Since we kind of messed up the battlefield with our show match, I asked Alice and Wilma to come and fix it with Earth Magic. Taking care of the lava pools both of us left behind was especially important, as we don’t want people stepping into them.

Alice took care of pulling the heat from the lava and Wilma smoothed out the ground. And with their levels and skills, it didn’t even take a minute to have the arena back in the condition it was before we stepped foot on it.

It might not look as impressive as what we did, but doing ground and temperature control like that isn’t easy. It is actually one of the tests the Sage’s tower has Earth mages do if they want to reach the sage rank. Judging the person on things like speed, mana use and the final density and durability of the ground. Being able to make solid ground constructions is very important, as they are often used for city and town walls.

But now that our part of the show is over, let’s just sit back and relax.

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“Now, as a new feature this year, we have a new way of determining a winner!” The announcer said before the first match. “Sponsored to us by Wilhelmina Wood, we have Damage Bracelets! They are capable of absorbing five thousand damage! Before breaking in a somewhat showy fashion. Each of our finalists will wear one for each of their matches, and the one to break the other’s bracelet first wins!”

Oh right. I never mentioned that, right? Yeah. Part of the tournament was them wanting to make the matches better. At first they wanted to have literal death matches, with people fighting to the death, and I’d resurrect the loser after the fight. Or we could have used the resurrection bracelets. But I immediately told them no because it was an awful idea.

Death should not be made ‘normal’ or ‘something that happens’. Even if someone can resurrect people, normalizing death is just a terrible idea.

So instead, Wilma developed something new. The damage bracelets are just a much weaker version of the resurrection bracelets. It works by negating any battle damage you’d take, but every point of damage takes durability from the bracelets. Then we just match the durability used with the amount of HP we want it to be able to absorb, and we have something that is quite effective.

We actually had an earlier version that worked by healing the wearer, but it was needlessly complex. It has to see if the person had taken damage and then heal them, so it took more mana to be active. It also doesn’t work with skills or equipment that damages the user.

And they are cheap. They can use pretty trashy materials, not that HomeBase has those. They do take a bit to enchant, but even an amateur enchanter, someone with Enchanting at level 3, can make them. Yes they likely can’t get them to absorb 5000 damage, more like 600 to 1000, but that is still quite nice.

Wilma and Karl mass produced a few hundred of the base bracelets, and then Stina, Elma and I enchanted them. Well, Wilma also enchanted some, but not all that many.

Yes, we did release the info on how to make them. HomeBase doesn’t need more exclusive products. But I do still own the ‘patent’ to it, so no other company can claim it.

Now, the tournament itself was … actually kind of boring. Sure it is nice, it just feels slow. And uninteresting. Sure it was good to see that our damage bracelets worked as designed. Yes, we would resurrect anyone who might die if they malfunction, but they didn’t, so we were good.

But for the matches. Maybe one of seven matches there is someone with an interesting skill, but with the weapon limits the tournament has, and us just being more skilled than most of these warriors, it just feels boring.

Add that to the list of things that suck when you are too strong. Fights between people weaker than you just look boring.

There were some good ones. Mainly between people who had really learned and mastered a single weapon. As they admittedly wielded that weapon better than any of us could. Sure we can still beat them, as they just can’t match our speed and strength, but it was at least something enjoyable to watch.

One of my favorite matches was actually with Rudevik, the cookie monster. Now that I knew the ins and outs of his unique skill, watching him use it strategically was very impressive. Managing both the increased Strength and also the ever shortening time the buff stayed active really made for a great show.

----------------------------------------

Sadly after him, more boring fights continued. So I decided to pull up Pack Opener and open packs while I watched. It wasn’t difficult to watch the matches while also checking out the new cards.

And I started off with some Crossed Souls.

Spoiler

CROS 1

Performapal Thunderhino; Ritual Beast Tamer Zeframpilica; Zefraxa, Flame Beast of the Nekroz; Primitive Butterfly; Magma Dragon; Shaddoll Zefranaga; Zefra Path; Barbar, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss; Frightfur Leo

[collapse]

Zefraxa, Flame Beast of the Nekroz special summons itself when a Zefra or Necroz monster is destroyed.

And that was the only new card, so next pack.

