Yu-Gi-Oh! sweeping the area

Kids, adults hooked on hot card game

By Lisa Iannucci
For the Poughkeepsie Journal

Karl Rabe/Poughkeepsie Journal Nick Schindler, 14, of New Windsor, plays a Yu-Gi-Oh! match against Amber Thompson, 9, during a tournament at Champion Sports Cards in the Town of Poughkeepsie. Every Sunday, the store hosts a tournament that draws players from throughout the area.

Move over, Pokemon, for the new cards in town. Kids and adults alike are becoming hooked on a card game called Yu-Gi-Oh! that pits mystical creatures against one another in magical duels.

''I didn't think anything would ever depose Pokemon, so when Yu-Gi-Oh! came along, I had my doubts,'' said J. ''Pygmaelion'' Pigula, hobbies manager of Dragon's Den in Poughkeepsie. ''But it caught everybody by surprise. Pokemon was targeted to the young children, but this card game can be played by anyone.''

Yu-Gi-Oh! is a family affair for Vincent O'Dell of Poughkeepsie, whose father bought him his first starter pack.

''It's fun because I like the variety of monsters you can duel with and you do learn math,'' said the 13-year-old.

Vincent's mother, Jill Green, has always enjoyed card games, and now plays Yu-Gi-Oh! too. ''I'm not into the monsters, but I like the challenge of the game. I also play so I can help my kids when they have trouble.''

The game is based on the WB network cartoon that premiered Sept. 29, 2001. Yu-Gi-Oh!, which like Pokemon started in Japan, is the story of Yugi and his best friends, Joey, Tristan, and Tea. They share a love for the newest game that's sweeping the nation: Duel Monsters. The game, packed with awesome monsters and mighty spell cards, has totally obsessed Yugi and his friends.

Kids love the show

According to WB network, ''Yu-Gi-Oh!'' is the top program among all competition, including cable, for kids age 6 to 11 and tweens 9 to 14. Among kids 2 to 11, the series tied Nickelodeon's ''Spongebob SquarePants.''

The hot TV show is now a hot card game. The object is to win a match against your opponent that consists of three duels. Each player begins a duel with 8,000 life points, which decrease as you lose a battle. The first person to reduce the opponent's life points to zero wins.

''It's not a game of chance, like the card game 'War,' but it's an analytical game that teaches kids strategy and math skills,'' said Bill McDonough, owner of Champion Card Collector in Poughkeepsie. ''The kids have to learn how to strategize to keep their points''

Upper Deck, the card company that manufactures the Yu-Gi-Oh! line, has kicked off an official Duelist King Tournament Program to give fans a chance to compete. More than 12,000 people have already signed up to participate in this year-long competition. The program spans five regions in North America, with the first program culminating next July. Players accumulate points for each match won and can track their overall standings on the Duelist King Tournament Web site to see how they compare to other kids in their local area, state or region.

Both the Dragon's Den and Champion Card Collectors are sanctioned tournament sites. In fact, Champion redesigned the store to fit more players. The first tournament had 12 participants, but by the fourth week, there were more than 40.

''Pokemon cards were more for collecting,'' said McDonough. ''Yu-Gi-Oh! cards provide an immediate entertainment value and those who buy them are not buying them for the cards' monetary value, but because of its playability.''

During practice time at Dragon's Den, you can find kids dueling in empty aisles and on floors. Every Friday, Bridget Depew drives for 45 minutes from Newburgh so her and her neighbor's children can duel other players.

''There's nothing like this on our side of the river,'' said Depew. ''It's clean fun and gets them off the television.''

Sean Donahue, 33, says it's better to get together with his friends drinking soda and playing Yu-Gi-Oh! than go to the bar. ''We enjoy the pace of the competition and the strategy and counter-strategy. I can think of other things that are worse than doing this. It's harmless.''

''It used to be baseball cards, then comics, then Pokemon cards,'' said Pigula. ''Now it's Yu-Gi-Oh! It doesn't feel like math or strategy. It's just a fun game.''