Field Effect: Draconian Realm
Dan LP: 1800
Twin-Headed Behemoth: Dragon-Type/WIND/Level 3/ATK 1000/DEF 1000
Sateis LP: 4000
Number 11: Oceanic Dragon Shui Long: Dragon-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 5/ATK 2200/DEF 2000 – 0 OLU
Spell & Trap Card: Dragon Shield [equipped to Number 11: Oceanic Dragon Shui Long]
"So..." Matt muttered, staring at the utter state the field was in. "Anyone have any good ideas on how Dan's going to get out of this?"
"I do," James declared, before calling across the room, "Dan! Be a fish!"
Dan, as it turned out, had been in the middle of contemplating his possible turnaround strategy... but after a suggestion like that he couldn't help but turn around and stare, totally bewildered, at his teammate.
"Sorry, can I just get this clear?" Leah said after a slight pause. "Matt definitely just asked for ideas we can use to get Dan out safely, right? And you definitely just shouted 'be a fish'?"
"Hear me out on this," James replied. "If Dan were a fish – a salmon specifically – he could swim upstream and survive the dragon's attack with ease. Hell, that dragon's so fishy-looking, I wouldn't be surprised if it though Dan was one of its own and refused to attack."
"Genius," Katie said sarcastically. "But that still leaves the problem of Dan becoming a fish in the first place."
"I'm getting to that," James went on. "All we need to do is find a fisherman, ask to borrow his carving knife-"
"Um... well, that's very, er... helpful of you James," Dan interrupted. "But I think I'll stick to trying to duel my way out."
James folded his arms in a huff. "Fine."
With a sigh, Dan turned back to the Sage, who was looking just as bemused as he was. "Sorry about that," he said. "Now, where were we?"
"If memory serves, you were making your final move," Sateis replied.
"Ah, you're right, I was," Dan grinned. "Alright, here we go. First, I activate the effect of Polaris Dragon Yve in my Graveyard! By shuffling one Dragon-Type monster from my Graveyard into my Deck, I can return this card from the Graveyard to my hand. I'll choose Polaris' Frostling to return to my Deck." Two cards were spat out of his Graveyard, and he placed one back in his Deck before adding the other to his hand.
"What're you up to...?" Sateis muttered under his breath.
"Now I activate the Spell Card, Monster Reborn!" Dan declared, playing the card onto his duel disk. "This lets me revive a monster from either player's Graveyard."
James glanced at his girlfriend. "What do you think he'll choose?"
"Gungnir," she replied instantly. "He has to. It's the only monster he has with a shot of taking down Shui Long."
"I'm not so sure," Leah said. "I think he might revive Fross and risk using Skhulvorze. We don't know what that other card in his hand is..."
"Exactly," Matt nodded. "For all we know, it could be another Tuner monster, so he could revive anything to use for another Synchro Summon entirely-"
"I choose Number 68: Glacial Dragon!"
Four sets of eyes widened in shock at the same time as, completely against all of their assumptions, Dan elected to revive his Number. The icy dragon, now devoid of Overlay Units itself, took to the field once more, now looking rather insubstantial before the vicious water dragon opposing it.
Number 68: Glacial Dragon: Dragon-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 3/ATK 1000/DEF 1000 – 0 OLU
"What on earth?" Matt said, stunned. "Why Glacial Dragon? What possible reason could he have for Summoning that?"
"Maybe the pressure's gotten to him," James suggested.
Leah looked like she was about to say something, but Katie shook her head and spoke first. "No, Dan's a bit reckless when it comes to dueling, but he's not stupid. He must have seen something we haven't."
Matt nodded, then turned to Leah. "Were you about to say something?"
"Yeah, this move," she replied. "It must have something to do with the last card in his hand-"
"I activate the effect of Dragon Ice in my Graveyard!" While they were chatting, Sateis had become suspicious of this odd move and, deciding not to take any chances, triggered the effect of the monster in his Graveyard. "By discarding one card when you Special Summon a monster, I can revive this card!" He sent Mythic Water Dragon to his Graveyard, and in return, the masked dragon of ice reappeared next to Shui Long.
Dragon Ice: Dragon-Type/WATER/Level 5/ATK 1800/DEF 2200
Dan ignored him. "Alright, now I Normal Summon Polaris Dragon Yve!" This time it was the pure white wyvern-esque monster that appeared on his field.
