Source & Soul: A Deckbuilding LitRPG

Instead of letting the Colosseum's runner take me directly to my match, the young girl followed after me as I stopped at a booth I knew specialized in Water cards. Against Hull, I would need some Relic removal, and the Water Spell Rust was the most affordable option I was aware of out of the three Source types available to me. For the first time in my life, money wasn’t a hindrance thanks to the Epic I had sold the previous day. However, with my newfound Soul Ability, I wanted to save as much coin as possible for potential upgrades to my existing deck. Once I had sorted each of those out after the Tournament, then I would consider purchasing more costly additions with any remaining funds.

Rust was a Common Spell, so the shopkeep had plenty in stock. I opted to procure just two instead of the full three because there were other cards I wanted to experiment with today. As I had told Hull, I planned to take our match seriously. At the same time though, I was already in the top 5 – top 4, in fact. Esmi had told me about the king’s extra incentive of an artifact based on our final placement, and while that was enticing, this duel was also an excellent opportunity to test some of the many theories I had concerning my existing stock of cards. How certain ones performed alone and in tandem with each other would help me decide which I was more likely to want to upgrade.

In addition, I wanted to hit the ground running at War Camp. As far as I knew, the other finalists all had refined decks, and while a strength of mine might always be a measure of variability, the sooner I could nail down which variations were more effective than others, the better.

We left the card booth behind and the runner kept urging me to speed up, often walking well ahead and then jogging back when she realized I wasn’t keeping pace. Watching her obsessively worry was like looking into a mirror of my own past. I had so often been tightly wound just like her, nervous and unsure. I didn’t wish to arrive overly late of course, but at this stage of the tournament and my own advancement, I could recognize that as a top 4 finalist, they weren’t going to disqualify me for being a few minutes behind.

I had earned being able to walk at my own pace.

Still, I took pity on the poor girl; she was just trying to do her job after all. “Do you want to be a duelist someday?” I asked.

She gave a quick nod of her braided head, eyes begging me onward.

“Do you have a favorite competitor?”

“Esmi,” she admitted. “Esmi Fireheart.”

“Ah,” I said. Hearing my fiancee's name brought a smile to my lips. “She’s an inspiration to me as well.”

We walked a touch longer and then the girl said, “Was that her? In your room?”

“It was,” I confirmed. “And if she was here with me now, I’m sure she’d tell you that you can become the duelist you dream to be.” Esmi had needed to go her own way to meet up with her parents, who actually were going to be watching my duel this time around – yet another reason to give it my all.

The girl tried to hide it, but she smiled to herself over the words. Her shoulders relaxed some, too, and her gait eased by just a hair.

Watching my fiancee’s effect on others only served to elevate my already elated mood, and I turned inward to share the moment. Before I had left, Esmi had quickly shown me her own Soul Card. ‘So you can see me whenever you wish,’ she had said. I recalled the image with my Mindtrap, more grateful for the ability than at any other time in my life.

Being with her in person was wondrous enough, but now to also be able to look at her as the gods did? There could be no better parting gift.

The crowds boomed in excitement when we reached the Colosseum floor, the stands more packed than I had ever seen them. There was only one other match happening right now – Lustra versus Losum to determine 5th place – but it was the winner of our match that would progress further into the Tournament, facing Esmi next, so I supposed it was only natural that people should prefer to watch us.

I waved to the gathered mass of humanity as I mounted the steps to the platform, their cheers ringing in my ears since the Dueling Dome hadn’t fallen over us yet. In the cacophony, I didn’t even bother trying to greet Hull verbally who waited across the way. Instead, I nodded to him, and he scowled back, looking like he planned to fight me with everything he had. I could respect that, not wanting our friendship to cloud his judgment, and I vowed to match his intensity with every play.

The announcer wasted no time in calling down the Dueling Dome and starting the chant, which whipped our ante cards up into the sky.

“A fight over two Epics!” the announcer declared enthusiastically. “Now this is a Losers Semi match!”

From the wild cries of the crowd, they certainly agreed.

