Guide · Naruto CCG · Tournaments
Every Naruto CCG champion, and the GenCon tournament history that survives (2006 to 2013)
Five championships, four champions, five cards designed by the winners, thirteen events with a surviving result and four complete decklists. This is everything we could trace for Bandai's 2006 to 2013 Naruto CCG to a report written at the time, with the gaps left as gaps.
Quick answer
The top title in Bandai's Naruto CCG was Sannin, the Legendary Ninja of North America, not a world title. A December 2012 retrospective names the champions: Joe Colon in 2007, Jerry Balentuangin in 2008, Thomas Cao in 2009, Eric Melone at GenCon 2010 and Thomas Cao again at GenCon 2011, the "Double Sannin". Each designed a card Bandai printed, from Just Like Drifting Clouds (mUS086) to Shikamaru's Decision (m848). For GenCon 2012 the same piece names 2nd to 5th place but not the winner. Bandai's own winner articles were never archived, so the record is what players blogged: we hold results for 13 events and four complete decklists, two from GenCon 2006 with card numbers.
Bandai published winner articles for its Shonen Jump Championships, and none of those pages were archived. There is no official results list left for the 2006 to 2013 Naruto CCG. What survives is what the players wrote: The Perfect Curve, a blog run by three top players from 2010 to 2013, Mull to Four Gaming from 2012 to 2013, and Pojo's 2006 deck columns. Everything below comes from those pages and Bandai's archived schedules, the same record behind our tournament decks and results hub. Where a report leaves something out, so do we.
The champions, year by year
The game's top title was not a world title. Bandai's ladder ended at Sannin, the Legendary Ninja of North America. Mull to Four Gaming's retrospective of December 31, 2012 names each champion and the card that champion designed for Bandai to print.
| Year | Champion | Title as reported | Card they designed | Code in our data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Joe Colon | North American champion (Sannin) | Just Like Drifting Clouds | mUS086 |
| 2008 | Jerry Balentuangin | North American champion (Sannin) | Long Awaited Reinforcements | m411 |
| 2009 | Thomas Cao | North American champion (Sannin) | Shikamaru Nara & Choji Akimichi Squad | Not matched |
| 2010 | Eric Melone | GenCon 2010 (the Sannin) | Monster Research | m740 |
| 2011 | Thomas Cao | GenCon 2011 ("Double Sannin") | Shikamaru's Decision | m848 |
| 2012 | Not named | GenCon 2012 | None reported |
Three notes on that table. Thomas Cao is the only two-time champion, and the retrospective says his 2011 win earned him the name "Double Sannin" or "Super Sannin". The 2009 card has no printed number in our record: our database holds several Shikamaru and Choji pairings, none under that name, so we link none rather than guess. And our database files Just Like Drifting Clouds mUS086 under both The Chosen and Foretold Prophecy; the link goes to the first.
For GenCon 2012 the retrospective gives finishes in passing: Stephen Garret 2nd, Nick Brady 3rd, Destin Earsery 4th and Thomas Veazie 5th. It never says who won.
How a player became Sannin
Bandai launched its Legendary Ninja Premier Series in October 2006, according to ICv2. Stores were grouped into five regions called villages. Players rose from Academy to Genin, Chunin and Jonin; one Kage was chosen per village, and the five Kages played for the Sannin title.
From 2010 Bandai America and VIZ Media added the Shonen Jump Championship series. Bandai's archived schedules list eleven events in 2010 ending at GenCon on August 7, six in 2011 ending at GenCon on August 6, and nine in 2012 including GenCon on August 18. Bandai also announced monthly Kage tournaments for 2010 to 2011, the first on December 11, 2010 at All Things Fun! in West Berlin, New Jersey, with GenCon as the highest level event.
Formats were policed by a Rogue List of restricted and banned cards for Unlimited and Block play; the version archived in December 2010 took effect on October 22, 2010.
