Yu-Gi-Oh!", "DUEMA", and "Vanguard" released their competing products on the same day - a report from Akihabara on the gachinko showdown of TCGs, which is about to get underway!

On April 17, 2021, three of Japan's leading card game publishers will simultaneously release three new products that are "competitive" in nature.

VG-D-BT01] Cardfight! Vanguard overDress Booster Pack #1: Dawn of the Fifth Great Century
DMRP-17 Duel Masters TCG Ourai-Arc Expansion Pack Vol. 1: Osei Densetsu Chokudo (Legend of Osei Chokudo)
YU-GI-OH OCG DUEL MONSTERS DAWN OF MAJESTY

The details of each product are described below. The details of each product will be described later, but the simultaneous release of these stand-alone items was a highlight of the day and drew a great deal of attention at card stores. Stores in Akihabara that opened early in the morning on the day of the event were said to have lines of nearly 100 people waiting for their doors to open. At the "Trekker's Cave" in front of the station, there were too many customers to be processed even after numbered tickets were distributed, and in the area where the trading card game stores were gathered, there were huge lines even before opening time.

Since crowds were anticipated in advance of this year's event, each store devised measures to deal with the crowds, such as staggering the opening time for each floor and distributing numbered tickets. My personal feeling is that stores further away from the station were more likely to take advantage of the earlier opening time, resulting in a more dispersed crowd. Still, it has been a long time since I have seen people standing in line at TCG stores even before the stores opened, and this is a positive sign for the TCG industry as a whole.

In the area where trading card game stores are concentrated, long lines formed early in the morning!

At the DRAGONSTAR Akihabara store, the "Vanguard" floor was opened ahead of other stores, and more than 50 people formed a line.

Found at the Trekker's Cave Tower store. A gold-colored limited edition card of "Duel Masters TCG Ousei Densetsu Chokudo" was priced over 200,000 yen! (*Prices and availability vary.)

Shooting Savior Star Dragon" from "Yu-Gi-Oh OCG." The limited edition cards with high rarity were sold from the side they came in, and the actual items could not be confirmed.

The card illustrated by CLAMP for "Vanguard overDress" was listed as a top seller by several store clerks.

In the historical novel "Sanguozhi Yanyi," there is a plan called the "Heaven's Third Plan," which was advised by Zhuge Liang Kongming to Liu Bei in order to unify the country under the rule of heaven. In order to consolidate the unification of the country, a single strong nation must not be allowed to exist, and it is also not good to have a group of small nations in disarray. The idea is that it is desirable to maintain a balance among powerful nations.

When I got off the train at JR Akihabara, I could smell the scent of a wind and cloud even in the age of 2025. At the Atre in front of the Denkigai Exit ticket gate, "THE iDOLM@STER SHINY COLORS" is currently being developed as a collaborative project. In the 2.5-dimensional idol and related genres that I love, "THE iDOLM@STER" country and "LOVE LIVE! countries have reigned supreme in the 2.5-dimensional idols and related genres. or "Tokyo 7th Sisters," a third country suddenly appeared under the guidance of the heartbeat of a star and took over the map. The name of that country was "Bandolier! Country. It is a newly emerged country led by Takaaki Kitani, an owl of the turbulent world.

Then, on April 17, 2021. In Akihabara, another battle between the three kingdoms was beginning. The name of the battlefield is a three-way sales battle between the trading card games "Vanguard," "Yu-Gi-Oh," and "Duel Masters.

The battle of three competing products with different titles is a historical singularity.

The world of trading card games is one of rapid rise and fall, but in recent years, the two strongest players in the domestic TCG world have become clear. These two titles are "Yu-Gi-Oh OCG" and "Duel Masters. Both are strongly influenced by "Magic the Gathering," the original TCG. Konami's "Yu-Gi-Oh OCG" is strongly associated with Shueisha and Weekly Shonen Jump, while Takara Tomy's "Duel Masters" is closely associated with Shogakukan and CoroCoro Comics. The history of this area is sticky, heavy, and interesting, with many companies and relationships involved.

But what we need to know now is that the trading card game world has a very large first-mover advantage, and "Yu-Gi-Oh OCG" and "Duel Masters," which have a 20-year history, reign as the absolute powerhouses. In other words, they are the "iM@S" and "Love Live! in the TCG world.

