Like most card games that feature pack-opening mechanics, John had also added a variety of special feedback effects to the card-drawing system of Yu-Gi-Oh!. In addition to flashy dynamic animations, there were achievement trophies, unique sound effects, and special visual rewards. The purpose of these features was simple: to give players a strong sense of excitement and accomplishment whenever they opened packs.
At the same time, the card distribution system differed from that of many traditional card games. The Legendary rarity was equivalent to an SSR-tier card, but unlike most games where such cards were almost impossible to obtain, Legendary cards in Yu-Gi-Oh! were actually quite common. On average, players could pull one Legendary every three packs or so.
The reason was straightforward. In Yu-Gi-Oh!, victory didn't depend on a single powerful card. What truly mattered was the synergy between cards and the combinations they formed together.
Take the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, for example. Without support cards such as the Dragon Flute or various combo pieces that helped summon it efficiently, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon was extremely difficult to bring onto the field.
Furthermore, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon itself wasn't overwhelmingly powerful. It was simply a high-level monster with impressive attack power. It lacked special effects and usually served as fusion material for stronger monsters or as the core of decks built around exclusive support cards.
As a result, many high-rarity cards that relied heavily on support cards were deliberately placed in the Legendary category. Ironically, they were often easier to obtain than some seemingly ordinary magic cards, trap cards, or effect monsters.
For example, in the Dark Magician archetype, the Legendary Dark Magician and the Epic-tier Dark Magician Girl appeared quite frequently. Opening ten packs would often yield two or three copies.
However, support cards such as Magical Formula, Thousand Knives, and other key combo pieces were significantly harder to obtain. Sometimes players could open ten packs without seeing even one.
The logic behind this design was simple, and players loved opening packs. Legends looked impressive, felt valuable, and triggered powerful positive feedback. Since players associated golden flashes with good luck, making those cards easier to obtain created a much more satisfying experience. After all, who wouldn't enjoy believing they had just hit the jackpot?
Of course, not every Legendary enjoyed such generous drop rates. Certain cards, such as Monster Reborn and Pot of Greed, were powerful standalone cards that didn't require extensive combo support. Because of their versatility and strength, their drop rates remained significantly lower.
Unfortunately, Louis knew nothing about the hidden logic behind the card system. At that moment, he was completely immersed in a single belief. He was someone with insanely good luck.
"Left Leg of the Forbidden One! Right Arm of the Forbidden One! Holy crap! This is incredible! I got two pieces together! I'm unstoppable!" Watching card after card emerge from the glowing packs, Louis became increasingly excited.
There was no doubt about it. For a card game, the thrill of opening packs was one of the most addictive experiences imaginable. The booming Legendary sound effect, combined with the dazzling visual effects, created a level of excitement comparable to hitting a jackpot.
Ten packs.
Golden light.
Another Legendary.
Then another.
Then another.
Louis couldn't help saying. "What's going on today? These Legendaries just keep coming! I'm only missing the left arm now. Come on! Give me the left arm! Please, RNGesus!"
Meanwhile, viewers in Louis's livestream were equally excited; every burst of golden light made the chat flare.
"Holy crap! Did this guy ascend from an unlucky peasant to a god of luck overnight?"
"How many Legendaries is that already?"
"One Legendary breaks down into twenty gold coins! He could probably get thousands of coins from duplicates alone!"
"The drop rate is ridiculously high!"
"Get the pitchfork ready! If anyone dares spread rumors that President John's games are stingy, they're getting reported immediately!"
"Seriously though, this drop rate feels illegal."
"I'm leaving. The VR experience center downstairs just opened. I'm going there right now."
"Same here. See you all later."
Pack after pack continued to open. Two hundred. Three hundred. The constant explosions of golden light gradually blurred Louis's senses. Then, finally, the last missing piece appeared, the Left Arm of the Forbidden One.
At that moment, a massive black pentagram materialized before him. Dark whispers echoed through the air, and black mist poured out from the magic circle. A gigantic dark-golden hand wrapped in shattered chains slowly emerged from the darkness.
