DARK
3
5Crystal Master
Archetype:
Crystal Beast
ATK:
1300
DEF:
1000
View:
5039
[ Pendulum Effect ] Your opponent cannot target "Ultimate Crystal" monsters or "Crystal Beast" cards you control with card effects. [ Monster Effect ] You can Tribute this card; add 1 "Ultimate Crystal" monster, "Crystal Beast" monster, or "Crystal" Spell/Trap from your Deck to your hand.
Crystal Master — Power Evaluation
Final Score: 54 ± 8 · Confidence: Medium
- Intrinsic: 53 · Deck: 54 · Meta: provisional
- Primary role: Searcher/Tutor · Secondary: Utility
Why it scores here
Crystal Master's value is its monster effect: tributing it adds one Ultimate Crystal, Crystal Beast, or Crystal Spell/Trap from the Deck, a one-for-one search that turns a single card into a boss-level payoff. Its Pendulum effect protects Crystal Beast cards from opposing targeting, which is soft, self-only interaction and earns little. Its 1300 ATK and 1000 DEF earn nothing, and the 400-deck staple count raises accessibility and deck fit without raising the score on its own, since no combo data confirms the search converts into a winning board.
Axis scores
| Axis | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | 72 | Runs in 400 of 400 sampled decks at 2.2 copies on average and is a Level 3 monster that can be placed and tributed, but no search or starter route is recorded (observed/inferred). |
| Combo & Conversion | 45 | The text gives a one-card-for-one-card search into an Ultimate Crystal or Crystal Beast payoff, but combos_evidence has zero boards, so the conversion is text-only inference (inferred). |
| Resource Economy | 52 | Tributing itself to add one card is card-neutral, a 1-for-1 with no refuel or extra advantage in the evidence (verified from text). |
| Effect & Interaction | 25 | The Pendulum effect stops opponents from targeting Crystal Beast and Ultimate Crystal cards you control, which is self-protection rather than negation or removal (verified from text). |
| Material Utility | 45 | A Level 3 DARK Spellcaster is a usable material body, but no as_material data exists and tributing it is its main use, so the material value is awkward and inferred (inferred). |
| Resilience & Flexibility | 45 | Its search requires it on the field and tributed, and the Pendulum protection only covers Crystal-theme cards, so there is little redundancy against interaction (inferred). |
| Deck-Building Efficiency | 60 | Two to three copies sit comfortably in the Crystal Beast shell with no garnet or lock restriction, though the Pendulum zone and Crystal-only search targets limit its use outside that archetype (observed/inferred). |
Calculation
Weight profile: 0.7 Searcher/Tutor + 0.3 Utility. Intrinsic ≈ 53, Deck ≈ 54, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: none. Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck
Strengths
- One-card-for-one-card search into Crystal payoffs such as Ultimate Crystal
- Present in nearly every sampled Crystal Beast deck at 2.2 copies on average
- Pendulum effect protects own Crystal Beast and Ultimate Crystal cards from targeting
Weaknesses
- Its search only works through a Tribute, so the card cannot stay on the field as a body
- Search targets are limited to the Crystal theme, so value drops outside that archetype
- No combo data confirms the search converts into a winning board
Counters / choke points
- Opponent effects that target or destroy the Crystal Beast or Ultimate Crystal payoffs it searches
- Interaction that removes it from the field before the Tribute search is used
Best use
Searcher/Tutor for Ultimate Crystal and Crystal Beast payoffs, with Pendulum-zone protection for those targets. Decks: Crystal Beast, Advanced Crystal Beast, Crystal Beast (archetype 439).
Evidence & gaps
- Verified: Pendulum effect protects Crystal Beast and Ultimate Crystal cards from opponent targeting; Monster effect: tribute this card to add one Ultimate Crystal, Crystal Beast, or Crystal Spell/Trap from Deck to hand; Level 3, Pendulum scale 5, DARK Spellcaster, ATK 1300 / DEF 1000; Legal in TCG, OCG, MasterDuel and DuelLinks
- Observed: Runs in 400 of 400 sampled decks, averaging 2.2 copies (111 at 1, 98 at 2, 191 at 3); 74.2% of decks are Crystal Beast archetype, with 27 distinct archetypes overall; 91.8% of decks use gameplay type 7; Partner cards run in 92-99% of decks, including Crystal Beast Rainbow Dragon and Rainbow Bridge
- Inferred: The search is a one-shot card advantage with no refuel, so resource economy is roughly even; Accessibility is strong through the deck's own multiple Tribute and search routes, but no searcher-to-Crystal Master route is recorded; Material value is awkward because the card is mainly used as a Tribute
- Data gaps: no combos supplied — combo conversion is text-only inference no banlist token — assumed 3 copies (unlimited) no usage statistics (StatisticsCard) — archetype inclusion % inferred from deck sample only no legal_copies data for any format no rulings or timing data for the Tribute-search interaction with Pendulum protection