Seeing the mightiest of my mother’s cards on the chopping block did give me my first twinge of nervousness. She would not be happy if I lost that. And what was this new Nether card of Hull’s? An Epic, no less.

“Where did you get that Soul from?” I called to him. Now that outside noise was being muted some by the Dome it was significantly easier to converse. He refused to answer though, the look he gave me putting me very much in mind of our first match. If winning again was my only goal, it probably would have been wisest to use an Order and Air configuration similar to then.

But that wasn’t what I had in store, not at all.

The announcer shouted for us to begin, and I drew four Source instead of the usual two, receiving 3 Order and 1 Water from Fortune. I could mulligan the 1 Water and setup the same sort of Source Explosion I had used against Losum. However, the Summon card I received was one of my newly purchased Rust Spells.

The only way I could cast it was with Water Source, and if I put the one I held on the bottom of my Source Deck, the chances I’d get the only other I possessed when needed was slim. That felt like too big a chance to take, so I decided to go a different way, mulliganing the 3 Order Source. In return, I got my other Water Source and 2 of Air.

“Interesting,” I muttered to myself as I thought through the various ways I could use such a Source combination. “Very interesting.”

It didn’t matter which Source I opened with, since neither were faster than Nether, but I went ahead and chose Water, a ball of sea-green liquid floating up above my head. Predictably, Hull used his Nether Source as soon as it appeared, but instead of bringing forth his Hammer that I was so used to seeing from him, the air in front of him bent, and a small demon appeared when it snapped back into focus.

Without hesitation, the long-eared creature charged at me. This was the turn I was most concerned about when using my new Source heavy tactic; I had few cards to defend with. Like I had done against Losum, I blocked the attack with one of my Air Source, letting the other point of damage through, praying to the Twins I wouldn’t lose any of the key cards I needed for the match.

I squinted at the shards that were ripped from me and breathed a sigh of relief when I saw it was just a Penitence Spell that had been sacrificed in my defense.

On my draw, I pulled both from my Summon Deck; I already had plenty of Source. It was a bit of a risk since I had no Order yet, but I didn’t want to go through another turn without better options for blocking from hand. What appeared in my fingers were two more Water cards I had never used before.

I had planned to use the Water Mocassins to remove Hull’s bigger demons, the Marauders, and maybe also to deny Hull much life gain when he attacked with his new Vampiric Blade. Having now seen the Epic that Hull had somehow acquired – perhaps he traded away his Death Epic? Who could have had another Nether Epic just lying around? – I was especially glad to have the small, venomous Souls at my disposal.

As for the Ice Wall, against Esmi’s swarm or Losum’s Archers it would have been next to useless. Versus Hull, though, it would slow down his Hammer attacks and the handful of Souls he used, including the Flying Root Imp because the Wall had the Tall ability. Hull’s deck hit fast and hard, but once the protection of his Sucking Void expired, his own cards often hurt him. If I could survive long enough, his deck would do my work for me.

I played my other Water Source and debated my options. I wanted to summon both Souls right away, and I could, but if I did, I wouldn’t have Water Source available for two turns, which would delay casting Rust. If Rust worked instantly like Melt, I might not have minded, but since the Spell required a full turn to take effect, I judged that to be too slow a line of play. So I summoned the Wall by focusing my two Source, a massive sheet of ice growing up in front of me, cracking and groaning until it reached a height of some twenty feet and ten wide, separating me from Hull. I could pick out layers within the ice, but it was also translucent enough that I could see Hull and his recovering Gremlin on the other side.

If I had summoned the Water Mocassin as well, I could have attacked and destroyed the Ghastly without any recourse since it was devoted. But then my Mocassin could have been attacked in return, and I was more worried about a Hammer or worse from Hull than a little demon.

With Hull’s next Source, he summoned the Hammer I had just been thinking about, and charged forward.

I watched him try and sprint around the Wall, but with a thought from me, the magic of the Soul Relic let the large construct grow sideways to match Hull’s movement. The Wall shrank on its opposite side as it did this, so it never grew bigger, but it was always in between Hull and me. With an eventual growl of frustration, Hull slammed his Hammer into the ice, which cracked it, but still left the Wall with more than half of its health.

