WHITE THIEF Type: Effect Monster Light/Magic User/3/1000/700 Effect: If this Monster does Battle Damage to your opponent, he or she discards 1 card from his or her hand at random.

Twenty-one is the number that you need in Vegas for Blackjack. What connection does that have with the current card of the week? Absolutely nothing. Next week we'll look at Don Zaruug. After that, I will be doing sparse card of the weeks because of moving within the next two months. This week is White Thief.

Face it; the statistic on White Thief stink to high-heaven. 1000/700 won't stand up to anything very long. It's begging to be destroyed. But who cares about statistics, when you have an effect?

The White Thief's effect is what is murder to your opponent. Attacking and doing Battle Damage to your opponent with the Thief causes your opponent to discards 1 card from his or her hand AT RANDOM.

The RANDOM part is what makes the Thief so deadly. Since the hand size in Yugioh is so small (generally, it's six), and the ability of playing and Setting many cards without some cost leads your opponent to keep a number of good cards in his or her hand to wait for the right moment to spring that Thunder Bolt or Black Hole on you. This is your chance for the White Thief to do its job -- and its job is to discard things from your opponent's hand.

Note that the White Thief doesn't have to do Battle Damage in a direct attack on your (i.e. your opponent having no Monsters on the Field). If you beef up the Thief (such as with a Demon's Axe), it can wreck havoc. After all, it's only level three (doesn't require a sacrifice to bring out), and playing Equipment cards are free. Pile him up with Equipment cards, and you have a force to be reckoned with.

You can also pair him up with some cards from Pharaonic Guardian. Secret Passage to the Treasury was almost made for the Thief, and ensures that he will get through to discard a card from your opponent's hand. Also pair him up with Thieving Goblin to discard TWO cards AT RANDOM from your opponent's hand.

Edo's Rating: 4 out of 5. White Thief is good enough in just about every deck for that surprise factor. This is due to the fact that players like to keep some of their better cards in hand. With all of the removal running around in the game, it's natural to do so. White Thief takes advantage of that. I used three in my Discard Deck. Try and add one or two to your usual deck to lower some of your opponent's options.