Chapter 166. The "Unsolvable" Board Triggers a Fiery Debate! Horus Lock Revealed for Master Duel's Xyz Cup!
All the Duelists across the various Duel Worlds stared, dumbfounded, at the absolutely invincible lock on the field.
Every kind of lockdown you could imagine was basically present already.
Want to activate a Spell or Trap Card? Ask Naturia Bamboo Shoot first.
Want to Set cards? Ask Dark Simorgh first.
Want to activate monster effects? Ask Angel O7 first.
Want to Summon monsters? Ask The Last Warrior from Another Planet first.
Not to mention Masked HERO Dark Law and Stardust Chronicle Spark Dragon were there as well.
Just those alone already strangled every card that could break the board inside a cage.
Seeing this situation, Duelists from every world carefully mulled it over and collectively broke down.
In the DM World, Yugi Muto, Seto Kaiba, Maximillion Pegasus, and the rest were already petrified.
Every veteran in that world felt utterly at a loss and in total disbelief.
This is… a duel?
Is this even still a duel?
With this kind of lock on the field, what are they even supposed to play?
The opponent literally can't activate a single card.
Or rather, there simply aren't any cards that can crack this board at all.
"This… what are we supposed to use to crack this? There's no way to crack it!"
"I'm done! Is high-tier 'specialized entertainment' in those higher worlds all this disgusting?"
"I'm gonna hurl! I kinda want to quit Yu-Gi-Oh! now!"
Tristan Taylor immediately started venting.
He never cared for card games in the first place.
Now that he was seeing this kind of specialized entertainment—completely opaque "draw-into-what-you-need" lines and an end-board lock he couldn't even parse—he felt a nameless sense of powerlessness.
Not just Tristan.
Even Yugi Muto and the spirit of Pharaoh Atem inside him felt estranged from the whole thing already.
With this kind of lockdown on the board, how are you supposed to break anything?
In the GX World, Jaden Yuki, Aster Phoenix, and Dr. Vellian Crowler were all similarly turned to stone.
The students around Duel Academy fell into silence for a moment.
Then a wave of heated chatter erupted.
"Damn! I can't take it anymore! I have to immediately Normal Summon my fists without meeting their conditions!"
"Count me in! During the turn of the Double-Fist Summon, they can attack the player directly! I'm gonna beat you senseless!"
"Not only that! When the attack connects, I can Special Summon my legs straight from the body! Powerful flying kick!"
"Ugh, what era is this? All you think of is punching and kicking? We should search our Decks for Quick-Play Spells named Wrench, Iron Fist, Machete, and equip them!"
"Yeah, yeah! And handguns! A Gatling gun, a Desert Eagle! Let this content-creator know what a real duel is!"
"..."
The students of Duel Academy were already seething with anger.
This isn't a duel at all; this is clearly a one-player duel.
This absolutely needs to be handled with fists, feet, and tools.
In the 5D's World, after watching the final end board, Yusei Fudo, Bruno, Akiza Izinski, and the others were just as close to losing it.
Even Jack Atlas couldn't help wanting to start up his D-Wheel and go full throttle.
This lockdown board… is actually doable.
Jack was the first to snap, firing up his D-Wheel to ram straight through.
He wanted to see it for himself.
Which is stronger—your lockdown board, or my D-Wheel?
"Hiss… terrifying!"
"I really didn't expect that lockdown fields in Yu-Gi-Oh! dueling had gone this far."
"I thought Earthbound Immortal locks were already the limit."
"I was too naive."
Beside him, Kalin Kessler drew in a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
All of a sudden, even his proud Infernity no-hand kill looked dim.
In the ZEXAL World, after seeing this board, Yuma Tsukumo and Astral were both numb.
For this kind of lockdown, the only method they could think of to break it… was to lay hands on the opponent.
Right.
Under normal circumstances, a dumbbell would solve it.
If there was a power gap between Duelists, Yuma felt he could bring some other Duelists along to break the board.
Otherwise there really was no way to crack this field.
"Crap! My entire dueling worldview is collapsing!"
"I only just found out that combining these cards can actually trigger the strongest possible lockdown!"
"Absurd! Way too absurd!"
Even Reginald 'Shark' Kastle couldn't help bursting out with a string of curses.
If he could, he'd definitely call his delinquent friends to summon fists in response.
Activate a Spell Card—Righteous Pile-On!
Crack the board!
In the ARC-V World, after watching the position, the four protagonists of the four dimensions—Yuto, Yuya Sakaki, Yuri, and Yugo—were already slack-jawed.
