THERE'S a group of pro trading card players who have been battling weekly in Bunbury to kick butt and take names in Yu-Gi-Oh.
Held at Beyond Games and Hobby at the Homemaker Centre, players meet weekly to be part of Beyond's South West Yu-Gi-Oh tournament.
The Mail visited the tournament on Wednesday, April 20 to learn all about the game from avid Yu-Gi-Oh player Pat, who first began playing in 2014.
"The tournament runs best out of three, with each game consisting of two players who play a deck of cards against one another, with the main deck containing anywhere between 40 and 60 cards," Pat explained.
"Then you have a side deck with anywhere from zero to 15 cards, which you can swap out to try and counter your opponent.
"Each card has art work of what the card is including the name, the effect and the attack and defense card.
"There's definitely some great aspects of the game, and for me I love the creativity of making your own deck and finding some real, high value cards."
The Yu-Gi-Oh franchise was created by Japanese entertainment conglomerate Konami in 1999.
The trading card game spinoff, which is practiced by players at Beyond Games and Hobby, is a collectible card game where players draw cards from their decks to use 'monster attacks' to reduce their opponents 'life points' which start at 8000.
Beyond Games and Hobby owner Matt Denham said the tournament began less than a year ago in response to increased interest from the community.
He said in addition to offering a competitive environment for the trading card game, Beyond Games and Hobby was all about creating "an inclusive environment for all".
"Our rules on inclusivity mean that we don't discern between people in anyway - everyone is welcome and it doesn't matter how you identify," Mr Denham said.
"Having that environment is so important to me personally because the main demographic we see here is males between 17 and 23, so it's incumbent on myself and my staff to really set a good example to the young men here.
"What you don't tend to notice is that a lot of people that come here suffer from some sort of social anxiety, so being able to come here and share the same interests with others enables them to come out of their shell a little bit.
"We're not just a retail business - there's a community here and people depend on us which goes much further than is immediately obvious - we have a responsibility to this community."
Beyond Games and Hobby hold Yu-Gi-Oh tournaments every Wednesday from 5pm with prizes awarded for winners.
The store also offers games of Dungeon and Dragons, Warhammer 40,000 and more.
To get involved, visit the store on Facebook or call 91172751.