//------------------------------//
// Master and Defender 
// Story: Masters of Magic: The Gathering 
// by Mod On Death 
//------------------------------//

	Spike looked through his cards, trying to figure out what kind of deck to play while Shining Armor waited. The young dragon was nervous about his next duel, going up against a top world player. After all, he must've had years of experience with building decks and defeating countless players. He had no idea what he was going up against.
"Spike, you alright?" Sweetie Belle asked, noticing that Spike was sweating.
"Maybe. I'm just worried about this next one," he confessed. "After all, this guy is the 5th greatest player in the world according to last year's championship."
"Really? So who was the top player then?" Apple Bloom asked.
"Can't remember right now. They all use aliases when playing, so nopony actually knows they're real identities. They usually have a badge or something to confirm their position." Spike picked up when he remembered this and said, "Hey, Shining, if you really are Number Five, can I see-"
"My badge? Sure." He pulled out a small badge with the title Number 5: Dauntless Defender etched into it. "By the way, I'm hoping to try out a new deck, so make sure to not kill me immediately, alright?"
"You know, I'm pretty sure I won't need to worry about that." Shining Armor laughed at the joke while Spike tried to come up with a deck idea. He thought back to his duel with Fluttershy and remembered how several of those spells had saved his hide and decided that he should try something like that. Since Shining Armor's theme always seemed to be Defenders, Spike decided that he should try to build a Mana Burn Deck. Try and destroy him indirectly.
"Hey, Spike, I was wondering how long it's been since you've gotten any new cards?" Shining Armor asked.
"Well, I just got the new release not too long ago, so I've built my own deck with them. You mind if I try out a new deck as well? Seems like now would be the perfect time."
"As you wish," Shining Armor told him. "You three wanna watch?"
"Sure!" The CMC took their seats next to the table and waited while Spike took out the cards he'd be using for his deck. He used a couple of the cards from his previous deck, his Electromancer Goblins, and would build something new built around Sorceries and Instants.
"Hey, Mr. Armor sir, how long have you been playing?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Well, I've been playing ever since 5th Edition came out, so a while now," he informed them. "What about you three?"
"We've just started playing not too long ago. We got those Starter Decks and use them for our games," Scootaloo explained. "Right now we're having Spike practice to take out this one classmate who keeps on destroying all of us. She's beaten every single one of us, even when the three of us teamed up to take her down."
"Wow. Sounds like somepony is pretty skilled."
"Yeah. What's even worse is that she uses cards we've never seen before either. Things like Knight of the Holy Nimbus and Icatian Javileneers," Apple Bloom added, remembering the fight against Scootaloo.
"Huh. Those are some pretty old cards," Shining Armor said to himself. "I wonder-"
"Alright, I've got my deck ready. Prepared to duel?" Spike put his gloves on and placed the deck down on the table.
"I sure am." The two swapped decks and cut. Spike worried about what he remembered was the Dauntless Defender's strategy; keep the enemy from attacking while he won with game-ending cards that depended on him gaining enough life. He couldn't remember the exact cards for that combo, but knew that he could win the game within a couple turns of summoning that card.
"Play or draw?" Shining asked.
"Draw," Spike replied, looking at his hand. He wanted to get his other cards quickly in order to make his combo and was just hoping that whatever he drew would be good.
"Alright then. I start by playing a Plains and end my turn." Shining Armor looked intently at his hand, mentally playing out how his next move would be.
"I draw and play an Island," Spike said, happy with what he got. "That's all."
"Okay then. I draw, play an Island, and tap these two to summon Fog Bank. This Defender card not only has Flying, but also can't be dealt damage. That's my turn." Shining Armor was feeling pretty good about that early summon. Seems like it would put Spike in a tough position having a damage negating card on the field this early.
"I now draw and play a Mountain. I then tap to summon Omenspeaker. When she enters the field, I get to Scry, a term meaning that I look at the top cards of the library," he said, directing his attention to the CMC, "the top two cards of my library and place them in any order on top or bottom of said library." Spike took a look at the two cards and, after looking at his hand, placed them both on the bottom. "That's my turn."
