Disclaimer: I do not own Magic: The Gathering
Day five of the challenge. I think I'm gonna make it!
If you start screwing up, I'm taking over!
If you feel compelled to do so, just make the switch discreet.
"Hey," said Arrathir's opponent, sitting down in front of him "I'm Ito."
"Arrathir, nice to meet you," he said.
They both shuffled their decks and planed them in the middle of the table to be cut by each other. Arrathir simply cut Ito's deck in half, but Ito preformed several cuts to Arrathir's deck before taking his. Drawing his hand, Arrathir smiled. Once again, he'd gotten Lava Spike and Glacial Ray as well as Cranial Extraction. Ito pulled out a D20 and rolled a 5. Arrathir rolled his D20: a 5. Ito re-rolled and got a 12. Arrathir's re-roll was an 11.
"I'll let you go first," said Ito.
Surprised, Arrathir played. "Mountain, end turn."
"I play a Swamp," said Ito "And summon Rag Dealer (1/1). End turn."
"Draw," said Arrathir "And I play a Forest, tapping out to summon Orochi Ranger (2/1). Go."
"I play a Mountain and summon Akki Rockspeaker (1/1), using the red mana he gives me when he comes in play to Lava Spike you for three. End turn."
ITO: 20
ARRATHIR: 17
"Swamp," said Arrathir "And I'll summon Villainous Ogre (3/2). End turn."
"I play a Swamp," said Ito "And I play First Volley, dealing one damage to your Ranger and one damage to you. Next, I'll attack with Akki Rockspeaker. End turn."
ITO: 20
ARRATHIR: 15
"Mountain," said Arrathir "And I Lava Spike you, Splicing Glacial Ray onto it for five damage. Next I'll attack with Villainous Ogre."
"Block with Rag Dealer," said Ito.
ITO: 15
ARRATHIR: 15
"End turn."
"I play a Swamp and summon Hand of Cruelty (2/2, Pro white, Bushido 1). I attack with Akki Rockspeaker."
ITO: 15
ARRATHIR: 14
"I'll play Glacial Ray to get rid of your Hand of Cruelty," said Arrathir "And I'll play a Forest. Next I'll attack with Villainous Ogre."
"I Glacial Ray it," said Ito.
"Fine. End turn."
"I play a Mountain and summon Kiku, Night's Flower (1/1). End turn."
"I summon Shinen of Fury's Fire (2/1, Haste)," said Arrathir "And I enchant it with Mark of Sakiko. Whenever it deals combat damage to a player, I add that much green mana to my mana pool. This mana doesn't cause mana burn and doesn't empty from my mana pool until end of turn. I attack with Shinen."
"Take it," said Ito.
"End turn."
ITO: 13
ARRATHIR: 14
"I tap Kiku to use its ability," said Ito "It makes target creature deals damage to itself equal to its power, so I'll target your Shinen of Fury's Fire. I attack with Akki Rockspeaker and end my turn."
ITO: 13
ARRATHIR: 13
Arrathir smiled, seeing he'd draw Jugan.
That card really likes me. Pity I don't have enough mana to summon him.
"End turn," he said.
"I summon Cursed Ronin (1/1, Bushido 1)," said Ito "And I'll attack with Kiku and Akki"
ITO: 13
ARRATHIR: 11
"End turn."
"I summon Harbinger of Spring (2/1, Pro non-spirit, Soulshift 4). End turn," said Arrathir.
"I summon Kami of Fire's Roar (2/3)," said Ito. "End turn."
"Swamp," said Arrathir.
Let's see, I don't have quite enough to summon Jugan and if I did, he'd just kill him with his Kiku. Let's try this.
"I play Devouring Greed, sacking my Harbinger. This card deals you two damage plus two damage for each spirit I sacked. I gain that much life. I return Shinen of Fury's Fire to my hand and end my turn."
ITO: 9
ARRATHIR: 15
"I attack with Kami of Fire's Roar and Akki," said Ito.
