Yu-Gi-Oh! - Episode 178

Atlantis' story.

 * Dartz narrates the history of Atlantis: it was a peaceful city in which harvests were copious, there was no greed or vanity. People lived in harmony with the Land and the Spirits (the Duel Monsters). Dartz became hereditary King after his father, Ironheart, resigned due to age. He had a wife, Iona, daughter, Chris, and their pet Skye.


 * However, one day, a volcano erupted and a 'gigantic black dragon' swallowed the Sun and stones rained down on the city: Orichalcos was born. Dartz explains that it was a treasure granted to them by Earth itself: anyone would've thought so. Why? Because it can become energy, medications and industrial products amongst other uses: they labelled it a miraculous material. Atlantis' civilization evolved in very quick manner.


 * However, they didn't notice something: the people's hearts were slowly beginning to become corrupt due to desire appearing and making people become the gatherind ground for the Dark.


 * He then compares the 21st century's society to that of his age: a world full of useful material has caused the people to forget to be thankful to the Land and the Spirits. People live in an imagination-less reality and have lost most of their emotions. There are no crueler living beings than humans.


 * The innahibitants started to become "Monsters" and chaos ensued: Dartz was forced to slay his wife once she become an ugly beast. Blood was shed in Atlantis: the fountains began to be stained.


 * Confused, Dartz sensed a powerful energy coming from an Orichalcos fragment: it turned his left eye into its current turquoise color and shown a vision of a gigantic serpent-like creature pulsating inside of the Earth iself. He claims that he then understood everything: Orichalcos wasn't a miracoulous material. It was a test issued to them from the Earth itself, and they failed it. It was meant to amplify the 'Dark' inside of humans. He claims that the humans would end up self-destructing themselves.


 * When Ironheart tried to convince him to abadon Orichalcos, Dartz politely replied that even if they did so, they innahibitants wouldn't return to normal. He then went on saying that Earth istself had granted him a command: to allow for the Orichalcos God to descend in order to destroy the corrupt humans and create a new world of perfect humans. They were supposed to protect the planet, but they have failed.


 * Dartz has been granted command over the Orichalcos Soldiers, so Ironheart, Chris and Sunny run off, knowing that Dartz has gone mad. Dartz ignores them and announces that a new God shall descend upon the world.


 * However, Ironheat and Chris escaped Atlantis and requested help from the world of Duel Monsters: these events led to the Battle of the Stone Wasteland. It ended in a stalemate, with Ironheart's side destroying the Oreichalcos God.


 * Dartz goes on saying that, before his death, Ironheart "sealed" the "door" of the Duel Monsters world, leaving some of their relics scattered around the world: the Pyramids, the Aztec pyramids, the mastabas, the Greek temples...


 * He's waited 10,000 years, but the result is the same: humans keep on being corrupt and he must purge this world of them.


 * When Kaiba claims that they've already defeated him, Dartz laughs and tells them to closely survey his powers.

The 2nd "Seal of Orichalcos" and the "Mirror Knights".

 * The three of them return to the 'real world' and both Kaiba & Yugi gasp upon seeing that Dartz still has 3500 LP and that their Attack did nothing: that was the Special Ability of "Orichalcos Kyutora".


 * He then goes with the strategy of ressurecting "Orichalcos Gigas" and making him become a wall to keep "Kyutora" safe. Along the way, he plays "Orichalcos Deuteros", the 2nd "Seal of Orichalcos". It allows him to gain 500 Life Points per every Monster on his side of the Field.


 * In the meanwhile, Rafael has disembarked in the island and is heading towads the top of it.


 * "Deuteros" also posesses the ability to block a Direct Attack by using one Monster as a Tribute. Thus, Dartz stops using "Gigas" and changes tacticts: with one Ritual Monster, "Mirror Knight Calling", he Special Summons 4 "Mirror Knight Tokens" and quickly gains a lot of LP.


 * These "Mirror Knights" also possess the Special Ability of copying an enemy Monster's ATK and easily Destroy them. Even though Monsters with the same ATK Destroy each other, the "Mirror Knight Tokens" have their "Mirror Knights" which can be sacrificed to avoid their Destruction. And "Mirror Knight Calling" has another Special Effect: it can regenerate the shields.


 * Thus, both Duelists are pushed into a thight corner. Kaiba uses "Kaiser Glider" to make sure Dartz can't pull the "Mirror Knight Tokens" Special Effect on him, making Dartz look amused.


 * When Dart'z Life Points go above the 10,000 mark, Kaiba plays "Ring of Destruction" to Destroy "Mirror Knight Calling".


 * However, the helmets of the "Mirror Knight Tokens" shatter and fall into the ground: they are in truth the souls of Yuugi, Mai, Jounouchi and Pegasus who have been turned into this form. Yami gasps upon remembering how he was planning on using "Mirror Force" on them and wonders if he'd killed them then.


 * How will Kaiba and Yami get out of this situation?

Featured Duel: Yami Yugi & Seto Kaiba vs. Dartz
Duel continues from previous episode.

Turn 5: Yami


 * Dartz Activates "Orichalcos Gigas'" Effect, skipping his next Draw Phase to Special Summon his Monster back with a +500 ATK boost ("Orichalcos Gigas": 900 → 1400 ATK / 1500 DEF).

