Subject: How To Run the Sit-And-Mill Burner (aka Stall and Burn)


I get a lot of E-mails about this, so please allow me to refine my seed of 
thought into a more descriptive lesson.

"How To Run a Chain Deck."

Part 1: The Set-Up.

    In the beginning, your goal is to stave off your opponent's attacks 
until you drop a Chain Energy or two (or three if you're sado-masochistic 
at the moment). Toll, actually, is just another means by which to do this, 
albeit a very good one, and it helps cut into your opponent's life points. 
Until you get your Chains, though, play a defensive "game on" as always; 
keep your opponent off your life at all costs. Walls of Illusion, Penguin 
Soldiers, even Gravity Bind or SORL will be useful here (Messenger of Peace 
too, but be careful; that 100 life per turn can add up when you're working 
around Chains later). To prepare for the Chains, you will need a good 
defense set in place: Gravity Bind, Labyrinth Wall/Millenium Shield, or 
maybe even a Clown Control type scenario in place. You will also need at 
least one Minor Goblin Official on the field, and a Giant Trunade in your 
hand (or in your deck for the lucky draw).

Part 2: The Trap.

    When you're ready to unleash the Chains, do so. If you're holding more 
than one, SET them all before you activate them: it won't cost you life 
this way (cards already set don't cost anything to activate). Following up 
a Raigeki, Heavy Storm, Dark Hole, or Giant Trunade in this way can be 
especially useful, since now with Chains out it's going to cost your 
opponent DEARLY to repair the damages done. Your opponent will have to play 
cards to try to counter the situation you have laid out whilst you can sit 
back and play "pass and draw, pass and draw..." until you see an honest 
threat (you'll want to do this anyways; keeping more life than your 
opponent in this scenario is VITAL). As your opponent plays cards, his life 
total will eventually draw near 3000, in which you can spring your Minor 
Goblin Official(s) and number his days for once and for all.

Part 3: The Dilemmas:

    Opponent turned the tables so that you need to play some serious cards 
to overcome the threat? Don't wanna take the damage? Well, for the price of 
one card, you can play whatever you want, and not lose out: Giant Trunade. 
You'll pay for it, but then all your Chains and Tolls will be safely back 
in your hand, ready to use again when you're finished. Now you can play all 
the creatures and devastating magics you want to, and when finished, set 
the Chains back in place and activate them.

    Opponent refuses to play anything? Try the above to mount an offensive. 
Or, drop Skull Invitation to add incentive; now your opponent will take 
damage for each discard. So either way, a card used hurts; a card not used 
will hurt as well. Some other burner strategies might work well here, too; 
the new LON card Mask of Dispel makes a good start if your opponent has 
something on the field you can hook it to (they'll lose 500 life per 
standby regardless whilst the Mask is active).. Opponent running Field 
Magics? Side-deck in some Burning Lands. Yippee, MORE damage. Sure, you'll 
take some too, but I warned you for a reason to keep a higher life total 
than your opponent has.

Part 4: Conclusion.

    Basically, playing a Chain Deck is like playing a game of chess. 
There's a definite pattern the Duel needs to fall into, and it takes a lot 
of planning to get it right. But with all the right cards and enough care 
and practice, it becomes a fear-inducing fine art which few players will be 
able to conquer without building their entire Deck specifically around 
conquering yours (and if they do, you'll likely get the joy of watching 
them get smoked by some eight-year-old's beatdown deck in the next Duel...).

-- John Redmond

"Evil is a point of view. God kills, indiscriminately, and so shall we, for 
no creatures under God are as we are; none so like Him as ourselves."
-- Lestat deLioncourt,
"Interview with the Vampire"
(by Anne Rice)