Episode 37. - Scaling The Corporate Wall

Even Gene looked a little nervous as the large white limousine pulled up outside of the building. He was still a little unsure of himself. His father had not been willing to make the decision, and had instead sent him to their head of Research and Development for Duel Masters cards in Oregon. Libra, Yodaz and Black Fire had accompanied him, under the pretense of acting as his advisors. They were willing to let him act as if this were all his own idea, as long as he got the job done in the end. Gene, however, was nervous, wondering if he truly had accumulated enough knowledge about the game to be convincing...

As if reading his mind, Black Fire placed a hand reassuringly on his shoulder.
"You'll be fine. We'll make it look like you know everything. Just try not to hesitate when you're talking, and whenever you don't know, act like you can't be bothered to explain it personally."

Yodaz laughed at this. It sounded like Black Fire had equal experience in pulling the wool over people's eyes. It should not be too difficult. Minutes later, the four stepped out of the elevator and proceeded down the corridor to the large room filled with whiteboards and cards strewn over the large table. The computer monitors were on, shimmering with varying images of upcoming cards, and analyses on the few cards that might need adjustment before being released.

At the other end of the room, a tall, wiry man in relatively casual looking blue slacks and a white shirt, was looking over the shoulder of a plump woman who was tapping away at a console, apparently finishing up her analysis on something.
"Good. Then that card can be added to the list of cleared ones, as is. No need to change anything. Now let's move on to the Light cards. Thankfully they never really cause too many issues..."

"Excuse me..." Gene greeted, causing the man to turn. His rimmed glasses made his face look gaunt and almost haggard, giving the impression that he did not sleep much.

"Ah, young master Gene. You've brought guests, I see, but non-employees really should not be in this area. If you'll kindly--"

Gene bolstered his confidence and cut him off mid-sentence.
"They need to stay. They are here to discuss changes to our cards for tournament play. As my advisors and to help demonstrate my observations."

The man raised an eyebrow. He found all this to be highly irregular and definitely against procedure. He motioned to them to sit at the table, clearing away some of the cards and papers in front of them, and went around the large table to sit facing them.

"Now, what's this all about? How do these people know about the cards as they currently are? Are they Japanese players, or particularly familiar with the Japanese game, because even if so, the differences between ours and theirs are not exactly minor."

Yodaz noted that the tone in the man's voice was already defensive. This could prove difficult if the man felt his work was being threatened. He needed a way to gently nudge Gene into making the man think that he was highly involved in this process.
"No, sir, we are not directly involved with the Japanese game. Mr. Kirricort's analyses are based purely on our current game, I assure you."

"Yes. I am concerned with the balance regarding two of our cards that were unchanged from the Japanese game, yet they have become more powerful in our game due to other changes."

"Our card adjustments have all been researched for hours, Mr. Kirricort. I assure you that nearly every possible combination of cards that could possibly be considered 'broken' has been adjusted until we have been satisfied."

Libra, tactless as ever, simply pushed two cards across the table to the man. One red. One blue. "What about these two?"

"Searing Wave and Corile. What about them? Both cards are necessary to our current game. What could possibly need adjusting about them?"

Gene knew enough to answer this, as Black Fire had said, making it look as if it were all his idea.
"Both these cards grant an outright mathematical advantage. One does so every time, and the other has the potential to create extreme advantage suddenly. Both of these advantages can be achieved before the seventh turn, which is where all other 'pure advantage' cards begin to appear. They allow players to survive until that seventh turn with greatly reduced effort."

The man twirled the Corile in his fingers. It occurred to Yodaz at that point that there had not yet been any mention of the man's name. He seemed to be contemplating. That was a good sign...

"So what?" came the answer finally. Libra, Yodaz and Black Fire instantly felt the usual spike of Kaijudo that came from someone who viewed the game in a certain way. The head of Research and Development of cards had Kaijudo of his own? Gene had noticed it also, but only barely. He had been warned by the others that he might meet this response, and he knew exactly what spiel he would need to spout, to spark the correct conversation.