Polaris Dragon Yve: Dragon-Type/WATER/Level 3/ATK 1500/DEF 300
"Next, I activate the Equip Spell Card, Xyz Jewelled Crown! Equip to Glacial Dragon!" As the Equip Card appeared, a series of white beams of light shot out of it and struck Glacial Dragon on the helm, where they morphed into the shape of an exquisite-looking crown, half gold and half silver, and festooned with green jewels of all different sizes. A single large red gem was embedded in the front. "With this," Dan was explaining, "the equipped Xyz Monster's Rank is changed into a Level."
Number 68: Glacial Dragon: Rank 3 → Level 3
"Additionally, if it's used as an Xyz Material Monster, it can be treated as two monsters rather than one," he went on.
"Well, that's very clever," Sateis replied. "But have you forgotten about the Draconian Realm Field Card already? As long as it's in effect, you can't Xyz Summon anything that isn't a Dragon-Type."
"I didn't forget," Dan replied, "I just didn't view it as an issue."
The Sage's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What are you talking about?"
Instead of answering, Dan raised his hand with a grin. "I activate Glacial Dragon's effect! Once per turn, I can target one face-up card on the field and cancel its effects for the rest of this turn. I target Draconian Realm!"
"What?!" Sateis gasped.
Glacial Dragon obediently lifted its gaze skyward and fired a sphere of condensed ice energy straight at the ceiling. It struck home with a flash, and emanated outwards like a shock wave, coating the entire room with a thin layer of frost.
"Field Effects aren't just effects," Dan was saying. "Field Effects can also be used for effects that require a face-up Field Spell Card to be in play, and although they're immune to destruction or removal, they're still affected by any other card effects. In short, Draconian Realm is a face-up card on the field. Sure it's not under either of our control, but it doesn't matter whose side it's on. So long as a card is face-up on the field, then Glacial Dragon can negate it!"
"Brilliant!" Leah grinned. "Now he can Xyz Summon anything!"
Sateis gritted his teeth. "So what?" he said. "So what if you can Summon non-Dragon-Types now? It doesn't make much of a difference. Shui Long still can't be destroyed in battle by anything that isn't an EARTH Number monster, and Dragon Shield protects it from even that. How do you expect to get past that?"
"My my, you're showing a sudden lack of patience, aren't you?" Dan grinned. "Careful, or Shui Long might decide to turn against you just like Tu Long did to Gelb."
Sateis clenched his fist and said nothing. Behind him, the other four Dragon Sages, including Gelb, watched on equally silently.
"Right then, since you're so eager to see my moves, then here you go," Dan said, raising his hand aloft. "Level three Yve, Behemoth, and Glacial Dragon, Overlay!" The Number lit up a bright blue colour, then split neatly down the middle into two mirrored pieces. Each half separated and shot upwards, abandoning its original structure. Alongside them, the other two dragons turned fully blue and green respectively and followed them up. The Xyz Jewelled Crown card shattered, and a galaxy-shaped portal opened up on Dan's now empty field. "I use these three monsters, treated as four monsters, to construct the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon!" The four bolts of energy – three blue, one green – chased each other down into the depths of the portal, which erupted and spewed beams of light in all directions, illuminating the room and casting dazzling reflections against the icy walls. "Appear, Number 3: Comet the Skylord!"
The pure white number zero-three flashed onto Dan's hand. The rays of light from the portal parted, and out of it rose a white and grey asteroid with spiral patterns on either side, and a large metal halo floating just above it. With a shower of glowing dust, the asteroid split down the middle, and four wings unfurled themselves from inside. The wings looked like they were made of something impossibly smooth, and seemed to be reflecting a swirling rainbow pattern. Its body was a small diamond shape, enclosed on either side by the two spiral-patterned domes that had been its shell. Behind it was the halo, which was now fixed to the monster's back rather than above its head. All in all, the monster looked like some sort of synthetic, angelic insect. Three green orbs of light flew in circles around it.
Number 3: Comet the Skylord: Fairy-Type/Xyz/WIND/Rank 3/ATK 2300/DEF 2000 – 3 OLU
"I activate Comet's effect!" Dan declared. "By detaching one of its Overlay Units, I can destroy one face-up card on the field that has an effect! I'll use the effect three times, detaching all three of its Overlay Units!" One by one, all three of Comet's green orbs flew into its halo and let off a flash of light each.
Number 3: Comet the Skylord: 3 → 2 → 1 → 0 OLU
"I target the cards you control in this order," he went on. "First Dragon Ice, then Dragon Shield, and finally Shui Long!" The green Overlay Units changed shape, forming three shining spears of light. The spear shot forward one at a time, each one finding its target with deadly precision. Dragon Ice was struck in the neck, the Equip Card was simply speared through its centre... and as the armour faded away, Shui Long's javelin buried itself deep in the monster's now-exposed chest. Dragon Ice roared in pain, but it was quickly eclipsed by Shui Long, who let out a piercing shriek of agony and thrashed about wildly, scrabbling at its chest wildly as it tried to dislodge the spear, but to no avail. The cards exploded one after the other, leaving their respective javelins behind.