Though I wanted some Order Source, I went ahead and drew two summons again. Unfortunately, it was another Water Mocassin and a Protection Spell, neither of which were particularly useful for me at the moment.

However, that wasn’t the worst thing; I still had plays to make. I summoned my Air Source and touched one of my Water Moccasin cards in hand, ready to bring it forth. I hesitated a moment though, deciding which Source Power I’d rather have available: Water for transferring damage or Air so I could ready the snake again after attacking.

In the end, I cast Rust on Hull’s Hammer first, the Spell creating a mini storm around the Relic, which Hull jerked away from in surprise. The water from the spell vanished as quickly as it appeared, but in its wake, Hull’s once gleaming Hammer was now dull, brown rust marks appearing like a pox.

“It’s only a matter of time until it’s destroyed!” I heard the announcer call, and Hull flicked an angry gaze in the direction of the disembodied voice.

I knew Hull had bigger threats on the way, with his Talisman, Armor, and Blade, but I wanted to slow him down as much as I could now. Plus, I had a plan to get to my second Rust quickly.

Next, I devoted my other Water Source and brought out a Water Mocassin.

No sooner had the Soul arrived than I sent it slithering after Hull while the Gremlin was still focused, unable to defend. 1 attack wasn’t much, but Hull’s strong suit wasn’t defense, so any damage I could inflict before he got his Sucking Void up would help me in the long run.

When the snake reared back and struck, Hull discarded another Gremlin from hand, looking decidedly unhappy about it. I could relate – it always stung to block for more than the damage incoming.

Finally, to ensure that my Water Mocassin wouldn’t get bashed by Hull’s Hammer, I used the Air Source power to bring the snake back to Focused, wind whipping up and around the serpent, reinvigorating it. This was another reason I had decided to try the Mocassins: with their low cost, I could more often use Air’s Power on them than I could my Assassins.

Hull surprised me on his next turn, bringing out another Relic instead of casting his Sucking Void.

Seeing the Epic that I knew had been key in Hull defeating the Earth bruiser Haze had me doubting myself for a moment. I would have much rather taken it out with Rust instead of the Hammer if I had known it would be entering the field so soon. At the same time though, I was impressed by Hull. He was evolving his tactics, just like I was trying to do.

This time both Hull and the Ghastly Gremlin charged in. I used the Wall to block Hull’s Hammer for a second time, leaving the Relic construct with only 1 health remaining. For the Ghastly – which skirted around the ice, since the Wall was focused on interposing itself between Hull and me as I had commanded – I stopped its attack with my Protection from hand, the explosion of card shards pushing the demon back.

I only had one card in hand now compared to four in Hull’s, and I only had one Source coming back to ready next turn. When precisely had the tides turned on me? Perhaps opening with so many Source had been a foolish choice after all.

Seeing Hull’s Hammer break apart when his attack concluded was heartening, as was the realization that I could commit even further to my unique opening. Up until a moment ago I had been planning to draw one Source and one Summon. But if instead I drew two Source, that would only leave four in my heart, three of which I already knew were Order. If I then did a Source Explosion after drawing my new Source, I would have all the cards I would need. Doing an Order Explosion had been my plan ever since my mulligan, but this way it would happen so much sooner.

Feeling equal parts excited and foolish, I drew two Source, getting my last Air and an Order. That cemented it.

I then focused within, taking the Order that was still in my chest and folding it over upon itself, again and again, until it grew so tight that I couldn’t move it an inch farther and the stoppage in my breast was so tight I could no longer breathe. Then I let go, and it exploded out of me, a column of shining light borne from my cultivation instead of the sun shooting upwards.

I basked in the sensation, feeling utterly calm and centered, and just so perfectly ordered in this moment and my choices. The me of the past would never have made a play like this, and Tipfin would never have approved of it. “Cutting yourself off at the knees,” he would have said. It was true that having only 1 Order at my disposal wouldn’t be enough to use some of my cards, like my Master Assassin, but Fate take it all, I had done it.