With a thunderous crack, the pentagram itself was torn apart, and a colossal figure, even larger than the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, appeared before Louis. The mysterious figure loomed over the battlefield for a brief moment before fading away.
A notification flashed across the screen: Special Achievement Unlocked.
"Holy crap! I finally got the left arm!" Louis nearly jumped out of his chair. "This thing is harder to pull than a Legendary!"
Despite spending so much money, he felt no regret whatsoever. After all, he had pulled countless Legendaries and successfully completed one of the game's most iconic combo decks. Even better, duplicate cards could be dismantled into gold coins.
Based on his calculations, all those duplicate Legendaries would provide five to six thousand gold coins after dismantling. Converted into real-world value, that was roughly fifty or sixty Dollars worth of card packs. In other words, he had practically earned back the equivalent of more than a hundred packs.
Looking at the barrage flooding his livestream, Louis grinned proudly. "Alright, chat. After doing some math, here's what I've figured out. If you complete your daily and weekly missions, you can earn around three thousand gold coins every week. That's enough for about thirty packs. Add in card dismantling and rewards from gameplay, and collecting cards is actually pretty easy."
"Right now there are only a few major card pools in the shop, with the Yugi deck and the Kaiba deck both available for free. You can even create alternate accounts if you want. There's also a PvE mode that rewards cards directly. Honestly? The system is pretty generous."
After finishing his analysis, Louis waved his hand dramatically. "Enough talking. Time to find some victims. I'm going to show everyone what true power looks like. What is a one-turn kill? What is invincibility?"
The confidence practically overflowed from his voice. He had assembled the legendary deck. He was unstoppable. He was rich. And now he was ready to dominate.
"Heh. A Yugi deck? You want to teach me a lesson?" Louis immediately accepted the challenge. After seeing his opponent's deck choice, he couldn't help sneering.
The two players played rock-paper-scissors. Louis won, and first-turn advantage secured.
Looking at the cards in his opening hand, Louis nodded happily. "Oh, now you show up. The left arm never appeared when I was opening packs, but now it's suddenly eager to help?"
He laughed and summoned a basic monster to the field before ending his turn.
Two turns later...
"Holy crap! Why does a four-star monster have 2400 attack power?! How am I supposed to beat that?! I surrender! This hand is garbage! The left arm, right leg, and random pieces all showed up together. Couldn't you have appeared while I was opening packs instead? There aren't even any transition monsters!" Looking at the opposing monster, which had reached 2400 attack power through equipment cards and magic card support, Louis felt his confidence collapse instantly.
The reality of the game was very different from what he had imagined. Unlike the version from his memories, John had redesigned the card pool significantly. Many additional monsters and support cards had been added to strengthen the early game. These monsters were easy to summon, effective on the battlefield, and powerful enough to pressure slower combo decks.
The goal was clear. Decks focused on assembling the Exodia the Forbidden One weren't supposed to win simply because they possessed the final combo. They needed to survive long enough to assemble it. Meanwhile, warrior decks, support cards, and various trap combinations could pressure opponents throughout the entire match. Even if the Exodia the Forbidden One player managed to gather all five pieces, reaching that point required skill, planning, and a considerable amount of luck.
Unfortunately, most players hadn't fully understood Yu-Gi-Oh! yet, as their understanding came mainly from the anime.
The anime looked amazing.
Characters top-decked miracle cards.
They seemed capable of drawing exactly what they needed every single turn.
Some even appeared to print cards out of thin air.
The problem was obvious: anime protagonists could do that, but real players could not.
After suffering defeat after defeat, first with the Yugi deck and then with various warrior decks, Louis gradually fell into deep confusion. Wasn't money supposed to solve everything? Why was he still getting destroyed?
Then, while staring blankly at the endless stream of comments rushing across the screen, he noticed a message from one of his viewers. And suddenly, everything began to make sense.