Sometimes you just feel like you are unable to do anything correctly in this game.  Sometimes, you feel as if you've struck gold.  This past couple of weeks, I have felt as if the latter applies to my newest deck choice.

I know some people just read my articles for the decklists, and if you want to just steal a list and make this deck look horrible by not learning the intricacies, that is fine with me, make people underestimate the deck and play loosely.  Keep reading if you want to learn about the power of my latest brew:  Chain Burn.

 

Let's go ahead and get that list out there for the people who don't want to read about why the deck is good:

 

Chain Burn
As suggested by Sean Handy 1/13/13

Monsters
1 Gorz the Emissary of Darkness
3 Wattcobra
1 Wattgiraffe
2 Lava Golem
2 Cardcar D
2 Swift Scarecrow

Spells
3 One Day of Peace
2 Pot of Duality
2 Chain Strike

Traps
2 Ojama Trio
3 Secre Barrel
3 Just Desserts
1 Ceasefire
3 Threatening Roar
3 Reckless Greed
3 Accumulated Fortune
2 Fairy Wind
1 Jar of Greed
1 Legacy of Yata-Garasu

 

Extra Deck
1 Gagaga Cowboy
1 #50 Blackship of Corn
1 Wind-Up Zenmaister
1 Photon Papilloperative
1 #39 Utopia
1 Maestrok the Symphony Djinn
1 Gem-Knight Pearl
1 #16 Shock Master
1 Abyss Dweller
1 Gachi Gachi Gantetsu
1 Daigusto Phoenix
1 Magical Android
1 Ally of Justice Catastor
1 Chimeratech Fortress Dragon

 

Side Deck
1 Lava Golem
3 Gemini Imps
1 Swift Scarecrow
2 Effect Veiler
3 Mystical Space Typhoon
3 Waboku
2 Maxx "C"

 

I won't go too in depth about the card choices, as a lot of them are player preference, but, I will mention a few that are relatively important

Wattgiraffe - Often times you will have Turn 1 Wattcobra connect, then have a Threatening Roar.  Next turn, you summon another, and connect with both, and only have 1 target left to search.  I like having the second target, as well as what is essentially a 1200 point burn spell.  It is also the same level as Wattcobra so the two  can exceed together.

0 Magic Cylinder - This card is terrible right now.  Stop kidding yourself. 

Fairy Wind - Superior to Poisons of the Old Man.  Remember that cards on the chain do not go to the graveyard until the entire chain resolves.  That's right.  I'll let that one sink in for a minute.
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Seriously, go look it up, I'll still be here.
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Now that we've cleared that up, realize that this is a 1200 point burn with 4 other cards on the chain.  That doesn't even factor in if you are responding to your opponent's cards.  The card is also insane against the meta right now, destroying cards such as:  Wind-up Factory, Abyss Sphere, Gates of Darkworld, Macro Cosmos, Dimensional Fissure, and the new Continuous spells out of the Fire Fist archetype in Cosmo Blazer.

 

Gorz - This card is insane, and there are a lot of times that you can bluff the Scarecrow play, and as a result, they will have a single negation card and want to force their biggest guy through.  This punishes those plays and nets you a bigger token.  It is interesting to note that some decks literally cannot beat a defense mode Gorz token with def equal to their biggest monster's attack.

 

I understand what you might be thinking now.  There are actually a few things that might have crossed your mind at this point.

1. I thought there was a tournament report!
2. Why won't you give more information about the card choices?
3. Chain Burn?  Really?  I hate people like you

My responses, in order, are: There is one later in the article, I plan to play this at YCS Miami and don't want to debunk myself too hard, and just like the USA, "If you don't like it you can get out."

 

I took a list very similiar to the one I posted above this to a $1k near Atlanta, GA this past weekend and I definitely cannot complain with the results.  I'll leave the rest of the report to do the talking for me, as I don't want to make this article too wordy.

