A 
Episode
GuideEpisode 195: One Step Ahead, Part 2 (Valkyrie vs Blue-Eyes White Dragon)
The score stands at Kaiba 1100 life points, Zigfried 2500. Zigfried says that embarrassing Kaiba in front of millions of people is more fun than he imagined! The effect of Nibelung's Ring forces Kaiba to draw two cards, and if there are any monsters, they are immediately destroyed. Kaiba asks if Zigfried thinks that scares him, and draws his cards. They are a magic card and a trap card (Monster Reborn and Attack Guidance Armor), so he tells Zigfried he's out of luck—no monsters here. He sets one card face down. Zigfried says that since there's nothing else Kaiba can do, he assumes that ends his turn. After all, Nibelung's Ring has rendered the XYZ-Dragon Cannon useless. Watching worriedly, Mokuba says this doesn't look good.
Zigfried draws, saying Kaiba knows what comes next, and orders Valkyrie Zweite to use Fortune Chariot to attack Kaiba directly. With her attack cut in half to 800, Valkyrie Zweite attacks, but Kaiba activates his trap card, Attack Guidance Armor, redirecting her attack to another of Zigfried's monsters. Then Zigfried activates his own trap card, Wotan's Judgment, to save his Valkyrie. By switching one magic card in his hand (Nobleman of Crossout) with the top card in his deck, he immediately ends his battle phase. Then he tells Kaiba that, thanks to him, he's assembled three of his most powerful cards. He plays his magic cards, Goddess Urd's Verdict, Goddess Verdande's Guidance, and Goddess Skuld's Oracle. Joey says those dames are nothing but bad news, and Yugi says Zigfried played them last time, and they nearly destroyed Joey's deck.
Kaiba says that strategy may have worked against a lame dork like Wheeler, but he's in a different league. Zigfried suggests that they let his Goddesses be the judge of that. (Japanese Kaiba says it's just a small trick to upset the opponent. It suits a tiny mouse like Siegfried. Siegfried replies that he's favored by destiny, so he can allow little whispers from over there.) He activates Goddess Skuld's effect, making Kaiba show him the top three cards on his deck. Three Blue-Eyes White Dragons are revealed, making Zigfried gasp that it's impossible! Kaiba says that by the look on Zigfried's face, he's guessing his destiny looks pretty good. Zigfried says Kaiba was doomed the moment he decided to duel him. Then he calls upon the Goddess Verdande, allowing him to guess Kaiba's top card. He guesses it's a monster. Kaiba draws his Blue-Eyes White Dragon, sarcastically asking how Zigfried ever guessed. Zigfried tells him to just put it on the field in defense mode, which Kaiba does. Then, Zigfried uses Goddess Urd's effect to let him remove the card from play by correctly predicting it's a Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Mokuba exclaims that it's gone! Yugi says this is bad.
Zigfried goes on taunting Kaiba, saying he destroyed Kaiba's favorite monster. But, he thinks to himself, that's just the beginning. Kaiba and his company have been a thorn in his side since the day they met, so it's time he removed Kaiba once and for all. (Japanese Siegfried thinks that Kaiba's luck in drawing may work against him. When he draws his remaining two Blue-Eyes White Dragons, he'll have to discard one of them due to the effect of Nibelung's Ring. Cut from the US version is this bit where Siegfried goes on thinking that then he can use Valkyrie Altest's effect to take on the attack of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon that was removed from play. If he uses Valkyrie Altest to attack Kaiba directly with Fortune Chariot's effect, it will be all over.)
Kaiba draws his two cards, and one of the Blue-Eyes White Dragons is discarded. Zigfried assumes that since Kaiba can't attack, he's ending his turn, but Kaiba says he assumes wrong. He plays Monster Reborn, bringing back his Blue-Eyes White Dragon from the graveyard. Mokuba says that's what he's talking about! and Joey tells Zigfried, in your face!
Kaiba says nobody comes between him and his Blue-Eyes! The Blue-Eyes attacks Valkyrie Zweite, but only the Fortune Chariot is destroyed. Zigfried says that by giving up his Fortune Chariot, he's saved her. But he still loses 1400 life points, bringing him down to 1100. (Cut from the US version is this shot of Mokuba cheering for his brother.)
