Putting his deck-building skills and master strategy to the test, Jeff Jones of Detroit, MI beat out Renaldo Lainez from Quincy, MA for the title of Shonen Jump Champion in New Jersey. This event was a historic moment, marking the 75th event. Jones triumphed out of the field of over 2,263 other players all striving for the title.

Both players put everything they had into their final match which came down to the wire, something not uncommon in professional tournaments. Cheering fans, friends, and family members watched the intense battle. In the end, Jones’ Quickdraw Dandywarrior deck won over Lainez’s Gadget deck.

Jones and his peers took home prize packages including the Dark End Dragon prize card, an event-exclusive game mat, a 64 GB music player (complete with docking station and speakers), a netbook, and other things. Can we say I’m jealous? On top of all that, Jones received a complimentary subscription to the popular Shonen Jump magazine and will be doing an interview for feature on shonenjump.com. He also gets a paid trip to the National Championship this year, courtesy of Konami.

Duelists can now turn to the upcoming Yu-Gi-Oh! Championship Series (the new name for the Shonen Jump Championship) at the Dulles Expo and Conference Center in Northern Virgina on May 15-16. Good luck to all new players, and congratulations again to Jones for his victory.