[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-who-let-him-play-yu-gi-oh":3,"chapter-who-let-him-play-yu-gi-oh-who-let-him-play-yu-gi-oh-chapter-90":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Who Let Him Play Yu-Gi-Oh!?",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2248939,4388,"Chapter 90: Gaming the Mind","who-let-him-play-yu-gi-oh-chapter-90",90,"\u003Cp>Sanze’s intuition was, to some extent, correct. The Chaos Deck doesn’t rely much on trap power, and back then, even the champion build included the trap “Imperial Edict” to lock traps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because the Chaos Deck’s main force was overwhelmingly stronger than other decks at the time, under mutual trap lockdown, Chaos naturally held the advantage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You Xuan: “Activate the Continuous Spell ‘Nightmare’s Mirage’—during your opponent’s Standby Phase, draw four cards, but during your own Standby Phase, you must randomly discard the same number of cards you drew.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then cover one card. End your turn.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sanze: “My turn, draw!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a single turn, the situation flipped drastically—now he was overwhelmingly disadvantaged. He had to find a way this turn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Activate Spell Card ‘Blessing of the Adversity’! When your opponent has a Special Summoned monster on the field and you have none, draw two cards!” (Original card)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A lifesaving draw—seeing one of the two new cards in hand, Sanze’s face lit up with joy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Here it is! The turning point!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Looks like my deck hasn’t given up the top spot yet.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sanze lifted his head, smiled, and raised his Duel Disk. The graveyard zone on his Duel Disk blazed with brilliant golden light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“First Place, do you know what happens to carbon under immense pressure?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You Xuan: “It turns into diamond?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He vaguely remembered Sanze saying something similar in the original.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, no surprise from First Place. Good!” Sanze said. “The monster I discarded to the graveyard during my first turn using ‘Mathematician’s’ effect was ‘Carbon Dragon’!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Carbon Dragon’s effect: It can only activate when ten or more cards are stacked above it in the graveyard!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Exclude ‘Carbon Dragon’ from the game to Special Summon one ‘Diamond Dragon’ from your hand or graveyard!” (Anime effect)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A uniquely academic effect fitting Sanze’s genius persona, but in the original, it was practically unusable. After its real-card release, Carbon Dragon received a massive buff—it no longer required ten cards stacked above it; simply excluding itself from the graveyard allowed summoning any Level 7 or lower Dragon-type monster from deck or graveyard, not just ‘Diamond Dragon,’ though it had to be summoned in Defense Position.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now, there are more than ten cards stacked above my ‘Carbon Dragon’ in the graveyard—so its effect activates! Manifest in radiant diamond form—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“—Level Seven, Diamond Dragon, Summon!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the dragon even appeared, its brilliance nearly blinded the onlookers. A massive, crystal-clear dragon soared upward, scattering glittering specks like rain, radiating unmatched nobility as a diamond dragon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Diamond Dragon, ATK 2100】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A classic card—not necessarily powerful, but unmistakably expensive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Asuka on the stands: “So the monster Sanze Daichi discarded to the graveyard during his first turn using ‘Mathematician’ means he’s been planning this far ahead since the duel began?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But Diamond Dragon’s power isn’t enough to break the current situation,” Maru Teng  Ryo said. “He must have another hidden move.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sure enough, Sanze grinned confidently: “After Chaos Warrior comes Meteor Black Dragon—legendary monsters one after another. Then I’ll unleash my full strength against you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Activate Equip Spell ‘Giant Growth’ from hand to equip it to ‘Diamond Dragon’!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When your Life Points are lower than your opponent’s, the equipped monster’s original ATK becomes double!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Diamond Dragon, ATK 2100 → ATK 4200】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“ATK 4200!” The students stirred again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tide turned once more!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go, Diamond Dragon! Attack ‘Chaos Magician’!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You Xuan had 1600 LP left; Chaos Magician’s ATK was only 2300. This attack would deal direct damage of 1900.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sanze’s desperate counterattack!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Diamond Dragon opened its mouth; shimmering light surged through its body, coalescing into a spiraling beam that blasted forth!