Spoiler

CROS 2

Doomdog Octhros; U.A. Penalty Box; Fiend Griefing; U.A. Rival Rebounder; Superheavy Samurai Big Waraji; Frightfur Factory; Fluffal Crane; Schuberta the Melodious Maestra; Tellarknight Ptolemaeus

[collapse]

U.A. Rival Rebounder is decent. It has the usual U.A. special summoning condition, but if you manage to either tribute summon it, or special it during the opponent’s turn, you get to special a U.A. from hand or GY.

Frightfur Factory is just a replacement for Polymeriation. It isn’t bad, but I have enough copies of Poly that I don’t need it.

Now, Pack Opener. I’m thankful that you gave me a super rare followed by an ultra rare. But they are both repeats! Please give me something new in one of those rarities, instead of having all the new cards be common.

Next pack.

Spoiler

CROS 3

Superheavy Samurai Soulbuster Gauntlet; Fiend Griefing; Soprano the Melodious Songstress; Fluffal Crane; Primitive Butterfly; Performapal Pinch Helper; Putrid Pudding Body Buddies; Dante, Pilgrim of the Burning Abyss; Yosenju Oyamc

[collapse]

… is Pack Opener bugged? Because that is the third higher rarity card in a row. I’m not complaining, just wondering why this is happening.

Superheavy Samurai Soulbuster Gauntlet is the OTK gauntlet. Doubling the defense of a monster in Superheavy Samurais is crazy good.

Dante, Pilgrim of the Burning Abyss is fine. The discard for draw is good. The on destruction discard is also fine.

Yosenju Oyam specials itself if you are direct attacked, and then matches the strength of a monster that battles it. And when destroyed, it searches. So yeah, it is good.

Next pack.

Spoiler

CROS 4

U.A. Rival Rebounder; Performapal Springoose; Soprano the Melodious Songstress; Doomdog Octhros; Performapal Recasting; Shaddoll Zefracore; Putrid Pudding Body Buddies; Primitive Butterfly; Fusion Conscription

[collapse]

Fusion Conscription is nice. I know it is only for specific decks, but I like those decks, so I like the card.

Next pack.

Spoiler

CROS 5

Putrid Pudding Body Buddies; Doomdog Octhros; Shaddoll Zefracore; Fluffal Crane; Yosen Whirlwind; Soprano the Melodious Songstress; Yosenju Kodam; Unexpected Dai; Junk Anchor

[collapse]

Unexpected Dai is another great card that is really good in some decks. Special summoning from the deck is always broken, even if it is limited to just level 4 and lower normal monsters.

And Junk Anchor is a really decent Tuner for a Junk/Synchron deck.

Next pack.

Spoiler

CROS 6

Designer Frightfur; Performapal Bowhopper; Putrid Pudding Body Buddies; Infernoid Sjette; Diceversity; Yosen Whirlwind; Dizzying Winds of Yosen Village; Fluffal Sheep; Stellarknight Zefraxciton

[collapse]

Diceversity is just not needed. I have easier ways of manipulating levels that don’t rely on luck.

Stellarknight Zefraxciton is fine, but nothing crazy. The effect would be better as an ignition, instead of an on summon trigger, but it is a tellarknight, so being on summon fits the brand.

Next pack.

Spoiler

CROS 7

Deskbot 004; Cybernetic Fusion Support; Doomdog Octhros; Half Unbreak; Harmonic Oscillation; U.A. Signing Deal; U.A. Rival Rebounder; U.A. Penalty Box; Fusion Conscription

[collapse]

Cybernetic Fusion Support is great. I love playing it with Power Bond. Then summoning the largest Chimeratech Overdragon possible. Yeah I can get around this card by just having everything in my hand to begin with, but still good to have.

Harmonic Oscillation sucks. You can only use it in a Pendulum deck, and against another Pendulum deck.

Next pack.

Spoiler

CROS 8

Shaddoll Zefranaga; Fluffal Crane; Superheavy Samurai Soulbuster Gauntlet; Performapal Bowhopper; Phantom Gryphon; Infernoid Sjette; Zefraxa, Flame Beast of the Nekroz; U.A. Penalty Box; Performapal Elephammer

[collapse]

Performapal Elephammer is too slow. Sure you can normal summon it without tributing, but returning Spells and Traps to hand when attacking is most of the time too late.

Next pack.

Spoiler

CROS 9

Harmonic Oscillation; Abyss Stungray; Yosen Whirlwind; Doomdog Octhros; Ritual Beast Tamer Zeframpilica; Half Unbreak; Raidraptor - Mimicry Lanius; U.A. Penalty Box; Rank-Up-Magic Revolution Force

[collapse]

Nothing new here. Next.