“Basil executes an Order Source Explosion on his third turn, gaining four cards!!”

Hull looked at me dumbfounded, and I just shrugged, a rather wild smile on my face as cards appeared in my hand, one after the next. I wouldn’t be getting any more Source for the rest of the match, but I had so many options now. My four new cards were a mix of Relics and Souls, and my second Protection Spell.

With a Water Source Explosion off the table, I would never be able to summon the Titan, but that didn’t bother me since it could still block an absurd 7 damage.

I brought forth my only Order Source so I could cast Protection if needed. I was tempted to play the Helm on its heels, but instead I devoted my Water Source that had just come back to ready to put the Metal Golem on the field.

If Hull wasn’t going to defend himself with Sucking Void, I needed to attack, especially since the more cards of his I managed to destroy, the harder it would be for him to use his Vampiric Blade to cycle the Void.

I sent the freshly summoned construct forward, its metal skin shining, and the Mocassin followed after, its body moving side to side, covering the distance quickly. Together, they would hit for a combined 3, but yet again, Hull chose to block the attack with a card from hand instead of taking it directly. To my shock, it was the ante card that exploded in the air, throwing my two Souls back with the power it contained, even when used on defense.

“Hull blocks with his Epic!” the announcer cried, and the crowd screamed and shouted over the choice.

“Are you sure you want to lose that?” I called.

Hull growled at me in a way that made it quite clear that he didn’t want to be giving up such a valuable card. He probably thought I could easily remove it with an Assassin or one of my Executions; I didn’t have the heart to tell him that I wasn’t using either in this match because I hadn’t believed him to have anything bigger than his Marauders.

Though he might have lost a powerful card in the exchange, the 3 damage energized his Talisman, the eyes of it starting to burn hotly where it sat on his chest. Just 2 more, and it would activate. Hopefully, I wouldn’t have to dig much farther to reach my second Rust.

On his turn, I was sure Hull would play a Marauder to activate the Talisman, or at least his Root Imp, but neither of those came out. Instead, a foreboding set of armor appeared in the air, and when Hull stepped forward, the suit locked itself around him.

Its damage effect would eventually activate the Talisman, but luckily for me it would take longer.

Hull sent the Ghastly Gremlin after my devoted Metal Golem, ripping its head off in a shower of sparks without taking a return hit. Hull himself used his last Nether Source to charge in with a gauntleted fist glowing with purple power, slamming it into my Ice Wall and doing the last point of damage it could sustain. The construct shattered into a shower of ice shards that, after a few heartbeats, dissipated into nothing, leaving the space between me and an armored up, and thus very imposing looking Hull, empty but for a small snake.

From the Metal Golem’s death, a new card snapped into my hand, which, ironically, was another Metal Golem. I could have used my Protection Spell to stop either of the Souls from having been destroyed, but I preferred the card draw. Also, it was my last Protection in the deck, and I was sure there would be a moment later in the duel where I would need it more.

At the end of Hull’s turn, his Armor shook, hurting him, and he quickly discarded a card from hand. My eyes nearly popped out of my head when I saw what he had used to avoid the damage.

Where had he gotten these new Nether cards from? We had scoured the sellers available in the Colosseum together, and only that overly rude half-dwarf Findek had any. Not only that, but if Hull had another of these Unstable Rifts and played it while his Talisman was active, he’d be hitting for 10 damage, 5 of it at any target he liked. The glowing eyes of the Talisman stared back at me, one step closer to having its power realized and providing me with no answers.

I only had Summons left, so I pulled two from my Mind Home, getting a Carrion Condor and a Spell I had put into my deck specifically for this match.

With a flick of the wrist, an Air Source floated up from my hand, giving me 4 total at the ready: 2 Air, 1 Water, and 1 Order. But with seven Summon cards available to me, what would be best to use? Seeing the Unstable Rift certainly had me feeling unstable, particularly since the inclusion of a second Nether card unknown to me meant Hull might have more I was unaware of.

