Morgan and the Gravedigger each drew five cards, and their Life Points appeared.
"I'll take the first turn."
The Gravedigger glanced at Morgan, the lips hidden in his beard moving as he spoke in a deep voice:
"My turn, draw!"
He glanced at the card he drew and added it to his hand. Although it had been a long time since he last dueled, this Deck felt like an extension of his own limbs—one look, and he knew exactly what to do.
Familiar cards once again filled his vision, as if he were reliving his glorious days.
Without a moment's pause, the Gravedigger pulled out a card from his hand and declared:
"I activate the effect of Gravekeeper's Commandant from my hand!"
"I discard this card from my hand to the Graveyard to add 1 Necrovalley from my Deck to my hand!"
Hearing this, Morgan was momentarily stunned.
She hadn't expected her opponent to be using a Gravekeeper Deck.
While this Deck's raw power was limited, it had extremely potent control abilities—and the source of that control was the very card he was about to add to his hand: Necrovalley.
This card could completely shut down any Deck that relied on Graveyard operations.
Its effect negates the effects of Spells, Traps, and Effect Monsters that involve the Graveyard, and neither player can move cards from the Graveyard.
If it involves the Graveyard, regardless of any other effect, it gets negated.
And you couldn't even banish cards from the Graveyard.
In other words, it outright locked down the Graveyard.
This was lethal to most Decks—for example, her Dinomorphia Deck. Without the ability to banish cards from the Graveyard, Dinomorphia monsters lost their resilience and would simply whittle away her Life Points.
Thankfully, this time she was using a Trickstar Deck.
It didn't rely heavily on the Graveyard, or else she would have been in serious trouble.
Still, this served as a reminder to Morgan—she had to watch out for oddball, heavily targeted Decks like this. Who knew when she might get caught off guard?
By now, the Gravedigger had already added Necrovalley to his hand.
He immediately placed it into the Field Spell Zone of his Duel Disk.
"I activate the Field Spell, Necrovalley!"
A streak of sunset light appeared on the field, driving away the darkness. The sunlight came from behind the Gravedigger.
At the same time, towering mountains rose on either side of him, forming a long, narrow canyon between them. The ground was barren, covered in sand that erased all traces—this was a land where nothing had ever grown.
"While Necrovalley is on the field, all 'Gravekeeper's' monsters gain 500 Attack and Defense.
Also, the effects of Spells, Traps, and Effect Monsters that involve the Graveyard are negated.
And neither player can banish cards from the Graveyard."
The Gravedigger spoke in a deep voice, reciting the effect with practiced ease. He knew exactly how powerful this card was—back in the day, he had crushed countless top duelists with it.
Yet, his combo wasn't over yet—the true Gravekeeper's monsters had yet to arrive.
"I activate the Spell Card, Necrovalley Throne, from my hand!"
"This card lets me add 1 'Gravekeeper's' monster from my Deck to my hand."
"I add Gravekeeper's Spiritualist to my hand."
Seeing him add that monster, Morgan's eyes narrowed. This was a monster with a Fusion effect—if he had another suitable Fusion Material monster in hand, he could Fusion Summon right away.
And if she guessed correctly, the monster he planned to Fusion Summon was the one that protected Necrovalley.
"I Normal Summon Gravekeeper's Spiritualist in Attack Position!"
A slender woman appeared on the field, wearing ancient-style clothing that bared her pale waist. Her face was hidden behind an animal mask, and in her hands she held a staff and a pendant engraved with the Millennium Eye.
[Gravekeeper's Spiritualist] Level 4│DARK│Spellcaster│1500 ATK / 1500 DEF
"I activate Gravekeeper's Spiritualist's effect!
If Necrovalley is on the field, I can send Fusion Materials from my hand or field to the Graveyard to Fusion Summon 1 Spellcaster Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck."
This effect included the Spiritualist herself, allowing her to be used as Fusion Material directly.
"I send the Gravekeeper's Spiritualist on my field and the Gravekeeper's Oracle in my hand to the Graveyard to Fusion Summon from my Extra Deck—Gravekeeper's Supernaturalist!"
