EARTH
6Dark Dust Spirit
ATK:
2200
DEF:
1800
View:
3685
Cannot be Special Summoned. During the End Phase of the turn this card is Normal Summoned or flipped face-up: Return it to the hand. When this card is Normal Summoned or flipped face-up: Destroy all other face-up monsters on the field.
Dark Dust Spirit — Power Evaluation
Final Score: 63 ± 6 · Confidence: Medium
- Intrinsic: 67 · Deck: 61 · Meta: provisional
- Primary role: Board breaker / Going-second · Secondary: Recovery/Recursion
Why it scores here
Dark Dust Spirit scores on its Normal Summon trigger: one summon destroys every other face-up monster, including the controller's own, and the card returns to hand in the End Phase, so it can be replayed. Its 2200 ATK and 1800 DEF earn nothing directly. The score comes from a strong, flexible board clear that is cheap to run (1-copy decks dominate) and that recurs, offset by the Normal-Summon-only restriction and the lack of any combo evidence.
Axis scores
| Axis | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | 60 | Live through Normal Summon only; 141 recent decks run it at 1.22 copies on average across 30 archetypes, but no searcher or combo routes are recorded (observed + inferred). |
| Combo & Conversion | 45 | Text describes a one-card board clear with no combo_evidence boards to confirm a follow-up payoff, so conversion is text-only inference (inferred). |
| Resource Economy | 60 | Returns to hand at the End Phase, so it can be replayed for repeated board clears without spending a card, but it also destroys the controller's own monsters (verified text + inferred). |
| Effect & Interaction | 78 | Strong, one-shot Normal Summon board clear that hits every opposing face-up monster; the trigger is a summon-timed effect that a negation can stop (verified text + inferred). |
| Material Utility | 55 | A Level 6 EARTH Zombie body that remains usable as material, but its own effect destroys the field it is summoned into, so it is awkward as a material for combos (inferred). |
| Resilience & Flexibility | 62 | Recurs to hand each End Phase, so it survives its own effect and can be re-used across turns; a single negation of the Normal Summon trigger still removes its value (verified text + inferred). |
| Deck-Building Efficiency | 80 | Typical deck use is 1 copy (113 of 141 decks); no garnet or lock, and the only restriction is that it cannot be Special Summoned (observed + verified text). |
Calculation
Weight profile: 0.7 Board breaker / Going-second + 0.3 Recovery/Recursion. Intrinsic ≈ 67, Deck ≈ 61, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: Self-limiting restriction (-2). Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck
Strengths
- One Normal Summon clears every opposing face-up monster
- Returns to hand each End Phase, so the effect can be reused
- Cheap to run: typically one copy, no garnet or lock
- Broad deck presence: 141 decks across 30 archetypes
Weaknesses
- Cannot be Special Summoned, which limits when it can be used
- Also destroys the controller's own face-up monsters
- Negating the Normal Summon trigger removes its value
- No combo or board-follow-up evidence supplied
Counters / choke points
- Negation of the Normal Summon trigger
- Bounce or removal of the card before its trigger resolves
Best use
Board breaker / recurring field clear on a Normal Summon. Decks: Frog, Monarch, Heroic, Synchron. Suggested copies: 1.
Evidence & gaps
- Verified: Card text: Cannot be Special Summoned; Normal Summon / flip trigger destroys all other face-up monsters; End Phase return to hand; Present in 141 recent decks at 1.22 copies on average (113 decks at 1 copy); Legal in TCG, OCG, MasterDuel and DuelLinks formats
- Observed: 92.9% of decks in gameplay type 7; Frog 28.4%, Monarch 20.6% of decks; Top partners (Swap Frog, Treeborn Frog, Black Rose Dragon) co-occur in ~75% of decks
- Inferred: Board clear is strongest when the opponent has committed several monsters; Recursion through the End Phase return gives repeatable use; Co-occurrence with Frog and Monarch cards reflects archetype fit, not intrinsic strength
- Data gaps: no combos supplied: combo conversion and starter/material roles are text-only inference no guides supplied no rulings supplied for negation or chain timing of the Normal Summon trigger no banlist token: assumed 3 copies (unlimited) usage_statistics rows exist only for three gameplay type 4 archetypes at 100% inclusion; not used to raise the score (guardrail 3)