Chapter 95. Salamangreat vs. Rokket/Borreload! A Deck Packing 3 Mirror Forces Made Everyone Break Down!
While Yusaku Fujiki was still sorting through Cyberse builds, Theodore Hamilton finished marveling at the lines of play and immediately made his request.
Theodore Hamilton: "A-hem! Mr. Yuki…"
Theodore Hamilton: "Since we've already looked at Code Talkers and the related builds…"
Theodore Hamilton: "About my Salamangreats…"
"Honestly, I just want to know how Salamangreat performs in the Higher World."
"It can't be worse than Code Talker, right?"
"It's gotta be strong, right? Is it top tier in the meta?"
"Does it stomp a bunch of other engines?"
Main World.
Sei Yuki's expression shifted slightly.
Salamangreat, huh?
To be honest, that was the first Structure Deck he bought when he started Master Duel.
Three copies and you can go to town.
Cheap and beginner-friendly.
Thinking back made him a little sentimental.
Those days of using Salamangreat to grind gems while stockpiling hand traps are long gone.
Then graduation and work—less and less time.
As for Salamangreat itself:
It isn't super-top-tier.
Let's just say it has power in the metagame, but not a lot.
Pure Salamangreat's strength is having many starters and being able to streamline the list to pack a lot of generic hand traps for disruption.
It can build a board going first.
Going second, with the right hand traps, you read the opponent and stop the key point.
One way or another, it plays.
If the next short video features Salamangreat, that seems like a good choice.
It would also help the other old-guard duelists better understand what Link Summoning really is.
Sei Yuki: "If that's the case…"
Sei Yuki: "I'll pull up a Salamangreat match for you."
Sei Yuki: "It should give you plenty of ideas."
Hearing Sei Yuki's answer, Theodore Hamilton finally let out a long breath.
In under three minutes, the title appeared!
"Salamangreat vs. Rokket/Borreload! This Is My Final Burning Draw!"
The instant they saw the title…
Aside from Theodore getting excited…
Varis, standing to the side, twitched.
Rokket/Borreload?
That's his deck?
Salamangreat vs. his Rokket/Borreload!
Very quickly, across the entire VRAINS World, Varis and Theodore became the center of discussion and attention.
The short video began to play.
Duel info.
Salamangreat Ruiner vs. Rokket Borreload Soul Heavenly Emperor.
Both LP: 8000.
Salamangreat Ruiner going first.
Rokket Borreload Soul Heavenly Emperor going second.
Salamangreat Ruiner: "Okay, this time I'm playing the Super Heatleo build!"
Salamangreat Ruiner: "My turn—going first!"
"Activate the Spell Card, Salamangreat Circle!"
"Effect: add Salamangreat Mole from my Deck to my hand."
"I Normal Summon Salamangreat Foxy!"
"Foxy's effect: add Salamangreat Beat Bison from my Deck!"
"Use Foxy as the only material to Link Summon Salamangreat Balelynx; Balelynx's effect adds the Field Spell Salamangreat Sanctuary."
"Chain Link 2, Salamangreat Gazelle in hand triggers: when a 'Salamangreat' monster other than this is sent to the GY, Special Summon this card."
"Gazelle's effect: send Salamangreat Roar from Deck to the GY."
"Use Balelynx and Gazelle to Link Summon Salamangreat Sunlight Wolf!"
"Activate Mole in hand to Special Summon it to a zone Sunlight Wolf points to."
"Sunlight Wolf's effect: when a monster is Special Summoned to a linked zone, add Gazelle from my GY back to hand."
"Use Mole as the only material to Link Summon a second Balelynx."
"Activate the Field Spell Salamangreat Sanctuary."
"Using the Field Spell's effect, I Reincarnation Link Summon another Sunlight Wolf using my existing Sunlight Wolf as the entire material."
"Salamangreat Roar in the GY sets itself to my field."
"Activate the second Sunlight Wolf: add Salamangreat Circle back from my GY."
"Use Sunlight Wolf and Balelynx to Link Summon."
"Link-3! Transcode Talker!"
"Transcode Talker's effect: revive Sunlight Wolf from my GY."
"I Set 1 card."
Salamangreat Ruiner chained Special Summons and Links to build the board in one go.
Just this sequence alone left the other five Duel Worlds (outside VRAINS) completely baffled.
So this is a modern Link deck?
Let's leave the earlier Cyberse deck aside for now.
Just looking at this Salamangreat line, the old-guard duelists realized something was off.
Wait a second?
One monster after another looked like it was spending resources…
But it also kept getting resources back.
Whether it was Balelynx searching or Sunlight Wolf recurring, it all sounded a warning bell for the old guard.
What is "resource routing"?
This is the terrifying routing and recursion of resources.