Kaiba says it's the same old story—he rises to the top, and Zigfried gets lost in his shadow. (Japanese Kaiba says if there is any destiny, it's on the side of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon.)
Zigfried says they'll see. He draws, then uses his Goddesses to look at Kaiba's top three cards (Shrink, Cave Dragon, and Luster Dragon #2), and remove Luster Dragon #2 from play. Next, he plays the magic card, Gryphon's Feather Duster, to destroy all the magic and trap cards on his side of the field and increase his life points by 500 for each card destroyed. His three Goddesses disappear, and he gains 1500 life points, bringing him back up to 2600. Mokuba says he just got back everything Blue-Eyes took away!
Finally, Zigfried sacrifices Valkyrie Erste and Valkyrie Zweite to summon Valkyrie Brunhilde (2000 DEF) in defense mode.
Kaiba draws his next two cards. Nibelung's Ring forces him to discard Cave Dragon, but Kaiba says he doesn't need that card anyway. (Japanese Kaiba says one Blue-Eyes White Dragon will do.) He attacks Valkyrie Brunhilde, but by reducing her DEF by 1000, she's not destroyed in battle. Kaiba sets one card face down and ends his turn.
Zigfried says, another turn wasted. But Kaiba says that eventually, Zigfried's girlfriend is going to run out of points, and then his dragon will be waiting. Zigfried says that by that point, he'll have won. Zigfried draws, then switches Valkyrie Brunhilde to attack mode (1800 ATK). For every dragon on the field, her attack increases by 300, raising her to 2100. Then he plays his magic card, Enchanted Sword Nothung, destroying the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. The gang all gasp in shock, as Zigfried explains that his sword removes all dragons from the game, and gives his Valkyrie a boost. Brunhilde's attack, which went back to 1800 after the Blue-Eyes was destroyed, now rises 400 points, to 2200. Zigfried asks Kaiba what it's like being a washed-up has-been. Kaiba asks, why doesn't Zigfried tell him?
Zigfried says enough small talk, and plays his magic card, Pegasus Wings, allowing him to cut his Valkyrie's attack points in half to attack Kaiba directly. (Japanese Siegfried says this card can be activated when Fortune Chariot is in the graveyard.) Valkyrie Brunhilde's attack goes to 1100. Kaiba says his face-down card will protect him, but Zigfried says he already knows what Kaiba's card is, and it doesn't change his plan. He attacks, and Kaiba activates his face-down magic card, Shrink, cutting Valkyrie Brunhilde's attack in half again, to 550. Kaiba's life points go down to 550, and Mokuba says he lost half his life points! Zigfried says, this is payback.
(Cut from the US version is sequence, beginning with a long shot of the duel. Then Siegfried laughs, saying the epilogue is near. Does Kaiba know how long he's waited for this day? Siegfried has been thinking about it from the day he met Kaiba.)
Kaiba asks Zigfried what his problem is. Is he jealous because Kaiba runs a successful company, and he doesn't? (Japanese Kaiba has no dialog here.) Zigfried says Kaiba knows as well as he does what this is about. Their companies have been rivals for generations, and Kaiba's always had the upper hand. (Japanese Siegfried says that ever since the day they met, he has wanted to destroy Kaiba.)
In flashback, at the party where Kaiba and Zigfried met, Zigfried's father tells Gozaburo that they're about to sign an international contract, but Gozaburo says he's too late—they've chosen Kaiba Corp. Zigfried says it was humiliating. In the Schroeder family, losing is not an option, so he decided to take matters into his own hands. In flashback, young Zigfried works in a library, as present-day Zigfried says that his goal was simple—boost Schroeder Corp to number one, and leave the Kaiba family in ruins. Young Zigfried angrily smashes a photo of himself and Seto that was sitting on the desk before him. (This shot of the photo falling is cut from the US version.)
But, Zigfried continues, that proved to be a task that neither he nor his father could accomplish. In fact, it drove his father mad. (This close-up of the Schroeder Corp rose insignia with the name "Schroider" is cut from the US version.)
With his father unable to maintain the company, Schroeder Corp fell under new management. Zigfried's first act as company president was controversial—he decided to enter into the gaming industry, a business untapped by any other company. As young Zigfried enters his company's boardroom, one of his employees tells him that Kaiba Corp has just announced that they've converted their company as well. Kaiba Corp is now the largest full-scale gaming corporation.
