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c economist suntribune saturday aug 3 2002 3 cards stacked against parents yugioh takes over from pokemon in plucking parents pocketbooks by kathleen griffin staff writer here yugioh again first there was the pokemon craze trading cards tv show gameboy games then came digimon a whole new digital way to drain your wallet now for parents who have already shelled out hundreds of dollars for their childrens cur rent card collections and games theres a new fad its yugioh and its big bigger than anything that has come before according to one markham dealer i get 100 kids a day in the store easy more on the week ends all demanding the latest yugioh starter decks and booster packs explained brian duquette yugioh dealer and owner of variety in the mcdonalds plaza at mccowan road and 14th avenue from now until christmas this will the biggest thing he predicted i try to watch and see whats happening out there i dont make the bandwagon but if one goes by ill hop on yugioh has become more popular than pokemon because it appeals to a broader age range six to 15 its like a combination of pokemon and the knights of armour game magic the bat tles are intense the characters large as life and the kids love it winning a duel is my favourite part said cody day 11 you need a good strategy and you need good cards his duelling partner for this day cody wells 9 likes to col lect the rare cards ones with names like seiyaryu and blue eyes white dragon and exodia exodia is the ultimate card said cody wells because its actually five cards representing different parts of the body to make up one strong opponent if you have all five in your hand at the same time its an automatic win he said each card has attack points and defence points if your card doesnt have enough points to defend your opponents attack youre gone to the graveyard the gameboy game plays along the same lines you battle other duellers who are playing their cards its really good said cody w i play it all the time and my friends and cousins all play it too its pretty fun way better than pokemon its the hot new collectible and everyone wants it over the last three or four months sales have tripled for a small store like mine that means its hot yugioh is it yugioh was invented in japan in 1996 by kazuki takahashi a boy called yugi finds an egyptian artifact called the mil lennium puzzle its supposed to be unsolv- able but yugi unlocks it and the result is the creation of an alter ego chosen to protect the world yugi and his friends play a card game called duel monsters but yugi doesnt real ize the game has evolved from a 5000yearold game that at one point threatened to destroy the world mr duquette said the mar keting behind the craze is top- notch for example releasing five million cards when the worldwide demand is 100 mil lion they keep the cards in short supply and that just fuels the flame he said there are two series avail able the legend of blue eyes white dragon and the metal raiders the third is due out midaugust he said when no one else has stock i order from the united states and the united kingdom mr duquette said having stock consistently makes a big difference the phone rings off the hook with kids calling to see what we have he sells starter decks with 50 cards a cheaper way to go than booster packs for 2299 limited edition booster packs go for 899 while regular boosters nine cards each sell for 599 every retailer sets his own price petro canada stations have yugioh booster packs for 499 mr duquette has just returned from a stockbuying trip to buffalo in preparation for the canadian national exhibition at the end of the month in toronto he has 50000 worth of yu- gioh cards ready for what hes certain will be massive demand its the hot new collectible and everyone wants it he said over the last three or four months sales have tripled for a small store like mine that means its hot yugioh is it duelling codys cody wells 9 above bottom and cody day 11 duel in yugioh a game of strategy that orig inated in japan and unfortunately for parents wallets has moved to this side of the ocean the game involves battling each others card monsters left dqbkbhhebsrarbmkehbmusn october 25 26- ana z7in mmcraiii jranyrounas the home show with a difference featuring fpet pavilion in the kitchenhealthy lifestyle centre kidsmart building renovation interior design decor call today to secure prime exhibit space at this v itiljjj i phmiinarrl rrnc sales building event ssssfe ulliyilwiii licjk wvmmarkhamhomeshowcom homes 905 6421908 ext 232 18882117288 ext 232 roofing aluminum windows garden basket markville ford publishing group jwsfwwwlfwpsf obsxk