"Corile has the capacity to grant its user an entire free turn. It follows that even if it does not have that precise effect on a given turn, it is still causing the same effect invisibly. It has been shown to me on more than one occasion that returning a creature to the top of the deck is a pure mathematical advantage that leads to the stifling of the mid-game."

Libra tried to hide her smirk. His voice sounded just short of being rehearsed, but he managed to pull it off. The man seemed unimpressed. He simply put the Corile down and picked up the Searing Wave instead, "And this one?"

"That is simple," Gene replied, "One shield is simply not a penalty for the destruction of three or more creatures of that particular power level. The fact that there is no other detriment at all, in the face of having no shields at all it therefore is free mass destruction. Jasper..."

Jasper Ikale stared at his employer's firstborn son unblinkingly. "So?"

"So? So both these cards need adjustment for our tournament play to prevent them from being seen as the most viable solutions to most situations. They obviously need to remain as similar as possible, but one needs part of its effect lessened, and the other needs its penalty increased."

Again, Jasper seemed unaffected by Gene's words. "You're not making a point. These cards are accepted as they are. There is no need to change them now. There will always be cards that are considered superior to other cards."

"Maybe so, but these two actually are superior, and that is what I have come to address."

Jasper stood up, apparently no longer interested by their pitch. His Kaijudo floated around him, and instantly, the other three lashed out with their own psychic energy to grab his attention and 'pull' him back down into his chair. Jasper blinked, then sat quietly again, both surprised and intrigued that Gene's 'advisors' all possessed the same ability that he had developed. It was only then, that he recognized who he was facing, or at least, one of them.

"Aha. Champion Yodaz. I almost did not recognize you. You seem greatly different somehow. How have you been recently? Well?"

Yodaz smiled slightly. "I've been better. I've spent a few months slowly being convinced of what we have come here to attempt to convince you of in the span of a few hours. Then again, you seem like a reasonable person, who has done much of the analysis yourself, so I'm sure you will be able to see what we are proposing."

Jasper seemed far more interested now. He was already disregarding Gene on the psionic level, and noting the presence of Black Fire and Libra as entities that were knowledgeable, though weaker in Kaijudo than Yodaz.

"Even you think that these cards need to be changed? This, I must hear. What evidence does our U.S. champion bring regarding this?"

Yodaz scowled. He disliked when people did this. It was annoying and patronizing at the same time, and he seldom had the patience for either.
"The 'evidence' has already been presented to you. Whether or not the cards are unstoppable is not the question at hand. It is whether or not they are unbalanced."

Much to their surprise, Jasper drew his deck out of his shirt pocket, and began to shuffle it.
"Anyone can use them. They are balanced enough. Those who cannot use them don't stop playing. They look to find something that will defeat them. More cards sell."

"However, the more people that give up and change to using these cards, the less original decks need to be created, and the less each new set sells. I personally have used hardly anything from a new set for quite a while now. What will the next offer me that is as useful as my Corile?"

Jasper smirked, "How about this one?" He rifled through the 'new' cards in front of him, and pushed a black card across the table to Yodaz. Yodaz read its effect, and eyed it oddly, then pushed it across, in front of Gene, straight to Black Fire, who was sitting to Gene's left. She read it, also seemed slightly perturbed, and passed it on to Libra, who, as always, was blunt about it.

"That's a silly card. You'd have to change that one too."

Jasper glared at her instantly, his Kaijudo flaring up.
"I modified this card to make it fair as well as giving people a weapon against the same two cards you just mentioned. There is nothing wrong with this card!"

The card had finally made its rounds to Gene Kirricort. Cranium Clamp, it was called. Your opponent would choose and discard two cards when it was played. A card with a mana cost of four. Something about it seemed odd even to him, but he could not put his finger on what.

"I almost want that card as it is," Yodaz smirked, "Which is not always a good sign..."

"Indeed," Black Fire remarked, her face now graced with a slight grin also, "Delightfully dangerous in my favor, but perhaps a bit too much so, hm?"