And as mentioned above, this weekend, three big titles were released by these two plus "plus one".

The first one is "DMRP-17 Duel!

DMRP-17 Duel Masters TCG Ourai-Arc Expansion Pack #1: Ousei Densetsu Chokudo.

This is the 20th anniversary of "DUEL MASTERS" and the 20th expansion pack of the series "Orai-Arc". Recent DUEMA has included time travel as a motif, and "Osei Densetsu Chokudo" features re-recordings of popular cards from the past, as well as re-recordings of popular creatures from the past. It's a concept that will delight fans of the past and make them want to pick it up again. However, the rules of "Duel Masters" will change drastically with the rule revision on March 16, 2021. Changes in the duel environment are inevitable, and it can be said that this title is somewhere between nostalgia and innovation.

Supporting comments from stores
Among the three titles, the response from users of "Duel Masters" is still very enthusiastic. (Duel Masters sales representative)
The popularity of "DUEL MASTERS" is very high, but we are limited in the amount of packs we can ship, so there is a limit to how much we can sell in stores. It's a pain and an itch to be so popular (Mr. T, a manager class member who was sent out to support the event).

Next is "Yu-Gi-Oh OCG DUEL MONSTERS DAWN OF MAJESTY ".

This is the first basic pack of 2021 that contains cards that all duelists must have. Many people may have an image of "Blue-Eyes White Dragon" when they think of "Yu-Gi-Oh," but the most powerful type of dragon is still a special presence in this work. In this pack, the "Stardust Dragon" controlled by Yusei Fudo in the "Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's" anime gains new powers and evolves. Come light!　Shooting Savior Stardragon! This pack is a must-have for those who are intrigued by the phrase "Shooting Saver Star Dragon!

Supporting comments from the store.
We have a "Yu-Gi-Oh!" on the first floor of our store, and of the three titles, we still feel that "Yu-Gi-Oh! We have double or triple the number of customers than on a normal weekend.
The dragon used by the main character in the anime is often sold (as a single card). (A person in the office at another store)

Finally, another title of note is the "[VG-D-BT01] Cardfight! Vanguard overDress Booster Pack #1: "The Dawn of the Fifth Great Century".

Vanguard overDress" is a booster pack featuring the world of the TV anime "Cardfight! Vanguard overDress," a new series based on the world of the TV anime "Cardfight! Vanguard overDress," the first booster volume has made its long-awaited appearance. In this series, three starting decks were released on March 25, 2021, including "Yuyuu Chikando -Tenrin Seiryu-", and on April 3, 2021, "Megumi Okura -Kyukaku Beast King-" and "Tomari Seto -Gokkou Senki-", which together form a starting deck inspired by the decks controlled by five characters. This booster pack is a very distinct concept that can super-charge these starting decks.

[Supporting comments from the store
●I feel that "Vanguard" is gaining a lot of momentum, and the cards drawn by CLAMP are very popular because of their nice designs (manager of DRAGONSTAR).
I have the impression that a new demographic is buying the new anime and new title, which is different from the existing titles (Manager Class T, who was dispatched to support the store).

Popular titles differ from store to store, and it was apparent that stores that start selling a particular title early in the day tend to attract fans of that title. As expected, "Yu-Gi-Oh!" was very popular, but there were also stores that listed "Vanguard" as the most popular title.

TCG users seem to have a contradictory nature in that they are very conservative, but at the same time they are always looking for something new and interesting. Yu-Gi-Oh!" and "Duel Masters" have been incorporating measures to tickle the hearts of old users, such as the reprinting of cards. In the midst of all this, "Cardfight! Vanguard overDress," which is now available with a new animated series with a new image, will it become the eye of a typhoon?

Looking at the three titles, it seemed as if there was a great deal of enthusiasm for the new season in April and for the store tournaments that are finally on the horizon. The title that wins this weekend in Akihabara may well lead the trading card game world in 2021. This is a rare festival, so why not pick up a product and cast your vote for a title you would like to support?

The current headwinds are hard on both trading cards, which are played in person at stores, and the stores that handle the products. That said, I hope that the trading card game industry will continue to work together in friendly competition, and that the industry will be able to rise together as a vanguard of the industry.

(Reporting, writing, and photography by Kiri Nakazato)