ITO: 9
ARRATHIR: 12
"Main phase two, I summon Ember-Fist Zubera (1/2). Go."
"I play a Forest," said Arrathir "And play First Volley on your Kiku."
ITO: 8
ARRATHIR: 12
"End turn."
"I summon Ronin Houndmaster (2/2, Haste, Bushido 1)," said Ito "And I attack with Kami of Fire's Roar and Ronin Houndmaster."
ITO: 8
ARRATHIR: 8
"End turn."
Perfect! Now let's counter-attack!
"I summon Jugan, the Rising Star (5/5, Flying) and I Channel Shinen of Fury's Fire to give Jugan haste. I attack with Jugan!"
ITO: 3
ARRATHIR: 8
"End turn."
"I play Rend Spirit," said Ito "To destroy your dragon! Next I attack with everything!"
ITO: 3
ARRATHIR: 3
"End turn."
Shit! I need a really good card.
"Draw!" said Arrathir, drawing Stir the Grave.
This…this can work!
"I play Stir the Grave," he announced, "To return my Shinen of Fury's Fire (2/1, Haste) to play! Next, I'll summon Orochi Sustainer (1/2). End turn."
"I summon Kumano's Pupils (3/3)," said Ito "And I attack with Ronin Houndmaster, Akki Rockspeaker, and Kami of Fire's Roar."
"I block your Akki with Orochi Sustainer," said Arrathir "And Kami of Fire's Roar with Shinen."
ITO: 3
ARRATHIR: 1
"End turn."
"You almost had me," said Arrathir "But it ends now! I play Soulless Revival to return my Shinen of Fury's Flame to my hand, Splicing Kodama's Might onto Soulless Revival to give my Sustainer +2+2. Next, I summon Shinen of Fury's Fire (2/1, Haste) and play Kodama's Might on him! I attack full out!"
"I block your Sustainer with Kumano's Pupils," said Ito.
ITO: 0
ARRATHIR: 1
Meanwhile, Eva wasn't doing so well. She'd gotten what she thought to be a decent hand, but she a bit mana-screwed and her opponent, a man named Shu, was quickly filling up the field with his samurais. Currently, he had Devoted Retainer (1/1, Bushido 1) and had just summoned Hand of Honor (2/2, Pro black, Bushido 1).
"End turn," said Shu.
"I summon Brutal Deceiver (2/2)," said Eva "End turn."
"I play an Island and play Eye of Nowhere to return your Deceiver to your hand," said Shu. Now play Call to Glory. All Samurai I control have +1+1 until end of turn. I attack with both my creatures."
SHU: 20
EVA: 14
"End turn."
(Crap! I need to do something fast!)
"I play an Island and play Ideas Unbound. I draw three cards and discard three cards at the end of my turn."
(This will work for now.)
"Next, I play Honden of Infinite Rage. At the beginning of my upkeep, this card deals damage to target creature or player equal to the number of shrines I control. Finally, I summon Teardrop Kami (1/1). End turn." Eva tossed three cards into her graveyard.
"I summon Eight-and-a-Half-Tails (2/2)," said Shu "Next I attack with Devoted Retainer and Hand of Honor."
"I block your Hand of Honor with Teardrop Kami," said Eva.
SHU: 20
EVA: 12
"End turn."
"I'll deal the one damage to your Retainer," said Eva "And I play a Mountain. Next, I play Consuming Vortex to return your Hand of Honor back to your hand. End turn."
"I summon Nagao, Bound by Honor (3/3, Bushido 1). End turn."
SHU: 19
EVA: 12
(It won't do any good if I try to return his Half-Tails to his hand, so I'll just summon creatures for now.)
"I summon Soratami Rainshaper (3/1, Flying)," said Eva "End turn."
"I play Quiet Purity to destroy your Honden," said Shu "Next, I summon Hand of Honor (2/2) and attack with Nagao."