"I draw and play a Mountain, ending my turn." Shining Armor's 3 Color Deck was now ready to summon any kind of creature he had, regardless of color.
"Three types of Lands, huh? Anyway, I draw and play an Island. Then, I tap to summon Burnished Hart to the field. That's all." 
"I draw and play Kabira Crossroads, gaining 2 life as a result. I then tap to summon Rage Nimbus. That's my turn." Shining Armor was sure that this game was as good as over thanks to that one card of his.
"Nice Defender. Anyway, I draw and play an Island. I then tap 3 and sacrifice Burnished Hart, using it's ability to search my library for two Lands tapped." Spike searched his library and placed two Mountains tapped onto the field, shuffling afterward. "That'll be my turn."
"My turn," Shining Armor said, delight in his voice. "I draw and play an Island. Then, I tap and summon Perimeter Captain. This cards ability grants me 2 life each time a creature of mine with Defender blocks another one of yours. That'll be my turn." Shining Armor told him.
"I draw and tap to summon Burnished Hart. Then, I tap 3 more Lands to sacrifice it and search my deck for two other Lands." Spike searched and placed an Island and a Mountain on the field before shuffling his deck.
"I tap to activate my Rage Nimbus' ability of making a target creature attack this turn if able. I use this against your Omenspeaker, forcing it to attack and be blocked by my Rage Nimbus, not only destroying it but granting me 2 life," Shining Armor declared. Spike knew as long as he kept his field clear of creatures he would't need to immediately worry about that cloud of Armor's. 
"Okay. Anyway, that's my turn."
"I draw and play an Island, ending my turn," Shining Armor told them.
"I draw and tap to play Melek, Izzet Paragon! With this card on the field, I reveal the top card of my library at all times," Spike flipped the top card of his library, revealing Colossal Whale, "and can cast Instants and Sorceries right from the top of it. When they are cast from there I also have the ability to copy it and choose new targets. That is my turn."
"Well, that is impressive. I think you forgot about my Rage Nimbus however. I draw and tap to summon Vent Sentinel. Since you're new creature has Summoning Sickness I won't be able to make him attack this turn, so that's all for me." Shining Armor was sure that it was all a matter of time and drawing the correct cards and he'd win. Too bad Spike was no dummy.
"I draw my Colossal Whale and play an Island. Oh," Spike said, turning over the top of his library to reveal that the next card he would draw would be Horizon Scholar, then saying, "I tap to play said whale."
"And I use my Nimbus Cloud's ability to make your Izzet Paragon attack me." Shining Armor was happy to get rid of that card, but Spike was ready.
"Not so fast! Voyage's End. I return that cloud of yours to your hand, so you can't make my creature attack it," Spike declared.
"Alright," Shining Armor said, returning the card to his hand. "I still activated my ability, so it attacks anyway. I can't kill it, so I'll just block it with my Fog Bank. I gain 2 life as well, making my total 26. Is that your turn?"
"Yep."
"Alright then. I draw and tap to summon Rage Nimbus and Vent Sentinel. That'll be all." Shining Armor couldn't continue with his strategy with that whale out there exiling his cards. He knew that he'd have to deal with it, and he knew just how to do so.
"I draw the Horizon Scholar and tap to play him, allowing me to Scry two of my cards." Spike took the top two cards of his library and rearranged them, the top of his library now Ordeal of Thassa. Most likely it would be combined with Colossal Whale to give it an advantage. "I also tap to summon Spellheart Chimera. This creature has both Flying and Trample, and it's power is equal to the number of Instants and Soreceries in my graveyard. Right now it's just 1. I also attack with my Colossal Whale. With his ability, I decide to exile your Rage Nimbus."
"Very well. I can't block your whale because of Islandwalk, so I take 5 damage, making my total life value 21. Is that all?" Shining Armor asked.