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Flip a face-down card!” You Xuan waved his hand. “Trap Card—Ambush Alert!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No way!” Sanze shouted. “‘Imperial Edict’ is still on the field—any trap is useless!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I know.” You Xuan raised his hand. “So I immediately activate my second face-down card: Quick-Play Spell—Evil Dispersion! Discard one card from hand to destroy all Continuous Trap Cards on the field.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Destroy ‘Imperial Edict’!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sanze suddenly understood: “Ah, so the later-activated card resolves first—so by the time ‘Ambush Alert’’s effect applies, ‘Imperial Edict’ is already gone, meaning the trap effect can resolve normally.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Exactly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, a black storm swept up the back-row traps, crushing them into shards with brutal force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thus, ‘Ambush Alert’’s effect applies normally: When your opponent declares an attack, Special Summon one monster from hand in Defense Position—and the attacking monster must target the one you summoned!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ambush Alert, also from the DM spin-off “Yu-Gi-Oh! R,” is a trap from the Mech deck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sanze understood: “So if I summon a Defense Position monster from hand, I can avoid damage and protect ‘Chaos Magician’.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s right—but I’m not just avoiding damage.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You Xuan smiled and waved his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“By ‘Ambush Alert’’s effect, I Special Summon ‘Dimensional Warrior’ in Defense Position, and force it to battle ‘Diamond Dragon’!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sanze: “Nani!!??”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was Dimensional Warrior!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Dimensional Warrior, DEF 1600】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a good student, Sanze couldn’t possibly forget its effect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Stop! I won’t attack! Diamond Dragon, return!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No way,” You Xuan said. “The monster summoned by ‘Ambush Alert’ must battle the opponent’s declared attacker! Then, ‘Dimensional Warrior’’s effect: After battling an opponent’s monster, both monsters are banished from the game!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dimensional Warrior leapt forward in a suicidal strike. She absorbed Diamond Dragon’s full attack, her blade slicing through space—powerful gravity pulled both monster and warrior into a swirling vortex, joining the others on their dimensional journey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The interdimensional female warrior leapt up and launched a suicidal attack. She took Diamond Dragon’s strike head-on, her sword slicing through space—gravity surged violently, sucking both Diamond Dragon and herself into the spinning vortex, joining her teammates’ interdimensional journey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A Diamond Dragon with ATK 4200—roughly equivalent to Obelisk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh… I’ll cover three cards. End my turn,” Sanze said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With ‘Imperial Edict’ destroyed, his graveyard lockdown strategy had officially collapsed. But on the bright side, he could now use traps—perhaps not entirely bad under this overwhelming disadvantage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The destruction of the Wang Gong’s notice meant his underworld lockdown strategy had officially collapsed. But on the bright side, at least he could now set traps—hardly a bad thing under this overwhelmingly unfavorable situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My turn, draw,” You Xuan said. “Activate Quick-Play Spell ‘Windstorm’ to destroy ‘Nightmare’s Mirage’—so I no longer need to discard cards due to its side effect.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then, Battle Phase: ‘Meteor Black Dragon’ direct attack.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not so fast! At the start of the Battle Phase, activate my face-down card: Trap ‘Intimidating Roar’!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Invisible sound waves erupted from the trap card, engulfing You Xuan’s field. Meteor Black Dragon let out a low growl, raising its claw to cover its ears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sanze: “During the turn ‘Intimidating Roar’ activates, your opponent cannot declare attacks!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You Xuan: “Then I’ll cover one monster card and end my turn.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You Xuan: “If that’s the case, then I’ll set one more monster card face-down. End of my turn.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Activate Spell Card ‘Greedy Urn’—draw two more cards from deck.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sanze drew, frowned slightly—he hadn’t drawn his comeback card.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll gamble. Flip my face-down card: Trap ‘Reckless Greed’! Skip your next two Draw Phases to draw two more cards from deck!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this point in the duel, if he couldn’t win this turn, his chances were already vanishingly slim.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By this point in the duel, if he couldn’t win this turn, his chances of victory had already grown increasingly slim.