From that moment on, Zigfried says, he devoted all of his time to game development, and one day, it happened. (The word "Schroider" is removed from the insignia on the Schroeder Corp building in the US version. These are close-ups from the screencaps of the building, showing the insignia.)
He succeeded in a landmark invention that would revolutionize the game of Duel Monsters—holographic monster projection. (The words "Solid Vision" are removed from the sign behind Pegasus and Kaiba in the US version.)
But somehow, Kaiba managed to steal his invention and take all the credit, leaving him with nothing! (Japanese Siegfried doesn't accuse Kaiba of stealing his invention.)
Yugi wonders if that can be true. Zigfried says that justice will be served there today. Kaiba's company's reputation is in jeopardy, and Kaiba Corp's stock price is at an all-time low. When Zigfried defeats Kaiba, the world will see that the era of Kaiba Corp is over. (Japanese Siegfried says that now that Kaiba Corp's stock is low and confidence in the company is down, he'll defeat Kaiba with the help of Pegasus Wings, then Pegasus will give up on Kaiba and make a new partnership with Siegfried.) Kaiba asks if he really believes that, and Zigfried says he bets the public has already turned on Kaiba, now that he's been exposed as a thief and a fraud. (Japanese Siegfried says that in competitions like this, names foretell the fate of Kaiba Corporation.)
Kaiba says it's too bad it's not true. He tells Zigfried not to blame him because Zigfried came from a family of failures. Kaiba says he's never stolen anything in his life. He got where he is through hard work and determination. Now, let's duel. (Japanese Kaiba says that Siegfried's feelings towards him have nothing to do with him. Siegfried's meaningless words mean nothing to him. Now, he'll teach Siegfried the difference between the way they duel.)
Kaiba draws Graceful Charity and Emergency Provisions. Zigfried reminds him that if he draws a monster card, he must discard it, but Kaiba says not if he activates this card. (Japanese Kaiba says he hasn't drawn any monster cards.) He plays Graceful Charity, drawing three cards and discarding two. Joey says it's awesome, and tells Kaiba, that's showing him! Yami says it's a strange twist—Joey's cheering for Kaiba. (Japanese Yami says Kaiba's attack has begun.)
Kaiba discards Blue-Eyes White Dragon and a trap card. Zigfried is astonished—why is Kaiba discarding his Blue-Eyes? Kaiba tells him to just watch. By removing a Blue-Eyes White Dragon and Pitch-Dark Dragon (a Light and a Dark monster) from play, he's able to summon Chaos Emperor Dragon (3000 ATK). Zigfried says, so what? His Enchanted Sword removes all dragons from play. But Chaos Emperor Dragon's special effect removes every card on the field and in their hands and sends them to the graveyard. Zigfried points out that Kaiba has to pay 1000 life points to activate that effect, and Kaiba can't afford it.
Kaiba says there's nothing he can't afford. He sets a card face down, then plays Emergency Provisions, allowing him to send a magic or trap card to the graveyard to gain 1000 life points. He destroys the card he just set, gaining 1000 life points, which he then gives up to activate Chaos Emperor Dragon's effect. Zigfried's Brunhilde and Enchanted Sword Nothung are destroyed, and so is Chaos Emperor Dragon, along with XYZ-Dragon Cannon and Nibelung's Ring. (The graphic showing Zigfried's life points going down to 1100 is moved forward in the US version to this shot of Zigfried recoiling from Chaos Emperor Dragon's effect.)
(Cut from the US version is this long shot of the duel, while Kaiba explains that Siegfried loses 300 points for each card. The graphic is here in the Japanese version.)
Kaiba tells Zigfried that, once again, he's left with nothing. (Japanese Kaiba says that fate isn't smiling on Siegfried now.)
Zigfried draws, saying not for long. He plays Pot of Greed and draws two more cards. Then he plays the magic card, Magical Alms, raising his life points by 1000, to 2100. Next, they each have to predict how many magic cards they'll use each turn. They both get 500 life points for each card, but if they use fewer than they predict, they'll lose 1000 life points per card. (At this point, Japanese Siegfried estimates that he'll use one magic card. His life points rise to 2600, and Kaiba's to 1050. The graphic of their life points increasing is removed from the US version.)
