The time of the final battle had come.

Vainqueur had to give it to the lich. Furibon may be wicked, but he did honor his word. At noon, on the appointed day, he teleported on Dodo Island, backed by his supporters and a huge orc.

Meanwhile, V&V’s supporters dwarfed them in numbers. Fiends, moonlanders, mounts, and a flock of dodos had gathered to encourage the winning team, carrying banners with Vainqueur’s name on it.

“I spared no expenses, Your Majesty,” Manling Victor explained, as he revealed the final deck. “I refreshed this deck with forbidden cards from all corners of the multiverse, Happyland, the Elemental Planes…”

“And even from the cursed Planet Moon?” Vainqueur asked, Manling Victor nodding gravely. Even now, the dragon glimpsed Tasty Malfy and the squid Thul-Gathar among their supporters. “If we are to defeat Furibon, we must resort to extreme measures. May the Elder Wyrm forgive us.”

The orc conjured a massive wooden table with magic, allowing both the lich and Manling Victor to sit at each side, the crowd surrounding them. Vainqueur remained behind his chief of staff, to give him orders while he manipulated the cards with his tiny hands.

“I am Manitou, the arbiter of this battle of Monster Poker,” the orc declared, who would also provide the special effects. “On one side… the tactical genius, Furibon of the Counterattack!”

Everyone but the lich’s supporters booed him. Even the dodos!

Knight Kia didn’t count. “This is stupid,” she said. “A card game of all things…”

“The gods play cards,” Thul-Gathar replied in his slippery tongue, “This is duel of fate.”

“On the other,” Manitou extended a hand to Vainqueur’s side of the table. “The invincible duo, dragon and minion, brain and brawn… V&V!”

This time, the cheers became deafening, the dragon raising his head with pride at his genius being recognized by all.

“I will remind everyone of the new Monster Poker standard format rules,” Manitou explained. “Each of you will play with a deck of forty cards minimum, and you cannot have more than three copies of a card in your deck. You have ten spots on your dungeon zone, five for minions, five for traps. Spells can be used from the hand, and equipment can be added on top of your minion card.”

Both Furibon and Vainqueur’s minion shuffled their deck, the rivals glaring at one another. Five giant coins floated behind each side.

“You start with a hoard of five gold coins, representing your life. If you have no minion to defend yourself, a enemy can destroy a coin. If your hoard is depleted, you lose; same if you have exhausted your deck and can no longer draw at the beginning of your turn.”

“Five coins is too little for me, and too much for a pauper like him,” Vainqueur told Furibon.

“A pauper you will become after I am done with you, wyvern,” the lich replied with sadistic glee.

“Now, I put these face-down special cards in the middle of the field.” Manitou set five cards in the middle of the table, close enough for each player to barely grab them. “At any point, you may switch cards of your hand with these. They can be extremely powerful… or completely useless. It’s a gamble, but such is the spirit... of Monster Poker!”

“There is one thing I will not budge on: you cannot discuss strategy together,” Furibon warned V&V. “Dalton, you can state the obvious and encourage your master as any supporter can, but no tactical advice. This is between me and the wyrm.”

“My minion is my hand,” Vainqueur declared with pride. “The hand that shall crush you!”

“The wages are such,” Manitou concluded. “Should V&V prevail, Furibon shall surrender to an eternity of atonement through minionship. Should Furibon win, V&V shall be bound by a restraining order, and their entire hoard shall be turned to lead, permanently, as a fine. Finally, the loser shall surrender his best card to the winner!”

Vainqueur’s heart skipped a beat. His mind refused to accept the thought of losing, but the danger was real. The fate of the true gold, of all the world’s wealth, laid in his hands.

“Now.“ Each party put a deck to their side and drew five cards. “Battle!”

[King of Games] activated!