"It's better to use this deck against you."
Yugen casually pulled a deck from his card box behind him and inserted it into the Duel Disc.
"Heh, it doesn't matter what you use," the Beetle Knight said confidently. "Before the power bestowed by the True God, any deck is equally weak.
Turn into a sacrifice for my master through the ritual of battle!"
"Duel!" x2
"I'll take the first move. Draw a card," Yugen said. "First, I use the Magic Card 'Pot of Greed' to draw two cards from the deck.
Then, I'll cover a monster on the field. Next, I'll activate this card—"
The image of the Magic Card floated in front of him.
"Magic Card - Stupid Burial!
Send a Monster Card from the deck to the graveyard."
Yugen drew a card that popped out of the deck.
"Send 'Assassin Snake' from the deck to the graveyard!"
He then drew two more cards.
"Set two cards face-down on the field, turn end."
Beetle Knight: "Then, my turn. Draw a card!
Activate the Magic Card 'Handwriting Erasure.' Both players discard all cards in their hands to the graveyard, and then draw the same number of discarded cards."
The Beetle Knight drew new cards, then revealed a card in his hand.
"Next comes the effect of this guy in my hand..."
He displayed a Monster Card in his hand.
"Giant Burrowing Insect can be Special Summoned by banishing an Insect Race from the graveyard from the game!"
The Beetle Knight drew a card that popped out of the graveyard.
"I banish the 'Dragonfly' I just discarded to Special Summon 'Giant Burrowing Insect'!"
The soil beneath the field loosened, and a hideous giant insect wriggled its body and broke through, revealing its ferocious, slime-covered jaws.
[Giant Burrowing Insect, Attack Power 1900]
"Then I activate the Magic Card 'Revive the Dead'! Revive a monster from the graveyard!
I want to revive the card discarded to the graveyard!
Revive 'Resonating Insect'!"
[Resonating Insect, Attack Power 1000]
Yugen raised an eyebrow.
The strength of the opponent's deck wasn't the issue, but this 'Resonating Insect' was a good card.
When Resonating Insect is sent from the field to the graveyard, you can search a Level 5 or higher Insect Race monster from the deck. And when this card is banished from the game, you can send an Insect Race monster from the deck to the graveyard.
Upon seeing this card, Yugen naturally thought of Senior Watanabe Hideyuki's Tamashi, the Demon Shovel Worm. Although the Insect Race is relatively niche, in the early environment, the Demon Shovel Worm was actually quite decent, as it could jump out directly by simply banishing two insects from the graveyard.
If Resonating Insect is sent to the graveyard from the field, you can directly search the Level 8 Demon Shovel Worm from the deck. Then, the effect of the Demon Shovel Worm will banish Resonating Insect from the graveyard to Special Summon it, providing an extra 2800 attack power beater while also triggering another graveyard setup.
Although Yugen wasn't particularly interested in Insect-themed decks, it's always good to be prepared—this kind of free card is worth having at least one of.
Anyway, by the time this duel is over, it will probably become an unowned card.
"Battle phase, use 'Giant Burrowing Insect' to attack the covered monster first!"
The Burrowing Insect drilled into the ground, and within a second, it burst from Yugen's side of the field. The flipped card revealed a projection of a small sword-wielding penguin.
"Penguin Soldiers' effect," Yugen waved his hand. "When this card is flipped, you can choose up to two monsters on the opponent's field and return them to the owner's hand.
I choose to return 'Giant Burrowing Insect' and 'Resonating Insect' to the hand!"
Beetle Knight: "!"
Both monsters returned to the opponent's hand, leaving his field wide open.
"Tch, so it returns them to the hand..."
The two summoned Insects weren't just for attack. The effect of "Resonating Insect" was a hidden backup plan.
Whether destroyed by battle or effect, as long as the opponent took out Resonating Insect, he could search his ace monster card "Demon Shovel Worm" from the deck, bestowed by the gods, and launch a full offensive.
But since they returned to the hand, his subsequent plans fell apart.
But it doesn't matter.
"I haven't performed a Normal Summon this turn yet," Beetle Knight said. "I'll set a monster on the field, and set one card face-down, ending my turn."
He re-set "Resonating Insect" on the field, with the effect remaining the same.
Beetle Knight looked at his opponent with a sinister smile.
Come, destroy my Resonating Insect.
That will be the trigger of your defeat.
"My turn, draw," said Yugen. "At this moment, the effect of the 'Assassin Snake' that was discarded to the graveyard last turn is activated.
