Trap
ContinuousDark Contract with the Eternal Darkness
Archetype:
D/D
View:
5428
While you have 2 "D/D" cards in your Pendulum Zones, your opponent cannot target monsters on the field with Spell/Trap effects, Tribute them for a Tribute Summon, nor use them as Materials for a Fusion, Synchro, or Xyz Summon. Once per turn, during your Standby Phase: Take 1000 damage.
Dark Contract with the Eternal Darkness — Power Evaluation
Final Score: 51 ± 6 · Confidence: Medium
- Intrinsic: 48 · Deck: 53 · Meta: provisional
- Primary role: Floodgate / Control · Secondary: Utility
Why it scores here
The card's value is a conditional protective floodgate: while the controller has 2 D/D cards in the Pendulum Zones, the opponent cannot target face-up monsters with Spell/Trap effects, Tribute them, or use them as Fusion, Synchro, or Xyz material. It does not build a board or generate card advantage (0 of 11 recorded combos show it as a starter, searched, or material piece), and its once-per-turn 1000 self-damage is a real cost. Its strong presence across D/D/D lists (about 88% of the 400 decks) confirms it is a reliable staple inside that theme, but that frequency does not raise the score, and its conditional text limits portability to other homes.
Axis scores
| Axis | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | 55 | Set trap that depends on the controller already holding 2 D/D pendulum cards, which D/D/D lines usually reach; no searcher or starter route is recorded (verified text, observed deck inclusion, combos starter role 0). |
| Combo & Conversion | 40 | Appears in all 11 recorded combos, but never as starter, searched, material, or payoff, and it adds no board of its own; the average power index of 63.1 belongs to the boards, not this card (observed combos, inferred role). |
| Resource Economy | 20 | No draw, search, or refuel; its only resource effect is recurring self-damage of 1000 per Standby Phase (verified text). |
| Effect & Interaction | 60 | Blocks Spell/Trap targeting, Tribute, and Fusion/Synchro/Xyz material use against face-up monsters under a pendulum condition, a useful but narrow floodgate (verified text). |
| Material Utility | 5 | A trap card that is never used as material, so the body contributes nothing here (verified text). |
| Resilience & Flexibility | 35 | Face-up continuous trap with no self-protection, so Spell/Trap removal can take it out; the protection also does not cover monster-effect interaction (inferred from text). |
| Deck-Building Efficiency | 65 | One slot in most lists (1.01 average copies, 397 of 400 decks run one), no garnet, and the only restriction is the D/D pendulum requirement already met in its home decks (observed decks, verified text). |
Calculation
Weight profile: 0.7 Floodgate/Control + 0.3 Utility. Intrinsic ≈ 48, Deck ≈ 53, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: Recurring self-damage (-2). Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck
Strengths
- Protects face-up monsters from Spell/Trap targeting, Tribute, and Fusion/Synchro/Xyz material use under a clear pendulum condition
- Runs as a single slot with no garnet cost and is included in most D/D/D lists
- Appears in every recorded combo board, showing it fits the theme's board-building lines
Weaknesses
- Protection needs 2 D/D cards in the Pendulum Zones, so it is off in lines that cannot set that up
- Protects only three interaction types: monster effects and direct destruction are not stopped by the text
- Recurring 1000 self-damage each Standby Phase is a real cost at low life points
- Continuous trap with no self-protection, so Spell/Trap removal can take it out
Counters / choke points
- Spell/Trap removal or destruction aimed at the face-up trap itself (inferred: the card does not protect itself)
- Monster-effect targeting and monster-based removal, which the text does not stop (inferred from the three listed restrictions)
Best use
Single-copy protective floodgate in pendulum-based D/D lines, played to shield field monsters once the 2 D/D pendulum condition is met. Decks: D/D/D (archetype 671), D/D/D (archetype 235), D/D/D (D.D.) (archetype 500), Dark Contract, Spirit Message. Suggested copies: 1.
Evidence & gaps
- Verified: Continuous trap text: 2 D/D cards in the Pendulum Zones block opponent Spell/Trap targeting, Tribute, and Fusion/Synchro/Xyz material use on face-up monsters; Once-per-turn Standby Phase effect: take 1000 damage; Combo role counts: starter role 0, searched-for role 0, material role 0, payoff role 0
- Observed: Present in 400 of 400 recent decks, with 1.01 average copies (397 decks run one copy); About 88% of decks are D/D/D archetypes (52.8% + 22% + 7.2%); Appears in all 11 recorded combos, average power index 63.1; Usage statistics: 100% inclusion in Spirit Message and Dark Contract lines, about 60% in D/D/D lines
- Inferred: Its power comes from conditional protection of the board, not from building a board or card advantage; Its restrictions do not cover monster-effect interaction or direct destruction of the trap itself
- Data gaps: No banlist token; assumed 3 copies (unlimited) Only 11 recorded combos, with no searched-for role or material role hits, so combo conversion rests on thin data No rulings or FAQ data for the pendulum condition or interaction with face-down or set monsters Only one guide mention, with no ranking data (top-card data shows not top card)