Youyi: Alright! This time, let's play using only pure hero decks!
“At this moment, the Continuous Trap ‘Void’ activates!”
As soon as Yugi finished his draw, DARKNESS immediately activated one of the two trap cards he had previously set.
The card’s illustration was shrouded in darkness, bearing only ripple-like arcs and a single blue point of light.
“The activation of ‘Void’ will simultaneously trigger another corresponding trap card—‘Infinity’!”
Infinity’s artwork was likewise enveloped in black, but this was the darkness of the cosmos. At its center was a cluster of enigmatic galaxies.
Gazing at the ‘Void’ standing on the far left of the spell and trap zone, and ‘Infinity’ positioned on the far right, DARKNESS let out a rare, almost human cold chuckle:
“Human! Fortune does not favor you. When both ‘Void’ and ‘Infinity’ are successfully activated, the set cards between them are triggered in sequence according to my will!”
As he spoke, DARKNESS extended his fleshless finger, tapping gently in the air. The set card in the very center was revealed.
“It is the third Continuous Trap, ‘Darkness 3’. According to its effect, if ‘Void’ and ‘Infinity’ are present on the field, and it is the first of the set cards between them to be activated, then for each Continuous Trap on the field with ‘Darkness’ in its name, you will take 1000 points of effect damage.”
With that, DARKNESS flipped the remaining two set cards, both Continuous Traps named ‘Darkness 1’ and ‘Darkness 2’.
(Yugi: 4000 LP → 1000 LP)
Struck by three powerful surges of energy, Yugi’s Life Points plummeted in an instant from the initial 4000 to just a single digit in the thousands!
“Three thousand points of damage in one blow…”
Even though Yugi had anticipated the opponent’s card effects, he couldn’t help but marvel at the sight of his Life Points reduced to a mere 1000. This villain, whether in card creation or sheer luck, was truly formidable!
“However, now that all your trap cards have been activated, it’s time for my performance!”
With these words, Yugi was the first to play a spell card from his hand:
“Since I have no monsters on my field, I pay half my Life Points to activate the spell card ‘A Hero Emerges!’ I Special Summon the Level 4 monster ‘Elemental HERO Bubbleman’ from my deck!”
(Yugi: 1000 LP → 500 LP)
At this point, some may wonder: with only 1000 Life Points remaining, is it really worth spending 500 just to Special Summon Bubbleman?
Yugi’s answer: Absolutely!
Why? In the original GX anime, aside from himself, the only card that could draw two cards when no other cards were on the field was ‘Pot of Greedman’. Special Summoning him made sense. But if you’re summoning the OCG version—the one that’s been nerfed—this move might seem a bit foolish.
But Yugi would disagree! Before questioning the play, consider my current status.
As the newly appointed president of International Illusion Inc., it’s entirely reasonable for me, wielding my position and the company’s card-printing power, to design a few useful monsters, spells, and traps for my own archetype, isn’t it?
So—
“Next, I activate Bubbleman’s effect! If I control no other cards, I can draw two cards from my deck.”
After replenishing his hand, Yugi glanced at his new cards, immediately setting the two spells or traps he’d drawn. Then, from his five-card hand, he selected three cards—one he slotted into his duel disk’s spell/trap zone to activate, and the other two he revealed to DARKNESS.
“Spell card ‘Polymerization’! I fuse ‘Elemental HERO Blazewoman’ and ‘Elemental HERO Forestman’ from my hand, with ‘Elemental HERO Bubbleman’ from my field!”
Using monsters representing the elements of fire, earth, and water as fusion materials, a hero both noble and passionate was born!
“Fusion Summon—Elemental HERO Coreman!”
Appearing on Yugi’s field was a white-clad hero with a crimson gemstone at his chest. Recognizing the urban rules of the duel, DARKNESS could not help but remark:
“A Level 9 Fusion Monster—according to the city’s rules you established, it cannot attack during the turn it is summoned.”
In response, Yugi spoke while displaying a Quick-Play Spell card in his hand, its upper right corner marked with a tiny lightning symbol, its effect related to Fusion:
“Fusion Summoning is not my final goal! Now I target Coreman with the Quick-Play Spell ‘De-Fusion’!”
As the name suggests, De-Fusion splits a Fusion Monster back into its individual components.
“Finally, I tribute the Special Summoned ‘Elemental HERO Bubbleman’, ‘Elemental HERO Blazewoman’, and ‘Elemental HERO Forestman’!”
“What! A Tribute Summon with three monsters?”
Hearing that Yugi intended to tribute all three of his monsters, DARKNESS’s brow furrowed—though he was, after all, a skeletal ram-headed demon.
Usually, for Tribute Summons, a high-level monster requires at least one tribute for a Level 5 or 6, and two for anything above Level 6.
But regardless of how high above Level 6, the requirement is almost always two tributes!
Of course, there are exceptions! As DARKNESS knew, the Level 8 Warrior ‘Gilford the Lightning’ could be Tribute Summoned with just two monsters, but in that case, it would be a mere 2800 ATK vanilla. However, if three monsters are tributed, its effect would activate!
Watching Yugi preparing a Tribute Summon, DARKNESS’s eyes gleamed. If this was indeed a three-tribute summon for Gilford the Lightning, he could use its effect to destroy the two ‘Shadowmire’ monsters on DARKNESS’s field, and then attack directly—instantly closing the Life Point gap.
…Wait!
DARKNESS suddenly recalled something—before revealing himself to Yugi, he’d learned from human duelists in this world that the current “Duel City Tournament” was being held to attract and gather the most powerful monsters in Duel Monsters—the Egyptian God Cards—to this city.
From what he’d gathered, summoning the God Cards differed from summoning normal high-level monsters: rather than the usual two tributes, summoning a God required an extra monster! (Of course, that was the only piece of information made public about the God Cards.)
No way! Could it be that this human before him intended to…