'Nice play, a classic three-for-one, trading three decent effect monsters for a Vanilla Monster.' Chumley grumbled in his mind, yet in reality, he was quite wary of the (Gate Guardian)'s Summon.
In the early days of Duel Monsters, because the number of Cards wasn't very large, most of the Cards that appeared in the anime were turned into Real Cards, and (Gate Guardian) was one of them. However, in contrast to its incredibly high Summon Cost—three Level 7 Monsters, each requiring two Tributes for a Tribute Summon—the Real Card version of (Gate Guardian) was truly underwhelming.
Admittedly, both its Attack and DEF were unrivaled, but ultimately, it was something that could be dealt with by a single (Riryoku). Furthermore, the original 'When a monster attacks this card, its ATK becomes 0' Effect, which the Three Guardian Gods each possessed individually, was also removed, turning it into a Vanilla Monster with no Effects other than its Special Summon conditions.
In fact, (Gate Guardian) was even worse than a Vanilla Monster. At least Normal Monsters can be equipped with Support Cards to perform unique functions. (Gate Guardian) not only had no Effects, but it also wasn't a Normal Monster, making it quite useless. For this reason, even if someone wanted to build a Labyrinth Brothers' Deck, there was no need to Summon (Gate Guardian), even after Summoning the Three Guardian Gods. Simply put, it was too useless.
However, Chumley remembered that the (Gate Guardian)'s Effect in the anime version was significantly more powerful than its Real Card counterpart.
"Combining the full power of the Three Guardian Gods, (Gate Guardian)'s Attack is one of the highest in Duel Monsters, at 3750 points," Para proudly introduced his "ultimate Monster" to Chumley. "Not only that, but (Gate Guardian) also retains the Effects of the Three Guardian Gods. No matter what Monster attacks it, it will be difficult to harm it in the slightest!"
Dox: "Now, it's time for domination!"
Para & Dox: "Battle Phase! (Gate Guardian), Attack that (Armed Dragon LV7)! Destroy it and send it to the Graveyard!"
"Spirit God Shockwave!"
With the two brothers' simultaneous command, Suijin began spewing a tide of water. Under Kazejin's breath, the torrent transformed into a vortex, rushing towards (Armed Dragon LV7) on Chumley's Field. Upon closer inspection, one could occasionally see a wild electric current from (Sanga of the Thunder) flashing within the vortex.
Previously, due to the Effect of (Sanga of the Thunder), (Armed Dragon LV7) had successfully Destroyed it, but this also caused its own Attack to be reduced to 0. Facing the electrified vortex rushing straight at it, (Armed Dragon LV7) wanted to Counterattack, but as soon as it moved, electric sparks flashed across its body, paralyzing it and rendering it immobile. It could only take (Gate Guardian)'s Attack head-on, and was Destroyed without suspense.
[Chumley: 8000LP → 4250LP]
"Ugh! The impact was much greater than I expected." Chumley, standing before the Duel Arena, had his Life Points decrease due to (Armed Dragon) being Destroyed. He himself also felt the impact simulated by the Solid Vision system, but the pain it brought was much greater than he had anticipated, causing him to groan aloud.
"Did Pegasus do something to this Duel Arena? The impact is much stronger than I imagined." Witnessing the tide recede and the seabed return to calm, Chumley then flipped his Set Card on the Field. "To have so many Life Points reduced in one go by you two, that was really dangerous. I need to replenish some."
"I Activate the Spell Card (*Emergency Provisions*)! I send (Mirage of Nightmare) on my Field and the Set (Unexpected Dai) to the Graveyard, recovering 2000 LP."
[Chumley: 4250LP → 6250LP]
"Hmph, useless. Recovering Life Points is just prolonging the struggle. If you don't defeat the (Gate Guardian) on my Field, no matter how many Life Points you recover, we can easily reduce them again," Para said proudly. "Now, My Turn ends."
[Para: 4000LP, Hand 0]
[(Gate Guardian)][ATK3750]
Field: (A Legendary Ocean)
"My Turn, Draw." Chumley drew a Card. Because (Mirage of Nightmare) was Sent to the Graveyard by (*Emergency Provisions*)'s classic Combo, Chumley no longer needed to Discard Hand, and the 4 Cards he drew earlier were saved.
Looking at the (Gate Guardian) on the opposite side, Chumley hesitated. Although his Field was empty and he only had a few red and green Cards in his Hand, he actually had a chance to Summon a powerful Monster, one that could be considered the Ace Monster of his Deck.
But he wasn't entirely sure if he should Summon this Card, because even if he Summoned that Monster, he would have to wait until the next Turn to deal with the Labyrinth Brothers' (Gate Guardian). There was nothing he could do this Turn.
That Monster's Effect was quite powerful, but its Summon conditions were almost as harsh as (Gate Guardian)'s, perhaps even more difficult to Summon. Although it possessed a powerful Effect that could turn the tide against all odds, in contrast, that Monster had no Resistance whatsoever; a single (Thunder Crash) could easily deal with it.
What Chumley hesitated about most was the possibility that, in the next Turn, the Monster he Summoned might be dealt with if Dox God Drew a Card like (Raigeki). In that case, all the resources he could use would be completely exhausted, and he would completely lose the ability to Counterattack against the Labyrinth Brothers.
Should he take a gamble, going all-in with all his usable resources to try and turn the tide; or should he play it safe and try to survive this Turn, waiting until he was fully prepared before fighting back?
Chumley fell into deep thought.
He had never been an impulsive person. While he occasionally did reckless things, he had never gambled everything and cut off his future. He always left himself a way out.
In that case, I should play it safe...
Thinking thus, Chumley, however, spoke up: "Labyrinth Brothers, as a reward for your Duel, in which you dedicated your entire being and were highly engaged,"
"I will Summon the ultimate Ace Monster of my Deck, the pinnacle of (Armed Dragon)'s evolution, as my response to you!"
"What! Could it be, are you going to Summon that (Armed Dragon LV10)?" Para said, somewhat uncertainly. "But even if you Summon the (Armed Dragon LV10), whose body has evolved to its peak, its Attack is only 200 points higher than LV7's! It simply cannot compare to the (Gate Guardian)'s 3750 Attack!"
"Who told you that beyond (Armed Dragon LV7), the only possibility is the LV10, whose body has evolved to its peak?" Chumley said with a smile. "Let me say it again, my evolution is faster than light, my speed is unmatched in the entire universe!"
What kind of Duelist is indecisive and passively avoids battle?
A mere (Gate Guardian)? I'll show you how I take it down!
[Author's Note: Level 11 Monsters are rare, with only 27 in total. The most famous among them are (Gate Guardian), (Yubel - Terror Incarnate), (Shooting Majestic Star Dragon), and the universally beloved (Nibiru, the Primal Being).]
(end of chapter)