One of the largest deck archetypes in the world involves not the use of attacking the opponent directly with Monsters, but with card effects.  Indeed, the Burn deck’s success lies in pecking the opponent to death by using those card effects.  The Burn deck may not win on turns two through eight, but if you don’t have a sidedeck built correctly, the Burn deck will beat you eventually.  Not many Nationals qualifiers have resulted from the usage of a Burn deck, because often times, not many people know how to use a Burn deck effectively.  However, if you know your stuff, a Burn deck can be the deadliest measure taken against any conventional deck player.

 

The card choice for a person running a Burn deck is radically different from any other deck available.  There are so many variations to the Burn deck that it is impossible to name them all.  It just depends on the cut of your deck to decide which Burn cards are right for you.  Some Burn cards involve the use of steadily burning the opponent to death, little by little (like Solar Flare Dragon and Blowganian) and others burn the opponent to death by their own actions (like Chain Energy and Curse of Darkness).  Regardless of your choices, your main attempt is to level your opponent’s Life Points using the cards you choose to burn them with.

 

As with many decks, there are some cards that are essential to your cause.  Some Burn cards are just too good to pass up, like Wave-Motion Cannon and Stealth Bird.  Abused in threes, these powerful allies can create a myriad of mayhem for your opponent to deal with, either in the beginning or later on in the game.  There are other essential cards for a Burn deck, like Ceasefire, which is a straight shot of Life Point removal, and Magic Cylinder, which can be utilized to hit an opponent for their attacking Monster’s ATK points.  Some form of protection is also needed to preserve the Burn deck’s field and Life Points.

 

Based upon your personal preferences, there are also cards associated with Burn decks that can aid Burn decks dramatically.  Surprisingly, Burn decks can control the field more than regular decks by the use of Swarm of Scarabs and Swarm of Locusts.  Also, the revolutionary Monster card known as Lava Golem can be a thorn in your opponent’s side…a rather large thorn in your opponent’s side.  And don’t forget the all-annoying Level-Limit Area B and Gravity Bind, both of which are extremely restrictive and cost free.  For a small price, you can also use Fairy Box or Messenger of Peace, which can also be an asset to protecting your Life Points or field.

 

But the most important part of a Burn deck is not in the deck at all.  The sidedeck is a vital part in winning while using a Burn deck.  A nice way to counter an opponent’s attempt to gain control of the field is by use of more field control.  Often times, when playing a Burn deck, one loses sight of what exactly the opponent may or may not have, and if you structure your sidedeck improperly, those cards could be the finishing hit.  Try to fit in as much field removal as possible.  Some very excellent cards to use are Swarm of Scarabs, Swarm of Locusts, Mataza the Zapper, Nobleman of Crossout, Raigeki Break, and even Divine Wrath.  These cards all focus on eliminating opposing threats rather than building a defense further.

 

As I have not given a deck example in a while, I feel it would be essential that I couple a deck article with a deck, so without further ado, here is my personal Burn deck.  Enjoy.

 

16 Monsters:

2 Lava Golem

3 Stealth Bird

2 Solar Flare Dragon

2 Swarm of Scarabs

1 Swarm of Locusts

1 Cannon Soldier

2 Spirit Reaper

1 Mask of Darkness

1 Magician of Faith

1 Fiber Jar

 

14 Spells:

1 Pot of Greed

1 Painful Choice

1 Premature Burial

1 Swords of Revealing Light

3 Level-Limit Area B

2 Messenger of Peace

2 Scapegoat

3 Wave-Motion Cannon

 

10 Traps:

1 Call of the Haunted

1 Magic Cylinder

1 Ring of Destruction

1 Ceasefire

3 Ojama Trio

3 Gravity Bind

 

This deck attempts to level the field with Swarm of Scarabs and stack the field high with burning cards.  My stallers (Level-Limit Area B, Gravity Bind, Messenger of Peace, and Scapegoat) help me set up an adequate defense while my burners (Solar Flare Dragon, Lava Golem, Stealth Bird and Wave-Motion Cannon) deal some damage.  Cannon Soldier is incorporated to hit the opponent for a few Life Points worth of damage and help clear my Goats of the field, while Ojama Trio clogs up my opponent’s side of the field.  This deck is an excellent pick for almost any metagame.

 

In essence, the Burn deck is a contradiction to everything that the conventional metagame stands to preserve.  Where the masses tend to lean towards crippling attacks, the Burn deck preserves its own Life Points while seeing that the opponent loses theirs.  If it and its sidedeck are built properly, then there is almost no stopping the onslaught that the Burn deck provides.  Build a deck, test it out, and see if you’re truly among the many that are beginning to buck the system.

 

Any questions, comments, or hate mail can be routed to siphon_x@yahoo.com.  Until next time, Big Brother is watching…

 

~SiphonX~

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