Stall

Overview

Stall cards are ones that prevent your opponent from damaging you.

Decks usually include stall cards as part of a larger strategy, such as a Burn or an Exodia deck. They are also used to buy time for a player if their opponent gains an advantage over them. This is different than a player stalling for time

Playing Style

A Stall Deck is designed to slow your opponent down and make it difficult to inflict damage or even to attack. Stalling is not a way to win by itself; it is usually used as a means to an ends. Although it is most commonly used in the Exodia Deck, it is also considered the only way to successfully play a Burn Deck. However, there are plenty of decks that can benefit from this strategy. Usually, someone doesn't walk into building a deck and say "I want to build a stall deck". They start with the question "I want to play X deck, how can I support it?" Depending on what kind of deck you wish to play, will depend on what style/method of stall you wish you use:

The Traditional Stall

When someone asks if you are playing a Stall deck, then chances are you are using this method. Over time, Konami has released dozens of great cards to protect yourself from both attacks and damage. These cards range from stopping attacks for a single turn, to locking your opponent down as long as they are on the field. The only downside to this method is that--as a player--you must commit a lot to the field in order to stay safe.

With this, comes a whole new problem: keeping it there. Unlike simply running an engine in your deck (which is just a handful of cards) when you run a Stall deck, half to two thirds of your deck is devoted to your protection. This means that you have to play cards to protect yourself, and then cards to protect your protection. This tends to cause the consistency of your deck to decrease.

Because there are so many generic stall cards to choose from, listed below are what most players consider the core "Staples" in any stall deck. There are numerous stall cards that have closely related effects (Such as "Marshmallon" and "Spirit Reaper"), so just because it isn't listed here, doesn't mean it's not an effective stall card--it simply means it's not considered a staple. Sometimes more obscure stall cards such as Gellenduo work better because of the kind of deck you have decided to play.

Monsters

• Marshmallon
• Spirit Reaper

Spells

• One Day of Peace
• Level Limit - Area B
• Messenger of Peace
• Nightmare's Steelcage
• Swords of Revealing Light

Traps

• Gravity Bind

Anti-effect Final Stall

This kind of Deck is based into locking your opponent while finishing the Duel via "Final Countdown". The main strategy of this Deck is keeping your foe from attacking, as well as using negativity effects against the opponent. Many of those cards involve: Marshmallon, Spirit Reaper, Gellenduo, Decoyroid plus Heart of Clear Water, as well as Ground Collapse times three. A Skill Drain might also help by negating Effect Monsters (beware not to use Monster Effects along with them).

The combo King Dragun and Metalsilver Armor blocks targeting effects your opponent uses, hence you'll be safe against most effects. The Anti-Spell Fragrance Lockdown that involves using Dark Simorgh, The Last Warrior from Another Planet and Anti-Spell Fragrance locks your opponent absolutely. A Tyrant's Temper grants easy lock against Traps upon leaving yoiur monsters unaffected by them. (That works best if you use Imperial Custom)

An effective stalling effect at Traditional Format would be Temple of the Kings and Scrap-Iron Scarecrow, that keeps your opponent from attacking anyways. Combined with negation effects such as Skill Drain or Jinzo plus Amplifier in order to negate most effects upon using this Stall.

Due to the easy handling of combining such effects, you are really able to finish the Duel easily via "Final Countdown" or "Wave-Motion Cannon".

Ways of Stalling

• Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8 negates your opponent's Spells
• Jinzo/Royal Decree negates your opponent's Traps
• Vanity's Fiend/Vanity's Ruler negates Special Summons
• Thousand-Eyes Restrict blocks attacks (Traditional only)
• Yata-Garasu block the opponent's draw (Traditional only)

Note

Since Stall Decks rely heavily on blocking effects, and require a great deal of tactics, due to their effectiveness, there's a gradation between stall and Lockdown Decks