While this card is in the graveyard, it can return to the hand during your standby phase." (Old version effect)
It seemed like just a weak monster, but its ability to recover itself every turn offered the potential for infinite resource gain, making it highly active in various decks once upon a time, leading to its eventual ban.
It wasn't until 2015 that the card's effect was nerfed to banish itself after self-recovery next turn, allowing it to be played again.
However, the Assassin Snake in this world had the old effect, designed as a common, overlooked card. Yugen easily bought three copies without much effort.
"Magic Card 'Angel's Charity,' draw three cards from the deck, then discard two cards from your hand."
Yugen sent two cards to the graveyard.
"Next, the effect of 'Black Forest Witch' that was discarded: when sent to the graveyard, it allows you to add a monster with Defense Power of 1500 or less from the deck to your hand.
I will add this card to my hand from the deck..."
Yugen drew a card and revealed it.
"'Abyss Soldier' with 1300 Defense Power."
The card deck automatically shuffled in the duel disc, and he first added Abyss Soldier to his hand, then revealed another card from his hand.
"Continuous Magic 'Water Barrier Wall'!
Once per turn, when there are no monsters on your field, Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Water Attribute Monster from your hand.
I Special Summon 'Abyss Soldier' from my hand!"
[Abyss Soldier, Attack Power 1800]
The Beetle Knight's face remained impassive.
Come on, attack, attack my Resonating Insect...
"Activating the effect of 'Abyss Soldier,'" Yugen said, "Once per turn, discard a Water Attribute Monster from your hand, and return a card on the field to the owner's hand.
I discard the Water Attribute 'Assassin Snake' from my hand to return your covered monster to your hand."
Beetle Knight: "!? "
Back to the hand again?
Summoned twice and returned twice, watching the Resonating Insect turn into a golden light and fly back into his hand again, his mouth couldn't help but twitch.
Today, this useless bug just won't stay on the field...
Yugen: "Next, I Normal Summon the second 'Abyss Soldier'."
[Abyss Soldier, Attack Power 1800]
Another one!?
The Beetle Knight's gaze sharpened.
That won't do!
"Activate Cover Card, Trap Card 'Fallen Pit'!" Beetle Knight shouted, "Destroy monsters with more than 1000 Attack Power upon summoning!"
"Kida."
Yugen calmly flipped over the back row.
"Continuous Trap - Royal Palace Notice! All Trap Cards on the field become invalid!"
Beetle Knight: "What did you say!? "
So he could only watch helplessly as his Fallen Pit, under that inescapable trap force, was bound and exploded into fragments with a snap.
Even the observing Judai couldn't help but show a strange expression.
That's rare, Yugen actually brings something like this...
Wouldn't that mean he can't use traps either?
Isn't that difficult for Yugen's style?
"Combat, direct attack with two 'Abyss Soldiers'!"
The two soldiers both flew out, wielding tridents. The tridents dragged water all along as they sliced through the Beetle Knight, who let out a pig-like scream and fell to the ground.
[Beetle Armored Knight, LP 4000→LP 400]
"In... just one turn, Life Points were cut down to only four hundred..."
Judai looked at Yugen's back with eyes shining.
So powerful.
Increasingly wanting to duel with him...
"You punk..."
The Beetle Knight got up awkwardly, with blood spurting from the slashed area.
"My Battle Phase is over, but my turn isn't over yet."
Yugen showed another card from his hand.
"I activate the effect of the second 'Abyss Soldier', discard a Water Attribute Monster from my hand, and return a card on the field to the owner's hand. I discard another 'Assassin Snake'."
Judai: "?"
Beetle Knight: "?"
Both were dumbfounded at first.
Return to the hand again?
But the Beetle Knight's field had been completely cleared by him, front and back, clean as a blank sheet, with no cards to return...
"'Abyss Soldier' can not only return opponent's field cards to the hand, but also target my own field cards.
Therefore, I return my own Continuous Trap 'Royal Palace Notice' to my hand!"
Judai: "!"
Beetle Knight: "!!!!"
Na... Nani!?
Seeing the sinister-looking trap return to Yugen's hand, even though the Beetle Knight was slow to react, he realized the severity of the problem.
When he wants to use traps, the "Royal Palace Notice" suppresses his back row, but when Yugen wants to use traps, he uses the effect of "Abyss Soldier" to bounce the notice back...
The Beetle Knight began to panic.
Does that mean only he can't use traps?
"Set three cards onto the field, ending the turn."
Back row reveals one notice card, plus two indistinct and unknown cards.
Yugen smiled and gestured politely.
Please begin your performance.