Who Let Him Play Yugioh? (Re-Upload)

Yemo played a card.

”I summon ’Armored Bee’ in attack position!”

[Armored Bee, ATK 1600]

Armored Bee had the effect of halving the ATK of an opponent’s monster once per turn. With 1600 ATK, it could easily take down any monster with 3200 or less, making it a strong lower-level beater, especially in early formats where it could readily create resource advantage.

”Armored Bee attacks the facedown monster!”

The bee buzzed into the air, trailing gold as it dove at Kira’s set monster. The card flipped—it was a striking woman in leather armor, wielding a spiked whip.

[Dark Scorpion - Meanae the Thorn, DEF 1800]

Meanae’s DEF was higher than Armored Bee’s ATK. With a flick of her whip, she battered the bee, forcing it back in a daze.

[Yemo, LP: 4000 → 3800]

”You attacked ’Dark Scorpion - Meanae the Thorn’,” Kira said. ”When this card inflicts battle damage to the opponent, I can choose one of two effects:

Add a ’Dark Scorpion’ card from the deck or graveyard to my hand.”

The Dark Scorpion cards belonged to the same group as ”Don Zaloog,” a mainstay in Kira’s decks.

Anyone who watched the GX anime would remember the Dark Scorpion Burglars—they may have been villains, but their antics were legendary. After losing to Chazz, they even became his spirit allies.

Though comic relief in the anime, these cards once had a solid reputation in the competitive scene. Many became staples in elaborate combos throughout Yu-Gi-Oh!’s history.

Don Zaloog and Meanae were especially notable.

Don Zaloog was infamous for hand destruction—students at Duel Academy had learned this firsthand.

Meanae, though only 1000 ATK, boasted 1800 DEF—solid in a meta where 1600 was standard—and could often surprise attackers and trigger her effect.

Her effect provided both searching and graveyard recovery, making her a ”huge potential card advantage engine.” And since she herself counted as a ”Dark Scorpion” monster, her own effect could always be activated, even solo.

But what truly unlocked her potential was the strategy Kira now used.

”Using Meanae’s effect, I add a second ’Dark Scorpion - Meanae the Thorn’ from my deck to my hand.”

Kira drew the searched card.

”Strengthening your defense and gaining resources, huh,” Yemo remarked. ”I set a card and end my turn.”

”My turn, draw.”

Kira snapped his fingers.

”Trap Card—Crush Card Virus!” (Anime Effect.)

Crush Card Virus?

Yemo was stunned.

He recognized it as Seto Kaiba’s signature move. But—

”Wait, to activate Crush Card Virus, you have to tribute a DARK monster with 1000 or less ATK destroyed in battle!” Yemo protested.

Don’t try to bluff me—I know the effect!

”Oh, you may not know. This is our lab’s latest prototype. We tweaked the effect a bit,” Kira grinned. ”Now, Crush Card Virus can be activated any time by tributing a DARK monster with 1000 or less ATK—not just after battle destruction.”

Yemo: ”!”

What the hell—Kaiba Corp just prints whatever cards they want now?

Why not just remove the ATK limit while you’re at it?

”I tribute my ’Dark Scorpion - Meanae the Thorn’ with 1000 ATK. For the next three turns, all your monsters on the field and in your hand with 1500 or more ATK are destroyed!”

This early powerhouse deck was called [Meanae Virus], with Dark Scorpion - Meanae the Thorn as the key card.

Crush Card Virus immediately caught attention upon release and spent years on the ban list.

To use it, people sought out DARK monsters with 1000 or less ATK, and Meanae stood out for her DEF and effect.

[Meanae Virus] thrived until the ban hammer hit Crush Card Virus.

Red virus spread from Yemo’s Armored Bee, corrupting and dissolving the monster until it vanished.

Then it infected his hand, targeting a card and blowing it up in a flash.

His hand monsters were gone too.

And worse, the virus lingered, waiting to devour any 1500+ ATK monsters he drew for three turns.

But that was fine.

Yemo glanced at his hand, eyes narrowing on a card:

[Monster Reborn].

Sure, Crush Card Virus was powerful—his deck relied on high-ATK monsters, so his draws would be dead for three turns.

But as a side effect, Crush Card Virus dumped his boss monsters into the graveyard.

So next turn, he’d just use Monster Reborn to bring one back and swing the duel!

”I summon the second ’Dark Scorpion - Meanae the Thorn’ I searched earlier,” Kira said.

[Dark Scorpion - Meanae the Thorn, ATK 1000]

He paused, then smiled: ”Next, I activate the Continuous Trap ’Ultimate Offering’. By paying 500 LP, I can perform an additional normal summon.

I pay 500 LP and summon again.”

[Kira, LP: 4000 → 3500]

”This time, I summon ’Don Zaloog’.”

[Don Zaloog, ATK 1400]

”Battle. First, ’Dark Scorpion - Meanae the Thorn’ attacks directly.”

Yemo frowned.

”As long as Meanae remains, her effect means the Dark Scorpion gang will keep replenishing their forces—but it’s not that easy!”

Yemo shouted,

”I activate the powerful trap ’Mirror Force’!

When an opponent’s monster attacks, destroy all attack position monsters they control!”

Kira narrowed his eyes.

A powerful trap, for sure…

”Then I chain ’Trap Stun’,” Kira responded. ”This turn, all other Trap effects on the field are negated.”

”NANI!?” (What!?)

Yemo’s face twitched as his trump card fizzled out and broke.

Meanae leaped forward, her spiked whip lashing out at Yemo. The pain was real—the Dark Duel’s penalty stung. Oddly, he felt a strange tinge of pleasure. XD

[Yemo, LP: 3800 → 2800]

Meanae smiled seductively and retreated. Yemo’s heart skipped a beat, and he forced himself to focus.

No, be serious—this is a duel for my life!

”Then, Meanae’s effect—when she inflicts battle damage, I add or recover a ’Dark Scorpion’ card from my deck or graveyard.”

Kira added a card.

”This time, I add ’Dark Scorpion - Chick the Yellow’ to my hand.”

After searching, Kira gestured again.

”Next, ’Don Zaloog’ attacks directly.”

Don Zaloog—the reliable one-eyed captain—spun his gun like a Western cowboy and fired a shot straight at Yemo’s heart.

”Urgh…”

The pain was searing, like a real bullet. Yemo groaned, half-kneeling.

[Yemo, LP: 2800 → 1400]

”Don Zaloog’s effect: when he inflicts battle damage, I randomly discard a card from your hand,” Kira said calmly.

Random discard—just like when Yugi pinned Kaiba’s Obelisk with a Swords of Revealing Light, picking the card he held aloft.

Yemo’s heart skipped.

Random discard—oh no.

”You were giving a weird grin while staring at a card just now,” Kira remarked, smiling as he pointed.

”So, the second card from the right. Don’t look, just toss it.”

Yemo: ”…”

He looked at his one remaining card—Monster Reborn.

He felt like crying.

PS: 3 Bonus chapters at 2000 PS.