Spoiler

CROS 10

Ritual Beast Tamer Zeframpilica; Edge Imp Saw; Performapal Lizardraw; U.A. Signing Deal; Phantom Gryphon; Performapal Thunderhino; Fluffal Crane; Void Purification; Nekroz of Sophia

[collapse]

And an ultimate rare in the last pack. This opening really was crazy good.

Void Purification is fine. Returning stuff to hand, or putting banished stuff in the GY are both fine effects.

Life Fiber of Cow Jesus, I mean Nekroz of Sophia, is very difficult to summon. But extremely good if you manage to summon it. And considering that I can just set up the conditions for her, yeah. Banish everything, because why not?

“... Were you opening packs?” Unika asked. “You should be watching the fights.”

“Do you want me to recap the latest one? Or the one before that? Because I can.” I answered. “And yes, I was.”

“Did you get anything good?” Alice asked.

“Some decent stuff. Sadly nothing that fits any of your decks. Unless you want a new deck.”

“I could use a new one.” Alice said. “I have two empty deck slots.”

“I would offer you Necroz, but I feel like it would fit Lua better. She is the one who had to experience a curing Ritual, so she should have a ritual deck.”

“Then I need another fusion deck.” Alice said.

“And I a Synchro.” Cailie cut in.

“I did base the living weapons off of Xyz monsters and I don’t even have any.” Wilma commented.

“Sorry Wilma. I do have Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Gustav Max and Superdimensional Robot Galaxy Destroyer. No Super Dora yet though. And I lack some of the support cards they need so that you could actually summon them. So while you can have the two Xyz, it will be a pain to actually summon them.”

Spoiler

[collapse]

“Don’t think I’ve run into those monsters in the Factory.” Wilma said.

“They are massive, so they don’t roam around.” I told her. “Go to the machine factory. They should be there.”

“... what monster type am I?” Unika asked. “Everyone else, except Janina, matches one.”

“You are a perfect Link monster.” I told her. “Your tails are basically link arrows.”

“Then I need a few of those.”

“No can do. I literally only have three. Two Vampires and Aromaseraphy Jasmine.”

“... well that sucks.”

“Yeah. They are the newest, so it will take a bit more time before I get any.”

“And do you have a monster type for me?” Janina asked. “I know Unika said no, but…”

“Yeah. Nomi monsters. Or ‘cannot be normal summoned or set’ monsters. You are quite special, so special summon only, right?”

“I suppose I am.” Janina agreed. “But in the game, special summoning is more common than normal summoning. So perhaps I should be like the God monsters. Something that must be normal summoned, but under specific circumstances.”

“You don’t need three tributes to be normal summoned.” I joked. “And even the Gods moved away from that after the first two sets.”

“Are there even any gods after the Nordic Gods?” Wilma asked. “I don’t recall you getting any.”

“No. Konami didn’t want to make more or something.” I complained. “Well, Numeronius Numeronia and Numeron Dragon are Gods, but there is no set of three God cards. I would have loved three Link 8 Gods, but we just can’t have everything.”

“So no Pendulum God either? That’s what it was called, right?” Cailie asked.

“Yeah, no. Zarc is the closest, but he is no God.”

“Do you have it yet? Or is it him?” Alice asked.

“Zarc is male, but the card Supreme King Z-ARC is a dragon. And I don't have him yet, but I do have Arcray Dragon, which is basically the light attributed counterpart.” I answered, as I showed them the card.

Spoiler

[collapse]

“So Zarc is some massive dragon?” Alice asked.

“Yeah. Don’t want to spoil too much as we’ve yet to watch that season, but he is an evil force who does evil things.”

“Why? Or is that too much of a spoiler?” Cailie asked.

“Because people wanted him to be more entertaining. And him beating people in a card game was no longer entertaining enough. So using their version of the hologram tech, which was a form of solid vision using hardlight holograms, he began harming people with his monsters. Until he himself became a monster and specifically a massive dragon.” I abridged the story to them, not wanting to spoil any more than I had to.

But you can’t just ask me about it and expect me to not to talk about it. Let’s just hope they forget that while we watch Zexal.

And yes. We’ve watched the OG, GX and 5Ds in the Memory Palace already.