FIRE
7Archfiend Emperor
Archetype:
Archfiend
ATK:
2500
DEF:
1200
View:
757
[ Pendulum Effect ] You can target 1 other face-up Spell/Trap on the field; destroy both it and this card. You can only use this effect of "Archfiend Emperor" once per turn. [ Monster Effect ] You can Ritual Summon this card with "Throne of the Archfiends". Must be Ritual Summoned. Unaffected by other monsters' effects while in the Extra Monster Zone. You can only use each of the following effects of "Archfiend Emperor" once per turn. If this card is Ritual Summoned from the Extra Deck: You can banish all monsters on the field, except in the Extra Monster Zones. If this card is in the Extra Monster Zone: You can Special Summon 1 Fiend monster from your hand, Deck, GY, or banishment.
Archfiend Emperor — Power Evaluation
Final Score: 50 ± 6 · Confidence: Medium
- Intrinsic: 51.8 · Deck: 54.3 · Meta: provisional
- Primary role: Extender · Secondary: Board breaker, Removal
Why it scores here
Archfiend Emperor is only playable through Ritual Summon with Throne of the Archfiends, which appears alongside it in 93.4% of recorded decks, so its real access depends on one Ritual Spell. Its value is the Extra Monster Zone effect (summon a Fiend from hand, Deck, GY or banishment) and the Extra Deck Ritual Summon that banishes the field, but its recorded boards are weak (average power index 3.4, 20% as starter), so the high ATK and the board-wipe text do not earn points on their own. The Pendulum destroy effect adds some interaction, while the one-copy deck footprint and the Throne dependency keep deckbuilding cost moderate.
Axis scores
| Axis | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | 55 | Needs Throne of the Archfiends (Throne partner in 212 of 227 decks) and is a starter in only 1 of 5 recorded boards (observed). |
| Combo & Conversion | 40 | Recorded boards average power index 3.4 and the single-card example scores 8, so conversion from a realistic start is shallow (observed). |
| Resource Economy | 40 | Field banish and the Pendulum destroy are net-neutral or negative for the player, and the EMZ Special Summon is a single body with no card advantage shown in the sample (verified text, observed netCardAdvantage 0). |
| Effect & Interaction | 60 | Pendulum effect destroys one face-up Spell/Trap and the Extra Deck Ritual Summon banishes all field monsters outside the EMZ, a flexible board-wipe-style effect (verified text). |
| Material Utility | 45 | Level 7 Fire Fiend is usable as a Level 7 material, but it is Ritual-restricted and its material use is not shown in combo evidence (inferred). |
| Resilience & Flexibility | 55 | Works from the Pendulum Zone, the Extra Monster Zone and the Extra Deck, and is unaffected by monster effects in the EMZ, though each effect is once per turn (verified text). |
| Deck-Building Efficiency | 45 | Runs as a single copy in 163 of 227 decks but is restricted to the Archfiend and Throne package, a mild commitment rather than a brick (observed copies per deck, inferred restriction). |
Calculation
Weight profile: 0.7 Extender + 0.3 Board breaker. Intrinsic ≈ 51.8, Deck ≈ 54.3, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: Ritual-only restriction and Throne dependency (-3). Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck
Strengths
- Pendulum effect can destroy a face-up Spell/Trap for a cheap removal play
- Extra Deck Ritual Summon banishes the field, a strong board-breaking option
- EMZ effect is a repeatable once-per-turn Fiend Special Summon that works from several zones
- Unaffected by monster effects while in the Extra Monster Zone
Weaknesses
- Heavily dependent on Throne of the Archfiends and the Archfiend ritual package
- Low recorded board power (average 3.4) and rarely the starter (20%)
- Each effect is once per turn, so output per turn is limited
- Field banish also removes your own monsters
Counters / choke points
- Floodgates and field-based restrictions noted in the guide snippet (Shifter, Dimensional Fissure)
- Monster-effect negation outside the EMZ, since the immunity only applies in the Extra Monster Zone
Best use
Extra Deck Ritual boss and EMZ Fiend extender in Archfiend builds. Decks: Archfiend, Fiendsmith, Regenesis. Suggested copies: 1.
Evidence & gaps
- Verified: Pendulum effect: destroy 1 other face-up Spell/Trap and this card, once per turn; Ritual Summon via Throne of the Archfiends only; Extra Deck field banish; EMZ Fiend Special Summon; Unaffected by monster effects in the Extra Monster Zone; Legal in TCG, OCG and MasterDuel
- Observed: Appears in 227 of 227 supplied decks, 93.4% co-occur with Throne of the Archfiends; Single copy in 163 of 227 decks, average 1.29 copies; Recorded combos: 5 appearances, 1 as starter, 1 in end hand, average power index 3.4
- Inferred: Primary role is an extender with board-breaking and removal secondary roles, based on the EMZ and Pendulum text; Level 7 material value is usable but restricted by its Ritual-only summon
- Data gaps: No banlist token; assumed 3 copies (unlimited) Only 5 recorded combos, so combo conversion is weakly evidenced No rulings supplied for the EMZ immunity or the field-banish timing usage statistics covers one archetype only (Spirit Message, not a core home) No top-card ranking context