Chapter 111 – The Foundation
The excitement from Johnny Storm and Phil Coulson's match had barely faded before the tournament staff began preparing the Feature Table for the next Top 8 match.
The crowd was still buzzing. Some were discussing Johnny's explosive Machine deck, others were talking about Coulson's surprisingly disciplined play, and a few were already speculating about who else would make it into the semifinals.
Mike Patrick looked toward the camera and said, "Well, folks, we've barely had time to catch our breath, and we're already moving on to our next quarterfinal match!"
The camera shifted toward the two players walking toward the Feature Table where the big screen showed.
CHARLES IRVIN ZANE VS SASHA MENDEZ
The crowd responded with another wave of cheers.
Alexander sat beside Mike in the commentary booth, watching Chuck approach the table.
"Both of these players have earned their place here," Alexander said. "But their strategies couldn't be much more different."
Mike smiled, "Indeed... Chuck is the aggressive Dragon player."
"And Sasha..." Alexander paused. "Sasha is dangerous because she doesn't need to attack you directly to win."
Mike raised an eyebrow, "That's ominous."
"It should be."
At the same time, Chuck and Sasha took their seats while the nearby judge went through the coin toss rite to decide who chose who started first.
The coin was flipped.
Sasha won, and she immediately chose to go first.
She drew her opening hand, considered it for a few seconds, then placed a monster face-down before two more cards followed as they were set in the back row; then she announced, "Your move."
Mike leaned forward and observed, "Not much information from Sasha."
"That's intentional," Alexander said. "She doesn't need to show us anything yet."
Chuck drew his card and looked at his opening hand, then he summoned his monster, "I summon Spear Dragon in ATK position!"
The crowd immediately recognised it, as it was one of the staples of many Dragon decks.
[Spear Dragon - 1900 ATK / 0 DEF]
As the aggressive monster hit the field, Mike laughed and commented, "There it is."
Alexander nodded, "That's Chuck's ultra-aggressive style."
The audience cheered as Chuck entered his Battle Phase and declared, "I use Spear Dragon to attack the face-down monster!"
In response to that, Sasha didn't activate anything and simply revealed the monster.
[Prevent Rat - 500 ATK / 2000 DEF]
The crowd reacted as Spear Dragon crashed into the massive defensive wall, and because of that, Chuck took 100 LP of damage.
[Chuck - 3900 LP]
Mike blinked and observed, "Well, that's one way to discourage an early attack."
Alexander smiled slightly, "Prevent Rat is doing exactly what Sasha wants it to do. Chuck was expecting either a monster he could destroy or something that would force Sasha to reveal a powerful effect instead; he has simply lost 100 Life Points. That's not a good trade."
After that, Chuck ended his turn, and Sasha started hers and drew, then she played her first major card, "I activate Swords of Revealing Light."
The Spell Card slammed on the field, locking down Chuck's monsters, preventing them from attacking for the next 3 turns.
Mike immediately understood what that meant, "Oh, that's going to buy her some time."
"Three turns," Alexander said. "And Sasha intends to use every second of them."
She then flipped one of her set cards, "I activate Bad Reaction to Simochi."
The audience murmured in trepidation while Alexander's eyes narrowed, 'There it is. The centrepiece of her whole deck... Now, things will get hard for Chuck.'
Sasha followed it with another Spell, "Now I activate Upstart Goblin."
Normally, the effect would allow her to draw and give Chuck 1000 Life Points, but instead, Bad Reaction to Simochi converted the Life Point gain into damage and because of that, Chuck lost 1000 Life Points.
[Chuck - 2900 LP]
The crowd burst into laughter and surprised reactions while Chuck stared at the field and muttered, "Oh... That's bad..."
Sasha smiled and said, "Surprise."
Mike laughed, "That was nasty!"
Alexander couldn't help but grin and explain, "That's Sasha's entire strategy. She's taking cards that normally help Chuck and turning them against him."
"Which means every extra turn becomes dangerous."
"Exactly."
And Sasha wasn't finished, as over the following turns, she continued attacking Chuck's Life Points.
Another Upstart Goblin. Another 1000 damage.
[Chuck - 1900 LP]
Then, the turn after that, Mooyan Curry and another 200 LP disappeared.
[Chuck - 1700 LP]
Chuck watched the field carefully.