"I block with Rainshaper," said Eva.
"End turn."
(This is bad! Anything I summon he can take out and I can't get rid of his Half-Tails!)
"I summon River Kaijin (1/4) and end my turn."
"I play a Plains and summon Kami of the Crescent Moon (1/3). At the beginning of each player's upkeep, they draw a card. Now I attack with Nagao and Hand of Honor."
"I block Nagao with River Kaijin," said Eva.
"End turn."
SHU: 19
EVA: 10
"I summon Glitterfang (1/1, Haste)," said Eva "And I play Veil of Secrecy. Until end of turn, Glitterfang can't be the target of spells or abilities. I attack with Glitterfang and since you can't block him, I'll activate my Ninjutsu card, Mistblade Shinobi (1/1)."
SHU: 18
EVA: 10
"When Mistblade Shinobi deals combat damage to a player, I can return a creature that player controls to their hand, so I'll return your Half-Tails. End turn."
"I play an Island and summon Eight-and-a-Half Tails," said Shu.
"Not so fast!" said Eva "Go, Thoughtbind! This card counter a spell with converted mana cost four or less."
"So I'll play my counterspell," said Shu "Oppressive Will. This counters your spell unless you pay one mana per card in my hand, which you can't since you're tapped out. Now I'll attack with Nagao and Hand of Honor."
SHU: 18
EVA: 5
"End turn."
"I play a Mountain," said Eva "And I summon Jetting Glasskite (4/4, Flying). End turn."
"I play Eerie Procession," said Shu "I search my library for an Arcane card." Shu riffled through his deck and withdrew a card. "I choose Toils of Night and Day and I play it! This card allows me to tap or untap one permanent and then tap or untap another permanent. I tap your Jetting Glasskite and untap one of my lands. Now I attack full out."
SHU: 18
EVA: 0
Back at Arrathir's duel, things were going fairly well. Arrathir was confident he could win this one, but he had to play it carefully.
"Draw!" he said, surveying the field. He had Elder Pine of Jukai (2/1, Soulshift 2) and Brutal Deceiver (2/2) in play and he'd just drawn Glacial Ray. Ito had Razorjaw Oni (4/5) and Lizuka the Ruthless (3/3, Bushido 2) out. "I summon Sakura-Tribe Elder (1/1) and end my turn."
"I play a Swamp and summon Hired Muscle (2/2)."
"I Glacial Ray it," said Arrathir "And because of Elder Pine of Jukai, I get to reveal the top three cards of my library and put all land cards reveled in my hand and the rest on the bottom of my library." Arrathir's top three cards were: Swamp, Sosuke, Son of Seshiro, and Matsu-Tribe Sniper.
"I attack with Razorjaw Oni," said Ito.
"Block with my Sakura-Tribe Elder and sack him before he dies," said Arrathir "I put a swamp into play tapped."
"End turn."
If I shuffle well enough, Sosuke might not be at the bottom of my deck anymore.
"I play a Swamp," he said "And I summon Thief of Hope (2/2, Soulshift 2). Elder Pine of Jukai's effect kicks in because it works when I play a spirit or arcane spell." Arrathir's top three cards were: Nezumi Cutthroat, Harbinger of Spring, and a Swamp.
Damn! I had a few goods cards coming up! Oh well.
"To end my turn, I play Midnight Covenant on my Brutal Deceiver. End turn."
"I play Oni Possession on my Razorjaw Oni, giving it +3+3 and trample. However, I must sack a creature at the beginning of my upkeep. I'll also summon Ashen-Skin Zubera (1/2) and attack with Razorjaw Oni (7/8)."
"I block with Brutal Deceiver."
ITO: 8
ARRATHIR: 5
"End turn."
"I play a Swamp," said Arrathir "And I play Soulless Revival to return Jugan to my hand! Because of Thief of Hope, you loose one life and I gain one life."