Turn 6: Dartz


 * Due to Orichalcos Gigas's Effect, Dartz must skip his next Draw Phase
 * Activates Field Spell Card "Orichalcos Deuteros" from his Hand: it gains all the Effects of "The Seal of Orichalcos", plus a few Effects of its own.
 * Thanks to "Orichalcos Deuteros's" first Effect, during each Turn, Dartz gains 500 LP for each Monster he Controls. With 2 Monsters, he gains +1000 LP (Dartz: 3500 → 4500 Life Points).
 * Uses "Orichalcos Gigas" to attack Yami's "Master of Dragon Soldier": "Orichalcos Gigas" is Destroyed but thanks to "Orichalcos Kyutora's" Effect, Dartz receives no Battle Damage.
 * Dartz Activates "Orichalcos Gigas's" Effect Special Summoning his Monster back with a +500 ATK boost ("Orichalcos Gigas": 1400 → 1900 ATK / 1500 DEF).

Turn 7: Kaiba


 * Sets a Card.
 * Summons "Blade Knight" (1600 ATK / 1000 DEF) in Attack Position. Since Seto has one Card left in his Hand, "Blade Knight's" Effect allows it to gain a further +400 ATK ("Blade Knight": 1600 → 2000 ATK / 1000 DEF).

Turn 8: Yami


 * Seto Activates Quick-Play Spell Card "Reflect Energy": he Tributes "Blade Knight" to allow Yami's Monsters to Attack Dartz Directly this Turn.
 * Thanks to "Reflect Energy" Yami uses "Master of Dragon Soldier" to Attack Dartz Directly.
 * Dartz Activates "Orichalcos Deuteros'" second Effect: he Tributes "Orichalcos Gigas" to Negate Yami's Attack and Destroy "Master of Dragon Soldier".
 * Yami Activates Quick-Play Spell Card "De-Fusion", splitting "Master of Dragon Soldier" back into "Black Luster Soldier" (3000 ATK / 2500 DEF) in Attack Position on Yami's side of the Field and "Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon" (4500 ATK / 3800 DEF) in Attack Position on Seto's side of the Field.

Turn 9: Dartz


 * (Note: this time Dartz doesn't skip his Draw Phase since he has Tributed "Gigas" and it's in his Graveyeard.)
 * Activates Ritual Spell Card "Orichalcos Mirror", Tributing "Timeater" from his Hand to Ritual Summon "Mirror Knight Calling" from his Deck (0 → 500 ATK / 0 DEF): this allows him to Special Summon 4 "Mirror Knight Tokens" (0 → 500 ATK / 0 DEF) to the Field.
 * Thanks to "Orichalcos Deuteros's" first Effect, during each Turn Dartz gains 500 LP for each Monster he controls. With 6 Monsters, he gains +3000 LP (Dartz: 4500 → 7500 Life Points).
 * Uses the first "Mirror Knight Token" to Attack Seto's "Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon".
 * Thanks to its Effect, "Mirror Knight Token" gains ATK equal to the Monster it's Battling ("Mirror Knight Token": 500 → 4500 ATK / 0 DEF): Seto's "Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon" is Destroyed.
 * "Mirror Knight Token's" second Effect also allows it to Destroy its Shield Counter to prevent its own destruction.
 * Uses the second "Mirror Knight Token" to Attack Yami's "Black Luster Soldier".
 * Thanks to its Effect, "Mirror Knight Token" gains ATK equal to the Monster it's Battling ("Mirror Knight Token": 500 → 3000 ATK / 0 DEF): Yami's "Black Luster Soldier" is Destroyed.
 * "Mirror Knight Token's" second Effect also allows it to Destroy its Shield Counter to prevent its own destruction.
 * Uses the third "Mirror Knight Token" to Attack Seto Directly (Seto: 4000 → 3500 Life Points).
 * Uses the fourth "Mirror Knight Token" to Attack Yami Directly (Yami: 4000 → 3500 Life Points).
 * "Mirror Knight Calling's" second Effect regenerates all the Shield Counters on Dartz's "Mirror Knight Tokens".

Turn 10: Kaiba


 * Activates Spell Card "Card of Demise", Drawing until he has 5 Cards in his Hand. 5 Turns after "Card of Demise's" Activation, Seto must Discard his entire Hand.
 * Activates Spell Card "Silent Doom" to Special Summon "Blade Knight" (1600 ATK / 1000 DEF) (NOTE: In the real game, "Silent Doom" can only Special Summon a Normal Monster) back from his Graveyard in Defense Position.
 * Tributes "Blade Knight" to Summon "Kaiser Glider" (2400 ATK / 2200 DEF) in Attack Position.
 * Sets a Card.

Turn 11: Yami


 * Sets a Card ("Mirror Force").
 * Normal Summons "Big Shield Gardna" (100 ATK / 2600 DEF) in Defense Position.

Turn 12: Dartz


 * Thanks to "Orichalcos Deuteros's" first Effect, during each Turn Dartz gains 500 LP for each Monster he Controls. With 6 Monsters, he gains +3000 LP (Dartz: 7500 → 10500 Life Points).
 * Seto Activates Trap Card "Ring of Destruction": it Destroys Dartz's "Mirror Knight Calling" and deals Damage to Seto and Dartz equal to its ATK, i.e. 500 damage (Dartz: 10500 → 10000 Life Points) (Seto: 3500 → 3000 Life Points).

''Duel continues next episode.

Differences In Adaptations

 * The fairies at the beginning of the episode have been given clothes to wear in the US version.
 * Ring of Destruction's grenades are changed to balls of flames in the US version.
 * Silent Doom is slightly redesigned in the US.
 * The queen's body been held by the beast is removed in the US.
 * Cut from the US version are shots of the beast attacking Dartz, who draws his sword and kills it. Then the fountains' waters turn the color of blood.

Mistakes

 * In both versions, Kaiba calls Mirror Knight Calling a Magic Card.
 * In the English version, Big Shield Gardna's card frame is yellow despite it being an effect monster, which ironically is activated for the first time.
 * Kaiba refers to the mirror knights as being able to come back instead of their shields.