Royal Valley of Eternal Rest, activate!
"The Royal Valley of Eternal Rest is the sacred ground of the Tomb Guardian Race. We have protected this holy land with our lives for generations, and in return, the holy land grants us strength!"
The Tomb Guardian shouted.
"While the Valley of Eternal Rest is present, all Tomb Guardian Beasts' Attack Power and Defense Power are increased by 500!"
[Tomb Guardian Grand Priest, Attack Power 2800→Attack Power 3300]
"Reaching an Attack Power of three thousand three hundred so easily!" Marufuji Shou couldn't help but exclaim.
Yugen observed the situation, pondering for a moment.
However, he wasn't surprised by the Grand Priest easily surpassing the Blue-Eyes White Dragon level Attack Power; rather, it was "Who knew the Royal Valley actually has a hidden effect"?
As a well-known underworld field that has been active in competitive environments for over a decade, over ninety percent of the time when players draw this field, they only use the "graveyard lockdown" effect, causing the first effect to gradually become a hidden effect that is automatically ignored among card players...
"Of course, while 'Tomb Guardian Heretics' are also Tomb Guardian Beasts, the Heretics are unaffected by any card effects while the Royal Valley of Eternal Rest is present," the Tomb Guardian said solemnly, "This includes the effect of the Royal Valley itself, so the Heretics' Attack Power will not increase."
[Tomb Guardian Heretics, Attack Power 1800]
Yugen glanced sideways.
Total resistance to even their own King's Valley effect, indeed, fitting for Heretics...
"Battle!" the Tomb Guardian shouted, "After eternal rest, repent forever for your sin of trespassing on this sacred and forbidden land in this holy valley!
'Tomb Guardian Grand Priest,' attack directly!"
Yugen calmly responded, "Then activate the Trap 'Absorption Shield.' Opponent's monster attack is negated, and I gain Life Points equal to that monster's Attack Power."
Like a rainbow-colored barrier constructed of liquid water ichor, it stood before him, and the Grand Priest's killer strike smashed into the iris barrier. The power was immediately absorbed and transformed into nourishment drawn into his body.
[Yugen, LP 4000→LP 7300]
"Looks like it's not my time to rest yet, chieftain," Yugen smiled.
"Tch." The Tomb Guardian let out a cold snort, "Then 'Tomb Guardian Heretics,' direct attack!"
Despite the enhancement from the King's Valley, the Heretics' might was not negligible, swiftly leaping across the field for a direct assault.
Of course, to Yugen, who had just absorbed a large amount of Life Points, this attack was insignificant, but he had no intention of letting it pass so easily.
"Well then, activate the Monster Effect from the graveyard..."
"Kida!" the Tomb Guardian shouted sternly, "While the Royal Valley of Eternal Rest is present, all effects targeting cards in the graveyard are nullified, and cards in the graveyard cannot be banished from the game!"
"That's not necessarily true," Yugen smiled.
"What?"
"The restriction of the Valley of Eternal Rest is merely that you can't use effects on cards in the graveyard," Yugen said. "The valley you guard forbids any form of communication with the deceased, but the dead may not think so."
"What are you trying to say?"
"I'm saying that although you can't activate effects targeting cards in the graveyard, the inherent effects of the cards in the graveyard can still be used," Yugen waved his hand, "Effect of 'Kite Robot' in the graveyard.
This card exists in the graveyard with a one-time opportunity to turn the battle damage from a direct attack to 0." (Original effect)
If it were the modified effect in Duel Links, Kite Robot would need to be banished from the graveyard to activate, which would violate the Valley's taboo. However, the original animation version doesn't require it, so it's not restricted by the Valley of Eternal Rest.
Thus the Heretics' full-force strike slammed into the transparent kite barrier, unable to break through.
"Oh, perfectly blocked, worthy of Yugen," Judai chuckled, "Kite Robot… it's quite similar to my 'Undead Guardian,' both are powerful monsters indeed."
"And Yugen also likes submarines and bicycle robots," Hayato added, "Come to think of it, the Robot deck really has quite some potential."
Marufuji Shou held his head: "Don't say it, don't say it..."
"..."
"You're blocking everything like that?" the Tomb Guardian said solemnly, "Alright then, I'll let you live another turn.
End of the battle phase. I activate the Magic Card 'Tomb Guardian's Stone Tablet,' adding two 'Tomb Guardian' monsters from the graveyard to my hand.
Moreover, this effect cannot be nullified by the Royal Valley of Eternal Rest."
A surge of golden light erupted from the Duel Disc's graveyard area, and the Tomb Guardian drew two cards from it and added them to his hand.
