The Competitive Season Returns in the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game

Hawthorne, Calif. (DATE) – The summer months are always the busiest for competitive Dueling, and this year is no exception! July and August are packed with products and events for the Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME (TCG), and fans won't want to miss out on any of them!

In June, the South America World Championship Qualifier (WCQ) 2025 took place in Bogotá, Colombia. Two Duelists – Felipe Zapata Bisserier from Argentina and Sebastian Alonso Serna Samame from Peru – bested the competition, securing their invitations to compete in this year's Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG World Championship 2025 in Paris, France on August 29-31. But in other parts of the world, the road to the World Championship is just beginning.

The first weekend of July kicks off the Central America WCQ in San José, Costa Rica from July 4 through July 6. The North America WCQ will be held the following week, from July 11 through July 13, giving more Duelists the opportunity to represent their countries at this year's World Championship.

In order to prevail over the competition, Duelists in both the Central America and North America WCQs will need to master the cards and strategies in July's first product release: Duelist's Advance! Duelist's Advance is a core booster set that releases right before the two WCQs are scheduled to take place. It contains a variety of cards inspired by Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal as well as popular themes from the past.

Yuma Tsukumo is the main protagonist in Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal, and some of his most popular monsters including Gagaga Girl and Goblindbergh get reimagined versions in Duelist's Advance. These cards help to advance Xyz Summoning strategies. With these new cards, Duelists will be able to Xyz Summon Number F0: Utopic Future Zexal – a powerful new monster that you can Xyz Summon by combining 2 Xyz Monsters of the same Rank.

Xyz strategies aren't the only ones boosted by July's core set. The ever-popular “Sky Striker” theme gets a powerful pair of new cards in Duelist's Advance, including a Link-2 monster that can Special Summon Sky Striker Ace - Raye and Sky Striker Ace - Roze from the Deck or Graveyard! Some of the early Psychic monsters that were first released in the Extreme Victory booster set in 2011 are also coming back with new versions in Duelist's Advance. These cards include powerful monsters for the Main Deck, as well as new Fusion and Synchro Monsters for the Extra Deck.

“Monarch” cards have been a fan-favorite for a long time, and there are a bunch of new ones in Duelist's Advance! These cards include a few Monarch Spells, a new Monarch Trap Card, a new Squire, and even a brand-new Level 6 Monarch Effect Monster! These cards will allow Monarch Decks to rise up and reprise their competitive reign!

In addition to new cards that support old Decks, Duelist's Advance includes a brand-new World Premiere theme and many more cards for Duelists to use with their strategies. Duelist's Advance contains a total of 100 new cards including 10 Secret Rares, 14 Ultra Rares, 26 Super Rares, and 50 Commons.

Duelist's Advance also marks the return of Starlight Rares to core sets. Those Starlight Rares will be approximately as rare as Quarter Century Secret Rares were in recent years, making them easier to get from core set booster packs than previously released Starlight Rares. 24 of the cards in Duelist's Advance are available as Starlight Rares in addition to their less sparkly rarities, and 1 special card in the set is ONLY available as a Starlight Rare

Strategies advance on July 4 when Duelist's Advance is first available in stores. MSRP is $4.49 per 9-card booster pack.
Duelist's Advance

In late July, Duelists attending the San Diego Comic Convention, Comic-Con International can take a break from the competition and enjoy a variety of activities at the KONAMI booth. These activities include demo experiences for Yu-Gi-Oh! digital games and the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG; free giveaways; the opportunity to create a custom Token Card by getting photographed at the Token Card Photo Booth; and a chance to Duel against top Duelists in the “Duel the Master” challenge. Attendees can also enjoy a preview of future product releases and may be able to purchase a limited edition San Diego Comic-Con Game Mat. The San Diego Comic Convention, Comic-Con International starts with Preview Night on July 23 and runs through July 27.

A week after the San Diego Comic Convention, Comic-Con International marks the release of the Justice Hunters booster set! Justice Hunters features three brand-new themes, each focusing on a different type of monster that can be Summoned from the Extra Deck.

The “Dracotails” are a Fusion-based theme involving Dragons and Spellcasters. “Dracotail” monsters have abilities that empower your Fusion Summons. Using a “Dracotail” Effect Monster as a Fusion Material, at a minimum, gets you a new “Dracotail” Spell or Trap Card from your Deck. The “Dracotail” monsters also have a variety of other effects that strengthen the impact of your Fusion Summons if they're used as Fusion Materials, or they have effects that make a steady stream of Fusion Summons easy to achieve.

The “K9” monsters are crimefighters from the future that come together to facilitate rapid Xyz Summons! The theme is adept at quickly Summoning Level 5 monsters and using them to perform Rank 5 Xyz Summons during either player's turn!

Finally, the “Yummy” theme is full of adorable plush kittens dressed as yummy desserts, coming together to complete a Synchro-based strategy! The Level 1 monsters in the Main Deck may not look intimidating, but they can easily gather on the field to make for some powerful plays. The “Yummy” Synchro Monsters are Level 2 monsters that let you treat a Link-1 monster you control as a Level 1 Tuner when Summoning them. That makes them flexible cards that are easy to Summon in Decks built around them. While the “Yummy” theme will appeal to casual Duelists for its cuteness and charm, it'll also appeal to competitive Duelists because of its unique style and strengths.

Justice Hunters contains 60 cards in total, including 10 Ultra Rares, 10 Super Rares, and 40 Rares. Some of the Rares are also available as Super Rares, and 15 cards in the set are available as Collector's Rares. Additional cards are available as Starlight Rares.

Justice is served on August 1 when Justice Hunters launches in stores. MSRP is $4.49 per 7-card booster pack.
Justice Hunters

August comes to a close with a blast from the past! Retro Pack 2 – which was originally released 16 years ago as a tough-to-find product – is once again making its way onto shelves! Just like with last year's re-release of the original Retro Pack, the cards contained in the new Retro Pack 2 booster packs will have the original card frames and card look, as well as the original card names and text. You'll also be twice as likely to find foil cards in packs compared to when Retro Pack 2 was originally released back in July of 2009, raising the odds of getting hit cards like Jinzo, Dragon Master Knight, Harpie's Pet Dragon, and Ring of Destruction. Retro Pack 2 contains 101 cards in total, including 48 Commons, 24 Rares, 10 Super Rares, 8 Ultra Rares, and 11 Secret Rares.

Revisit the past on August 22 when Retro Pack 2 hits shelves! MSRP is $17.96 per box, and each box contains four 9-card packs.
Retro Pack 2

For more information on KONAMI's extensive Organized Play programs, including opportunities for aspiring Duelists to learn how to play, go to www.yugioh-card.com/en/events.