Tendou Misaki

We're now stocking structure decks based around the finalists of the WRGP. They come in Riding and Standing variants. They're selling pretty quickly, so hurry by.

Also, with the extra business generated by the WRGP, I'm hiring again. I'll take online applications, but it's easier if you hand it in in person.

Streets should be safer from Ghost for a while.

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[If you're driving around, you probably saw something weird: Specifically, Exodia over a duel lane, blasting the shit out of things. And judging from the trail of very real destruction, it's not a good thing. Several Duel Lanes are taken out of commission by the shots, walls are melted, in some places the ground is utterly destroyed. Occasionally, here and there, are some melted remains of a bike or a robot, as Exodia only clipped them.

At the end of this trail of chaos is a blue-haired shopkeeper, patiently waiting for the police, as she has a relaxing smoke. She looks serene enough that you might think she hadn't even noticed the destruction behind her.]

Back from the KCI2 expo. Tiring, but pretty interesting. Store's still in business, so you did well, Samasu.

I2 and KC are both having trouble, it didn't really go well for either of them. Here's the cliff notes:

-I2 is definitely marketing XYZ as ace monsters, even though they're designed as support. There were questions asked about the new Gagaga Magician's effect and if it was an indication of an attempt to phase Synchros out entirely, which went unanswered. Either way, don't look forward to Synchro support in the future.

-With the recent anniversary of M&W (the prototype to DM), they've decided to release retro decks. Nothing competitive, but fun for collectors.

-They're also making competitive structure decks, based on some of the world's greatest duelists. A Yuugi deck (Black Magician focus) and a Kaiba deck (no Blue-Eyes, of course, but a competitive dragon beatdown) are confirmed. Oddly, it seems like there's two separate E-Hero decks in this, too. The stage guy got asked if a Jonouchi deck was also being planned, but his response was 'If Kaiba lets us'. It seems like if it is happening, it will be a Warrior focus, as the Red-Eyes becoming a structure deck card met with some pretty fierce resistance.

-The new banlist was shown. BLS-Envoy was unbanned. Yuugi's the only major duelist confirmed to own a copy, so no one cared.

-It looks like they're trying to slow the game down again, from Synchro's super-speeding it. It's not going to work.

-After the commercial success of Jerry Holkins' novel series of the Stories of DM, it looks like the story of Gagagigo is getting its own full-length film. It seems like they're trying to get Billy West to voice Gagagigo, and Crispin Freeman for Marauding Captain.

-The marketing of Duel Terminals seems to be going well. They've begun work with American company EA to produce Riding Duel Terminals for arcades as well.

-Dungeon Dice Monsters is making a big comeback with a new marketing campaign. With the advent of Duel Disks, DDM fell by the wayside, since Disks allowed for holo-duels anywhere, while DDM still required a holo-table, dice shooter, and the works. But they unveiled a compact, folding board that fits in a game box and has everything needed. It's being marketed as a home game to contrast with DM's outdoors game. DDM is also getting its own 3DS game, a demo of which was playable. Right now, all it has are the monsters DDM shares with DM, but that should be fixed by release. They're also setting up Swift Black Ninja to be the game's mascot.

-KC is also developing a Solid Vision attachment for the 3DS to allow projections of the game into real space. The goal is to allow Solid Vision duels using game-created decks. It's still in the planning stages, with powering a Solid Vision projector with a 3DS battery being the big problem, but third-party developers are already all over this.

-Sony has withdrawn support for Duel Monsters 2012: Egyptian Armageddon, probably from being annoyed about all the 3DS focus. It seems like I2 is simply adapting it to the 360 instead. Canadian band Your Favorite Enemies has agreed to do the theme and some of the soundtrack, probably to get Japanese sales up.

-Fan outcry cancelled over 50,000 preorders of DM vs Capcom. It looks like the game might not even make it to release, now.

-KC has also announced its intentions to move into the home console market with Solid Vision gaming consoles. Power's the problem again, with most homes unable to do anything. Plus, a lot of people still remember the disaster of DM-Quest, last time KC started making its own games, and the initial reports of Solid Vision duels causing heart attacks in the old. KC says they intend to solve power problems by making Momentum more widespread, but he's meeting some major resistance from Prime Minster Kan.

That's the major notes, anyway. If anyone's got questions, go ahead, but you might not get an answer.

It's a bit sudden, but what would everyone think of a new years' tournament?

... I don't think I'll bother with stocking much of the Exceed sets.

Heaven's Road card shop/garage's reopened today. We're stocked all the supplies anyone needs for the WRGP. We're also already busy enough to hire extra help, so if that interests you, come turn in an application at the store, it won't take long.

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[True to the journal post on the network, on one of the main downtown areas, a new shop has (re)opened, with lots of pomp and circumstance. A big sign for HEAVEN'S ROAD, fliers everywhere, lots of advertising, hiring, and a couple NPC girls in costume advertising. Or pushing, if they think they can get away with it. Misaki herself is inside, running the place, and with the rush for the WRGP, place is hella busy, but there's lots of cards, parts, and what have you.]