Every event we hold a result for
Newest first; "Not named" means the report does not say.
| Date | Event | Where | Winner | Other finishes reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 30 to 31, 2013 | New York SJC 2013 | New York | Thomas Veazie (Tears and Rebirth) | Final: Scott "Dashy" (Genre) |
| August 18, 2012 | GenCon 2012 SJC | Indianapolis | Not named | 2nd to 5th, above |
| August 6, 2011 | GenCon 2011 SJC | Indianapolis | Thomas Cao | None |
| July 23, 2011 | Morristown, NJ tournament | Morristown, New Jersey | Joe Colon (Lightning/Wind True Allies splash Anbu/Biscuit) | Final: MJM (No Hand Water); Top 4: Genre, Dalegna |
| May 28, 2011 | Pennsylvania SJC 2011 | New Holland, Pennsylvania | Anthony Hernandez (No Hand Water) | Final: Ryan Severin (True Allies) |
| March 2011 | Minnesota Kage 2011 | Minnesota | Thomas Veazie | Winner only |
| December 11, 2010 | New Jersey Kage 2010 | West Berlin, New Jersey | Nick Brady | Final: Scott (Genre); 55 players |
| November 20, 2010 | Boston Chunin 2010 | Boston | Scott (Genre) | 2nd: Shodaime |
| August 7, 2010 | GenCon 2010 SJC | Indianapolis | Eric Melone | Final: Thomas "Knuckles" Veazie (Dreams); Top 4: Joshua Lu |
| June 12, 2010 | Georgia SJC 2010 | Lawrenceville, Georgia | Andrew Kardis | None |
| May 8, 2010 | Washington SJC 2010 | Lacey, Washington | Not named | Top 8 as posted |
| February 2010 | Chunin, February 2010 | Not named | Not named | Top 4: Joshua Lu, Amir |
| Ended August 13, 2006 | GenCon 2006 | Indianapolis | Not stated | Two decklists, no placements |
At GenCon 2010, Joshua Lu's own report says Veazie, who played him in the Top 4, "draws horri-bad in the finals and loses". The champion's name, Eric Melone, comes from two other sources. The New York 2013 report credits the winning deck's design to Saul Pena (zbkillaz).
The names that keep coming back
The same players recur. Former champions Thomas Cao and Jerry Balentuangin are both in the Washington SJC 2010 Top 8 as posted. Joe Colon, the 2007 champion, won the Morristown event in 2011 and is credited with the Washington updates. The name Thomas Veazie appears in four results: GenCon 2010 finalist, Minnesota Kage winner, 5th at GenCon 2012 and New York 2013 winner. Nick Brady won the New Jersey Kage and placed 3rd at GenCon 2012, and Destin Earsery is in both the Washington 2010 Top 8 and the GenCon 2012 4th place.
The four decklists that survive
No champion's list with card numbers survives that we could find. These four are complete as printed.
| Event | Player | Deck | Finish | List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GenCon 2006 | Dave Moll | Balrog's Rebuttal (mental hybrid) | Not stated | 40 cards, with numbers |
| GenCon 2006 | Ari | Not named | Not stated | 40 cards, with numbers |
| Chunin, February 2010 | Joshua Lu | Perfect Circle Circus | Top 4 | 50 cards, sideboard and reinforcements |
| GenCon 2010 SJC | Joshua Lu | Hello Hello (Good to be Back) | Top 4 | 50 cards and a 10-card sideboard |
Pojo calls Moll's list the deck "that took gencon and hickory con by storm". Lu's February 2010 list runs two copies each of Long Awaited Reinforcements and Just Like Drifting Clouds, the 2008 and 2007 champions' cards.
Where to go next
The cards in those lists are in the Naruto CCG card index, and every Naruto CCG set in order dates each set. Asking prices are on the Naruto CCG price index. The game is not entirely over: a December 2025 deck profile video invites viewers to a Discord server that hosts regular tournaments, played over webcam almost every day.
Frequently asked questions
- Who won the Naruto CCG world championship?
- The Naruto CCG had no world title in the sources we found. Its top title was Sannin, the Legendary Ninja of North America. Mull to Four Gaming's December 31, 2012 retrospective names the champions: Joe Colon (2007), Jerry Balentuangin (2008), Thomas Cao (2009), Eric Melone (GenCon 2010) and Thomas Cao again (GenCon 2011). It does not name the 2012 winner.
- Was there a Naruto card game tournament at Gen Con?
- Yes. From 2010 Bandai America and VIZ Media ran a Shonen Jump Championship series that ended at GenCon in Indianapolis: August 7, 2010, August 6, 2011 and August 18, 2012. Pojo also printed two decks played at GenCon 2006, which ended on August 13, 2006.