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Flip my face-down card: Continuous Trap ‘Voice of the Living Dead’! Revive one monster from graveyard in Attack Position!” Sanze shouted. “I revive this card I discarded during my first turn!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lord of the Cosmos, Ruler of All Worlds—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“—Level Eight, Queen of the Cosmos!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Queen of the Cosmos, ATK 2900】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then activate Ritual Spell ‘Litmus Death Ritual’ from hand!” Sanze shouted. “Sacrifice monsters from hand or field totaling Level 8 or higher to Ritual Summon ‘Litmus Death Swordsman’ from hand!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then, activate the Ritual Spell ‘Ritual of the Litmus Death!’” San Ze cried. “Sacrifice monsters from your hand and field totaling eight stars or more, and Ritual Summon ‘Litmus Death Swordsman’ from your hand!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Cut through all darkness and sin with your blade! Ritual Summon—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“—Level Eight, Litmus Death Swordsman!!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Queen of the Cosmos vanished in ritual flames; in her place stood a swordsman wielding twin blades, his crimson cloak flowing elegantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Litmus Death Swordsman, ATK 0】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Litmus Death Swordsman’s own ATK is 0—but when there’s a face-up Trap Card on the field, its ATK rises by 3000!” Sanze said. “I have Continuous Trap ‘Voice of the Living Dead’ on the field—so its ATK rises by 3000!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Litmus Death Swordsman’s ATK is 0—but when there’s a face-up trap card on the field, its ATK rises by 3000!” San Ze said. “I have the Continuous Trap ‘The Cry of the Living Dead’ on my field, so its ATK rises by 3000!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was precisely the final trump card Sanze summoned against Jaden in the original.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I see,” You Xuan smiled. “Litmus Death Swordsman is unaffected by any Trap Card effects and cannot be destroyed by battle.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You chose this specifically to counter me, beyond ‘Imperial Edict’?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Exactly! This is the perfect trump card I selected to defeat you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But you should know—even with a Trap on the field, its ATK still can’t match ‘Meteor Black Dragon.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I know!” Sanze said. “But I haven’t performed a Normal Summon this turn yet.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m summoning this card—the one I’ve staked my victory on—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“—Mimicry Illusionist!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A Level One Spellcaster, holding a small mirror that obscured its face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Mimicry Illusionist, ATK 0】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mimicry Illusionist’s effect: Copy the original ATK and DEF of one monster on your opponent’s field! I’ll copy your ‘Meteor Black Dragon’!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tiny Illusionist’s mirror locked onto the massive Black Dragon; its reflection appeared in the mirror, and in an instant, the little magician transformed into the exact same colossal Black Dragon form!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Mimicry Illusionist, ATK 0 → ATK 3500】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The field now held two Meteor Black Dragons facing each other!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not done yet! Activate Spell Card ‘Double Attack’! Discard one monster from hand to choose one monster on your field with lower Level than the discarded one—this monster may attack twice this turn!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Not over yet! Activate the magic card 'Double Attack'! Discard one monster card from your hand, and select one monster on your field with a lower level than the discarded monster; that selected monster may attack twice this turn!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sanze sent one of his hand cards to the graveyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I discard the Level 8 ‘Water Dragon’ from my hand, and target the Level 1 ‘Mimicry Illusionist’ on the field!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This turn, the ‘Mimicry Illusionist’ can attack twice!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The surrounding students erupted in commotion once more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From such a desperate situation, under the absolute suppression of chaotic power, Sanze Dadi once again smashed through a breach!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside the field, Jida was even more excited: “He turned things around again from such a dire position! Sanze is incredibly strong!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Manzhangmu narrowed his eyes at You Xuan, muttering as if to himself: “You shouldn’t be limited to just this, should you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wouldn’t allow this bastard to lose to anyone before facing him again!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“‘Mimicry Illusionist,’ first attack—target ‘Chaos Magician’!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black dragon mimicked by the Illusionist opened its mouth, unleashing a tyrannical shockwave. The Chaos Magician was instantly engulfed in flames and reduced to ash in a single blow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【You Xuan, LP 1600 → LP 400】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You Xuan staggered back two steps and smiled. “Impressive, second place.