Desperate to complete its mission, the Enterprise, pursued by a Klingon armada, stops to study a nebula while Geordi recharges the dilithium crystals.  As the starship's sensors begin scanning, an alien probe appears.  "State the purpose!" demands the probe.  Picard explains that they are on a mission of exploration, and the ship continues its mission, only to bounce off a

 Dead end has a couple of drawbacks.  The Borg can pretty much ignore it, for one.  You can only get use out of one.  It doesn't kill anybody.  Nothing blows up.  But when you want to blow things up with your armada, or just stall your opponent for a while, nothing beats a Dead End...
 When you plan to destroy your opponent's ship next turn, the last thing you want is for him to go solve a mission.  You're a tournament player; you need that +100 differential, right?  First let him hit Edo Probe: either the attempt stops right there, effectively protecting the mission at the cost of one dilemma, or he continues to be stopped by the Dead End.  He'll need 60 more points just to attempt the mission again, and by that time his ship will be gone, right?  And if by some chance he scores 10 (Say, a BPD or Samuel Clemens), well, that's where the Edo Probe points come in handy...
 

Stopped by the Dead End, Data watches helplessly as the enemy fleet engages the Enterprise.  With the starship exploding around him, Data comes close to knowing the human emotion of despair...
 

Spock's Favorite Combos:

Edo Probe/Higher the Fewer/Dead End
Sheliak/Dead End

Comments?  Email Spock.