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Meet Bryan Arita

Bryan Arita, also known as JBPandaTurtle on the Bandai forums, has recently engraved his name in Battle Spirits history as the first player to win the title of U.S. National Champion. Bryan hails from Southern California, where he plays in weekly tournaments at Njoy Cards & Comics. He began playing the game during its first month of release in August 2009. Bryan's competitive portfolio of games includes "Yu-Gi-Oh!, Pokemon, Naruto and Magic: the Gathering." Bryan attributes a good portion of his success to his years of experience playing those games, giving him a mental edge in tournaments. Regardless of his experience, Bryan has always had the drive to become the best; looking to prove his ability to everyone and justify a place for him as a pro player.

The Birth of a Champion

The road of a champion is a difficult one and Bryan's journey to the top was no exception. Among the many obstacles and difficult decisions that he made while walking along the path to victory, there was one particular obstacle that Bryan was forced to make after posting his deck on the Bandai forums. Several days before the tournament, he posted the decklist that he was planning on using at the event on the Bandai forum boards. Upon posting his deck, he faced a lot of ridicule and torment from the members of the forum for many of his card choices.

He had felt devastated by the comments he received regarding his deck. However, instead of crumbling under his sudden depression and despondence, Bryan instilled himself with confidence by using the comments as a crutch in order to force himself to modify his deck into a more consistent version.

Taking On Nationals 2009

As in any big tournament, everyone attends to win. Nationals 2009 was no exception as Bryan described the atmosphere as "heated". However, he wasn't consumed by the flames of competition; finishing with "undefeated with 2 draws, 7 wins - 0 losses - 2 draws." His strategy for tackling Bandai Gameday (Nationals) was not simple in the slightest. It took a lot of testing and a vast amount of knowledge of the meta in order to make the decisions that he made. According to Bryan, what gave him an edge over the competition was his use of a few tech cards: Invisible Cloak and Leavwolf.

Taking On The World in 2010

Now that he has claimed the very first National Battle Spirits TCG Title, its only natural for him to be looking at whats next. Bryan didn't have to look far as Bandai thoughtfully laid it out right in front of him as one of his prizes. That prize being a free trip to Osaka, Japan to compete in the Battle Spirits TCG Worlds in Spring 2010.

Defending His National Title in 2010

With the claiming of this title comes the responsibility of defending it in the following year. Next year everyone will be vying for the National Title; looking to get a shot at the champion. Bryan was nice enough to offer advice to all the anxious Battle Spirit fans out there looking to gain a leg-up on the competition in the interview that follows.

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Interview with Bryan Arita a.k.a. JBPandaTurtle

ABOUT THE PLAYER

Cameron McKay [CM]: What is your local game shop?

Bryan Arita [BA]: I've been going to Njoy Cards & Comics since the start of the game and have been cultivating a player base since the game started (three or so months).

CM: What state do you hail from?

BA: Southern Area of California

CM: Have you played any other games?

BA: I've played Pokemon and Magic: the Gathering competitively. I also played Naruto and Yu-Gi-Oh! semi-competitively.

CM: Would you say that playing these games has contributed to your success in the Battle Spirits TCG?

BA: It could have. It definitely helped with my mental game.

CM: Did you compete in any big events in any of these games?

BA: Not really. I have only competed in Naruto Regional Tournaments (Chuunins) and locals.

CM: Do you think that gaining the mind set from attending Chuunin events helped you cope with the pressure at Bandai Gameday?

BA: I believe it has.

CM: How did you first get introduced to Battle Spirits TCG?

BA: I was looking through an issue Shounen Jump Magazine and saw the ad for a free demo deck. I decided to try it since I've been longing for another TCG to play.

CM: After receiving the demo deck, what were your first impressions of the game?

BA: I liked it a lot. It was simple, making it easy to get other people to play.

CM: What attracted you to playing the Battle Spirits TCG competitively?

BA: Nothing really. I wanted to play just to play. I always wanted to be the best in something.

CM: Have you always had a drive to give everything your best in hopes that you could attain your current position?

BA: Yes I did. My parents didn't really support or like me playing TCGs. I set out to change that in Battle Spirits.

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BANDAI GAMEDAY

CM: Were you pleased with the turnout at Bandai GameDay?

BA: Yes. I thought there would be 50 or less people showing up. There was much more.

CM: What was the atmosphere like at the tournament?

BA: The atmosphere was very heated. Everyone wanted to win.

CM: What was your official record at Nationals 2009?

BA: I went undefeated with 2 draws, 7 wins - 0 losses - 2 draws.

CM: What deck gave you the most problems at Nationals?

BA: The hardest match-up for me was the semi-final, where I faced a Mono Purple deck.

CM: Was that because it was a mirror match or do you think the play style made it hard?

BA: His play style made it very hard and he was a very solid player. The Mono Purple mirror didn't help my cause much either.

CM: You had posted your Nationals winning deck on the forums a couple days before the event took place. You were ridiculed by many users on the forum about how your deck was not competitive. What are your thoughts on this?

BA: I knew the deck could work, but it wasn't as consistent as I wanted it it to be. On the last day before the tournament, I made some changes to make it as consistent as possible.

CM: Would you say that the criticism helped you make those changes?

BA: It really did. It hit me pretty hard, but I knew that I could make it better. I think I would have changed it either way but the criticism pushed me to do it.

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AFTER THE WIN

CM: How does it feel to win Nationals with a deck that many people thought shouldn't have won?

BA: It feels really good. The cards that I teched in really helped me win lots of games. e.g. Invisible Cloak and Leavwolf.

CM: How important do you think tech was in your victory?

BA: It was very important because sometimes these cards became my win condition. I would rush or needed to take that extra life to win. Invisible Cloak did that for me.

CM: Now that you are the official Battle Spirits 2009 National Champion, what are your future plans?

BA: I really want to keep playing well and hopefully establish myself as one of the best players. I also really want to win worlds. Winning worlds would most likely help the game grow here in the US.

CM: What are your strategies for taking on the world in 2010?

BA: I'm going to build the best decks I can and then try to build one better until I have one that is the most consistent. If I'm over in Japan before Worlds, I will check out several locations local meta.

CM: Do you have any advice for players wishing to take on the title of US National Champion in 2010?

BA: I would say that the most important thing is to have fun. If you are having fun and playing to the best of your ability the wins will come. I would say that a loss isn't the end of the world. Learn from your mistakes and you will grow as a player. Luck is always a factor in TCGs. If you lose to luck, lose with a smile on your face. It will eventually be your turn to get lucky.

That is most certainly very helpful advice to someone who is inexperienced in the tournament scene. Taking a loss to luck is definitely a very difficult thing to do. However, being gracious about it comes with experience and although it may not seem fair at the time, it is definitely part of playing the game. I think I can speak for the Battle Spirits community in wishing Bryan 'Good Luck' at Worlds 2010 in Osaka, Japan. He will be representing all of the North American Battle Spirits players. I know he will have a good showing and will do us all proud.