"No..." Sateis moaned, clutching his arm as his Number's destruction hurt him. "How... how could Shui Long be defeated so easily...?"
"Oh, it gets better," Dan grinned. "For each card Comet destroys with this effect, it also gains an additional 1000 ATK. I used the effect three times, so that's 3000 extra ATK!" All three spears then dissipated into particles of light and flew back to Comet, where they swirled around it briefly before being absorbed into its radiant wings.
Number 3: Comet the Skylord: ATK 2300 → 3300 → 4300 → 5300
"Battle! Comet the Skylord, attack Sateis directly!" The Number began to charge a sphere of pure energy within its spikey halo. With a loud humming noise, the sphere grew and grew until it was bigger than Comet itself. Then, without warning, Comet fired the sphere at Sateis, who simply allowed it to consume him with a humble resignation. The spectators covered their faces at the colossal explosion.
Dan LP: 1800 [WINNER]
Sateis LP: 4000 → 0
Author-made cards:
Polaris Dragon Yve
Dragon-Type/WATER/Level 3/ATK 1500/DEF 300
You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) by removing 3 Polaris Counters from the field. If this card is in your Graveyard: You can target 1 other Dragon-Type monster in your Graveyard; shuffle that target into the Deck, then return this card from the Graveyard to the hand. You can only use this effect of "Polaris Dragon Yve" once per turn.
Number 11: Oceanic Dragon Shui Long
Dragon-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 5/ATK 2200/DEF 2000
3 Level 5 monsters
Must be Xyz Summoned, and cannot be Special Summoned by other ways. This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by an EARTH "Number" monster. Overlay Units attached to this card are unaffected by other card effects. Once per turn, during your opponent's End Phase: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card (this is a Quick Effect). Once per turn, during either player's turn, when an attack is declared involving this card and an opponent's monster: You can destroy all cards (except this card) on the field. This card must have no Overlay Units attached to it to activate and resolve this effect.
Number 68: Glacial Dragon
Dragon-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 3/ATK 1000/DEF 1000
2 Level 3 monsters
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. Once per turn: You can target 1 face-up card on the field; negate its effects until the End Phase. Once per turn, during either player's turn: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card; this card gains ATK equal to the original ATK of the detached monster in the Graveyard until the End Phase.
Number 3: Comet the Skylord
Fairy-Type/Xyz/WIND/Rank 3/ATK 2300/DEF 2000
4 Level 3 monsters
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card, then target 1 face-up Effect Card on the field; destroy that target, then this card gains 1000 ATK until the End Phase. When this card destroys an Xyz Monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard: Draw 1 card for each Overlay Unit attached to this card.
Draconian Realm
Field Spell Card
Neither player can Xyz Summon non-Dragon-Type monsters.
Fun Fact #131: "Ta da." ~ Dan
Fun Fact #132: The last time we used Xyz Jewelled Crown, it was equipped to Number 3, which was then used to Xyz Summon Number 68. It seems only fair that Number 68 return the favour.
Fun Fact #133: The person who actually got the closest to solving this was Numbershooter. In fact, he/she got it almost perfect apart from Number 3's effect, which gives it 1000 per card destroyed, not 1000 overall. Still, well done to him/her.
Fun Fact #134: So, I posed the same Duel Puzzle from last Chapter to some of my friends, although I worded the question slightly differently. Basically I asked them how Dan would survive the attack, rather than how he would win. That was a mistake. The answers I got back included surrendering and running away, becoming a fish, having Leah distract the Sage, having Leah snap the Sage's neck, using the power of ZEXAL II to cheat and turn Monster Reborn into a magical plot device card, hiding in a solid gold waterproof suit of armour, becoming Moses, becoming Dracula, or splicing a fish's gills onto Dan's neck with a rusty carving knife. I have such special friends!
Fun Fact #135: That ruling on Field Effects is one we garnered from Episode 57, where Nasch is dueling IV. In that duel, Magma Ocean is the Field Card in play, and Nasch uses Plate Salvage to negate its effects so he could Summon WATER monsters safely for a while. Since Plate Salvage can only negate the effects of face-up cards, that must mean that Field Effects are also treated as being face-up cards, so cards like Glacial Dragon can negate them. You could also cite Speed World as an example, since it must be treated as a face-up Field Spell Card or else the Earthbound Immortals would have become useless.