"Yes. That'll be it." '
"Alright. I draw and cast both Flame Slash and Lightning Bolt at Colossal Whale, dealing 7 damage to it, destroying it and returning my Rage Nimbus to the field. That's all." Spike was shocked to see his whale defeated. It was his greatest weapon so far against these Defenders. He'd need to come up with something quick.
"I draw Ordeal of Thassa and reveal the next card on the top of my library," Spike flipped the card to reveal one of his Opaline Unicorns. He then had an idea as to how he'd be able to save his hide. "I tap to play Ordeal of Thassa on my Izzet Paragon. That's my turn." 
"I know you're trying to defend your creature, but I'm willing to defeat it anyway," Shining Armor warned.
"I'll call your bluff and attack with Horizon Scholar and Melek." Spike tapped those two cards, surprising Shining Armor.
"Well, that's interesting. I'll counter Melek with Rage Nimbus and Horizon Scholar with Fog Bank. I'll lose my cloud thanks to that Enchantment, but you'll lose your wizard."
"I don't think so. I cast Voyage's End and return that Rage Nimbus to your hand. With my Enchantment, Melek deals 3 damage to you directly, but you regain 2 health for blocking my Horizon Scholar. You're now at 20 health." Spike was happy when he saw Shining's expression of disbelief. He knew that if he was able to distract with an attack like that he wouldn't think that Spike had any other intentions then to get rid of the Rage Nimbus. Thanks to Ordeal of Thassa as well, that wizard creature now had a +1/+1 counter on it and would get another if he was forced to attack again, letting it survive the next attack. "Anyway, that's my turn."
"Well, this is actually pretty interesting," Shining Armor confessed. "I'll draw and tap to summon Wall of Reverence and Rage Nimbus. I end my turn and use my Wall of Reverence's ability to gain life equal to the power of a creature I control. I target my Rage Nimbus, gaining 5 life to get myself to 25 health. That's all." Spike suddenly remembered the strategy that the Dauntless Defender had used before. He was beginning his endgame.
"I draw my Opaline Unicorn and reveal my next card." Spike flipped the top of his library and found that the next card in his library was Meletis Charlatan. Once he got that creature on the field, he'd be able to make his combo. "I tap and summon Opaline Unicorn, ending my turn."
"I draw and play Kabira Crossroads, gaining 2 health upon being played. I end my turn, gaining 5 more health, making my total 32. That's all." Shining was so close to his goal. All he needed was to draw one more and he'd feel safe.
"I draw my Meletis Charlatan and flip my top card over." Spike flipped the top card and found, to his delight, that he'd finally managed to get a Sorcery on the top. "I tap to summon Meletis Charlatan, then, using Melek, Izzet Paragon's ability, cast and copy the top revealed Sorcery on my library, the card being Divination. Since it's copied, I draw four cards instead of the regular two." Spike drew his cards and was pleased with what he saw. "I tap and play Goblin Electromancer. I then use my second Main Phase to play a Mountain and tap the rest of them to summon Opaline Unicorn. That's all. Also," Spike flipped the top card of his library, revealing the next one to be Spellheart Chimera."
"Seeing as all your lands are tapped, this is my chance. First, I draw. Then, I tap six of my Lands to summon my favorite creature, Felidar Sovereign!" Shining Armor yelled as he declared that summon, causing the quiet audience to ask questions.
"What does that card do?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Well, thanks to this little guy, I win the game automatically once I reach 40 life. At least during my Upkeep, that is," Shining Armor explained. "This is how I've won so many of my matches. Anyway, that's it for me. Oh, I also gain 5 more life, making my total now 37."
