Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG - Dragon Slayer Report: WCQ Arapiraca Regional

Today, we'll go over the WCQ Arapiraca Regional, one of the most anticipated Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG events in the Northeast of Brazil. Duelists from 40 different cities gathered at this event to compete, and it was also the first time I travelled out of state exclusively to play Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG.

The journey to Arapiraca was long, but full of promise. Though I didn't get the results I wanted, three players in my team got into the Top 8. This solid performance consolidated the quality of our team at a regional level.

Below, check out everything that happened at the WCQ Arapiraca Regional!

Context

The WCQ Arapiraca Regional took place in Arapiraca, Alagoas, on December 7th, 2025. It was a historic event for that local Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG community, as a record-breaking 185 players were present. This number shows how strong that local community is and how the competitive community grew in the Northeast of Brazil, considering players are willing to compete even outside the big cities.

The tournament started, as usual, around 10 am. The local temperature wasn't the best and it was quite hot inside the venue, but the team of judges and organizers were ready. They managed to lead it well and with a lot of attention to detail. Each match carried on as it should, even though the local conditions weren't comfortable.

The atmosphere at the event was competitive, but welcoming. Most players were quite serious, particularly in the final rounds, but not hostile, and overall people got along well.

WCQ Arapiraca Regional - Top 8

The WCQ Arapiraca Regional Top 8 included the main decks in the current format, as well as a few "underground" lists that also conquer space when piloted well.

1st Place - Sky Striker - Leonardo Luan Barbosa Bittencourt

2nd Place - Yummy Mitsurugi - Kelvin Bruno Ferreira de Araújo

3rd Place - Yummy Solfachord - Robson Santos da Silva

4th Place - Yummy Mitsurugi - Marcelo Victor Batista da Silva

5th Place - Odion - Thiago Torres dos Santos

6th Place - Dracotail Branded - Bruno Silva de Souza

7th Place - Vanquish Soul K9 - Deyvis Alcides Lola Soares

8th Place - Lunalight Fiendsmith - Edmilson do Santos Barbosa Filho

The WCQ Arapiraca Regional was also an important step for both Dragon Slayer, our team, and Cards Realm, one of the biggest Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG news outlet in the country. Representing Cards Realm at a tournament of this level made our team a lot more visible, and was also an opportunity for us to show our work as a competitive team and as content creators.

Throughout the event, us Dragon Slayer players were active at all times. We shared our experiences with players from different states and tried to show how much we have been working to achieve our competitive goals. Attending the WCQ Arapiraca Regional was a consolidation of our partnership with Cards Realm in big events, regardless of our individual performances.

To compete with 185 other players and perform well, we had to prepare ourselves thoroughly, study the meta, and try to be consistent. Dragon Slayer's dedication to this event is a direct reflection of what we want to achieve as Cards Realm partners: uplift the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG competitive scene, particularly in Brazil.

Three Dragon Slayer Players in the Top 8

Three Dragon Slayer Players managed to get into the Top 8 of the WCQ Arapiraca Regional and put our team under the spotlight. This number is also a reflection of how much time and dedication each of us put into this tournament. Before they conquered this incredible accomplishment, each of these three players had to face different obstacles and learn different lessons, with their own style and strategies.

3rd Place - Robson Santos

Dragon Slayer Captain Robson Santos decided to play Yummy Solfachord, the Yummy variant that best balances power and consistency in the current meta. Santos is known for regularly playing tournaments in Recife, and, as such, is a very consistent player. He managed to perform well even when facing different strategies. This was the first time he got into a Top 8 at a Regional tournament, and also proof of how strong he is as a Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG player.

1º Round - Regenesis Kashtira - Win

2º Round - Gem-Knight - Win

3º Round - Eldlich - Win

4º Round - Yummy Mitsurugi - Loss

5º Round - Branded - Win

6º Round - Vanquish Soul K9 - Win

7º Round - Yummy - Win

8º Round - Dracotail Branded - Win

5th Place - Thiago Torres “Buffon”

Buffon is one of our "imported" players. He is from Lagoa dos Gatos, and doesn't play as many local tournaments as he'd like for logistics reasons. However, when he does get to play in Caruaru, he usually performs really well.

