Who Let Him Play Yugioh? (Re-Upload)

Necrovalley, activate!

”Necrovalley is the sacred domain of the Gravekeeper clan. For generations, we have guarded this holy land with our very lives, and in return, it grants us its power!”

The Gravekeeper Chief declared loudly.

”As long as Necrovalley is on the field, all Gravekeeper monsters gain 500 ATK and DEF!”

[Gravekeeper’s Visionary, ATK 2800 → ATK 3300]

”It reached 3300 ATK that easily?!” Syrus couldn’t help but exclaim.

Kira watched this scene and fell silent for a moment.

But what surprised him wasn’t that the Gravekeeper’s Visionary easily broke the 3000-ATK ”Blue-Eyes White Dragon” threshold, but the fact that ”Necrovalley” actually had a hidden effect!

In the competitive meta, this notorious field card had been around for over a decade. Yet, more than 90% of the time, players only used its ”graveyard lock” effect. The first effect had become so overlooked that it was practically a ”hidden” effect among veteran duelists.

”Of course, the ’Gravekeeper’s Heretic’ is also a Gravekeeper monster, but while Necrovalley is on the field, Heretic is unaffected by any card effects,” the Chief said solemnly. ”This includes the effect of Necrovalley itself, so Heretic’s ATK does not increase.”

[Gravekeeper’s Heretic, ATK 1800]

Kira glanced over.

So immune, it even ignores its own Necrovalley’s effect... That’s ”heretic” enough.

”Battle!” the Chief shouted. ”After eternal rest, you shall forever atone for trespassing in this sacred valley!

’Gravekeeper’s Visionary,’ direct attack!”

Kira calmly responded, ”Then I activate the trap ’Draining Shield.’ Your monster’s attack is negated, and I gain Life Points equal to its ATK.”

A rainbow-colored barrier, like flowing water, formed in front of him. The Visionary’s deadly strike crashed into it, her power absorbed and turned into nourishment for Kira’s body.

[Kira, LP 4000 → LP 7300]

”Looks like it’s not my time for eternal rest yet, Chief.” Kira smiled.

The Chief snorted. ”Then, ’Gravekeeper’s Heretic,’ direct attack!”

The Heretic’s power, boosted by the Necrovalley, was not to be underestimated. He leaped across the field, aiming straight for Kira’s face.

But after just absorbing so much LP, Kira was unbothered, and he had no intention of letting it go through anyway.

”Then, I activate a monster effect from the graveyard.”

”Not so fast!” the Chief barked. ”While ’Necrovalley’ is on the field, all effects that affect cards in the graveyard are negated, and cards in the graveyard cannot be banished!”

”That’s not quite true.” Kira smiled.

”What?”

”The Necrovalley only restricts effects targeting cards in the graveyard,” Kira explained. ”Your valley forbids any contact with the departed, but who says the departed agree with that?”

”What are you implying?”

”I mean, while you can’t activate effects on cards in the graveyard, cards in the graveyard that activate their own effects can still be used.” Kira gestured. ”I activate the effect of ’Kiteroid’ in my graveyard.

While this card is in the graveyard, I can make the damage from a direct attack become 0, once.”

If this were Duel Links, Kiteroid’s effect would require banishing itself from the graveyard, which the Necrovalley forbids. But the anime version doesn’t require banishing, so it’s not restricted by the Necrovalley.

Thus, the Heretic’s attack was blocked by a transparent kite barrier.

”Ohh, perfectly blocked—classic Kira!” Jaden laughed. ”Kiteroid is a lot like my ’Necro Gardna’—both are awesome monsters.”

”And Kira’s also a fan of Submarineroid and Cycroid,” Chumely chimed in. ”Thinking about it, ’Roids’ really are a deck with potential.”

Syrus clutched his head: ”Stop roasting me, guys!”

”…”

”He even blocked that?” the Chief said gravely. ”Very well, I’ll let you survive another turn.

Battle Phase ends. I activate the Spell Card ’Gravekeeper’s Stele’—I add two ’Gravekeeper’ monsters from my graveyard to my hand.

And this effect cannot be negated by ’Necrovalley.’”