His monsters were still being restricted by Swords of Revealing Light, and when he finally found an opportunity to attack with his monsters, Sasha's defensive wall was already waiting.
Aqua Madoor, The Dragon Dwelling in the Cave and Prevent Rat.
Chuck couldn't simply overpower everything fast enough.
Mike lowered his voice.
"Chuck is running out of room."
"He is," Alexander agreed, "And Sasha knows it."
Then Sasha played another dangerous card, Snatch Steal.
She took one of Chuck's Dragons, and Chuck's expression tightened.
The stolen Dragon became another weapon against him, and when the effect of Snatch Steal resolved during his Standby Phase, Chuck lost another 1000 Life Points.
[Chuck - 700 LP]
The crowd reacted loudly.
Mike stared at the Life Point display and muttered, "700... That's quite the bad situation..."
Alexander nodded and added, "And this is where Sasha becomes terrifying."
"Because she only needs one more push?"
"Not even necessarily. She just needs time." Alexander watched Chuck carefully and continued, "Sasha's strategy has become a machine. Swords of Revealing Light buys time. Her defensive monsters stop Chuck from attacking. Snatch Steal takes his resources. Bad Reaction turns any recovery cards for the opponent into damage."
Mike looked at him, "So what does Chuck do?"
Alexander smiled faintly and said in a confident tone, "He has to break the machine."
Chuck stared across the field. His eyes moved from Sasha's monsters to her back row while thinking, 'I could brute-force my way through the monsters or... I could destroy the card, making everything else so dangerous... Well, the choice is easy!'
Without any shred of doubt, Chuck chose the second option, then he drew and looked at the card before he smiled and announced, "I activate Stamping Destruction."
Mike immediately sat upright.
Alexander nodded and muttered, "Perfect."
Chuck placed the Spell on the field and explained, "Since I control a Dragon-Type monster, I can destroy one Spell or Trap on the field. I chose Bad Reaction to Simochi!"
The card was destroyed, and Sasha took 500 damage.
[Sasha - 3500 LP]
After that, Chuck attacked and destroyed a few of her monsters and ended his turn.
The crowd erupted while Sasha looked surprised, but she wasn't panicking; she simply drew and set another card.
Mike nodded, "She's still got plenty of defence."
"Yes," Alexander said. "But Chuck just attacked the foundation of her whole strategy."
Chuck drew again on his next turn and this time, his expression became even more confident as he announced, "I activate another Stamping Destruction."
He looked toward Sasha's remaining set card and said with a knowing grin, "Let's see what's hiding under there."
The Spell activated, and the targeted card was revealed; it was another Bad Reaction to Simochi.
The crowd roared as Chuck destroyed it and inflicted another 500 LP of damage.
[Sasha - 3000 LP]
Sasha's expression changed, and for the first time, the confidence on her face cracked.
Mike immediately noticed, "Oh."
Alexander smiled and said, "That's the moment."
"What?"
"Chuck figured out where the strategy actually lives."
Without Bad Reaction to Simochi, Sasha could still use Snatch Steal; she still had Torrential Tribute; she still had Swords of Revealing Light; she could still steal one of Chuck's Dragons or wipe the board and force him to rebuild, but the engine had lost its teeth.
Chuck began assembling his Dragons as he summoned Lord of D.
The crowd cheered.
Then he announced, "I activate The Flute of Summoning Dragon!"
Mike's voice rose, "And he's bringing them out!"
Two Dragons appeared on Chuck's field in response to that card's activation: Tyrant Dragon and Luster Dragon #2
[Tyrant Dragon - 2900 ATK / 2500 DEF]
[Luster Dragon #2 - 2400 ATK / 1400 DEF]
The audience erupted while Alexander laughed, "Now that's the Chuck we've been watching all tournament."
Sasha responded immediately and activated Torrential Tribute to wipe out the whole field, making every monster on both sides of the field disappear.
The crowd gasped.
Chuck looked at the empty field, then smiled, "Nice."
Mike laughed, "He doesn't even look upset!"
"Because he's got another way to rebuild, and Torrential Tribute also completely wiped out Sasha's wall, making it easier for him to deal the finishing blow," Alexander explained.
And he did, as the following turns saw Chuck steadily rebuild his board starting with Cave Dragon and then Troop Dragon.
The monsters kept coming and attacking, and Sasha was running out of answers.