Buffon, who is loyal to control strategies, used Odion, one of his best lists. Even after losing his first round, Buffon proved to be resilient and adapted throughout the tournament to guarantee his spot at the Top 8, his first one.

1º Round - Orcust - Loss

2º Round - Memento - Win

3º Round - Gem-Knight - Win

4º Round - Dracotail Branded - Win

5º Round - Dragonmaid - Win

6º Round - Dracotail Branded - Win

7º Round - Dracotail Branded - Win

8º Round - Yummy - Win

8th Place - Edimilson dos Santos “Missinho”

Missinho prefers to save his efforts and only focus on big events. Once again, he decided to play Lunalight Fiendsmith, mainly to counter Yummy. It ended up being an excellent decision, as he performed really well and guaranteed his spot in the Top 8. It's his second Top 8 at Regional events in a row.

Most notably, Missinho was at table 1 during the last round at the WCQ Arapiraca Regional, so he was fighting for the lead at the event. This is how incredible his performance was.

1º Round - Dark Magician - Win

2º Round - Fire King - Win

3º Round - Lunalight - Win

4º Round - Ryzeal Mitsurugi - Win

5º Round - Yummy - Win

6º Round - Yummy Mitsurugi - Loss

7º Round - Yummy Solfachord - Win

8º Round - Sky Striker - Loss

Honorable Mention: Top 32

Besides three players in the Top 8, Dragon Slayer also put a few names among the Top 32 players at WCQ Arapiraca Regional. Marco Sobral (namely, myself) and Ector Menezes performed really well throughout the tournament, despite being unable to get to the coveted Top 8.

29th Place - Marcos Sobral

Just like my captain, I decided to play Yummy Solfachord because of how consistent it is and because it has a lot of space for handtraps, which fits my game style really well. Curiously, my three losses were against Recife players, and the last one was against one of my teammates, Missinho.

1º Round - Blue-Eyes Primite - Win

2º Round - Gem-Knight - Win

3º Round - Crystron K9 - Loss

4º Round - Memento - Win

5º Round - Vanquish Soul K9 - Loss

6º Round - Blue-Eyes - Win

7º Round - Lunalight Fiendsmith - Loss

8º Round - Orcust Fiendsmith - Win

32nd Place - Ector Menezes

Ector Menezes played Dracotail Branded. This list is considered by many the best deck in the format because it performs really well against Yummy. Ector got to the last round with a decent chance to get into the Top 8, but unfortunately couldn't win his last match. His losses were against naturally difficult opponents, Maliss and K9 variants.

1º Round - Melodious - Win

2º Round - Blue-Eyes - Win

3º Round - Super Quantum - Win

4º Round - Vanquish Soul K9 - Loss

5º Round - Maliss - Loss

6º Round - Yummy - Win

7º Round - Dracotail - Win

8º Round - Crystron K9 - Loss

The WCQ Arapiraca Regional meta was diverse, though it welcomed tier 1 lists like Yummy, the most popular strategy in the Top 8. Besides 3 Yummy lists, other meta lists were also a part of the Top 8: Dracotail Branded, a Yummy counter, and Vanquish Soul K9, a Dracotail counter.

At the same time, a few decks flying off the radar, like Sky Striker, Odion, and Lunalight Fiendsmith, proved there is space for less popular choices. They only have to be well-thought-out and based on the right meta read.

Like so, the WCQ Arapiraca Regional meta was dynamic and diverse. Preparing to face the most popular decks was as important as adapting to the least popular opponents. In the end, multiple approaches could compete for a slot at this event, which proves how competent the players that got to the Top 8 were.

The WCQ Arapiraca Regional was a critical Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG event for Brazil's Northeast region, both considering how many players attended and considering how competitive they were throughout each round.

Despite a few structural difficulties, like the local temperatures and the lack of air conditioning in the venue, the organizers managed to lead this event efficiently. As a result, most players were able to stay until the very end and felt motivated to compete.

The WCQ Arapiraca Regional ended up being a very high level competitive event, with space for many different decks even in a "resolved" format, and was led by a solid team. It became one of the most relevant events in the Northeast of Brazil this year.

What do you think? Tell us your thoughts in our comment section below.

To learn more about the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG universe, keep browsing our articles.

Cards Realm thanks you for your support!