"I return 'Tomb Guardian Priest' and 'Tomb Guard Lance Soldiers' from the graveyard to my hand." He added two cards to his hand, "Of course, this means the 'Tomb Guardian Grand Priest' loses 400 Attack Power due to the decreased number of tomb guardian beasts in the graveyard."
[Tomb Guardian Grand Priest, Attack Power 3300 → Attack Power 2900]
"To think that you would blatantly desecrate a grave here in the holy Valley of Eternal Rest." Yugen shook his head repeatedly, "Where is your honor as the Tomb Guardian Race? Where are your boundaries? Your principles?"
This counter-question caught the Tomb Guardian off guard. He paused for a moment before saying, "We of the Tomb Guardian Race are tasked with watching over the sacred valley, yet we are also granted special authority..."
After all, the Tomb Guard Card Deck revolves around this field, the 'Royal Valley of Eternal Rest.' Our own side has means so that 'our graveyard is not affected by the Royal Valley of Eternal Rest'—it focuses on a one-way lockdown.
"Blasphemy, sheer blasphemy. Even I, an outsider, cannot endure it." Yugen shook his head repeatedly, "You all have no regard for the laws of the King, no respect for the deceased, so carelessly disturbing the eternal rest of the departed in this sacred place... sigh."
He actually sighed with a regretful expression.
Tomb Guardian: "..."
He felt that something was off about what the man was saying, but before he realized it, the opponent had taken the moral high ground, and for a while, he didn't know how to refute it.
Unable to argue back, he suddenly felt the scrutiny of the other Tomb Guardian Race members around, as if they were considering whether what the man said had some truth to it.
Even worse, even the Tomb Guardian himself felt a little guilty under the barrage of the opponent's words...
"My turn, draw." Yugen said, "First in the preparation phase, the 'Assassin Snake' returns to my hand from the graveyard.
Then I'll place a cover card on the field."
A cover card appeared in front of Yugen.
"Then I'll activate the Magic Card 'Adversity's Treasure Scroll.' (Original Card)
If the opponent has specially summoned monsters and I have no monsters on my field, I draw two cards.
You have 'Tomb Guardian Heretics' specially summoned from the graveyard on your field, so I draw two cards."
Before doing so, he swiftly revealed another card from his hand.
"Speed Attack Magic 'Continuous Magic'! When I activate a normal Magic, I discard all my hand. This card's effect becomes the same as that Magic's effect.
Therefore, the effect of 'Continuous Magic' becomes the same as 'Adversity's Treasure Scroll,' drawing two more cards from the deck. So I can draw four cards from my deck in total!"
The Tomb Guardian frowned: "Using such means to replenish your hand..."
"That's not all. Next, I activate the Trap card 'Goblin Business Skills.'" Yugen said, "Draw cards from my deck equal to the number of 'Goblin Business Skills' present in the graveyard plus one, then select one card from my hand and return it to the bottom of the deck."
'Goblin Business Skills' is a card often overlooked for its potential, but it used to be the core of the explosive profit card combo 'Business Card Drawer,' and there were even decks developed focused on it.
The specific method was already demonstrated by Pegasus Moonwalker before, it was roughly using Business Skills in combination with 'Emergency Food' to violently draw cards. The ideal state is three Business Skills paired with Emergency Food, allowing you to draw twelve cards in one go and then return three to the deck.
Yugen also integrated this COMBO, just that he hasn't fully drawn into it yet.
The Tomb Guardian frowned: "A combination for rapidly drawing through cards?"
"It's not just that." Yugen smiled, "Activating the last cover card from the last turn, Speed Attack Magic 'Summon Chain.' It can only be activated when a chain of three or higher is formed, this turn I can perform up to three normal summons."
The Tomb Guardian frowned again but said nothing.
After completing the card draw, Yugen didn't immediately proceed but instead looked at the opponent calmly.
"It seems you have forgotten the honor of the Tomb Guardian Race... You won't win against me like this."
"You sure talk well." The Tomb Guardian was still trying to maintain his composure, "But all you can do right now is just be stubborn.
Your graveyard has been sealed, and I still have the Grand Priest on my field. Unable to utilize any graveyard resources, you..."
"That's not necessarily true." Yugen interrupted with a smile, "I'll show you. The consequences of betraying the duty of the Tomb Guardian, the retribution for disturbing the eternal rest of the deceased as a guardian.
I activate this card from my hand, Magic Card 'Celestial Obedience'!
Pay 2000 Life Points, declare the name of a Monster Card. If that Monster exists in the opponent's deck, I can add that card to my hand or specially summon it to my field, ignoring the summon conditions!"
[Yugen, LP 7300 → LP 5300]
"The name of the card I declare is..."
Yugen pointed to the deck of the Tomb Guardian.
"...Tomb Guardian!"
Tomb Guardian: "????"