Scribe's Note: This article is Jason May's (aka Limelight) Worlds Experience Blog and will receive periodic updates as we receive them.

Flight to USA

Jumping on a plane to go to America for the third time in 8 months to play a trading card game is quite surreal. Before starting Grand Archive, I never thought I would have a reason to go to America, nor could I afford it, for any reason. Now, embarking on the 20-hour trek to compete in the Grand Archive World Championships feels like an insane pipedream at my age. What started as a cool concept investment evolved into falling in love with the game, helping grow and run events for the community, and eventually becoming one of the 16 players to qualify for the coveted World Championships. I'm feeling excited, nervous, and anxious all at once. Questions are swirling in my head: Did I make the right choice? Can I do well for my country? Do I deserve to be in this spot? Have I practiced enough? (And, on a lighter note, why is Tristan so hot?) Fortunately, one of my teammates also qualified and will be here to support me. This week in LA, I'll be focusing solely on practicing. I thought it would be a great experience to write a blog throughout the days to share my feelings and experiences with everyone. It's daunting to be involved in such a high-stakes tournament, as your mind wrestles with whether to accept you aren't good enough and play a 'meme' deck for fun or go for gold. I'm sure my deck will undergo at least 35 changes, as it has in all past tournaments where I've made last-second adjustments. I'll keep you updated as we count down to the big day - the Grand Archive World Championship.

Update #1

I've spent the last week in LA and will soon fly to Vegas for the World Championship. Despite this, I've actually slowed down my practice. I was sticking with my comfort pick, Diana, as I've had plenty of repetitions and knew which match-ups were good and which were bad.

After losing to my wife numerous times at the Airbnb, I decided to just enjoy the trip in general. It's not often you get to visit a new place and play your favorite card game in a casino venue - two of my favorite things combined!

I was savoring the time spent with the people around me, enjoying the camaraderie and being in the moment. The game is more than just an amazing competitive TCG; it brings like-minded people together to share their passions and enjoy their daily lives together.

The venue has been incredible, and I'm sleeved up and ready to play! Let's do it for Australia and the SEA guys who are supporting me!