Her Life Points were around 2300.
On the other hand, Chuck rebuilt his field with Spear Dragon and Baby Dragon in addition to the other two.
Sasha set her final defences in the back row and ended her turn.
Chuck drew, looked across the field, then activated his next Spell, "I activate Harpie's Feather Duster."
With that, Sasha's back row disappeared completely, and the crowd erupted again as Sasha had nowhere left to hide.
Chuck followed immediately and activated Polymerization fusing Baby Dragon with Time Wizard in his hand to Fusion Summon his favourite monster, "Come on, Thousand Dragon!"
[Thousand Dragon - 2400 ATK / 2000 DEF]
Mike's voice rose with the audience, "And Chuck has done it!"
Thousand Dragon cleared Sasha's remaining defensive monster, then Chuck's remaining monsters attacked one after another; As a result Sasha's Life Points fell.
[Sasha - 0 LP]
The crowd exploded.
Mike turned toward Alexander as he announced, "Charles Irvin Zane takes Duel One!"
Alexander nodded, "That was a very important win."
"Because of how he won?"
"Exactly."
Alexander looked toward Chuck, "He didn't beat Sasha by simply throwing bigger monsters at her. He figured out what was making her entire strategy function and destroyed that piece first."
Mike smiled. "So the lesson is?"
"Don't just attack the walls." Alexander pointed toward the field, "Find the foundation and bring them down in one single blow."
Sasha recovered all her cards and shuffled her deck; despite the loss, her expression was calm because she had learned something.
She now knew exactly what Chuck would prioritise: Bad Reaction to Simochi.
So this time, she would hide it until the very last moment.
The second Duel began.
Sasha summoned Giant Soldier of Stone in DEF position, then ended.
Chuck drew; he had every reason to push aggressively, but instead he summoned Cave Dragon and set one card face-down in the back row before ending his turn.
[Cave Dragon - 2000 ATK / 100 DEF]
The crowd seemed confused, and Mike was no exception, "That's... unusually cautious for Chuck."
Alexander nodded and said, "He's thinking ahead. Do not take his overly aggressive style for recklessness. There is a very sharp mind behind his energetic and charismatic behaviour."
Sasha had revealed a defensive monster, so she was waiting for the right timing to act.
Chuck knew that, and instead of giving her what she wanted, he refused to attack blindly.
The next several turns became a battle of patience.
Sasha reinforced her defensive wall with Aqua Madoor and a few backrow cards, but she conserved her resources to avoid Chuck wiping them all out with Harpie's Feather Duster before she could actually use them.
Chuck, meanwhile, held onto his stronger monsters as he didn't want to commit them into an obvious trap.
Mike watched the two players carefully and commented, "Neither one wants to make the first mistake."
"That's right," Alexander said. "Sasha knows Chuck is looking for her engine. Chuck knows Sasha is looking for him to overcommit and waste resources on non-critical cards."
"So they're playing chicken."
"Pretty much."
Sasha continued carefully setting and activating Spell and Trap cards whenever absolutely necessary.
Chuck became increasingly suspicious, then he decided to bait her and summoned Lord of D.
Sasha immediately responded, activating Torrential Tribute, and with it the field was wiped clean.
The crowd gasped, but Chuck didn't react emotionally. He simply set a card and waited for his next turn to draw his next card and rebuild.
Seeing that, Alexander smiled and said, "That's the difference."
Mike looked at him, "Between what?"
"The Chuck we saw earlier in the tournament and the Chuck we're seeing now." Alexander leaned forward, "He's still aggressive; that's never going away, but he's his true self now. Chuck thrives on very active boards, complex tactics, and terrifying sacrifices to pressure and overwhelm his opponents"
Chuck rebuilt, then rebuilt again when Sasha wiped the field once more, and eventually, Tyrant Dragon and Spear Dragon stood on his side of the field.
Sasha looked at them, then finally played the card she'd been hiding, "I summon Makyura the Destructor in ATK Position!"
After that, she started her Battle Phase and crashed Makyura into Spear Dragon, sending it to the Graveyard and activating its effect that allowed her to activate a Trap Card directly from her hand.
[Sasha - 3700 LP]
Then during her Main Phase 2, she activated Bad Reaction to Simochi from her hand, and the audience erupted.
Mike practically shouted, "She brought it back!"