Due to that, I needed to focus on doing what I knew to be strong plays, so I devoted three of my Sources, summoning both the Metal Golem and Carrion Condor.

“Hello, old friend,” I said to the Condor when it arrived. The creature squawked to the sky, either in response to me or glad to be free of the confines of my mind. Despite its eagerness, I didn’t have it or anything else attack. I certainly wanted to, but even if I sent all three of my Souls, they would only do 3 damage past Hull’s Iron Maiden Plate. Then, two of my Souls would be devoted and vulnerable, which would be terrible if he managed to get a Marauder out next. His Talisman would also have activated, so he could then direct the damage from the Marauder and the Plate to hurt more of my Souls or me.

I didn’t like any of those possibilities, much preferring to finish Hull off on a single turn if possible. The fewer opportunities Hull had to use the Talisman the better, and in another turn or two I should hopefully get my second Rust to take it out, or the Vampiric Blade once summoned.

I briefly toyed with playing my Soulforged Helm on something, but in the end, decided to keep my Order Source up, ready to cast Protection if needed, which would block for 4 due to my large hand.

Hull seemed somewhat disconcerted by my lack of action, or perhaps it was just the three Souls I had at the ready he disliked. Whatever the reason, he opted not to bring out another Nether Source, getting Summon cards instead, and finally cast his Sucking Void Spell.

That used Hull’s only available Source, and while I would have liked him to send his Gremlin at me so I could block with my Metal Golem, drawing another card and powering up my Carrion Condor, he wisely chose to keep the demon back. In the end, the Armor shook again, but with his Sucking Void protecting him, he didn’t need to use any cards from hand to stop the damage. The last point did its job, flaring the Talisman to full life, its eyes and mouth glowing a dark magenta now instead of ruby.

“The Talisman of Spite is finally active!” I heard the announcer shout. “Will Basil get another Rust in time to deal with it? Does he even have another?”

I chuckled nervously, wondering the exact same thing myself. I drew two new summons, getting another giant Water Soul I wouldn’t be able use for anything but defense and… exactly what I needed.

I knew getting the Rust was partly the hand of Fortune, but also by drawing four extra cards out of sequence with my Order Source explosion and then pulling two summon cards a turn since then, I had drastically increased my odds of reaching the Spell quickly.

The question now though was what to use it on. My instincts were pushing for the Talisman, but I took a moment to consider eliminating the Armor instead or waiting to use it against the Vampiric Blade. This was my last Rust Spell, and if Hull was able to start cycling Sucking Void with the Blade, I would lose just as Lustra had. But with my cards in hand and what I knew I had left in my deck, I thought I could finish Hull off before he made himself unkillable. Focusing a Water Source, I released the Spell.

“Basil drew it! He plays his second Rust on Hull’s Talisman!”

Hull vented a wordless shout of frustration from inside his armor, and I felt a touch badly for him. He’d only get one turn’s worth of damage from his Epic now, but I was also sure he’d find a way to make it count.

The only other Source I had ready was Order, and I continued to keep it that way for my Protection Spell, now able to stop 5 points of damage because of my increased hand size. From what I could see, I had stabilized the board, maybe even just made the game-winning play. At the same time, I didn’t know what other new tricks Hull might have in store. Also, if the person Hull had gotten his new Nether cards from had taught him about Source Explosion… One of the reasons I had brought Delane’s Compendium of Source Abilities was to show it to Hull, but with the drama of Warrick and everything else, it had slipped my mind. That didn’t mean Hull hadn’t gotten the information from someone else though, and Nether’s Explosion was rather terrifying: 1 point of Sneak Attack damage for every Source sacrificed.

Thinking thus, I saw Hull not playing a Source last turn in a new light. With only 4 hovering over his head, he still had 3 remaining. That was 3 damage he could do directly to my Deck that I couldn’t use cards to block with. I could still cast Protection, which affirmed my decision to keep my Order Source ready.

