[Dimensional Slice] was originally one of the mainstream deck archetypes thriving in the competitive Yu-Gi-Oh! scene. Although it never achieved a world championship title, it had once proven its combat power in earlier formats, even posing a significant challenge to the champions of that era.
Yugen's initial deck idea referenced the champion deck "Hand Destruction," but due to some missing components and the current environment not being entirely identical, he merely continued the same concept and adjusted the build.
Dimensional Slice was one of the builds he was currently testing.
As the name suggests, the core idea of this deck was to send the opponent's cards to a different dimension. It mainly relied on violent one-for-one trades, similar to "D.D. Warrior Lady," which could forcibly banish itself and an opponent's monster. However, his side usually used low-level monsters that were immediately played and discarded, often trading for the opponent's high-cost boss monsters, creating a resource advantage.
Just like Yugen was doing now.
Furthermore, because the opponent's banished monsters went to a different dimension instead of the Graveyard, it could also cause considerable trouble for the mainstream decks of that era's competitive environment that relied on Graveyard resources. At the same time, the environment back then was also full of monsters with "when sent to the Graveyard, search from deck" effects, and these monsters couldn't activate their effects when facing Dimensional Slice, which was extremely annoying.
Yugen hadn't personally experienced that ancient meta, but he could imagine the duelists who first encountered the Dimensional Slice build back then. Their mentality must have collapsed when their painstakingly summoned boss monsters were banished to a different dimension by a single normal attack from the opponent.
Just like Manjome now.
D.D. Warrior Lady, in a desperate struggle before her demise, slashed open the void, creating a black hole in the arena like a Dimensional Slash. A vast gravitational pull immediately drew both warriors in. The Sword Saint and the female warrior were simultaneously sucked into it, disappearing into the depths of the black hole.
Losing their equip targets, the two Equip Spells in the backrow exploded with a "bang, bang," turning into golden fragments and dissipating.
Manjome's intense string of moves earlier had consumed all his resources, and his boss monster was directly banished to the OOB (Out of Bounds) area without even getting a single attack off. For a moment, it almost made him choke.
But Manjome took a deep breath, quickly steadying his mind.
Calm, I must be calm.
It was just the loss of an eight-star boss monster, two equips, and four cards from his hand.
Nothing to worry about.
"When the Equip Spell 'Jeweled Sword' is sent from the field to the Graveyard, I draw one card from my deck."
Manjome drew a card from his deck, finally recovering a little. He glanced at it and inserted the drawn card directly into the Spell/Trap Zone.
"I Set one card, turn end."
"My turn, Draw."
Yugen added the drawn card to his hand, then revealed another from it.
Yugen said: "I Summon 'Warrior Lady of the Wasteland.'"
[Warrior Lady of the Wasteland, ATK 1100]
"Direct attack." Yugen commanded, "Warrior Lady of the Wasteland, directly attack the opponent."
The female warrior drew her sword and soared towards Manjome.
But Manjome had a countermeasure. He waved his arm and flipped his Set card: "Activate the Trap Card, 'Draining Shield!' Negate your opponent's attack, and gain Life Points equal to that attacking monster's ATK!"
A translucent rainbow barrier appeared in front of Manjome. The female warrior's longsword slashed fiercely onto the barrier. The force was immediately absorbed as energy, transforming into warm golden light that fell upon Manjome.
[Manjome, LP 4000 → LP 5100]
"Ha, too bad. But this level of attack is entirely within my expectations," Manjome continued to boast.
Yugen paid no mind. Every duelist knows that in Yu-Gi-Oh, there's only "low on Life Points" and "full Life Points." As long as you have any Life Points left, it's fine; they're not as important as other resources in this game.
"Then I'll Set one card, turn end," Yugen said.
"My turn!" Manjome drew a card, then immediately revealed it, "Spell Card - Pot of Greed! I draw two cards from my deck."
Pot of Greed, the lowest standard for the GX protagonist cast, everyone had one in hand, everyone had Pot of Greed.
"I Summon [Dark Blade] in Attack Position!"
The card image appeared. A black armored warrior, wielding twin blades, flew out from the card artwork, his body covered in sharp, silvery blades.
[Dark Blade, ATK 1800]
"Now I'll show you, my monsters are also the elite of the elites, completely different from your low-level fodder!" Manjome raised his hand and shouted, "Go, Dark Blade! Destroy 'Warrior Lady of the Wasteland'!"
The corner of his mouth curved into a confident smirk.
Even though that annoying card of his opponent's cost him his boss monster, it didn't matter. [Dark Blade] was also a high-market-value, powerful low-level monster; four-star with 1800 ATK was generally very good.
