Henry and John stared at the battle.
Why. . .
Why are you doing our jobs?!
With them proclaiming what each card did, there was hardly any way for them to commentate!
For the first time, they were silent!
However the crowd was impressed! This was a significant change to the normal battles, and neither side was stronger than the other!
The organizers were relieved as well. Even if only temporary they had managed to satisfy the audience.
Yet still. . . a card game?
~ ~ ~
-Anon771: This is unexpected.
-Anon626: Haha! This is the source of my confidence! Behold! A War Sight!
-Anon597: What's a War Sight?
-Anon626: Now it's I who gets to do the explaining!
-Anon771: An ability available to only a few. Every one is unique, varying in strength and abilities. This one seems to turn battles into a card game.
-Anon626: . . .
-Anon905: lol, 626 had their lines snatched!
-Anon626: Ahem, still feeling confident 771?
-Anon771: Of course, you aren't blind are you?
-Anon626: Ah?
-Anon597: Hurrah! More expert deductions from 771!
-Anon771: Look at Proven Remedy's face. They're calm and collected. Any normal player would be panicked right now, facing an ability like this. Despite these changes however, they're playing confidently.
-Anon626: If shouldn't be possible to remember the rules in such a short time.
-Anon771: It's improbable yes, but not impossible.
-Anon626: Regardless Joint Reels knows his own game better than anyone else. He's incredibly confident.
-Anon771: Then we can only wait and see.
~ ~ ~
"I use the Action Card [Violent Eruption]! Causing a pillar of magma to arise on a single tile, dealing twenty damage! Moreover I use the two Chain Cards [Magic Rhythm] and [Mana Control]! Each adding an additional ten damage. Making the total damage forty! I attack Elven Defender!"
Yielya placed a single card, "I use the Counter Card [Immovable Mountain: Encompass]. This completely nullifies any incoming damage and knockback for one turn!"
Joint Reels faltered slightly. What was with the strong card?!
A sorcerer named Three Likes raised their staff. An eruption of magma exploded underneath Tilia, but a semi-transparent bronze energy encompassed her body. The eruption faded after a short while, and Tilia remained unharmed.
Joint Reels narrowed his eyes, "I end my turn."
Yielya didn't move anyone and drew two cards, "I shall use your line; shall we make things more interesting?"
Yielya placed a card onto the table, "I used the Action Card [Intense Speed] allowing Wrecking Rocks to teleport to any part on the map!"
Joint Reels frowned, teleport skills weren't unheard of. However they were extremely uncommon and rare to come across.
Wrock's figure flickered and he appeared next to Three Likes.
Yielya placed another card, "I then use the Chain Card [Second Tempo Strike]! Allowing me to use an additional Action Card!"
Joint Reels' face was covered with a look of absolute shock. Such a card existed?!
She placed a card onto the table, "I use the Action Card [Mastered Basic Punch]! Dealing fifteen damage in a shockwave that travels five tiles in any direction! However it has an additional effect! If the punch hits someone directly next to them, the damage is doubled!"
Joint Reels' eyebrow twitched violently, he flicked it to make it stop.
Wrock lifted his hand into a basic fighting stance. Throwing the punch forward it made contact with Three Likes. A powerful sound rang through the area.
Yielya watched Joint Reels' expression, "With that, I end my turn."
~ ~ ~
The rest of the party was stuck in a certain area. In the distance they could see the card game in perfect clarity.
However they weren't watching the game.
In the distance stood an additional five people, standing idly.
Someone's voice rang across the strange void, "No point in fighting. Even if you kill us the game continues. We will return here."
Akiol's lips curled, "Who said we were gonna fight?"
The one who spoke, holding a shield in their left hand, looked at Akiol, "Because you won't win the duel?"
"Oh? Who decided that?"
"Even if your dueler managed to memorize all the rules, they won't be aware of all their cards. Unlike Joint Reels, who has memorized the deck and knows the perfect strategies for them."
"I see. It's a shame our dueler is aware of all our skills. Down to even the most insignificant ones."
"They won't figure out the best strategies."
"Strategies require some specific cards to use correct?"
"What about it?"
Akiol's eyes narrowed playfully, "Nothing much, just a question. Do you believe in luck of the draw?"
~ ~ ~
Joint Reels eyebrow was twitching. Nothing was working!
For the past few turns nothing has done any significant damage to the enemy! He looked at the deck of cards and calmed himself, there was still a way!
He didn't move anyone, instead he placed a card onto the table, "I use the Ace Card [Card Discard] forcing us both to place our current hands to the used pile. In exchange we draw two cards afterwards."
Yielya placed her hand into the used pile and drew two cards.
Joint Reels placed another card onto the table, "I use the Ace Card [Forceful Draw]! Allowing me to choose a single card I want from my deck. My deck is automatically shuffled and I am unable to draw cards for three turns!"
Joint Reels pulled a card from his deck and the deck rapidly reshuffled. Slowly Joint Reels regained his composure, "You see there is one loophole in the rules."
Yielya didn't respond, eager to hear what this loophole was.
Joint Reels tapped the deck, "When a dueler is out of cards the opponent keeps going until they are out of cards. Leaving themselves completely helpless to whatever their opponent does."
He took a brief look at his cards before stating, "Having said that, I end my turn."
Yielya drew two cards. She glanced over them and spoke, "I noticed this as well. Leaving me wondering, how could one abuse it? Now I understand. By preventing yourself from being able to draw you save cards for later. The moment I am out of cards you can use them to quickly remove as much of my units' HP as possible. Winning the game."