The more they play cards to the field, the more resources they accumulate.
This is the Link system.
Rokket Borreload Soul Heavenly Emperor: "Not bad, not bad—your combo's about done."
Rokket Borreload Soul Heavenly Emperor: "You've satisfied the required number of Special Summons. I can fire this now."
"Still want to keep going? You wish."
"I activate the effect of Nibiru, the Primal Being from my hand."
"Nibiru—come devour the board! Tribute everything, give you the Token in Defense on your field, and Special Summon Nibiru to my field."
Salamangreat Ruiner: "???"
Salamangreat Ruiner: "Knew it… I'm numb to it at this point."
"But that doesn't mean I'm out of gas! Just you wait."
"I activate the Continuous Spell, Will of the Salamangreat."
"I revive Sunlight Wolf from the GY."
"I Special Summon Salamangreat Beat Bison from my hand."
"Two bodies? Confirmed for Link-2—Splash Mage!"
"Splash Mage's effect revives Beat Bison."
"Since you gave me a Token…"
"I'll Link the Token and Beat Bison."
"Link Summon—I:P Masquerena!"
"My turn ends."
"Your turn to play Yu-Gi-Oh."
With the setup finished, there were enough on-board resources to enable a Quick-Effect Link.
Even after taking a Nibiru, he still produced a compromised board.
Plenty of duelists were now interested in Salamangreat.
And this compromised Quick-Link line seemed far from weak.
He'd already assembled materials worth a Link-4.
In other words—he could Quick-Link into a Link-4.
Next up, it should be Rokket Borreload Soul Heavenly Emperor's headache, right?
Rokket Borreload Soul Heavenly Emperor: "My turn—draw."
Rokket Borreload Soul Heavenly Emperor: "I'm about to enter the Battle Phase."
Rokket Borreload Soul Heavenly Emperor: "Well? Are you going to activate an effect to rewind the Battle Phase?"
Salamangreat Ruiner: "..."
Salamangreat Ruiner: "I'll… think about it."
If he lets him proceed to Battle, that 3000 ATK Nibiru could simply run over I:P or Splash Mage.
If he bites now, the opponent will likely start building to push through his ace.
Screw it—go for it.
Salamangreat Ruiner: "I'm activating I:P's effect!"
Salamangreat Ruiner: "I Quick-Link I:P and Splash Mage."
"Come forth—Link-4."
"Mekk-Knight Crusadia Avramax!"
"And since I:P was used as Link Material, Avramax gains protection from being destroyed by card effects."
"Plus Avramax doesn't target and has built-in resilience."
"Come on! You forced me to Quick-Link—let's see how you break this board."
A simple mind-game.
In the Higher World, it's nothing special.
But to the old-guard duelists of the six Duel Worlds, it left them slack-jawed.
Baiting I:P's Quick-Link by threatening to rewind the Battle Phase?
What the—?
You can do that?
And being forced to Quick-Link into Avramax gives it stacked protection, and it doesn't fear battle either.
Back and forth—neither side seemed to get a clear edge.
Rokket Borreload Soul Heavenly Emperor: "Oh? Then I'll continue my turn."
Rokket Borreload Soul Heavenly Emperor: "I Normal Summon Magnarokket Dragon."
"Use Magnarokket as the only material to Link Summon Striker Dragon."
"Striker Dragon effect: add the Field Spell Boot Sector Launch from my Deck."
"I Link Nibiru and Striker Dragon."
"Confirm Link-2."
"Predaplant Verte Anaconda."
"Activate Verte Anaconda's effect, pay 2000 LP."
"Send Fusion materials from Deck by effect—Destiny HERO – Denier and Destiny HERO – Malicious."
"Fusion Summon! Destiny HERO – Destroyer Phoenix Enforcer."
"I activate Destroyer Phoenix Enforcer's effect! Target itself, and that Trap you reset earlier, Salamangreat Roar—destroy them both."
Salamangreat Ruiner: "I chain the set Salamangreat Circle."
Salamangreat Ruiner: "Add Salamangreat Beat Bison to my hand."
Rokket Borreload Soul Heavenly Emperor: "I Set 1 card."
Rokket Borreload Soul Heavenly Emperor: "Turn end."
GX World.
When Destiny HERO – Destroyer Phoenix Enforcer suddenly hit the field from a Rokket/Borreload deck, Jaden Yuki and Aster Phoenix both froze.
This Rokket deck… even runs Verte to make the undying Phoenix Enforcer.
Two themes that seem unrelated, and yet they mesh.
Decks in the Higher World are getting wilder by the minute.
But Jaden and Aster didn't think running Phoenix was a mistake.
How strong is Phoenix?
After the earlier HERO deep-dive, they knew perfectly well how terrifying that card is.