They originally thought that since this was a stunt-duel, the final board would also be a stunt.
But to their surprise, it was a stunt board that really couldn't be cracked.
Who would dare believe that?
"Invincible! Truly invincible!"
"There's no card that can break it, and you can't even Set."
"You can't activate anything either!"
"Just surrender—honestly, there's nothing else you can do."
Even Declan Akaba couldn't help exclaiming that it was insane.
Proud as a "company president," after seeing this setup he had to admit it.
He couldn't crack it.
If possible, he wondered if hiring multiple bodyguards to beat the opponent up would solve it.
In the VRAINS World, Yusaku Fujiki inhaled sharply and exhaled slowly.
Helpless.
Far too helpless.
Dueling made him feel even more helpless than before.
Stop it.
This isn't a duel.
This really isn't a duel.
A duel like this will cause public outrage.
"Interesting. High-world specialized decks are truly interesting."
"Combining multiple different lockdown monsters."
"Forging the strongest lockdown board."
"Too interesting."
Even Akira Zaizen couldn't help voicing his amazement.
Unlike the other Duelists, what he valued were the dueling logic throughout and the "big-brain" deck building behind it.
In the Main World, Sei Yuki also couldn't help sucking in a breath after finishing.
He had thought it was just some gag.
He didn't expect it to be a work of art at the extreme end of lockdowns.
If the opponent actually won the die roll and built this board going first, he could confirm with one hundred percent certainty it was unbreakable.
If he was going second, there were ways to interrupt.
But the flaws could still be analyzed.
First, Angel O7 and Naturia Bamboo Shoot can't stop non-chain Continuous effects.
That's also why, with Angel O7 on the field, some other monsters' effects could still lock things down.
After all, they don't need to activate; they're passive effects that apply while on the field.
Second, while your hand gets rotated into three cards by the Psychic combo, as long as your draw to four includes one card that applies on the field without activation, maybe you could still take a shot.
But in the current Yu-Gi-Oh! card pool, that kind of thing doesn't really exist.
Third, it's an "entertainment" position anyway.
I can go Speed 5 and run away.
I can't follow the cable to punch you through the screen, but that doesn't stop me from bailing.
Who told me to have such a terrible hand with no interruption?
"Hoo… huh?"
"Looks like there's still a little bit left after the midpoint?"
Sei Yuki squinted at the video progress bar.
He'd wanted to close it, but now he had to watch to the very end.
In the short video, the content creator started the quick post-show add-on.
Content-creator: "Hahaha, the specialized showcase is over."
Content-creator: "Now for the latter topic of today's duel."
Content-creator: "In other words—what else can be used to lock the opponent?"
"Actually, aside from the lockdowns I just showcased!"
"I also thought about a few other cards!"
"For example Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo!"
"As long as it's on the field, neither player can Special Summon monsters."
"Or similarly, Jowgen the Spiritualist!"
"These are simple to get on board!"
"But they're still not as oppressive as The Last Warrior from Another Planet."
"To address The Last Warrior's lock, I ultimately had to consider using Stardust Chronicle Spark Dragon!"
"Putting together these stunts wasted quite a few brain cells of mine."
"That includes figuring out each card's combo."
"And all sorts of self-restrictions."
"For example, Angel O7's self-restriction."
"To get around that effect, I had to negate it first with Forbidden Chalice before I could Special Summon Dark Simorgh."
"In truth, the key cards in the build are just those few."
"Everything else is simply there to draw into the key pieces."
"I'm sure you Duelists could tell, right?"
Of course they could.
If you couldn't tell, that would be the real miracle.
Formula Synchron and T.G. Hyper Librarian would be smoked from overwork.
Even the sealed Elder Entity Norden and the Infernoid "sentry" types would probably materialize to complain.
All the "tool" cards were only tools to brute-draw into the key pieces.
Thinking of this, Yusei Fudo and Bruno in the 5D's World were sobbing in the restroom again.
This is too painful.
Content-creator: "I'll leave you Duelists with a bit more direction."
Content-creator: "Besides my performance-style lockdown board…"
Content-creator: "If you want something casual that still has a bit of competitive bite…"
"I recommend the Horus lockdown package."
"Isn't Master Duel running an Xyz Cup lately?"
"This Horus deck is perfect to mess around with."
"For Duelists who don't know the core, here's a quick explanation."
"The Horus package revolves around the Continuous Spell King's Sarcophagus."
"And the Horus monsters you run each have three effects."
"Each Horus monster's '1st effect' Special Summon is a once-per-turn per name."
