Chapter 142. Dragon Rulers Keep Getting Hit Yet Keep Rising! The Curtain Falls with the Whole Family on the List!
In the short video, "One Ruler, One Spellbook" quickly begins explaining how Dragon Rulers developed afterward.
"One Ruler, One Spellbook": "Everyone must be curious right now. Without the four Baby Rulers, how strong were Dragon Rulers?"
"One Ruler, One Spellbook": "In truth, for a period after the Babies were Forbidden, Dragon Rulers did look like a deck not many people continued to play."
"But Spellbooks had it even worse."
"Without Spellbook of Judgment, Spellbooks practically became bottom-tier."
"You could say almost nobody played Spellbooks anymore, and if they did, it was a tiny minority."
"By contrast, Dragon Ruler players kept exploring. Blue-Eyes Rulers and pure Rulers were locked in a neck-and-neck debate."
"In the metagame, WATER decks were also vying with Dragon Rulers."
"At the time, those 'sewer' decks put serious pressure on Dragon Rulers."
"Until the Trap Card 'Diamond Dust' showed up."
"This Trap destroys all WATER monsters on the field, then deals 500 damage to the opponent for each WATER monster sent to the Graveyard by that effect."
"Because of this Trap, WATER decks took a hit."
"Seeing Dragon Rulers still active, Duelists flocked back into the arms of the Rulers."
"But that still wasn't enough, until Ruler players kept experimenting and found a lifeline in the meta."
"Let's look at how post-exploration Ruler builds differ from the original ones."
As the host finishes, two Dragon Ruler decklists appear in the short video.
In the newest builds, the Babies were gone due to being Forbidden.
In their place were other accomplices:
First card: Mythic Tree Dragon.
Level 4 Dragon.
Once per turn, you can target a WATER Dragon you control; this card's Level becomes that monster's current Level.
Second card: Mythic Water Dragon.
Level 8 Dragon (WATER).
If you control an EARTH monster, you can Special Summon this card from your hand (once per turn that way).
Third card: Debris Dragon.
Level 4 WIND Dragon Tuner.
(1) Can only be used for the Synchro Summon of a Dragon, and the other Synchro Materials must all be non-Level-4 monsters.
(2) When this card is Normal Summoned: Target 1 monster with 500 or less ATK in your GY; Special Summon it in Attack Position.
There were also other Blue-Eyes-related cards.
Most eye-catching of all was the Dragunity Field Spell "Dragon Ravine."
Just looking at these pieces, the Duelists from the six Duel Worlds immediately saw what fueled the Rulers' "second spring."
It was these cards enabling Synchro plays and Rank 8 Xyz, of course.
No wonder the Extra Deck had things like Scrap Dragon, Red Dragon Archfiend, Divine Dragon Knight Felgrand, and Hieratic Sun Dragon Overlord of Heliopolis.
"This is it. Use Synchro and Rank 8 Xyz as the end boards."
"I see. 'Dragon Ravine' is the finishing touch—it lets Rulers dump to the Graveyard."
"The idea should be to quickly pile up Graveyard resources to extend. But why so many back-row traps?"
"Whoa! Rulers' second spring turned 'grimy,' too—Torrential Tribute, Bottomless Trap Hole… and even the Solemn old man!"
Duelists in the group chat immediately start talking over one another.
By now, they've formed a working understanding of Rulers' second spring.
"One Ruler, One Spellbook": "While basking in a second spring, I believe you've also noticed that without the Babies, Rulers leaned even harder on the Graveyard."
"One Ruler, One Spellbook": "The demands on the Extra Deck also went up."
"At the same time, splashing other non-theme Level 4 monsters was to make Rank 4 Xyz plays."
"And that was for this powerhouse at the time—Evilswarm Exciton Knight."
"Its effect, during your Main Phase or your opponent's Battle Phase, if they have more total cards in hand and on field than you: detach 1 material; destroy all other cards on the field."
"A card with extremely strong first-turn pressure!"
"As for other options, for breaking boards you could run Diamond Dire Wolf."
"Unfortunately, the good times didn't last long."
"Konami moved again the very next year."
"In the OCG that February, the four big Dragon Rulers were all semi-limited."
"Even so, most Duelists didn't stay pessimistic."
"Compared to the September list, directly Forbidding the four Babies hurt way more than Semi-Limits."
