Today the results of the Asia Circuit Memorial Tournament, Nagoya Stage, were made public through cf-vanguard JP. Continuing the trend of Narukami dominance and the current format's adamant avoidance of the break ride mechanic, the Eradicators now have a stranglehold on the Japanese professional scene. Gauntlet Buster Dragon and Dragonic Descendant have come out as the most prolific units of the 2013 tournament season, and because of a certain controversy surrounding today's tournament results, their deck is being pointed to as the new "The End" of the format.
Event champion Kokubo Hikaru's Eradicator deck is notably a card-for-card copy of Uemura Shouhei's first place deck from the Osaka championship. As the results of the Osaka event were publicized on March 19th and the Nagoya stage took place on the 30th, there was ample time for Kokubo to have read Uemura's decklist. Meanwhile, runner-up Samura Naoya is getting attention as the first Narukami cardfighter to use Vowing Sword Dragon in an official tournament, and the first to make use of Dragonic Descendant's superior ride.
The Memorial Tournament operates under special rules which require cardfighters to use more than four grade 3s in their deck, shutting down one of the major strategies of the late 2012 format. Widely believed to be an attempt at closing off the kind of play that had been steadily gaining ground among pro fighters since the end of the winter championship, this modification seems to have become a kingmaker scenario for the Eradicators, as the Kagawa-style Magatsu Storm and revived Blaster deck that had been so prominent during this year's opening Trio Festival have been crippled by the new rule. This has left Dragonic Descendant to take center stage as the major self-standing vanguard of Japan's current tournament season, much like Dragonic Overlord The End and--in the EN format--Spectral Duke Dragon before him.
Prizewinner: Kokubo Hikaru/小久保光
Grade 0
x1 Spark Kid Dragoon (FVG)
x4 Eradicator, Dragon Mage DT
x4 Eradicator, Yellow Gem Carbuncle CT
x4 Demonic Dragon Eradicator, Seioubo HT
x4 Divine Spear Eradicator, Pollux CT
Grade 1
x2 Rising Phoenix
x1 Dust Storm Eradicator Tokou
x4 Eradicator of the Ceremonial Bonfire, Castor
x4 Eradicator Wyvern Guard, Guld
x4 Eradicator, Demolition Dragon
Grade 2
x4 Eradicator, Thunderboom Dragon
x4 Eradicator, Spark Rain Dragon
x3 Dragonic Deathscythe
Grade 3
x3 Eradicator, Dragonic Descendant
x4 Eradicator, Gauntlet Buster Dragon
Runner-up: Samura Naoya/佐村直也
Grade 0
x1 Eradicator, Strike Dagger Dragon (FVG)
x4 Eradicator, Dragon Mage DT
x4 Eradicator, Yellow Gem Carbuncle CT
x4 Demonic Dragon Eradicator, Seioubo HT
x4 Divine Spear Eradicator, Pollux CT
Grade 1
x4 Sword Dancer Eradicator, Hisen
x4 Eradicator of the Ceremonial Bonfire, Castor
x4 Eradicator Wyvern Guard, Guld
x2 Eradicator, Demolition Dragon
Grade 2
x4 Eradicator, Thunderboom Dragon
x4 Eradicator, Spark Rain Dragon
x4 Conquering Eradicator, Zuitan
Grade 3
x4 Eradicator, Dragonic Descendant
x1 Eradicator, Gauntlet Buster Dragon
x2 Eradicator, Vowing Sword Dragon