Joint Reels nodded, "That is the plan."
"So why would you state this?"
"I want a fair duel. I'm showing all of the possibilities in the first round to let my future opponents study it carefully. Allowing them to give me an entertaining duel."
"Was this one not entertaining enough?"
"I was shocked at the strength of your cards. But besides that it was mediocre."
"How so?"
"You use basic strategies, nothing complex enough to gain my interest."
"Complex strategies aren't necessary. Why waste time on them when a straightforward method works?"
Yielya placed a card onto the table, "Now that I said that I hope you realize you aren't the only one who wanted to abuse that loophole. I use the Action Card [Refresh Collection]. Resetting all of my cards in the used pile and my hand to the deck, this allows me to draw three cards again. Additionally this resets my turn, allowing me to move my units again!"
The cards reset into a deck and three were delivered into her hand. She didn't move anyone and drew two more cards, "Of course I can draw more since the drawing phase is now."
Joint Reels bit the inside of his cheek. He was entirely unaware of another card that could abuse the same strategy he was aiming for. To think his opponent would abuse the loophole he stated so quickly!
Yielya placed a card, "I use the Ace Card [Interchanging Bell], letting me swap the locations of two units. I swap Wrecking Rocks and Empty Shot!"
Joint Reels had moved several of his units towards Wrock to try and eliminate him as fast as possible. However it proved fruitless with Yielya's constant defense.
Now it was being turned against him!
Yielya placed another card, "Due to the reset of my turn I can place another Action Card! I place [Asteroid Descent]! This deals damage in a five by five area. Dealing fifteen damage to anyone within it, except for the exact center. The center of the area deals thirty damage instead!"
Akiol raised Stars and an asteroid descended onto the enemy team. Crashing into them.
Yielya placed a card, "I then use the Chain Card [Second Tempo Strike]! Allowing me to place another Action Card!"
A card was placed onto the table, "I choose the card [Timeline Warp]! Allowing Akiol to teleport to any location on the grid! I choose the tile next to Empty Shot!"
Yielya placed another card, "I use the Ace Card [Random Redo]! A coin will be flipped, if it's heads then I can use another Action Card! Otherwise I can use another Chain Card!"
A coin manifested and began spinning. Joint Reels began to panic, this combo was essentially unheard of in his previous duels! Somehow his opponent had such perfect synergy of cards?!
The coin landed on. . . heads!
Yielya placed another card onto the table, "I use the Action Card [Writer Of Law]! Allowing me to introduce a single rule that effects all Units! The law is simple: Movement is restricted for three turns!"
Yielya placed her final card in her hand, "I place the Chain Card [Mana Preparation]! After my next turn any damage dealt by my units will deal an extra five damage!"
Yielya slapped her hand onto the table, "Is this complex enough for you? I end my turn!"
Joint Reels grit his teeth, he had to come back from this! Unable to do anything in the beginning two phases he was forced to use his only three cards to turn around the situation right now!
He slapped a card onto the table, "I use the Action Card [Reality Warp]! This creates a special area in a five by five zone, any attacks made here are to go through a coin flip in order to land! If it's heads it will deal damage as normal. If tails then it misses! This lasts for three turns!"
He then slapped the remaining two cards onto the table, "I use the Chain Cards [Luck Bend] and [Skill Multiplier]! With these two cards effects the original coin flip becomes a dice roll! If it rolls one through five the attack misses! Otherwise it lands normally!"
He placed one additional card down, "Finally I use my last Ace Card! [Gambler's Fate]! This changes the dice roll into two die! The only way for your attacks to land is when both the die land on six! In the rare case that does happen your attack will be doubled in damage!"
He pressed his hands against the table, "You'll need luck itself to be on your side! I end my turn!"
Yielya drew two cards, "I wonder about that. I use the Action Card [Enchantment]! This buffs all my units to do twenty percent more damage!"
Runes spread across the party, glowing faintly. Yielya tapped the table, "With that my turn ends, and due to you being unable to do anything my next one begins!"
Joint Reels gripped the edges of the table, "You can't do anything! There's no way you obtain a powerful enough card to do enough damage! Even if you do the chances of it hitting is ridiculously low!"
Yielya drew two cards, "Then you'll have to see."
She placed her entire hand onto the table, "I use the Action Card [Repulse]! Dealing twenty damage to those in a six by six area next to Akiol. I then use the Chain Cards [Galactic Energy Force] tripling the damage directly and [Tame Summon: Donk] boosting the damage by fifteen percent!"
She pointed at Joint Reels, "With the effects of [Galactic Energy Force] the Action Card [Repulsion] will do sixty damage! Additionally with the fifteen percent increase from [Tame Summon: Donk] the damage increases to sixty-nine!"
She slammed her palm into the table, "But that's not all! With the buff from [Enchantment] the damage is further increased by twenty percent! Making the damage come to eighty-two-point-eight! Additionally the card [Magic Preparation] comes into effect, boosting the damage by another five!"
Her eyes narrowed, "Now roll the die!"
Joint Reels forcefully calmed himself, there was no way that both the die would land on six!
The die shook and dropped, bouncing slightly before rolling to a stop.
One dice was on. . . Six!
The other die. . .
Six!
Joint Reels felt his heart drop! It shouldn't be possible!
A faint smile formed on Yielya's lips, "With the effect from your cards, the total damage comes to. . . one-hundred-sixty-five-point-six!"
She crossed her arms, "With that your entire team is eliminated!"