Alexander smiled, "She knew Chuck would expect it eventually, but not like this, after she built a considerable amount of resources."
Sasha followed with Upstart Goblin, making Chuck lose 1000 LP; then Mooyan Curry for another 200 LP disappeared, and then Snatch Steal took Tyrant Dragon.
After that, at the beginning of Chuck's next turn, another 1000 LP disappeared.
[Chuck - 1800 LP]
The crowd roared as Sasha had rebuilt her engine.
Mike looked toward Alexander and asked, "Is Chuck back where he started?"
Alexander shook his head and replied with conviction, "No."
Chuck drew his card; he looked at it and smiled before activating Stamping Destruction.
The crowd immediately recognised it.
His target? Naturally, Bad Reaction to Simochi. The card was destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, and Sasha lost 500 LP.
[Sasha - 3200 LP]
The audience erupted.
Mike laughed, "She rebuilt the entire strategy just for Chuck to destroy it again!"
Alexander grinned, "That's the irony."
Mike looked confused, so Alexander continued, "Sasha's burn tactic is powerful, but it also makes her dependent on the card that converts those effects into damage. Chuck knows that."
After that, Chuck changed Spear Dragon to DEF Position and set another monster before ending his turn.
Sasha didn't surrender; instead, she summoned a Giant Soldier of Stone in ATK Position and used it to attack and destroy Spear Dragon.
Then she used the stolen Tyrant Dragon to attack, and now Chuck had another problem as the stolen Dragon turned against him, and it could attack a second time if there is another monster on the opponent's field after the first attack, which meant that it could deal the finishing blow.
Chuck's answer was immediate as he activated Mirror Force in response to Tyrant Dragon's first attack.
The audience roared, but Sasha wasn't finished as she activated Solemn Judgment, thus paying half her Life Points to negate Mirror Force.
[Sasha - 1600 LP]
Mike shook his head and exclaimed, "She is refusing to give this up!"
"She can't," Alexander replied.
The attack continued, and the set monster was revealed to be Troop Dragon, a weak monster whose effect is to summon a copy of itself when destroyed in battle, perfect for defending against relentless attacks like those of Tyrant Dragon.
In the end, Chuck survived the assault, but his board was cleared while Sasha still had Tyrant Dragon and Giant Soldier of Stone on her side, but no other card on the back row but Snatch Steal.
Chuck started his turn and recovered 1000 LP thanks to Snatch Steal, and then drew his next card.
[Chuck - 2800 LP]
His eyes narrowed before he smiled and declared, "Yes! It's over!"
Mike looked toward the field in confusion, and he wasn't the only one, as most of the audience felt the same.
Then Chuck activated Polymerization, fusing Baby Dragon and Alligator's Sword in his hand to Fusion Summon Alligator's Sword Dragon in ATK position.
[Alligator's Sword Dragon - 1700 ATK / 1500 DEF]
Alexander immediately understood and exclaimed, "Oh, that's brilliant! That monster can attack directly as long as the monsters the opponent controls are EARTH, WATER, or FIRE attribute... And Tyrant Dragon and Giant Soldier of Stone are respectively FIRE and EARTH!"
The crowd took a second to realise what that just meant, then the entire tournament floor erupted.
Mike practically jumped out of his chair, "Wait!"
Alexander laughed, "Exactly! Mendez only has 1600 LP... Alligator's Sword Dragon can end this now!"
The crowd went wild as Sasha had lost her last major defensive resource.
Mike stared at the field and realised, "She has no meaningful answer."
Alexander nodded, "And Chuck knows it."
Chuck entered the Battle Phase, "Alligator's Sword Dragon! End this!"
The Dragon attacked directly, and Sasha's Life Points dropped to 0.
[Sasha - 0 LP]
The arena exploded with cheers.
Mike raised his voice over the noise, "CHARLES IRVIN ZANE WINS TWO DUELS TO ZERO! HE IS THE WINNER OF THE MATCH AND OUR SECOND SEMI-FINALIST!!"
Chuck stood from his seat and loudly cheered.
He had done it. The aggressive Dragon duelist who had once been willing to throw everything forward had just dismantled one of the most irritating control strategies in the tournament.
Alexander watched Chuck thank, shake the hand and praise his opponent before leaving the Feature Table as the crowd continued cheering him on.