"And so, in that metagame, Rulers started surging again and continued their second spring."
"Various Ruler builds kept cropping up, with Blue-Eyes Ruler being emblematic."
"Rulers stood at the top of the environment once more."
Those words leave Duelists across all worlds silent.
All four big Dragons got semi-limited—yet Rulers still didn't die?
They even climbed back to the top of the meta?
The old guard had thought that with this wave of restrictions, Rulers would at least begin a downward slide.
Who could have imagined… Rulers kept climbing.
In the Duel Monsters world, Yugi Muto inhales sharply, his face turning grave.
He hadn't expected Rulers—already so "on a wheelchair"—to keep speeding.
The theme has eight kinds of cards, 24 total.
Remove the four Babies—12 cards gone.
Semi-limit the big four, and the count drops again—only eight Ruler cards left.
Forty cards, eight Ruler cards.
Still playable?
If that's not absurd, what is?
"Hahaha! Invincible! Mighty! The strongest!"
"I said all along, a theme like Dragon Ruler is the best right-hand man for Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"
"I'm only getting more excited to see what happens next."
Seto Kaiba lets out a cold laugh, but his expression is one of anticipation.
Since Blue-Eyes is involved, he's definitely going to see how the Rulers' banlist fate plays out.
"One Ruler, One Spellbook": "Once Ruler builds stabilized post-restriction, their numbers in the meta shot up."
"One Ruler, One Spellbook": "At this point, Rulers had already hit their peak."
"And I think you all knew what was coming."
"Their fate would, in the end, be inescapable."
"That's right—making the big four Semi-Limited didn't feel like enough for Konami."
"So…"
"On the April list, the four big Rulers dropped from Semi-Limited to Limited."
"Out of the 24 Ruler cards, only four remained."
"In other words, only the four big Dragons."
"But Ruler players told everyone—"
"'Rulers are not dead!'"
"'Rulers can still fight!'"
"'Rulers never say die!'"
"'Rulers can continue conquering the world!'"
"And so, the Blue-Eyes engine Rulers were fully brought to prominence."
"You all know the Blue-Eyes build already—'White Stone' plus Cards of Consonance to draw, then Blue-Eyes plus Trade-In to keep drawing."
"And Blue-Eyes in itself is all about Rank 8s, so it gave Rulers powerful end boards and follow-ups."
"By pushing to the limit like this, Rulers rose to the top again."
"But what can you do with only four Rulers?"
"At this point, the power level of Dragon Rulers had already dipped to a low."
"Still, since the faithful Ruler players were many, you could still see Rulers in the meta."
"The four big Dragons' role was mainly beaters and resource routing."
"Being the main core again was basically impossible."
"Until the release of Shaddolls."
"That sped up and complicated the environment.
Even if Rulers had some edges, Shaddolls completely beat them out in usage."
"Still, they could hang on as a top-three-used deck."
"So nominally, Rulers weren't truly dead yet."
Hearing this, feelings of lament, helplessness, and anger surge through all Duel Worlds.
What they see is a monster that kept struggling and fighting even after its four limbs were severed.
What they see is a Ruler deck, steeling itself, piecing together the last cards, battling in every corner.
What they see is "Dragons conquering the world," always looking for chances and add-on engines to break its shackles.
So this is what it means to be "super-meta" Rulers?
A whole deck with only four actual Ruler cards, and it could still do this much?
Yugi Muto: "I can't believe it. I really can't. Konami, stop! Monsters will cry if you do this!"
Jaden Yuki: "Rulers even have a HERO's spirit and perseverance. I can't believe it—just four Dragons left, yet they still shine with the Rulers' brilliance!"
Yusei Fudo: "Perhaps that, too, is a form of appeal. If possible, I still hope Rulers can keep on living."
Yuma Tsukumo: "No way. Probably… no way. From here on out I think what comes next is…"
Yuya Sakaki: "They'll really be killed off, won't they? It's down to four Dragons, and Konami still won't spare them?"
Yusaku Fujiki: "They won't. But now I'm even more curious about Konami's banlists. Why do they keep doing this?"
The protagonists from each Duel World start discussing among themselves.
For Rulers, what they feel most is helplessness.
They also feel deep sympathy.
But here's the problem.
If Rulers are still topping, doesn't that mean future lists will keep restricting them?