When the fusion vortex dissipated, a white-haired Spellcaster wielding a sun staff appeared on the field.
[Gravekeeper's Supernaturalist] Level 7│DARK│Spellcaster│2000 ATK / 2000 DEF
While its original Attack and Defense were only 2000, the boosts from Necrovalley and its own effect had already brought it up to 3900 Attack.
Summoning a 3900 Attack monster right from the start—Morgan couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.
"I activate Gravekeeper's Supernaturalist's effect.
During the End Phase, I can add 1 'Gravekeeper's' monster or 1 card that lists 'Necrovalley' in its text from my Deck to my hand.
I add Hidden Temples of Necrovalley to my hand."
With the card he needed searched from his Deck, the Gravekeeper's standard opening was nearly complete.
With Gravekeeper's Supernaturalist on the field, he didn't have to worry about Necrovalley being destroyed.
And while Necrovalley was on the field, the Supernaturalist couldn't be destroyed by card effects either.
With this double-layered protection, the only way to take it down was to overpower its Attack Points—and that was easier said than done.
The Gravedigger looked at the card he had just searched and smiled.
"My turn ends."
It had been so long since his last Duel, and his mood was good—the stale air about him even seemed to fade. He would show these youngsters that the times hadn't left him behind.
Morgan glanced at the Gravedigger's field. The situation was clear enough.
Her Graveyard was locked, and she couldn't banish cards. Anything sent there would be trapped.
At the same time, her opponent had a 3900 Attack monster—far beyond anything her Trickstars could match.
However, Morgan didn't panic. So what if the monster's Attack was high?
She was targeting the duelist himself.
"My turn, draw!"
She looked at the card she drew—it was Trickstar Festival. She didn't have a Field Spell handy this turn.
And with Gravekeeper's Supernaturalist present, Necrovalley wasn't going anywhere.
That meant her burn damage would be reduced somewhat, but for now, she would have to rely on Trickstar Festival to set up.
"I Normal Summon Trickstar Candina in Attack Position!"
Wearing a yellow stage outfit and holding a large megaphone, Candina bounced onto the field.
Seeing this monster, the Gravedigger smirked. These young people always liked flashy, pretty monsters—he would show her that real monsters were about effects, not looks.
Morgan, unaware of his intent to "educate" her, focused on her play.
"I activate Trickstar Candina's effect!
When this card is Normal Summoned, I can add 1 'Trickstar' card from my Deck to my hand.
I add Trickstar Reincarnation to my hand!"
Then, promptly, she played a Spell.
"I activate the Continuous Spell, Dark Room of Nightmare, from my hand!"
When this card hit the field, the Gravedigger raised an eyebrow—he knew this one. It had existed even in his time.
If he remembered right, every time you inflicted effect damage, this card would deal an extra 300 damage.
Decent enough, but not that strong—after all, cards that could repeatedly inflict effect damage were rare. In his eyes, it was little more than a gimmick.
Why was she running it?
Puzzled, the Gravedigger kept watching.
With Dark Room of Nightmare on the field, Morgan's combo had only just begun.
"Next, I activate the Spell Card, Trickstar Festival, from my hand!
I Special Summon 2 Trickstar Tokens (Fairy / LIGHT / Level 1 / ATK 0 / DEF 0) to my field."
Two heart-shaped balloons appeared.
"I use the two Trickstar Tokens to set the Link Arrows!
Link Summon—Trickstar Divaridis!"
A blue-dressed idol holding a staff-like microphone appeared on the field.
"I activate Trickstar Divaridis's effect!
If this card is Special Summoned, inflict 200 damage to your opponent."
Under Divaridis's effect, the Gravedigger lost 200 Life Points—he didn't care. A mere 200 damage was nothing.
Then his Life Points dropped by another 300.
Only now did he realize—Dark Room of Nightmare was on the field. That was its purpose… Suddenly, a thought struck him.
Could it be that every monster in her Deck had effects like this?
Each one only inflicted 200 damage, but add in Dark Room of Nightmare…
The Gravedigger felt a chill, a drop of cold sweat running into his beard.
When had the younger generation gotten so dirty with their tactics?
...
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