Chapter 119: Abyss Lockdown

"Duel!" x2

[You Xuan, LP 4000]

[Long Ya, LP 4000]

"It seems I go first. Draw."

You Xuan drew a card, then immediately played one from his hand.

"I summon 'Elemental HERO Bubbleman' in Defense Position!"

[Elemental HERO Bubbleman, DEF 1200]

Judai, watching from the sidelines: "Huh? Is You Xuan using the same Elemental HERO deck as me today?"

But in reality, he wasn't. You Xuan included him only to covet Greedy HERO's drawing ability; furthermore, since Greedy HERO is also a WATER attribute monster, he could serve as ammunition to trigger the bounce effect of "Abyss Soldier" when needed.

"When Bubbleman is successfully summoned, if there are no other cards on my field, I draw two cards from my Deck." (Anime effect)

"Next, I activate the Spell Card 'Graceful Charity,' drawing three cards from my Deck and discarding two from my hand," You Xuan said. "Then I set two cards face-down. Turn end."

"Then it's my turn!"

Long Ya drew a card, narrowing his eyes as he sized up the crouching Bubbleman on You Xuan's front field.

Elemental HERO, huh? A very conventional deck. However, even though he's just a first-year student, the fact that Chronos recommended him as an opponent suggests he must possess some extraordinary skill.

Long Ya: "I summon 'Phantom Dragon'!"

A black, gorgeous dragon from another dimension; despite being Level 4, it boasted 2000 ATK. As a low-level beatstick with such high attack and no side effects, it was also a rare card of considerable value.

[Phantom Dragon, ATK 2000]

"Let me see what scheme you're plotting!" Long Ya shouted. "Battle! Attack 'Elemental HERO Bubbleman' with 'Phantom Dragon'!"

You Xuan immediately flipped a card in his back row: "Then I activate my face-down card, the Continuous Trap 'Gravity Bind'!"

"All monsters on the field with Level 4 or higher cannot declare an attack!"

Powerful gravitational restrictions released from the Trap Card, instantly suppressing the entire field. Before Phantom Dragon could even make a move, it was pinned to Long Ya's field by that extraordinary gravity, unable to budge even an inch.

"Gravity Bind?" Long Ya frowned.

A stall tactic?

But pairing Elemental HERO with a stall strategy... I've never seen such an approach before.

"Then I set one card face-down on the field. Turn end."

You Xuan: "My turn. Draw."

At the same time, a golden light flashed in the Graveyard zone of his Duel Disk, and a Monster Card automatically ejected from it.

"At this moment, the effect of 'Killer Snake,' which I discarded to the Graveyard last turn, activates."

"If this card is in the Graveyard, it can be returned to the hand during my Standby Phase."

He retrieved Killer Snake and added it back to his hand.

"Next, I Normal Summon 'Abyss Soldier'!"

[Abyss Soldier, ATK 1800]

Seeing the aquatic warrior emerge from a curtain of water wielding a trident, Long Ya couldn't help but frown slightly.

Not an Elemental HERO?

"The monster effect of 'Abyss Soldier' allows me to discard one WATER attribute monster card from my hand to target one card on the field and return it to its owner's hand."

You Xuan revealed the "Killer Snake" he had just returned to his hand.

"I discard the WATER attribute 'Killer Snake' to the Graveyard to return 'Phantom Dragon' to the hand."

Abyss Soldier waved his trident, and a whirlpool of water erupted beneath his feet. Riding the current, Phantom Dragon reverted into a card and flew back into Long Ya's hand.

Long Ya: "!"

He immediately realized that the infinitely recyclable Killer Snake could serve as cost for Abyss Soldier every turn, meaning this bounce effect was practically free.

"To pull such a troublesome combination on me..."

Long Ya frowned and snorted coldly.

"You do have a few tricks. But don't forget, both Bubbleman and Abyss Soldier are Level 4. With your own 'Gravity Bind' on the field, neither can declare an attack."

He pushed up his glasses, letting out a soft, cold laugh.

"What a pity. You managed to clear my field, yet you cannot attack. It seems the lockdown of 'Gravity Bind' has backfired on you instead. It appears your tactics still need some improvement, You Xuan."