 

Round 1:  Bubble Beat 2-1
I lost game 1 and was incredibly worried, as he had played a Night Beam game 1 and I couldn't help but think he was playing multiples of a card I cannot chain to.  In game 1 he also played Miracle Fusion for Elemental Hero the Shining, another card I cannot chain to.  This was as close to a nightmare matchup as decks can get and I was really happy to be able to play through games 2 and 3 for a win.
1-0

Round 2:  Wind-Ups 2-0
There were several judge questions this game as my opponent didn't understand how Fairy Wind as Chain Link 1 worked, that a Lava Golem can still tribute a Shock Master naming Monster effects, and that I could activate One Day of Peace during my Main Phase 2 after connected with a Watt Cobra.
2-0

Round 3:  Wind-Ups 2-0
This is the first game that I'd ever seen Wind-Ups play Soul of the Silvermountain.  It is a cute Chain Link 1 against this deck.  Not too hard of a matchup generally.
3-0

Round 4: Inzektors 2-1
I had an INCREDIBLE game 1 this match, where as the other two were just each of us blowing the other out.  Game 1 involved my not drawing very much burn until one of the last turns on the game, and just having infinite Threatening Roar-styled effects.  I kept setting them because I would have to discard down to 6 cards if I didn't and figured I could use the effect.  At one point he was able to make Shock Master and name monsters when the fog effect I was relying on was Swift Scarecrow OR Gorz.  He was able to connect for 2300 with Shock Master, 2500 each with two #17 Leviathan Dragons, and 500 with an Inzektor Ladybug (putting me to 200 LP).  I was able to kill him my next turn via Chain Link 1 Shock Master, CL2 Fairy Wind, CL3 Just Desserts CL4 Secret Barrel, CL5 Chain Strike, CL 6 Chain Strike.  He ended up dying because the chain resolved backwards, thus

CL6 Chain Strike 2400
CL5 Chain Strike 2000
CL4 Secret Barrel 1800
CL3 Just Desserts 2000
CL2 Fairy Wind 1200 to BOTH players
CL1 Shock Master

My opponent died on CL3, so we never reached CL2 to make it a draw instead.  
4-0

Round 5:  Darkworlds 2-1
This is a matchup that everybody told my opponent he should've won afterwards.  I'm not so sure this is correct, but, it was incredibly close the entire match, with me squeaking the win out during time.  I actually won the third game because of Gorz, for those non-believers who hate the card.
5-0

Round 6:  Patrick Hoban w/WU ID
We convinced ourself we could double draw in
5-0-1

Round 7: Mermails ID
I offered to ID with my opponent this round.  My opponent wanted me to concede, as I was paired down and was convinced that I would be an auto-in, and my concession would guaruntee him in at either 1st or 2nd seed as well.  I told him I would not concede and he asked that we play it out, and if I won, we could ID.  I told him I wouldn't give a draw to someone who lost, and I wouldn't concede to somebody who hadn't won, especially if it didn't affect any of my teammates (they weren't with me on this trip).  He decided to ID with me.
5-0-2

 

At this point I went in to the top 8 of the tournament in 7th seed.  I knew I wouldnt be near the top of the top 8 with the double ID, but, I knew that I would at least be in for sure, which is better than not topping.  The Win/Loss definitely didn't matter since we had to roll to see who went first, this wasn't sanctioned (cash tournaments cannot be), and my deck isn't a super match-up dependent deck, so the seed I was paired against was somewhat irrelevant.

 

Top 8:  Marquis Henderson w/Mermails 2-1
(If this wasn't Marquis Henderson, I apologize, it was a Marquis, who looked exactly like the person in his YCS trophy picture, and MH is from Atlanta. 

 

This was a truely legendary match.  At first, the first game went relatively slowly, with me eventually winning in about 12-15 minutes.  The next game I scooped with about 45 seconds left on the clock.  
The last game I went first and my opening hand was
Ojama Trio
One Day of Peace
Waboku
Just Desserts
Just Desserts
Swift Scarecrow

I play One Day of Peace (As we have four turns, then first blood), drawing Gemini Imps, and pass turn.

Marquis plays Atlantean Dragoons, sets 3 backrow, and passes.