My suspicions intensified further when once again Hull didn’t bring forth another Nether Source. It was possible that he was trying to get as much out of his Summons Deck before his Sucking Void expired in another turn, destroying the rest of the cards in his Mind Home, but it was equally likely he was setting up a finishing blow, like I was.

Hull brought out a demon with leathery wings that I was, fortunately, familiar with.

I had hoped to have the protection of an Ice Wall against that particular creature, but my Carrion Condor could serve as a Flying blocker in a pinch if needed. What the Condor couldn’t defend against was the clawed screeching the demon did to Hull upon arrival, which the Talisman directed right at me, a bolt of purple energy streaking past my Souls, headed straight for my chest.

It slowed as it approached thanks to Fate’s Grace, giving me a moment to consider. The trouble was, I didn’t have anything in hand that was good for blocking 2 damage. My other Water Moccasin only stopped 1, and I wasn’t about to use Protection when Hull might know how to do a Nether Source Explosion or could have another Unstable Rift.

With a similar pain Hull had experienced when overblocking earlier in our match, I used my newly acquired Water Elemental to stop the blast of energy from reaching me.

“Basil blocks for 6 when only 2 was required! What else could he be keeping in his hand that he values more, I ask you!”

“You’ll get to see,” I promised the announcer and everyone watching. Assuming things worked out as I hoped, of course.

Hull then used a bit more Nether to come in swinging himself for 1 point of damage, which I had the Metal Golem take, the two wrestling briefly in the middle of the platform before separating – the Golem doubly unable to hurt Hull because of his Armor 2 and the invincibility of Sucking Void.

Like clockwork, Hull’s Plate tried to harm him at the end of the turn, but that attack was rechanneled through the Talisman in a smaller bolt of purple energy than before, sending 1 damage my way. This time I used the Mocassin in hand to stop it, watching the card shards vanish in the air before me as the Talisman finally rusted away, disintegrating. Only one turn of it being active and it had cost me two cards; I was certainly glad to see it go.

I drew two more Summon Cards, putting my deck at 3 remaining, the same number of unused Source Hull had. I wouldn’t draw any more until I had seen him bring some out. My cards were another Carrion Condor and Master Assassin.

I stared at the Rare, feeling a touch melancholy. Having sacrificed so many of my Order Source in that early explosion, this would be the first match I wouldn’t be able to get him on the field. Still, he was a good blocker from hand.

Shifting my attention to my other cards, I found myself torn. On the one hand, I could play a Condor and nothing else, setting up what I hoped would be a game winning turn on the following round, after Hull’s Sucking Void expired.

On the other hand, Hull had used his Source in such a way that he’d have 3 at the ready next turn, if not 4 if he played another. That could be two Marauders coming at me, as well as the Ghastly Gremlin and Root Imp he already had on the field. I had a lot of defense in hand, true, but I also didn’t want to hemorrhage cards unnecessarily. If I played some cards in addition to the Condor it would delay my attack, but provide some more efficient defensive options. Not to mention it would let me put together a pairing I had been whimsically contemplating.

First, I devoted both my Air to get another Condor out. Then I devoted a Water Source to put the Soulforged Helm not on myself, but on the Water Moccasin, the magic of the Relic smartly sizing itself down so that it nestled neatly around the serpent’s much smaller head.

I turned to the crowd, finding Esmi in a lower box sitting with two older individuals, and pointed at the well dressed reptile. “Now that’s adorable.”

I didn’t hear her reply over the laughing of the spectators, but I did hear the much closer Hull finally say something to me.

“Are you messing with me, Hintal? Is that what you’re doing?”

I couldn’t see his face within the helmet of his armor, but he sounded mad enough to chew rocks.

“Not at all, Hull,” I replied. I didn’t hide my good cheer, but I also did my best to not appear smug or patronizing; I was genuinely just having fun. “There are other cards I can use to defend myself, but by giving the Water Mocassin the Helmet, I can now get two uses out of its Venom, and block with it to stop Overkill and other effects. It is, honestly, a highly effective combination. Against your deck, at least.”