"Some Horus monsters have three effects, and their '2' and '3' are each once per turn."
"And the '1st effect' on Horus monsters lets them Special Summon themselves from the GY while King's Sarcophagus is on the field..."
"Next, let's look at the key monsters in the build."
Card #1: Imsety, Glory of Horus.
DARK Spellcaster.
Level 8, 3000/1800.
Effect 2: You can send 2 cards from your hand, including this card, to the GY; add King's Sarcophagus from your Deck to your hand, then you can draw 1 card.
Effect 3: While this card is in your Monster Zone, if another card you control leaves the field because of an opponent's effect, you can send 1 card on the field to the GY.
Card #2: Duamutef, Blessing of Horus.
WATER Beast.
Level 8, 0/0.
Effect 2: This card gains ATK and DEF equal to the number of Horus monsters you control × 1200.
Effect 3: While this card is in your Monster Zone, if another card you control leaves the field because of an opponent's effect, you draw cards equal to the number of different Types among monsters in your Main Monster Zones.
Card #3: Hapi, Guidance of Horus.
WIND Beast-Warrior.
Level 8, 2400/1600.
Effect 2: While this card is in your Monster Zone, if another card you control leaves the field because of an opponent's effect, target a total of 2 of your banished cards and/or your opponent's banished cards; return them to the hand or shuffle them into the Deck.
Card #4: Qebehsenuef, Protection of Horus.
EARTH Winged Beast.
Level 8, 2500/2000.
Effect 2: While this card is in your Monster Zone, if another card you control leaves the field because of an opponent's effect, your opponent's monsters cannot target Horus monsters for attacks this turn, also your opponent cannot target Horus monsters on the field with card effects.
Horus?
The Duelists in every world wore a strange expression at first when they heard the theme.
But after they saw these monsters, they all looked thoughtful.
This Horus…
Why does it feel like it's related to Pharaoh Atem?
In the DM World, Yugi Muto and Pharaoh Atem thought the same.
Especially that Continuous Spell—King's Sarcophagus.
It looks just like the figure on the Millennium stone tablet.
"How odd. Could this theme be connected to our Gravekeeper's clan?"
"Horus? It really fits us Gravekeepers."
"Or is the theme related to the Pharaoh?"
Beside them, Marik Ishtar and Ishizu Ishtar were already exchanging puzzled looks.
As for the three effects on King's Sarcophagus—
First: Horus monsters you control are not destroyed by card effects that do not target them.
Second: You can send 1 card from your hand to the GY; send 1 Horus monster from your Deck to the GY.
And the key is the third effect.
Once per turn, at the start of the Damage Step when your Horus monster battles an opponent's monster, send that opponent's monster to the GY.
Removal, protection, and GY setup—this King's Sarcophagus is kinda overtuned.
But here's the question.
What does this have to do with a lockdown?
The short video promptly gave the answer.
Content-creator: "Alright, now that we know the Horus monsters."
Content-creator: "Let me explain where the lock is in my build."
"First, the Horus package is compact and the gameplan is clear."
"So we can pair it with the first lockdown card."
"Field Spell Secret Village of the Spellcasters."
"If only you control a Spellcaster, your opponent cannot activate Spell Cards."
"Pair that with Imsety, Glory of Horus to lock Spells."
"Then there's Deck Lockdown."
"As long as it's on the field, neither player can add cards from the Deck to the hand except by drawing, and monsters cannot be Special Summoned from the Main Deck."
"It destroys itself during your second Standby Phase after activation."
"Run three copies of each of these alongside Horus and the lock is decently strong."
"Finally, add other Horus cards, the Field Spell Walls of the Imperial Tomb, Horus the Black Flame Deity, the Continuous Trap Canopic Protector, plus triple Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring and triple Maxx 'C' to round it out."
"On top of that, the godly Skill Drain to blank face-up monsters on the field."
"Of course, the overall power ceiling is limited."
"The core axis is still Horus, and the combo is basically using it to load Horus monsters into the GY."
"Just pull out King's Sarcophagus during the opponent's turn and you're good."
"This is only a suggestion."
"It's an extra aside for today's entertainment video."
"Thanks for watching, see you next time."
After that last quick rundown, the short video of the absolute lockdown showcase concluded.
Compared to Horus, Duelists across the Duel Worlds kept their focus on the absolute six-monster lockdown earlier.
But in the DM World, Yugi Muto and Pharaoh Atem put their attention back on Horus.
King's Sarcophagus?
The Pharaoh's coffin?
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