In 2004, a card appeared that seemed useless at first glance, but soon caused a massive stir once it was introduced into the competitive environment.
Its name was [Protector of the Sanctuary].
It was a Level 4 monster with 1900 DEF. Its effect was simple: while it remained face-up on the field, the opponent could not draw cards except during the Draw Phase.
Naturally, anyone seeing this card would immediately think of Pot of Greed a staple that almost everyone played back then before it was banned.
At first, it seemed like it might have some niche utility, but not much. Consequently, its initial individual card rating was mediocre, and it failed to find a place in mainstream builds.
That was until the birth of a certain Anti-Meta Deck centered entirely around it.
This was the "Sanctuary Hand Destruction" strategy.
The logic was straightforward. As long as Protector of the Sanctuary was on the field, if you activated an effect that forced the opponent to swap or refresh their hand, they would have to discard everything but would be unable to draw any new cards. The opponent would simply go bust.
This was exactly what You Xuan had done in this duel.
On the surface, it looked as though one simply needed Card Destruction and Protector of the Sanctuary in hand to pull off the combo. If Protector was on the field and Card Destruction was activated, the opponent would discard their entire hand and be left with nothing.
However, it wasn't actually that simple. While Protector of the Sanctuary is on the field, cards with effects that include drawing for the opponent cannot even be activated and that included Card Destruction. Therefore, if you summoned Protector first, you couldn't even play the spell.
But that didn't stop the toxic veterans of the past who sought the joy of ruining people's days.
If the activation was blocked while the monster was on the field, why not just activate the spell first and summon Protector later?
One could activate Card Destruction first, then chain a Spell Speed 2 Trap like Call of the Haunted before the effect resolved to revive Protector of the Sanctuary from the Graveyard.
This way, when the chain resolved, the opponent was forced to discard their entire hand but was forbidden from drawing. They would effectively be finished on the spot.
Alternatively, the combo could be achieved using the draw effect of Morphing Jar.
In reality, this deck was primarily for entertainment. While it had competitive potential, it wasn't particularly strong during the era when Chaos decks were rampant. However, its primary goal was "happiness" at least for the player using it.
Of course, as one might imagine, this was the type of deck that easily turned a card game into a real-life brawl. Especially if you had a god-tier opening hand;
if the opponent watched their entire hand vanish on the first turn without getting to do a single thing, they might just start rolling up their sleeves for a physical fight.
Fortunately, that didn't happen here. After the duel ended, Damon collapsed to the ground, his deck scattering out of his Duel Disk like a scene from someone who had just lost a Shadow Duel.
Well, given the vacant look in his eyes and the way his faith had shattered, he truly did look the part.
"It's not supposed to be like this... Duels shouldn't be like this..." he murmured to himself.
"A duel is a battle of drawing cards. Drawing is the ultimate truth. This shouldn't be happening..."
"What have I even been doing for the past year?"
Watching him, Chumley couldn't help but feel a twinge of pity.
Great, another one's gone crazy.
The You Xuan Victim Association had just gained another member.
The poor wild man had spent a year in isolation, completely immersed in his own world. If he had come back to the Academy and looked around for even two months,
he might have had some mental preparation for the strange atmosphere currently pervading the school. He wouldn't be questioning his life choices quite this hard.
But then again, it wasn't just Damon. Even Chumley felt a bit apprehensive watching these duels.
If a man who had trained to such a peak still couldn't escape the torture of an Anti-Meta player, what kind of future did this Academy even have?
Only Jaden remained as cheerful as ever.
"So cool! That was such an interesting duel! I didn't know a strategy like that existed. You Xuan, you're so strong! And you were strong too, Damon! You guys are both amazing, hahahaha!"
Damon looked up at the jellyfish-haired boy with a face full of despair.
Interesting? Where was the interest in that?
I certainly didn't feel any...
"But you know, I think your thinking is a bit off. Duels and drawing cards... they have nothing to do with nature or whatever," Jaden said, stepping forward. "Your draws are definitely impressive, but how should I put it..."
He frowned, struggling to find the right words.
"I'm not very good at explaining things. But I feel like you keep emphasizing 'becoming one with nature' and 'being part of heaven and earth'... but it's not like that at all. Wouldn't a duel like that be boring?
Every time a Duelist draws a card, it's like they're personally carving out the world. Every draw is the creation of a future. It's not about blending into the world; it's about the feeling of creating it yourself."
Jaden continued, "Instead of worrying about all that messy stuff, why not just lose yourself in the duel? Anticipate the miracle that might appear in your next draw, and let the excitement make your whole body tingle. Isn't that the true essence of a duel?"
Damon blinked blankly. "Is that... how it is?"
Ten minutes ago, a confident Damon would have scoffed at Jaden's theory, firmly believing he had found the one true path.
But after experiencing that profound sense of helplessness in the previous duel, he wasn't so sure anymore.
He even began to doubt himself.
Maybe I really did train the wrong way? Maybe I took a wrong turn?
You Xuan remained silent.
As expected, the natural-born genius and the self-made cultivator each had their own theories.
You Xuan's research into the art of the Destiny Draw was still shallow, so he didn't dare make any bold assertions. But from the sound of it, Jaden's Destiny Draw focused on a sense of absolute spontaneity.
Compared to Damon's training, Jaden lacked a clear objective. He didn't intentionally think about what card he wanted or didn't want. Even when facing a crisis, he wouldn't think, If I just draw card X, I can break this board.
Jaden's style was to leave everything to the deck. To him, drawing with a specific purpose would likely drain the excitement and anticipation from the duel. It was because the next card was an unknown even to him that he felt so thrilled.
If that was the case, Jaden was on a completely different route from the previous King of Games, Atem. During the Ceremonial Battle, Atem was the peak example of "drawing whatever he called for," whereas Jaden's style was to floor the accelerator and let fate steer the wheel.
Of course, this was just You Xuan's personal speculation. He only had a rudimentary understanding of the art of the draw and still had much to learn.
"Of course that's how it is!"
Jaden, however, was incredibly confident in his theory. He patted Damon on the shoulder and said with a laugh, "You Xuan thinks so too, right?"
You Xuan blinked. "...Is that so?"
"See? He agrees," Jaden said earnestly to Damon.
You Xuan sighed inwardly.
Fine, let's just go with that.
As long as you're happy, Jaden.
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