Or, with only four Dragons left, will Konami show mercy and stop targeting them?
That topic instantly becomes the hot button in the chat.
Meanwhile, in the short video, the answer arrives.
"One Ruler, One Spellbook": "After all that, will Konami really let Rulers go?"
"One Ruler, One Spellbook": "I think everyone knows what kind of company Konami is."
"One Ruler, One Spellbook": "Without question, Rulers were going to get the axe again."
"But this time, not by hitting the Rulers themselves."
"They hit the key dump enablers for Rulers—Dragon Ravine and Dragon Shrine. Both dropped to Limited, dealing another crushing blow to the deck's ability to get started."
"The Dragunity theme was crying in the bathroom. Their Field Spell wasn't limited because of them—it was Rulers that sent it there. Darkly funny, isn't it?"
"We figured after that, Rulers would be about dead."
"But then!"
"As new packs kept strengthening the environment, one card took the stage."
"That card was Number 95: Galaxy-Eyes Dark Matter Dragon."
Rank 9 / DARK / Dragon / 4000 ATK / 0 DEF
"3 Level 9 monsters. You can also Xyz Summon this card by using a 'Galaxy-Eyes' Xyz Monster you control as material. Cannot be used as Xyz Material. If this card is Xyz Summoned: Send 3 Dragons with different names from your Deck to the GY; your opponent must banish 3 monsters from their Deck. Once per turn: detach 1 material; this turn, during each Battle Phase, this card can make up to 2 attacks on monsters."
"???"
"What is this?"
"'Galaxy-Eyes'?"
Kite Tenjo nearly spits blood.
Blue-Eyes Rulers—how did this suddenly drag in Galaxy-Eyes?
Why Galaxy-Eyes, seriously?
The moment he reads the card, Kite can't stay seated.
This card's power is off the charts.
On Xyz Summon, it mills three Dragons from your Deck.
With Rulers—do you even need to ask?
You pitch three Rulers straight away.
And your opponent has to banish three monsters from their Deck on top of that.
Then there's the double-attack clause at 4000 ATK—no joke.
Could it be… Rulers went back to the top off this card?
"One Ruler, One Spellbook": "I think you've guessed it."
"One Ruler, One Spellbook": "Exactly—this 'Dark Matter' hard-carried Rulers back into the game."
"Ruler lists added a Rank 8 'Galaxy-Eyes' shell, then used the Level 8 that can Special Summon itself, Guardian Eatos, together with the Level 8 that can be Normal Summoned without Tribute, Beast King Barbaros. Overlay into a 'Galaxy' Rank 8 and you can climb into Dark Matter."
"That spike in power dragged Rulers to the top again."
"Maybe not peak-of-peaks strength, but this performance sent a message to Konami—'Rulers aren't dead. Dragons will keep conquering the world.'"
"Well then—Konami's wrath was triggered."
"On the April list of 2015, the last four big Rulers were all Forbidden."
"Thus, all eight Dragons in the Ruler family ended up Forbidden."
"In the truest sense—an entire clan of loyal souls. If any deck qualifies, it's them."
"The life of Dragon Rulers ends here."
"In the years after, Rulers lived on only in the histories traded by Duelists' word of mouth."
"After all, their reign spanned roughly a decade."
"A super-meta deck that lasted ten years—it's hard not to tear up at its curtain call."
"Even now, with a few pieces released, they're just fringe as splash engines."
"I like a saying: 'Rather than wage endless war, retire and become a legend.' May the legend of Dragon Rulers continue to be passed down."
"And with that—the curtain falls."
"...… "
Tears.
Genuine tears.
Many Duelists across the worlds are moved to weeping.
So heartless?
Truly.
So heartless?
A mighty Dragon Ruler theme—from splitting the format in two at the start, to wave after wave of restrictions, surging again and again, until the end where the whole family was Forbidden, loyal to the last.
Was it really necessary to go that far?
Back then, Rulers were already at Tier 3, even Tier 4.
Those who kept playing Rulers—weren't they just hanging on out of love for the deck and its cards?
And yet—everything Forbidden.
Konami—too ruthless.
At this moment, that thought fills every old-guard Duelist's mind.
For the first time, they're more eager than ever to understand the banlist rationale.
Why?
Why not even spare the last four Dragons?
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