tell us about some card(s) that you felt were “the MVP of this tournament” and some scenario(s) were that was reflected?
A: “Archfiend’s Ghastly Glitch” as I previously mentioned, and also using “Xyz Encore” to get rid of “Expurrely Noir”.

Q: Tell us about your expectations for the World Championship.
A: I lost today, but I will get my revenge at the World Championship!

3rd Place: Mizuki Higuchi
-Deck: Purrely
Decklist here
-Duelist interview:
Q: Can you tell us how you feel at this moment?
A: It’s strange to get all the way here even though I thought I had no chance to win. I had the chance to participate in large scale tournaments before, but I could never make it because of the plane schedules or my own…that’s why this is my first time participating in a national tournament.

Q: For how long have you been playing in the “OCG”? Also, for how long do you usually Duel?
A: I tried the game for the first time in elementary school, but I mostly collected the cards. I started playing seriously for the first time when I got into university, playing a tournament once every 1 or 2 months. Aside from tournaments, I frequently play in a small Card Shop in Sapporo.

Q: The event was held directly after the application of the July F/L List, but could you tell us your reasons behind you choosing this Deck or some of the cards that you used?
A: I used “Rescue-ACE” in the Area Tournament, and some days before I practiced with both “Rescue-ACE” and “Purrely”, but I had a hard time winning against “Purrely”, so I figured “might as well use “Purrely” then”. Then I ended up losing to “Rescue-ACE”. Because my opponent kept an eye on “Purrely” and built his Deck around it.

Q: Regarding the Side-Deck that you used, which Decks did you specially focus on countering?
A: I used “Ghost Belle & Haunted Mansion” against “Labrynth” and 1 “Herald of the Abyss” against “Purrely”, swapping out the “Triple Tactics Thrust” in my Main Deck. I added 1 “Different Dimension Ground” for “Tearlaments” but didn’t end up siding it in too much.

Q: Can you tell us about some card(s) that you felt were “the MVP of this tournament” and some scenario(s) were that was reflected?
A: “Epurrely Plump”. By the time I realized, it was my go-to card. I even won [a/some] Duel(s) because of this card. In the last Duel I had a hard time against “Dimensional Barrier”, but that’s just how things go.

Q: Tell us about your expectations for the World Championship
A: I’ll do my best without getting worked up too much.

5th Place: Daiki Kaneko

-Deck: Tearlaments
Decklist here
-Duelist interview:
Q: Can you tell us how you feel at this moment?
A: I’m surprised, because I never though I would become one of the Japanese representatives.

Q: For how long have you been playing in the “OCG”? Also, for how long do you usually Duel?
A: I began playing about 2 years ago. From that point, I wanted [a/some of the] playmat(s) offered as a prize for the Ranking Duels, so I began participating in tournaments. I usually play once a week in a Card Shop in my hometown.

Q: The event was held directly after the application of the July F/L List, but could you tell us your reasons behind you choosing this Deck or some of the cards that you used?
A: The reason I chose “Tearlaments” was because it wasn’t changed too much from the previous format. With the most recent list, “Kashtira Fenrir” was Forbidden, but it doesn’t affect the Deck too much, also “Tearlaments” itself as a Deck has a lot of Limited and Semi-Limited cards and I didn’t have much time to modify it, so I thought about using this Deck.

Q: Regarding the Side-Deck that you used, which Decks did you specially focus on countering?
A: First, I used “Radian, the Multidimensional Kaiju” against “Purrely”. This card is DARK, so it has synergy with “King of the Swamp” through the effects of the “Tearlaments”. For “Rescue-ACE” I used “Harpie’s Feather Duster” and “That Grass Looks Greener”. Because “Rescue-ACE” spams a lot of monsters and then sets 4 Spell/Trap Cards, this in turn means that I get to send even more cards from my Deck to the GY using “That Grass Looks Greener”. And by doing that, I can exploit the better parts of my Deck a lot easier.

Q: Can you tell us about some card(s) that you felt were “the MVP of this tournament” and some scenario(s) were that was reflected?
A: “Tearlaments Scheiren” was pretty good today. Because it’s a card that can suddenly pop out of the hand and begin circulating, as opposed to cards that can be used when Normal Summoned. Even if “Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring” is used against it, you don’t lose any cards, and it remains in your hand, also it can discard synergic cards like “Agido the Ancient Sentinel” and “Kelbek the Ancient Vanguard”, or another “Tearlaments” that appeared in my hand.

Q: Tell us about your expectations for the World Championship.
A: Since I’m attending, I’m going there to win.

Source.