I draw Gorz (WHY WOULD I LEAVE THIS CARD IN DURING SUDDEN DEATH), set five, and pass.  During my end phase, Marquis flips over a Mystical Space Typhoon.  It hits my just Desserts.  "That's fine, I've got another treat for you."  He flips over Dust Tornado, and stares at my four backrows, and picks the S/T right beside Just Desserts, Threatening Roar.  He flips over Mystical Space Typhoon #2, and think for a long time staring at my remaining back field of three cards.  Ultimately picks the card on the other side of Just Desserts:  Ojama Trio.  I try not to show that I think I have game.  Marquis doesn't summon anything (doesn't want to give me anything to chain to) and attacks.  I discard Swift Scarecrow.  He passes turn, and during the endphase (on the final turn of time) I flip Just Desserts to deliver the death blow, a total of 500 points of damage.  Our first two games were ones for the books, and I hate to win the third one in such a fashion, but, when there are literally hundreds of dollars on the line,  I am going to win if given the opportunity.
6-0-2

 

Top 4: Patrick Hoban with Wind-Ups 0-2
I couldn't dodge the Alter Reality writer forever.  This is the second time I had played Pat and hadn't even realized who he was the first time.  I played him in a regional about a year ago in a regional with Gallis Agents, and there is also a tournament report for that particular tournament in my archives somewhere.  The first game we played I drew all fogs and no burn before he was able to combo-kill me with some fantastic Shock Master plays game 1.  Game 2 I learned that one cannot Just Desserts when their opponent has 0 monsters in play (even if there is an Ojama Trio on the chain, or going to be chained), and walked right into a Heavy Storm as a result.  Turn 1 of game two, I draw to six cards, setting Just Desserts x2, Ojama Trio, Chain Strike, and Secret Barrel, holding Lava Golem in my hand.  I was feeling pretty confident in the fact that there would be a game three based off of this opening, and was thinking of how to beat all of the individual plays he could present.  Pat draws for his turn, shrugs, gives me a good old-fashioned "Let's see how many cards you can draw" and drops Heavy Storm on the table.  I smile, point at Heavy Storm "Chain Link 1 Sir" and flip over Just Desserts.  Pat stops me, and asks the judge if I can activate Just Desserts.  The Judge isn't sure, so they go to the head judge, who proceeds to call a higher level judge to clarify on the ruling.  It was ruled that no, I could not activate Just Desserts, and there were no monsters in play upon activation.  I sigh, and just have a CL2 Secret Barrel, CL3 Ojama Trio, CL4 Chain Strike.  Pat smiles and Dark Holes the tokens away, summons Wind-Up Rabbit, and plays Wind-Up Factory. 

Allofthathappened.game

I was disappointed to lose what I thought was a good matchup, due to something that I was ignorant of, but, I am glad to have at least learned the information now, rather than at a larger-scale event.  I'll have to give Pat a run for his money next time we play and try to pull ahead again.*

 

Overall I was very happy with my performance, and, with the money I won was able to cover my entry, my portion of the gas money, and two french copies of Cardcar D.  Not a bad day in the life I suppose. 

Yays: Top 4, French Cardcars, meeting new people.
Nays: WAT U MEAN I CAN'T ACTIVATE JUST DESSERTS? 

 

For anyone who wants to meet up and hang out, trade, play, anything of the like, I am going to be at YCS Miami in February, and would love to meet anyone who reads and might have questions about the deck.  Feel free to contact me via any of the regular social mediums

 

facebook: facebook.com/shakezilluh
youtube: themcshakealchemist (with a T)
pojo forums: themcshakealchemis (no T)
twitter: @Paper_Gangsta_
email: andro_sphinx@yahoo.com

 

Thanks a ton for reading, and I'll hopefully see you all in Miami!
Sean Handy
The McShake Alchemist

 

*If you're reading this Pat, remember this brings us to 1-1-1, so we gotta have a sick tiebreaker match, no T1 Laggia Set 5 T2 Tourguide shenanigans.