BURY Their Hopes

BURY might seem straightforward – search, discard, draw. But experienced SCALE players know this card hides immense strategic depth. Let's dive into the nuanced power of mastering BURY.

Graveyard Synergy

BURY fuels graveyard combos, and SCALE offers numerous ways to exploit the graveyard. Its primary use is setting up devastating synergies with a graveyard dragon: BLOOM, GARDEN, ROT, and ZOMBIE. With any of these, BURY grants access to ANY card in the deck. Need that missing half of EXODUS/GENESIS? BURY it, then use a graveyard dragon to win. Graveyard tricks with BURY are a surefire path to SCALE victory.

• Of BURY's support cards, GARDEN + BURY is arguably the strongest. BURY puts the perfect counter card into the graveyard, and GARDEN snatches it straight into your hand. A hand is a player's most powerful zone, only attacked by cards like PURGE or COAX. A card in hand offers maximum flexibility. This combo is skill-intensive, but the outplay potential is limitless.

• ZOMBIE + BURY is potent due to ZOMBIE's ability flexibility. When ZOMBIE leaves the loop, it can copy a variety of abilities – only you know which one you'll choose. Imagine BURY-ing LOOT, then playing ZOMBIE. Your opponent may let it pass, expecting a simple card draw. But beneath LOOT, a game-winning EXODUS or GENESIS could be lurking for ZOMBIE to copy. Since the copy happens immediately, your opponent has no chance to respond – you win!

• ROT + BURY + a third card lets you grab anything from the deck. ROT's versatile timing and double ability create huge outplay potential. Want to swap your own card from the loop? Play a card, let your opponent pass, then instead of entering the battlefield, play ROT. Switch the BURY-ed card with yours for a surprise!

• BURY + BLOOM has a unique synergy. BURY cards like SHADE or TAX to gain their Enduring abilities next turn while BLOOM shuts them off for now. Or, the ultimate flex: BURY END, then BLOOM it back! Normally, END exiles itself before hitting the battlefield, resetting the game. BLOOM forces it into play, giving you a temporary ∞ attacker/defender. This works with any other Ancient (EXODUS, GENESIS, BEGIN).

Uncovering Your Opponent's Hand

BURY grants you the ultimate intel-gathering tool: insight into your opponent's hand. Since SCALE uses a shared deck, knowing what cards are NOT in the deck tells you exactly what your opponent holds. Track the cards you see everywhere (hand, battlefield, graveyard, exile, and loop) to eliminate possibilities and deduce what your opponent must have.

To master this deduction skill, you must memorize all 52 SCALE cards. This is crucial for figuring out what cards are in your opponent's hand using BURY's search function. Pay close attention to every card played (by both you and your opponent), as well as cards in the graveyard, exile, and loop.

Here's how to practice:

• Deal an imaginary opponent seven face-down cards, then look through the deck and try to figure out which of the 52 cards are missing.

• Up the difficulty: Randomly deal cards to exile, the graveyard, loop, and battlefield before attempting to decipher your opponent's hand.

• Advanced practice: Deal some of your opponent's cards face down in the loop (as if they have a SHADE active). BURY can help you unearth these hidden cards as well!

Combo Dismantle

Got an opponent relying on EXODUS/GENESIS or another key card combo? BURY + BANISH is the ultimate counter. BURY the missing piece, then BANISH to permanently remove the threat.

Tread Carefully: The Risks of BURY

A common BURY mistake is feeding your opponent the cards they need. Do not BURY a card that benefits your opponent unless you either have a graveyard dragon ready or you're certain they don't. Before BURY-ing a card your opponent wants, be aware of where those graveyard cards are. If they're not in your hand, the graveyard, or exile, there's a strong chance they're in your opponent's hand! Handing them a key combo piece is disastrous. As you gain experience, you'll develop the intuition and game sense to make these risky plays work.

Patience is Key

Be patient with BURY. I don't recommend using it to chase a specific card (like EXODUS) without a combo. You can use BURY to remove an unwanted card from the deck, slightly improving the odds of drawing something better with subsequent draws or searches (BIOLOGY, DECIDE, or QUERY). However, this is the weakest of BURY's skills. I recommend holding onto BURY for as long as possible until you can pull off one of the combos mentioned above. Mastering BURY's deck manipulation potential requires a deep understanding of the current game state and the ability to weigh the long-term consequences of short-term gains.

In conclusion, BURY's simple "search-discard-draw" function masks its immense strategic depth. True mastery lies in its synergy with graveyard combos, its ability to reveal your opponent's hand, and the risky temptation of deck manipulation. The ultimate BURY player isn't just a graveyard combo expert; they're a master of deception. They understand how burying key cards can disrupt an opponent's entire strategy or lure them into a false sense of security, setting the stage for devastating graveyard plays.