Golden light shone from his Duel Disk’s graveyard zone as the Chief retrieved two cards.

”I return ’Gravekeeper’s Headman’ and ’Gravekeeper’s Spear Soldier’ from my graveyard to my hand,” he said, ”Of course, as the number of Gravekeeper monsters in my graveyard decreases, Visionary loses 400 ATK.”

[Gravekeeper’s Visionary, ATK 3300 → ATK 2900]

”Digging up graves so brazenly in the sacred Valley?” Kira shook his head. ”Where’s your Gravekeeper pride? Your bottom line? Your principles?”

This counterattack left the Chief momentarily speechless. He hesitated, then said, ”We Gravekeepers are entrusted with guarding this sacred valley and have been granted special rights…”

After all, the Gravekeeper deck is built around ”Necrovalley,” and the archetype itself has ways to ignore its own field’s restrictions. It’s all about the one-sided lockdown.

”Sacrilege, truly sacrilege! Even as an outsider, I can’t bear to watch.” Kira sighed dramatically. ”You disregard the rules, disrespect the dead, and freely disturb their eternal rest…”

The Chief: ”…”

He felt something was off with Kira’s words, but before he knew it, the moral high ground had been taken, and he was at a loss for a rebuttal.

Unable to retort, he felt his fellow Gravekeepers’ gazes turn doubtful as if they were wondering whether Kira had a point.

Even worse, the Chief found himself feeling guilty.

”My turn, draw,” Kira said. ”First, in the Standby Phase, my ’Sinister Serpent’ returns from the graveyard to my hand.

Then, I set a card face-down.”

A set card appeared before Kira.

”Then I activate the Spell Card ’Card of Adversity.’

If my opponent controls a Special Summoned monster and I control none, I draw two cards.

You have a ’Gravekeeper’s Heretic’ Special Summoned from the graveyard, so I draw two cards.”

But before that, he revealed another card from his hand.

”Quick-Play Spell ’Serial Spell’! When I activate a Normal Spell, I discard all cards in my hand; this card’s effect becomes that of the activated Spell.

So, ’Serial Spell’ copies ’Card of Adversity’—I draw two more!”

The Chief frowned. ”Trying to refill your hand by these means…”

”I’m not done yet. Next, I activate the trap ’Good Goblin Housekeeping.’” Kira said. ”Draw cards equal to the number of ’Good Goblin Housekeeping’ in my graveyard plus one, then return a card from my hand to the bottom of my deck.”

Good Goblin Housekeeping is a card whose potential is often overlooked, but in the past, it was the heart of the broken ”Greed Engine,” even spawning entire decks focused on it.

The optimal combo was three Good Goblin Housekeeping plus Pot of Benevolence—draw twelve, then return three to the deck.

Kira also uses this combo, though he hasn’t drawn it all yet.

The Chief frowned: ”A mass draw combo?”

”Not just that.” Kira smiled. ”I activate my last set card from last turn, Quick-Play Spell ’Chain Summon.’ It can be activated only if this turn I’ve activated three or more cards in a chain. This turn, I can Normal Summon up to three times.”

The Chief frowned but said nothing.

After everything resolved, Kira finished drawing. But he didn’t immediately make his move; instead, he calmly glanced at his opponent.

”Looks like you Gravekeepers have forgotten your pride. You won’t beat me this way.”

”You’ve got a way with words,” the Chief retorted, regaining his composure. ”But all you can do now is talk tough.

Your graveyard is sealed, and I still have Visionary out. Without your graveyard resources…”

”Relax,” Kira cut him off with a smile. ”Let me show you what happens when you abandon your duty as Gravekeepers and disturb the eternal rest of the dead.

I activate this from my hand—the Spell ’Lullaby of Obedience!’

I pay 2000 Life Points and declare the name of a monster. If that monster is in your deck, I can either add it to my hand or Special Summon it to my field, ignoring summoning conditions!”

[Kira, LP 7300 → LP 5300]

”The card I declare is…”

Kira pointed at the Chief’s deck.

”…Gravekeeper’s Chief!”

The Chief: ”?????”