(The long shot of the duel, cut from above, is added here in the US version, as a transition from the commercial break.)
Next, Zigfried plays Final Light, predicting that's the only magic card he'll use that turn. For a cost of 1000 life points, he can summon a monster from his graveyard. (Japanese Siegfried explains that Final Light lets him summon a Light monster from his graveyard.) His life points, which went up to 2600, go down to 1600, and he summons Valkyrie Brunhilde.
Kaiba is also able to summon a monster from his graveyard. (Japanese Siegfried tells Kaiba he can special summon a monster with 2000 or fewer attack points from his graveyard.) He chooses Cave Dragon (2000 ATK). His dragon gives Valkyrie Brunhilde an extra 300 attack points, raising her attack to 2100. Brunhilde attacks Cave Dragon and destroys it, taking Kaiba down to 950 life points.
Zigfried tells Kaiba to predict how many magic cards he'll use. He can't afford to guess wrong. Drawing, Kaiba says he won't. He predicts he'll use four magic cards this turn. Zigfried says, four cards! His life points go up to 3600, as he protests that Kaiba's only holding one card in his hand! Kaiba, whose life points go up to 2950, says that's all about to change. (Japanese Kaiba says he'll use those four magic cards to destroy Siegfried.)
Kaiba plays his magic card, Card of Demise. This allows him to draw until he's holding five cards, then, in five turns, he must discard his entire hand. Next, Kaiba plays another magic card, Soul Release. (The image on the card has been changed in the US version. The Japanese card shows a nude woman. She's wearing a dress in the US.)
Soul Release allows him to choose a card from the graveyard to remove from the game, and he chooses Chaos Emperor Dragon. Next, he plays his third magic card, Spell Reproduction. (This card's image has also been changed to remove the six-pointed star from the US version.)
This lets him send two magic cards to the graveyard in order to bring back one. (The cards he discards are Cost Down and Spell Absorption. De-Fusion is the card remaining in his hand.) The card he brings back is Dimension Fusion, which he plays at a cost of 2000 life points, taking him down to 950. Now, each of them can bring back any of their monsters that have been removed from the game—and Kaiba has five. He summons Chaos Emperor Dragon, Luster Dragon #2, and all three of his Blue-Eyes White Dragons.
Five dragons on the field raises Valkyrie Brunhilde's attack to 3300. Kaiba attacks Brunhilde with Luster Dragon #2. His dragon is destroyed, and he loses 900 life points, bringing him down to only 50. Téa wonders why he did that, and Mokuba calls out to his brother. Zigfried says Kaiba's given up—but then Brunhilde's attack goes down to 3000. Joey realizes that with one less dragon on the field, the Valkyrie's points drop.
Now, Kaiba uses Chaos Emperor Dragon to attack Valkyrie Brunhilde. Their attacks are equal, so Chaos Emperor Dragon is destroyed, but Valkyrie Brunhilde gives up 1000 defense points to stay alive. Her defense goes down to 1000 and her attack goes down to 2700. Kaiba attacks Valkyrie Brunhilde again with one of his Blue-Eyes White Dragons. This time, Zigfried loses 300 life points, bringing him down to 3300, and Brunhilde loses another 1000 defense points. Now her defense is zero. Zigfried shrinks back in horror, realizing what's happening, as Kaiba tells him his Valkyrie's special powers are all used up. (There's an error here in the Japanese version, which shows Siegfried's life points going down to 3000 instead of 3300. The US version has it right.)
Kaiba's second Blue-Eyes White Dragon attacks. Brunhilde's destroyed, and Zigfried's down to 3000 life points. And Kaiba still has one Blue-Eyes White Dragon left.
Kaiba says he's glad Zigfried came, because now he has a chance to publicly humiliate him again. He orders his third Blue-Eyes White Dragon to attack Zigfried directly, wiping out the rest of his life points.
Zigfried falls to his knees, insisting that this isn't over. He's holding a magic card with the image of a golden castle on it. Kaiba tells Zigfried to face it—his life points hit zero. That's about as over as it gets. Now, he should take what's left of his dignity and get lost. (Japanese Kaiba says, a mouse is a mouse. There's no way Siegfried could defeat him.)
Mokuba says that's telling him! Zigfried's history. Yugi says, let's hope so.
Kaiba laughs triumphantly.