ITO: 7
ARRATHIR: 6
"And I've got no lands in the top three cards. End turn."
"At the beginning of my upkeep, I sack Ashen-skin Zubera, making you discard a card and I summon Nezumi Shadow-Watcher (1/1). Next, I attack with Razorjaw Oni and Lizuka."
"I block your Oni with Thief of Hope and your other creature with Elder Pine of Jukai."
ITO: 7
ARRATHIR: 1
I've got Shinen of Fury's Fire and Kodama's Might in my hand. If I can draw the right card, I can win this!
"I've drawn the card that will win the duel!" he announced, "Go, Stir the Grave! I return Jugan to play, Channeling Shinen of Fury's Fire to give him haste and I attack with him, playing Kodama's Might to make him a 7/7!"
ITO: 0
ARRATHIR: 1
"Wow," said Ito "Another close one! Good duel."
"You too," said Arrathir, getting up. He went over to check the posting for the next round. Going to his assigned table, he noticed his opponent hadn't arrived yet. He decided to go over his deck a bit. He was so absorbed that he didn't notice his opponent approaching the table.
"What are you doing at my table?" asked Eva.
"What? You're my opponent?" said Arrathir "Did you loose?"
"Don't remind me," said Eva, throwing herself into the chair. "I was playing against a strong Blue/White deck."
"I won, so that explains why we got paired up," said Arrathir.
"And I can't wit," said Eva, cracking her knuckles "I'm finally gonna beat you!"
"Not if I can help it," said Arrathir, rolling a 7. Eva rolled an 8. They cut each other's decks.
"And no fair using Chikuro," she said, drawing her hand.
"He's out of this," said Arrathir "It's just between you and me."
Yes, but if you start screwing up, I will take over.
Just for once, let me play this out by myself, OK?
Even if it means you loosing? Well, if that's what you want, so be it. I won't interfere.
Thank you.
To be continued…
Author's Note: Ha! Day Five over! Two more! So, Arrathir vs. Eva, eh? Going to be an interesting duel. On another note, this story had almost reached the 150-review mark, the 100-review mark breezing by without a notice.
ACS Dude: Lu Chao would be glad to kill all those who stand in the way of the Awakening, but as a Justicar Planeswalker, he's not allowed to interfere, so basically it means Arrathir's on his own. As for Khell, patience; he'll appear eventually.
Quillian: Writing duels is something I adore and despise at the same time. Here's a quick overview of how I write duels: First off, I get a decklist for each duellist, or, as in the case of most deck in the past chapters, I just go onto Gatherer and search for cards. Next, if I have a physical copy of the decks, I'll use them and play along as I go, so the cards I draw are the cards the characters draw and play. Sometimes I cheat a bit and stack the cards so they can draw the winning card. I usually have a tracking sheet where I write down how many lands each player has, how many cards in hand, their creatures, and what they have in the graveyard. This becomes a hassle very quickly. You should have seen my tracking sheet for the Sliver duel! If I only have the decklists, I'll try to write up the duel as fairly as possible, with each duellist drawing fair cards. Sometimes I'll have them pull off some cool combo, like some they pulled off in the past chapters. Of course, I ultimately decide the outcome of the duel, but I try to make it as close as possible. So that's how I write a duel!
MTDL: Like the ACS Dude and SeraphSong, you caught my calling Yuki "Eric." This proves to me you attentively ready my chapters and makes me feel very happy. There will be four rounds in this tourney, so the next chapter will be the last round. After that, I'll write a chapter about Arrathir and Eva getting it on if this fic makes it past 160 reviews. (Just kidding)
Khell: Thanks for your concern, but I think I'll survive, if barely. I can assure you that I'm probably never doing something like this again. Well, maybe during the summer.
John: If Chikuro were in charge, I'd have to write 1000-word chapters because he'd trounce his opponents so quickly. Plus, Arrathir needs to build his own dueling skills, learning as he goes, so it's no fun if Chikuro's always in control.