Jasper grinned at those two now, still occasionally glancing irritatedly at Libra.
"See, Gene? Yodaz is interested in our new set. There's no problem. No need for any changes."

"That card will cripple nearly everything in the long run. It shares the same problem as the others do. It happens too early and at no risk to the player using it. Plus, that cost is off. You can't have that effect for a cost of only four mana," Libra argued.

Jasper fumed at her again for her insolence.
"That card is the equivalent of playing Ghost Touch twice. There is nothing wrong with its cost."

"It would be the equivalent of playing Ghost Touch twice if you had to discard a card when you played it. Two Ghost Touch takes two cards, not one. Besides, that would be like saying that Teleportation should cost four mana also because it is like playing two Spiral Gates. Playing Teleportation is not only more dangerous to you, depending on what you're teleporting, but also is nowhere near as permanent as discard. The card should at least feature some form of danger in its use, even if not a penalty. It's too easy. There's no reason not to play it."

"Why are you regaling me with this foolishness? Beginners and collectors buy all types of cards until they learn that they can do better. Our sales are fine. As long as we keep bringing in new players there will always be people to buy the cards that are not as useful."

Gene's sense of business now flared up somewhat. That was not a business model that he could agree with on any level.
"That makes no sense. It would be better to have our game have a reputation of total fairness and variety, and have multiple decks with many varying cards. It would bolster sales far more than having the 'beginners' play with a few cards and never try anything other than that which is 'most powerful'. I have seen firsthand what happens when a newcomer is instantly given the most 'powerful' cards. They do not even sometimes know what the other cards in the game are..."

Jasper was surprised that he was actually being addressed by Gene again. Kirricort was neither backing down, nor was he simply following what had been said by the others. This was the shrewd businessman in young Kirricort weighing his options, and Jasper did not exactly have an answer.

"The point of having differing tiers of cards is so that we can make some rarer than others. I would think that would be a far more useful way of getting sales than to balance the game to the point where the common cards are the powerful ones."

Libra stood up, her chair sliding back as she leaned forward, practically growling, hands on table as she leaned toward Jasper.
"The commonest cards in the game already are the most powerful ones. Corile, one of your most common cards, has an alternate art promotional release, due to its popularity. You gave the fan base a promo Corile to make money off it!"

Jasper scratched the tip of one of his ears and smiled. "This particular young lady seems to have a few anger issues, doesn't she?"

Libra sighed and sat. Yodaz sympathized this time. Arguing this with him and probably everyone else she had come across was probably making the girl cranky by now. She now did not seem interested in presenting her own observations any more.

"Hey... giving up so soon?" Corile's perfectly synthesized voice asked, floating into Libra's mind, "Don't tell me you're getting soft on me now... Besides, I look good in foil, don't I?"

Shtra could not help but laugh at Corile's feigned vanity. The Cyber Lord had managed to turn the younger 'sister's' attention back to the task at hand. Dealing with Jasper Ikale the unyielding.

Jasper steeled his gaze against the four now, his determination practically shimmering around him as he glared them down; "There are no broken cards in our version of the game. Every card can be stopped. You're just not skilled enough if you can't get it done."

Both Libra and Black Fire responded to this with a spike in angered Kaijudo. Libra spoke again, her voice cold. She held up one light card. Laguna, Lightning Enforcer.
"Can you build me a deck that has a justifiable place for this card within it, yet will defeat Yodaz and his Corile, with Corile's current effect?"

"What serious deck would use Laguna?" Jasper shrugged. The question seemed like a silly point.

"You think we're trying to say something we are not..." Yodaz said, "The ability to win against them, and the ability to stop the cards, is not in question here. The fact that the cards defy the mathematics of Duel Masters' system, a very precisely developed system, I might add, is the problem. We are not saying that they cannot be beaten. However, going up against them with cards that are not like them is a clear disadvantage."

Jasper shrugged, for some reason, deploying shields. "Sometimes life is not fair."