Could you possibly pull out a D.D. Warrior Lady Mk. II from your pants and banish my monster to a different dimension again?
The black-armored swordsman charged forward, twin blades slashing. The female warrior was immediately cut in half, exploding on the spot with a loud bang.
[Yugen, LP 4000 → LP 3300]
Yugen's expression remained calm as his monster was destroyed. He drew from his deck in the duel disk and began flipping through cards.
"Warrior Lady of the Wasteland's effect activates. When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon one Warrior-Type monster with 1500 ATK or less from my deck in face-up Attack Position.
I will Special Summon this guy..."
Saying that, he had already drawn the searched card from his deck.
"...I Special Summon [D.D. Warrior] in Attack Position!"
[D.D. Warrior, ATK 1200]
Manjome: "!"
No, not again?
This was a familiar sight to him too. D.D. Warrior, when battling a monster, banishes both itself and the opponent's monster it battled from the game.
Another card in the Dimensional Slice build, with an effect identical to D.D. Warrior Lady.
Seeing D.D. Warrior stand on the opponent's field, Manjome's eyelid twitched twice; he felt a headache coming on.
No...
How can your annoying cards keep flying out of your deck?
No, I have to be calm, can't lose my composure.
Manjome's eyes darted to a card in his hand.
There's not absolutely no way to deal with this annoying thing.
"I Set one card, turn end," Manjome declared.
Yugen's gaze swept over Manjome's final set backrow card.
Judging by his demeanor, it seems he has a countermeasure for the Dimensional Warrior?
He smiled.
Doesn't matter.
"My turn, Draw."
Yugen confirmed the drawn card and immediately revealed it.
"I Summon 'Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer' in Attack Position."
Out came a bald monk in a kasaya, but with a fierce expression. The way he held his prayer beads made it seem as if he was about to grab them and hit someone at any moment.
In short, he looked very much like a "martial monk" who liked to "reason with force."
[Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer, ATK 1800]
Manjome squinted, scrutinizing the large monk.
1800 ATK, matching his Dark Blade. Does he want a mutual destruction? Or...
"Battle," Yugen said, "First, 'D.D. Warrior' attacks 'Dark Blade.'"
As expected.
"Don't even think about it. Open set card!"
Manjome's eyes flashed with brilliance, and he flipped his backrow card.
"Trap Card - Sakuretsu Armor! When your opponent's monster declares an attack, destroy that attacking monster!"
Saying that, he smirked, a confident smile spreading across his face.
"Ha, you want to use a monster effect to banish my monster again, do you? Too bad, the same trick won't work on me a second time! It's your own monster that's going to be destroyed!"
Yugen raised an eyebrow.
Sakuretsu Armor, huh.
Every Yu-Gi-Oh! viewer knows that throughout the entire history of Yu-Gi-Oh!, Sakuretsu Armor has had many opportunities to be played in the anime, yet it has never successfully activated to this day. It even seems as if everyone who has tried to use this card has lost, as if it's under some sort of world-will curse.
Naturally, this curse couldn't be broken in Yugen's hands.
"Open set card." Yugen's backrow also flipped, "Counter Trap - Seven Tools of the Bandit. Pay 1000 Life Points to negate the activation of a Trap Card and destroy it."
Manjome's eyelid twitched again.
N-nani!?
Damn it, your annoying cards even have Counter Traps protecting them!?
[Yugen, LP 3300 → LP 2300]
Manjome's Trap was countered. The unfortunate Sakuretsu Armor exploded into dust, continuing its undefeated legend of never successfully activating. The battle resumed. Dark Blade swung its sword, cutting down D.D. Warrior, but before the warrior perished, it opened a dimensional rift, sucking both sides into a vortex, leaving no trace.
[Yugen, LP 2300 → LP 1700]
Just like that, Manjome's front row and back row were both empty.
"Next is Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer," Yugen continued, "Direct attack on Manjome."
Kycoo took a step forward, his prayer beads swinging like a projectile. With a thwack, they landed squarely on Manjome's forehead. The impact vibrated his head, making him feel the weight of Buddha himself.
[Manjome, LP 5100 → LP 3300]
"At this moment, Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer's effect also activates," Yugen continued, "When Kycoo inflicts battle damage to your opponent, you can target up to two monsters in your opponent's Graveyard and banish them from the game."
Although he could choose two, all of Manjome's monsters played so far had already been banished to a different dimension. In his Graveyard, there was only the "Kanan the Swordmistress" that was originally used as a Tribute and another monster card he had discarded from his hand.
So Yugen targeted those two remaining monster cards.
Not only his field, but even his only monster resources in the Graveyard were sent to a different dimension. Manjome was completely bewildered.
This is too much!
You're not letting them go even in the Graveyard!?