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Still so calm, first place?” Sanze laughed. “Then I guess I’ll have to push even harder.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now, second attack! Mimicry Illusionist, attack ‘Meteor Black Dragon’!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both mighty black dragons opened their mouths, unleashing torrents of flame meteors at each other without restraint. The blazing meteors collided head-on at the center of the dueling field, spilling endless molten lava that spread and engulfed the entire surrounding area until both dragons were fully melted away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sanze’s momentum surged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meteor Black Dragon, destroyed!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Next, ‘Stone Rui ’s Death Swordsman,’ attack the face-down monster!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could feel it—he could feel the scales of victory tipping back in his favor!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stone Rui ’s Death Swordsman was one of his strongest trump cards. With attack power equal to Blue-Eyes White Dragon, immunity to battle destruction, and powerful resistance that ignores traps, it was the perfect card to counter this guy!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could already see the light of victory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The face-down monster you’re attacking is ‘Dimensional Warrior,’” You Xuan said calmly. “When this card battles a monster, both that monster and this card are banished from the game.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Dimensional Warrior, DEF 1000】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sanze: “...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The surrounding students: “...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once again, a rift tore open in space, releasing boundless gravitational force. Sanze’s invincible Stone Rui ’s Death Swordsman and the Dimensional Warrior were both sucked into the vortex and vanished without a trace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All that talk of destruction immunity, all that ignoring of traps—suddenly, it was all smoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the invincible Dimensional Slash, all beings were equal—sent straight to another dimension.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one shouted. No one commented. No sound came from anyone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An eerie silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a long pause, Maru Teng  Ryo murmured: “You were right about him—he truly isn’t a duelist whose tactics can be easily locked down.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mm,” Asuka’s expression was complex.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How to put it...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sometimes, when a dog wants to mess with your head, there’s just no stopping it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My turn, draw.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid the silence, You Xuan continued his actions with calm composure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Activate the spell card ‘Burial Incantation’s Bounty’: banish three spell cards from my graveyard, then draw two cards.” (Original card)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three spell card images rose from the graveyard, dissolving into golden light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Banish ‘Prankster Twins’ and ‘Hand Destruction’ and ‘Angel’s Gift’ from my graveyard, and draw two cards.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Activate the spell card ‘Warrior’s Survival’: return one Warrior-type monster from my graveyard to my hand.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I return ‘Chaos Warrior—Messenger of the Opening’ to my hand.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then, banish from the game the Light-attribute ‘Radiant Angel’ I discarded earlier with ‘Hand Destruction,’ and the Dark-attribute ‘Chaos Magician’ in my graveyard.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Offer the souls of Light and Dark to the Chaos Field, and summon the legendary strongest warrior! Heaven and Earth—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“—Level 8, Chaos Warrior—Messenger of the Opening, return!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blinding golden light exploded from the chaotic vortex, a tyrannical beam slamming to the ground. The blades of Light and Dark cleaved through chaos as the legendary swordsman prepared to strike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Chaos Warrior—Messenger of the Opening, ATK 3000】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sanze: “...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Chaos Warrior—Messenger of the Opening, directly attack Sanze-kun—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“—Opening Dual Break Slash!!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The power of Light and Dark converged upon the blade, and the swordlight descended. Sanze looked up, staring blankly as the blade drew nearer, then exhaled deeply and closed his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had given it his all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Sanze, LP 500 → LP 0】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2456,"2026-06-19T08:58:34.393Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","d9362ec35987c052848c04c7f5a64679d0020ba988830e3f66a4b06046caa325","who-let-him-play-yu-gi-oh-chapter-91","who-let-him-play-yu-gi-oh-chapter-89",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fwho-let-him-play-yu-gi-oh-cover.jpg"]