As if he knew exactly what Jasper was doing, Yodaz slipped a few cards from the table into his deck, then deployed his shields also. Jasper shrugged at them, drawing five cards and placing a Natural Snare to mana, almost seeming disinterested.
"Corile can be defeated by speed, and our new cards will easily showcase that. Allow me to demonstrate this with my new deck. Since our champion has not seen them yet, I believe I can use that element of surprise to defeat him..."

Yodaz mirrored Jasper's move, charging a Natural Snare to mana. Jasper followed up with more nature mana and a Poisonous Mushroom summon, which charged more mana for him. Fire, this time. Yodaz laid down a Terror Pit, and the beginnings of Kaijudo conflict began to resonate in the room. No one seemed to have anything to say when Jasper placed Rothus, the Traveler as his fourth mana card and summoned a new card that none of them had seen yet. Senia, Orchard Avenger. A Turbo Rush creature. Yodaz placed his Corile into his mana zone, and ended turn.

"As you can see, with speed like this, the cards you are complaining about become far less effective. Their balance is easily seen in that ineffectiveness. I summon Rikabu, the Dismantler to break your shield. Ikei!" --Yodaz picked up his Illusionary Merfolk-- "Now my Turbo Rush activates, making Senia a Double Breaker. Senia, ikei!" --neither of Yodaz's next two shields triggered either-- "Mushroom, ikei!" --no trigger-- "There you have it. Corile's weakness. Four turns and our champion is almost finished off. I end."

Yodaz sighed, charging fire mana and summoning a Thrash Crawler. He hated to do such things this early, but with no triggers up to this point, he would be doomed anyway. He ended his turn, causing Jasper to smirk.
"That should be the end of that. I play Faerie Life... to place my... Freezing Icehammer to mana, and summon a Crow Winger. Hm. See, if I'd had that, this would be over. Not that it is not over already. Mushroom, ikei."

"Thrash Crawler, intercept." Yodaz's Crawler happily munched on the Mushrooms, leaving Rikabu free to streak in for the next attack. That attack, however, finally triggered a shield for Yodaz. Natural Snare. The Orchard Avenger was surrounded by 'weeds' and choked away.

"Pointless," Yodaz remarked, drawing his card, "A combination of your good luck and my late triggers. You're about to reach midgame. Once you do, I win."

Jasper smirked, "I highly doubt that, champion. Your argument is that midgame is destroyed by Corile, but your opponents simply cannot strategize well enough to get through the midgame."

Now, Gene had a simple observation. "Of course, surviving the midgame leads to the late game, where Yodaz's advantage is even greater."

Yodaz shrugged, and began to lock down on Jasper's Kaijudo. "You have one turn. If you can't beat me in that turn you've lost. Let's hope you draw something good. Crimson Hammer on your Dismantler. I wish you luck on your next card."

Jasper drew, and shrugged, casting the Faerie Life. Rothus to mana. Libra sighed.
"Do we need to continue now? He's lost, after all."

"You, young lady, need to learn some respect. I still have many tricks in my deck," Jasper smirked, adjusting his glasses and ending his turn.

"Yeah, like you'll ever get them now," Libra murmured under her breath. Yodaz smiled at her for a moment, for once taking some slight satisfaction in what he was about to do. He had not been glad to do this to someone in awhile. He charged water mana.

"Corile, on your Crow Winger. Will you be putting it back? Since that gives me another turn?" --Jared nodded, so Yodaz charged darkness mana and summoned another-- "Putting it back?"

Jasper shook his head this time, choosing to hold onto the card. Yodaz shrugged.
"All right then. Cranium Clamp. End turn."

Jasper looked a little irritated now, but quickly hid that, drawing and summoning a Senia. Yodaz charged more mana. "All right. Hulcus, and Corile. Putting it back?"

Jasper shook his head, seemingly not upset at all. Yodaz continued without paying much attention to his supposedly neutralized opponent, "All right, Crystal Memory, and Mana Nexus my Terror Pit into my shield zone. End."

