'...That Grass Looks Greener?'
Morgan froze. Of course, she knew that card—any Deck relying on the Graveyard would run it. Against a 40-card Deck, it could dump twenty or more cards in one shot, good and bad alike, instantly fueling the Graveyard and multiplying combo potential.
She had once considered playing a Witchcrafter Deck with Grass, where opening it first turn meant takeoff, and failing to meant conceding quickly.
And it looked like Hayley had just drawn liftoff—she'd secured the right to keep playing.
Morgan would have loved to use Mechaba to negate and banish it, but with no Spells in hand—the only one, a Twister, was Set—she could only watch Hayley begin her plays. Still, she wasn't worried. As long as Winda stood, Hayley could only Special Summon once per turn.
Hayley milled a thick stack of her Deck to the Graveyard, eyes glinting with satisfaction. Before entering, she had pondered how to break Morgan's lock. Now, she had the answer.
If Morgan didn't want her to play, she'd just flip the table.
And her Lightsworn Deck had just the card for it.
However, Winda's effect meant she'd have to be careful.
"Next, I activate the Spell Card, Charge of the Light Brigade!"
"I send the top 3 cards of my Deck to the Graveyard, then add 1 Level 4 or lower 'Lightsworn' monster from my Deck to my hand."
Hayley milled three more cards—half her Deck was gone already—and searched her target.
Morgan's eyes narrowed. Lightsworn. A Graveyard-heavy archetype, nearly every monster with effects related to sending cards to the Graveyard either as a cost or as a passive upkeep. If the Duel dragged on, the Deck could easily deck itself out.
Anyhow, Hayley's goal was obvious. The true breaker in Lightsworns was none other than Judgment Dragon. Summoned with four different Lightsworns in the Graveyard, it could nuke the entire field—and right now, Morgan had no way to stop it.
"I add Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress, to my hand!"
"Next, I activate the Spell, Solar Recharge!"
"I discard 1 'Lightsworn' monster to draw 2 cards, then send the top 2 cards of my Deck to the Graveyard."
Hayley pitched the freshly searched Lyla, drew two, then milled two more. Her grin widened at what she saw.
Watching, Jade tilted her head in confusion. She couldn't understand why Hayley was recklessly tossing half her Deck away before even ending her turn. At this rate, she'd deck herself out without Morgan needing to lift a finger.
"What's the point of dumping so many cards to the Graveyard?"
She turned to Isla, who seemed far more serious.
"She has a reason. It's her Deck's core mechanic—without all this milling, it doesn't function."
Jade blinked. "Still, she'll run out of cards!"
Isla gave a wry smile. "You're right. Milling accelerates the Duel. To avoid decking out, she has to end it fast."
"And since she came here to win, that means she's certain she can."
Jade's expression hardened. If Isla was right, Morgan wasn't as safe as she seemed.
The crowd, too, was buzzing, shocked at Hayley's reckless plays. Half a Deck in the Graveyard already, and she kept going.
"She's still milling? My heart can't take this."
"Not a single monster Summoned… she must be afraid of Winda."
"What Deck is this? It gives me chills."
"Morgan must be laughing inside—this Duel will end by deck-out without her lifting a finger."
Despite that, Morgan wasn't relaxed. On the contrary, she was on guard. With only Traps in hand, Mechaba couldn't respond to monster effects, and her defenses were thin. She had to be cautious.
Even if her field was wiped, she could still recover key cards. But she needed to be ready.
And then, Hayley's eyes gleamed as she shouted:
"I activate the effect of Judgment Dragon in my hand!"
"If there are 4 or more different 'Lightsworn' monsters in my Graveyard, I can Special Summon this card!"
Blinding light engulfed the field as a majestic white dragon descended, spreading its colossal wings, crimson claws gleaming with judgment.
[Judgment Dragon] Level 8│LIGHT│Dragon│3000 ATK / 2600 DEF
The audience gasped. Hayley wasted no time.
"I pay 1000 LP to activate Judgment Dragon's effect!"
"Destroy all other cards on the field!"
Her Life Points dropped by 1000 as the dragon ascended, radiant with pure white light. Under its glow, Morgan's field was obliterated card by card.
Suddenly, Morgan's Set Trap flipped at last.
"I activate the Trap Card, Dogmatika Punishment!"
"I target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls. I send 1 monster with ATK greater than or equal to it from my Extra Deck to the Graveyard, and destroy that target."
She couldn't stop Judgment Dragon's wipe, but she could stop its direct attack.
"I send Invoked Elysium from my Extra Deck to the Graveyard!"
As the chain resolved, Judgment Dragon's light dimmed, the mighty beast falling from the sky with a knight's blade piercing its neck.
...
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