He growled, grabbing at the air, as if trying to draw cards that weren’t ready yet, signaling to me that our brief exchange was at an end.

With his Sucking Void still active, there was no point in attacking, so I contented myself with continuing to wait while throwing a small wave Esmi’s way.

When Hull was able to draw, he finally played another Source and pulled from all of them the moment it arrived. Nether energy swirled in a storm around him before coalescing into the Epic Relic he had used to defeat Lustra.

“We’ve heard about it, folks, and here it is! The Vampiric Blade that defeated a vampire. Will it cut down nobility as easily?!”

Seeing the magnificent weapon in the flesh and how the red gems running down its center gleamed, promising to steal life from me, I found myself almost wishing I had purchased three Rusts from the vendor.

From the way Hull swiped the blade side-to-side, it looked like he itched to charge in again, but he held himself back from attacking. When some in the crowd booed at his inaction, the announcer went about explaining what I already knew: this was the last turn of Hull’s Sucking Void, so any cards he recovered this turn from the Vampiric Blades Lifesap ability would just be destroyed again when the Sucking Void expired. It was true such a move might let him get to more valuable cards in his deck faster, like the Talisman or Sucking Void again, but that was assuming he could live through the following turn. By not attacking, he could heal himself immediately when I came after him once the Sucking Void was down.

Hull’s Spell protected him one last time from his Armor’s self damage and then the midnight wrapping slipped away. I watched Hull shudder in his armor as it did, and I wondered what it must feel like to have one’s remaining cards destroyed in such a way. In the spray of shards that leaked from his body, I saw almost all the cards I had been worried about, including the gift I had given him.

So that’s where his Marauders had been all this time. And he had indeed had a second Unstable Rift. Yet again Fortune had favored me by letting me avoid facing such powerful threats – and done Hull exceedingly dirty by burying his best attackers at the bottom of his deck. Selfishly, I was glad to see that Hull hadn’t traded away the Cloak to get his many new cards.

“Hull’s Sucking Void is up and he has nothing left in his Mind Home. Will the Vampiric Blade be enough to let him recover? If ever there was a time to lay a bet, folks, it’s now!”

Hull still had four cards in hand, and while one of them should be his third Ghastly, I realized with a touch of dread that I didn’t know what the others would be.

Thinking of those, and still taking into consideration the possibility that Hull might know how to use Nether Source Explosion, I drew only one card, getting the second Ice Wall I had put into my deck. I had 5 cards in hand now, and I’d have enough Source next turn to use the card I had been saving. The play I wanted wouldn’t work unless I started chipping away at Hull now, but he wasn’t nearly as defenseless as he first appeared. He had two blockers at the ready, one of which could Fly, he could absorb 2 damage with his Iron Maiden Plate, and he’d get 3 cards back by defending with his Vampiric Blade.

That still didn’t feel quite enough in my favor, especially when 3 of his cards were a mystery to me, so I played my new Ice Wall and did nothing else. Without his Sucking Void, the Iron Maiden Plate would begin to eat away at his remaining cards, eventually forcing him to attack. That situation would be much better for me because then I could dictate what the Vampiric Blade hit and thus how much he could heal.

Hull drew two cards, which had to be the last of his Nether since Sucking Void had taken away the rest of his Summons Deck. Sure enough, he played another Nether Source, giving him 3 at the ready. Then he devoted 2, casting a demon I had never seen nor heard of before.

“What in the Twins?” I gasped, focusing on the card text that appeared thanks to the magic of the Dueling Dome and then at the image. Both stayed fixed in my mind after it was gone. My new Seersight started giving me ghostly images of what it could become, with cheaper activation or even retaining a countered Spell to be recast later, like an Order Orb of Holding. Those things didn’t matter for this match, so I refocused on what the demon was currently, not on what it could become.

It was a brilliant play, whether Hull knew it or not, since the Spell Drinker could stop the very thing I had planned to use to end the match. Uncertainty rose within me. I’d thought I was very close to winning this duel – was I wrong?

Then Hull came at me, his Vampiric Blade raised.