Jasper summoned Senia and Rikabu, the Dismantler, "As I said, it is all about strategy. When Corile is your problem, do not summon."

"Right, right... charge mana, cast Apocalypse Vise. Your turn."

Jasper did his best not to look bothered, drawing and summoning another Senia. Yodaz merely summoned a Merfolk and drew his cards, allowing Jasper to summon a Cavalry General Curatops.
"You think you've won because you supposedly neutralized my midgame?"

Yodaz nodded, simply casting another Apocalypse Vise. Jasper drew his card and held onto it. Yodaz sighed as he charged more mana. "Yeah, I knew I was going to like this card too much. Brain Serum... Aqua Hulcus, Cranium Clamp. Your move."

Jasper put up a good front, but he could not hide the growing exasperation in his Kaijudo at this point. He summoned his Crow Winger. "Nine thousand power, champion. Easily stopped?"

"Terror Pit," Yodaz answered, causing Jasper to twitch slightly.

Jasper drew his card, a Faerie Life, and took the chance, casting it, then smiled when he realized that he had managed to get the Rothus off the top of his deck. As the next draw, that would have been less than useful. Yodaz drew his card, charged a Natural Snare to mana, and converted it into a shield by way of Mana Nexus.

"Hm. I suppose I can attack now, right?" His question was directed to Libra and Black Fire. They nodded. Jasper had shown little sign of triggers in the deck thus far. He would not be able to easily hold the attacks off, or so they thought...

"Corile, ikei!" --no trigger-- "Corile, ikei!" --this time, a Natural Snare snatched away Yodaz's Merfolk, much to his surprise-- "Aqua Hulcus, ikei!" --another Natural Snare dragged his Thrash Crawler into the depths-- "Corile, ikei." --no trigger-- "Hulcus, final shield. Ikei." No trigger.

"You see, this is exactly the purpose of Searing Wave..." Jasper said.

"Oh, yeah... because he so deserves to lose from here..." Libra sighed, rolling her eyes at Jasper Ikale. Jasper drew his card, summoned a Poisonous Mushroom, placed another Poisonous Mushroom to mana, and summoned two Pyrofighter Magnus. Together they streaked in towards Yodaz's shields. The Mushroom disappeared into the Terror Pit. The second Magnus was dragged away by the Snare.

Jasper smirked smugly at them now, "See, no problem. A Searing Wave would have handled everything, and I would have been able to finish with my Pyrofighters later."

Yodaz chose this moment to play a Cranium Clamp, just to make a point, and also to summon a Meteosaur, again, just for show. He looked pointedly at Jasper, "Uh huh... Corile, todomeda."

Jasper did not respond to the Kaijudo wave. He drew his card.
"See? Next card was a Pyrofighter also. Easy win."

"Except for the fact that you would still be short one shield that would need to be broken, and there would be a Meteosaur on my side," Yodaz calmly interrupted.

"Hmph. Expecting me to beat the champion is a little silly. Now if you all will excuse me, I have lots of work. As for my decision, the answer is no. KirriCorp tournaments are your jurisdiction, but I will not be taking this proposal any further. Official changes are out of the question. There is nothing wrong with the cards I have released. Good day to you all, please show yourselves out."

Surprisingly, Libra did not storm off in a huff. They all 'thanked' Jasper politely and went on their way. Only when they were outside did Libra say anything.
"I don't suppose that 'I told you so' means much, does it?"

"Don't worry. I will enforce the changes for the KirriCorp tournaments, even if it means separation from the official league tournaments. He who gives out the prize money controls the rules."

"Somehow hearing you say that does not comfort me..." Black Fire laughed, a bit nervously.

Libra sighed, echoing the sentiment of herself and Black Fire in one sound, "I guess it's back to being Corile-locked at every store I go to... One of these days... All that Corile play is going to make me so good that none of them will even be able to dream of playing better than me..."

Yodaz felt as if he should say something to her... to them... but right now, nothing came to mind.