Danner Hall is a place where magical things happen every day.
Whether it’s the savory aroma of the famous chicken that fills the room or the tables filled with students playing Yu Gi Oh!. As a student of three years at Delta, recently I learned there’s a minor turf war happening on campus between the Magic: The Gathering players and Yu Gi Oh! players, so choosing a ‘side’ was inevitable.
I decided to take my talents to Danner Hall with the Yu Gi Oh! players and start a duel.
With the help of Collegian entertainment editor, Dylan Loura, I could train like a true Yu Gi Oh! Master.
I prepared for the worst yet hoped for the best as I set off to my new exploration.
Then I gathered enough confidence to walk up to the first group playing Yu Gi Oh! in sight and I was immediately rejected.
I won’t lie, it hurt a bit.
It was swift sting to my ego, but I was determined to get the full Danner Hall experience so I approached the next group and to my surprise they were very friendly.
I started a game with Alex Brown, a frequent Yu Gi Oh! player at Danner Hall. My deck was older and considered outdated. One student compared the deck to being transported to the dinosaur age.
Nevertheless, I continued playing. Card after card, I was killed slowly by my opponent.
I stood absolutely no chance against Alex’s deck.
Alex did not inform me before the game started that he may possibly have the best card deck on campus.
Before entering Danner, I assumed that cards made in present day were similar and I would be able to find similarities between the two. I was wrong.
The new cards are more powerful and have many uses and tools. Overtime cards gained synergy, allowing them to be used in aid of each other.
“The problem with the old days was that they were all just separate,” said Loura. “it’s almost like someone took me out of the stone age and introduced me to an iPhone… my cards are from thirteen years ago.”
My loss to Alex was inevitable but I enjoyed every minute of learning the game. Thomas Elliot and Jose Madrigal were also present at the table.
After their game ended, Thomas brought out his collection to show us what some of the most coveted cards of the past look like.
Soon after losing, Thomas generously offered to play me in my second match with an older deck so neither player had an unfair advantage.
Assuming that the group was filled with Yu Gi Oh! masters of the past and present, I mentally prepared myself for a back-to-back loss.
I started the game with very little confidence in my abilities.
From what I had observed, Elliot was a smart player and carefully thought out his moves. I was intimidated to say the least.
The game began and I took a surprising lead. My knowledge of the cards’ attacking and defense powers was finally paying off. The game was thrilling and I felt powerful using my new found knowledge.
It all ended in about fifteen minutes with me being declared champion.
I was shocked yet incredibly proud of the game.
Never in my three years at Delta College had I experienced such friendly people willing to drop in and introduce themselves.
These people were nice and despite my lack of knowledge in Yu Gi Oh! I had a great time.
When I first decided to play cards in Danner, I assumed that I would play a game and have my full experience, but then I met Alex, Thomas and Jose.
They made me feel welcomed and were open to answering all of my ‘beginner’ questions when they were clearly advanced.
I made friends that day in Danner Hall.
Maybe it was something about the magic or Danner Hall’s own small community of game players and I’ll be back again.
