The Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship 2024 has concluded, and the newly crowned winners have opened up about their experiences with this exclusive post-tournament interview.

Ruben Penaranda, the Yu-Gi-Oh TCG World Champion, revealed he’s been playing since 2011, with a brief hiatus until 2016. Penaranda highlighted “Nightmare Pain” as the MVP card in his tournament deck, enabling unexpected One Turn Kills (OTKs) against opponents. “Many times, I felt like they weren’t prepared for the Nightmare Pain OTK, especially in my match against the Snake-eye,” Penaranda explained.

Furthermore, he emphasized the importance of surrounding oneself with supportive, like-minded people to improve and succeed in Yu-Gi-Oh, stating, “You can’t do it alone, no matter what anyone says. I believe this is proof of that.”

In the Master Duel category, Team 7, led by Canadian Ryan Yu, secured victory after placing second last year. Yu attributed their success to intense practice throughout the year and the experience gained from their previous tournament appearance.

“We spent a lot of time practicing over the past couple of months, and throughout the year, we were playing as much as possible to improve our skills in Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel,” Yu shared.

He recommended new players to include staple cards in their decks, advising, “If you’re building a competitive Master Duel deck, the first 12 cards you should have are 3 copies of Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring, 3 copies of Maxx ‘C’, 2 Called by the Grave, 1 Crossout Designator, 2 PSY-Framegear Gamma, and 1 PSY-Frame Driver, because the entire meta revolves around Maxx ‘C’.”

QuantumCubes, winner of the first official Rush Duel tournament, praised the format for promoting deck diversity. “I think it was pretty fun. I like the format. It pushed for more deck diversity, more different matchups,” he commented. Additionally, he highlighted four key character decks: Yuga’s Machine, Nail’s Yggdrago, Romin’s Psychic, and Roa’s Royal Rebel. His parting advice to fans was simple: “Play Rush. It’s very fun.”

In the Speed Duel format, 20-year-old Sebastian Vilarroel (known as Shelmy) emerged victorious. A Duel Links player since 2017, Vilarroel mentioned Chronomaly, Sky Striker, and Star Seraph as his favorite decks in the tournament. He expressed enthusiasm for potentially competing in Rush Duel Links next year, stating, “I really want to be here next year for Rush Duel Links because I really like that format, even more than Speed, it’s my favorite format.”

These World Championship 2024 winners interview provide a glimpse into the strategies and experiences of top Yu-Gi-Oh! players across various formats, showcasing the depth and diversity of the game at its highest competitive level.