"Drats," Spike said under his breath. If only his combo was fully ready. He hadn't come across many of his red spells yet and was close to being defeated. "Very well. I draw my Spellheart Chimera and flip the top card." Spike flipped it to reveal that it was another Opaline Unicorn. There was only one hope for him now. "I cast Psychic Intrusion and tap to use Meletis Charlatan's ability to copy the spell. What this card does is that I can choose to search your hand or graveyard and exile it, allowing me to cast it while it remains exiled. The first target I'll choose are the cards in your hand. Let me see them." Shining Armor, his face now pale, showed Spike his hand, the two cards in it a surprise. The first one was an additional copy of Felidar Sovereign, the second one another Wall of Reverence. Spike, deciding that it might be an issue, exiled the first creature. "Now, my copied version of the spell will be used in your graveyard." He searched Shining's graveyard and selected Lightning Bolt with that, he could cast the spell while it remained exiled. "Now, I cast your Lightning Bolt while it remains exiled and use my own Instant, Carbonize, against your Felidar Sovereign, destroying it. Lastly, I tap to summon Spellheart Chimera. That's my turn."
"What?" Shining said, looking at the lone card in his hand. His game-ending combo had been interrupted in that one move. Slowly, he reached forward and grabbed the top card of his deck and drew it. When he saw what he got, his eyes lit up and he laughed. "Guess what I just got?" He showed the card that he just drew, shocking the four of them. It was another Felidar Sovereign. "Did you really think that the game-ending creature of my entire deck wouldn't have some sort of insurance in case the others were destroyed? Anyway, I tap to summon it back, ending my turn with a total of 42 health."
"Oh come on!" the four of them yelled. Spike was running out of options. The only thing he could do right then was draw his card and hope for the best.
"Well, I guess for now all I can do is draw my Opaline Unicorn and flip the top card of my library."
"Wait, what?!" Shining Armor exclaimed. In his excitement, he'd forgotten about dealing with the wizard. He soon regretted doing so, as the next card that was shown was a Sorcery.
"Aw yeah! First, I tap to summon Opaline Unicorn. Then, thanks to Melek, Izzet Paragon and Goblin Electromancer, I cast the top card of my library, Concussive Bolt, for 4 mana. Alone it deals 4 damage to you, but it then gets copied, dealing 8 damage to you, reducing you to 34. Also, it has a feature called 'Metalcraft', meaning that if I have three or more artifacts on the field, in this case my Opaline Unicorns, your creatures cannot block this turn." He then flipped over the next card of his, revealing it to be Act of Treason. "I now cast this spell and decide to take over your precious Felidar Sovereign. Then, using the copies spell, I target my own Opaline Unicorn, allowing it to use it's ability this turn. Let's see what's next."
The next spell was Forked Bolt. After that was a series of three Lightning Strikes. With Goblin Electromancer keeping the spell cost down and the wizard copying them, those series of spells did a total of 22 damage to Shining directly. He was now down to 12 health.
"Oh, remember all my creatures?" Spike said, pointing to his side of the field. "All creatures, ATTACK!" Spike tapped all of his units on his side of the field, dealing enough damage that no one there needed to calculate the exact amount to know that it was over.
"No!" Shining Armor yelled out, his head falling flat on the table. "I can't believe it. All because I got caught up and forgot that stupid wizard. It's always the wizard." He kept banging his head on the table until Apple Bloom approached, tapping him on the shoulder.
"There there," she told him. "You were pretty good. Thought you were gonna win for a moment."
"I know, right? Spike just won cause you went and just had to grab the Idiot Ball," Scootaloo added, her compliment not sounding very nice. "Anyway, I'd have to say that you really are something when it comes to the game."
"Well, I should. I've been playing longer than I've been a Royal Guard. If I didn't gain some sorta skill then I really wouldn't be considered the 5th best player in the world." He said that to himself and then said, "Well, it looks like I won't be anymore."
"Nah. Don't worry. This wasn't an official tournament, so I'm not gonna go and say, 'Hey everypony! I'm the new awesome guy around'. Besides, you said that this was a bit of a new combination for you. Bet you would've beaten me faster with one of your Official Tournament Decks."
"Probably," Shining remarked. "Still, you've got some pretty good moves, Spike. Guess the way I cut those cards worked in your favor then, huh?"
"Yeah. Remind me to ask for your help next game. I'll probably end up getting cards that I never even owned." The two laughed at this as they cleaned up the table. Today, Spike had shown that he had the real potential to be a Master of Magic.