Salamangreat Ruiner: "My turn! Draw 1."
Rokket Borreload Soul Heavenly Emperor: "In your Standby Phase, I revive Destiny HERO – Destroyer Phoenix Enforcer from the GY."
Salamangreat Ruiner: "I Normal Summon Salamangreat Gazelle, sending Salamangreat Falco to the GY."
"At the same time, Salamangreat Foxy in the GY activates: I discard Salamangreat Spinny to Special Summon Foxy and destroy my own Field Spell."
"The Balelynx in my GY is banished to protect."
"Then Falco's effect: return Gazelle to my hand and Special Summon Falco."
"Use Foxy as the only material to Link Summon a third Balelynx."
"Link Balelynx and Falco into Sunlight Wolf."
"Sunlight Wolf adds Salamangreat Circle back from my GY."
"I Special Summon Beat Bison from my hand."
"Beat Bison's effect: return Sunlight Wolf and Balelynx from my GY to the Extra Deck."
"Your Destroyer Phoenix Enforcer and Predaplant Verte Anaconda have their effects negated until the end of this turn."
Rokket Borreload Soul Heavenly Emperor: "I chain Phoenix Enforcer."
Rokket Borreload Soul Heavenly Emperor: "Destroy Verte Anaconda and your Sunlight Wolf."
Salamangreat Ruiner: "The Balelynx I was going to add back gets banished instead."
Salamangreat Ruiner: "I Special Summon Salamangreat Spinny from the GY."
"Spinny and Beat Bison Link into Update Jammer."
"Update Jammer and Sunlight Wolf continue to Link."
"Come, my friend's ace card."
"Accesscode Talker—Link-4."
"Chain Link 2, Accesscode's effect: ATK rises to 4300."
"Chain Link 1, Update Jammer in the GY: this turn, Accesscode can attack twice."
"Will of the Salamangreat on the field revives Sunlight Wolf."
"Accesscode's effect—activate."
"I banish Update Jammer from my GY to destroy your backrow."
And after that pop, a scene that stunned everyone was about to happen.
The destroyed card was Mirror Force Launcher.
Salamangreat Ruiner: "What the—"
Salamangreat Ruiner: "Crap! I'm done!"
Rokket Borreload Soul Heavenly Emperor: "Surprise."
Rokket Borreload Soul Heavenly Emperor: "I knew you'd use Accesscode."
"The card you destroyed is the Continuous Trap Mirror Force Launcher."
"When this Set card is destroyed by your opponent's card effect and sent to the GY, I can Set this card again from my GY and Set Mirror Force from my hand, Deck, or GY."
"Not only that, both can be activated this turn."
"Then I shuffle them and set them randomly."
"Well?"
"Do you still dare use Accesscode to pop my backrow?"
Salamangreat Ruiner: "Heh… Mirror Force, huh?"
Salamangreat Ruiner: "All right then."
"I'll keep going with Accesscode. Banish Transcode Talker."
"Pop the one on your left."
The destroyed card was—Mirror Force Launcher.
Salamangreat Ruiner: "Surprise."
Salamangreat Ruiner: "You popped—still my Mirror Force Launcher."
"In that case, I Set two more Mirror Force from my Deck."
"Shuffle the two and randomize their positions."
"Continue?"
Salamangreat Ruiner: "Nani?"
Salamangreat Ruiner: "Wait—this card doesn't have a 'once per turn' clause!?"
"Fine, I'm all-in."
"I keep going with Accesscode."
"Banish Splash Mage."
"Pop the one in the middle."
"I refuse to believe anyone actually runs three Mirror Force in their Main Deck."
Rokket Borreload Soul Heavenly Emperor: "Congratulations—you destroyed Mirror Force Launcher three times."
"So I'll Set a third Mirror Force from the Deck."
"And now my backrow is three Mirror Force plus one Mirror Force Launcher."
"Your Accesscode has been a huge help."
"Come on, come on."
"Attack me! Hurry up and attack."
"I can't wait."
All six Duel Worlds' duelists were completely petrified by what they were watching.
How many?
How many Mirror Force in the backrow?
What is this?
What kind of filthy Trap is that?
If it gets destroyed, it just fetches Mirror Force?
And it's not even "once per turn"?
He pulled out three Mirror Force in one go?
No—wait.
That's not the point.
The point is—who in their right mind Main Decks three copies of Mirror Force?
Even little Yugi couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his mouth.
Even in his Deck, he wouldn't run three Mirror Force, c'mon.
And in the DM World, plenty of duelists had lost to Mirror Force before.
So seeing the opponent have three Mirror Force Set made their whole bodies spasm.
It's really over this time.
Three Mirror Force! Accesscode is basically at its limit.
You can't swing at all now.
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