"Thank you for the guidance, teacher," You Xuan replied, still polite and courteous. "However, I also have a few ideas of my own. I activate the Spell Card 'Terraforming' from my hand, which allows me to add one Field Spell Card from my Deck to my hand."

"The Field Spell I will add to my hand from my Deck is this one..."

He revealed the Spell Card he had searched from his Deck.

"Field Spell 'Legendary City - Atlantis'!"

An extra slot popped out on the side of his Duel Disk.

"And I activate it immediately!"

A holographic projection of seawater immediately swept across the entire field, making the whole arena feel as though it were submerged beneath the ocean. An ancient lost city surrounded them on all sides, while dazzling sunlight pierced down from the water's surface, leaving a long, brilliant path of light within the water body.

"While 'Legendary City - Atlantis' is active in the Field Zone, the Levels of all WATER attribute monsters in both players' hands and on the field are reduced by one!" You Xuan declared. "Furthermore, the ATK of WATER attribute monsters increases by 200!"

[Elemental HERO Bubbleman, Level 4 → 3, ATK 800 → ATK 1000]

[Abyss Soldier, Level 4 → 3, ATK 1800 → ATK 2000]

Long Ya: "Nani!?"

This prospective teacher immediately realized the terrifying potential of this combination.

Legendary City reduced the Levels of WATER attribute monsters, bringing Abyss Soldier and Bubbleman just below the lockdown threshold of Gravity Bind. Thus, the attack restriction on You Xuan's side was lifted, leaving only Long Ya locked down by the stall.

This was one of the common combinations used in the [Abyss Control] deck of that era. In fact, this somewhat revealed the tactical style of this control deck: pairing Abyss Soldier with "Imperial Order" to achieve one-sided Trap lockdown, and combining "Gravity Bind" with "Legendary City" to form a one-sided attack lockdown, both reflecting a field-control mindset focused on unilateral suppression.

In fact, there were many such small synergies within this deck; whether against attacks, Summons, or Spells/Traps, there were suppression strategies for each, making it a typical deck type from the early meta that made opponents increasingly furious the longer they played.

Moreover, Abyss Soldier originally had 1800 ATK and was now boosted to 2000. This meant that to destroy it via battle, Long Ya would need to send out a monster below Level 3 with more than 2000 ATK.

Asuka Tenjoin, watching from the stands, pondered for two seconds: "Truly a tactic consistent with his style."

"Indeed."

Misawa, who also belonged to the "You Xuan Victim Association," appeared at some point, nodding with his arms crossed.

"Fujiki You Xuan... he is the type of duelist who, if given two options to win, will definitely prioritize the method that 'prevents the opponent from dueling' to secure victory."

"Mm," Asuka expressed her agreement.

Long Ya: "..."

Yes, his blood pressure was already showing a subtle trend of rising.

"Change 'Elemental HERO Bubbleman' to Attack Position, then enter the Battle Phase," You Xuan said. "Direct attack with 'Abyss Soldier'!"

Abyss Soldier advanced, waving his trident; a whirlpool of water coiled around the golden fork as he thrust straight toward Long Ya's face.

"Not so simple," Long Ya shouted. "Flip my face-down card! Trap Card 'Hero's Rule'! When your opponent declares an attack, randomly select one card from my hand."

"If the selected card is a Monster Card, Special Summon it directly to my field. If not, send it to the Graveyard!"

This was also a card commonly used by Judai in the anime. However, although its name contains the word "Hero," it has nothing to do with HERO decks; it is a generic Trap Card.

Long Ya held five cards in his hand.

You Xuan pointed casually: "Then the second card from the left."

"Hahaha! Unfortunately, the card you picked happens to be this one!"

Long Ya revealed the selected card in his hand.

"Level 6, Dark Tri-Guider Dragon!!"

[Dark Tri-Guider Dragon, ATK 2400]

"As expected of a teacher; my attack won't pass through so easily," You Xuan smiled lightly. "In that case, I rewind my Battle Phase and will not attack for now."

"My Battle Phase ends; entering Main Phase 2."

He drew another card from his hand.

"I set one more card face-down on the field. Turn end."

(End of Chapter)