- Which Naruto CCG cards were designed by champions?
- Just Like Drifting Clouds (Joe Colon, 2007), Long Awaited Reinforcements (Jerry Balentuangin, 2008), Shikamaru Nara & Choji Akimichi Squad (Thomas Cao, 2009), Monster Research (Eric Melone, 2010) and Shikamaru's Decision (Thomas Cao, 2011), per Mull to Four Gaming. We have card pages for four of them; we could not match the 2009 card to a printed number.
- Are there winning Naruto CCG decklists online?
- No champion's list with card numbers survives that we could find. The complete lists that do survive are two GenCon 2006 decks printed by Pojo with card numbers, and two Top 4 lists by Joshua Lu from 2010, by card name.
- Is the Naruto CCG still played competitively?
- In a small way. A December 2025 deck profile video invites viewers to a Discord server that hosts regular tournaments, with people playing over webcam almost every day.
Sources
Every factual claim above traces to one of these. Where a detail is not in them, this page says so rather than filling the gap.
- Mull to Four Gaming, Flying into a New Era: Top 10 New Cards of 2012 (December 31, 2012: champions, their cards, GenCon 2012 finishes)
- Mull to Four Gaming, Three Man Squads (March 31, 2013: New York SJC)
- ICv2, TV Ads to Support Naruto CCG OP (August 29, 2006: the Legendary Ninja Premier Series)
- ICv2, Up Spirits in Down Market (August 13, 2006: GenCon wrapped on Sunday)
- Anime News Network, VIZ Media announces the Naruto Shippuden CCG Shonen Jump Championships (March 8, 2010)
- Bandai, Shonen Jump Championship schedule (archived December 22, 2010)
- Bandai, Shonen Jump Championship schedule (archived August 25, 2011)
- Bandai, Shonen Jump Championship schedule (archived April 14, 2013)
- Bandai forum, Naruto CCG Kage Tournaments 2010-2011 (archived)
- Bandai forum, Unlimited Rogue Card List (archived December 22, 2010)
- The Perfect Curve, Monster Research preview (January 1, 2011)
- The Perfect Curve, Let's Party Like it's 2007: My GenCon (Joshua Lu, August 12, 2010)
- The Perfect Curve, What up (February 16, 2010: Chunin report and list)
- The Perfect Curve, Washington Shonen Jump Top 8 (May 9, 2010)
- The Perfect Curve, Andrew Kardis wins Shonen Jump Georgia (June 13, 2010)
- The Perfect Curve, Countdown: Boston (November 19, 2010)
- The Perfect Curve, A Thank You and List of Updates (December 3, 2010: Boston Chunin results)
- The Perfect Curve, NJ Kage Update (December 11, 2010)
- The Perfect Curve, NJ Kage Final Standings (December 13, 2010)
- The Perfect Curve, MN Kage Wrap Up (March 28, 2011)
- The Perfect Curve, PA SJC coverage via text (May 28, 2011)
- The Perfect Curve, Morristown NJ Tournament Results (July 24, 2011)
- Pojo, Dave Moll's mental hybrid deck, Balrog's Rebuttal (October 13, 2006, archived)
- Pojo, Ari's GenCon Deck (October 10, 2006, archived)
- OccasionalGamerOfficial, True Allies: Naruto CCG 2025 Deck Profile (YouTube, December 8, 2025)
More guides
- Most expensive Naruto Mythos cards: eBay asking prices, and what is really behind them
The top of our Naruto Mythos price index is a common Kurenai Yuhi at $61.46 and a run of Mission cards at $34.87. Open the listings and the reason is shipping, not scarcity. Here is the ranking as it stands, the Secret and Mythos rares whose listings really are the card, and why the gold cards have no price at all.
- The most expensive Kayou Naruto cards by asking price, October 2026
The 25 Kayou Naruto cards with the highest eBay asking prices as our index stood on October 27, 2026: the serial-numbered ASP and SE cards from the Tier 4 boxes, what each rarity code means, and the one headline figure we will not stand behind.
- Where to buy the NARUTO CARD GAME by country: distributors, stores and what is not on sale yet
Bandai has named sixteen distributors across five regions and nothing you can buy before June 2027. Country by country, who will supply your local store, what the events sell, and how to spot a placeholder listing.