DARK
7Dark Highlander
ATK:
2800
DEF:
2300
View:
3358
1 Fiend-Type Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner Fiend-Type monsters Neither player can Synchro Summon. Once per turn: You can target 1 monster your opponent controls that is equipped with an Equip Card; destroy all Equip Cards equipped to that monster, and if you do, inflict 400 damage to your opponent for each card destroyed.
Dark Highlander — Power Evaluation
Final Score: 49 ± 6 · Confidence: Medium
- Intrinsic: 49 · Deck: 49 · Meta: provisional
- Primary role: Floodgate/Control · Secondary: Boss/End-board
Why it scores here
Dark Highlander's power comes from its sustained 'Neither player can Synchro Summon' lock, which is a floodgate that also restricts its own controller. Its quick effect is narrow, punishing only equips on an opponent's monster, and it gives damage rather than card advantage. The 2800 ATK and Level 7 body earn little on their own, and with zero recorded combos the card's real conversion is unproven. Its 137-deck presence across 34 archetypes confirms it is a played staple, but that frequency does not raise the score.
Axis scores
| Axis | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | 50 | 137 of 137 sampled decks run it as a single main-deck copy across 34 archetypes, so it is routinely reachable through Fiend Tuner plus non-Tuner Synchro lines (observed; no starter role or searched-for role data). |
| Combo & Conversion | 40 | The body is a 2800-ATK Synchro, but combo data shows zero recorded boards, so its conversion into a board is text-only inference. |
| Resource Economy | 25 | The quick effect deals 400 damage per destroyed equip rather than gaining or refuelling cards, so card advantage is low (verified from card text). |
| Effect & Interaction | 45 | The Synchro Summon lock hurts Synchro-dependent opponents while face-up, but the equip-destruction effect is narrow (verified from card text; inferred impact). |
| Material Utility | 35 | As a Level 7 Synchro it has limited use as material for other summons, and no combo evidence shows it being used that way (inferred). |
| Resilience & Flexibility | 40 | The lock disappears as soon as the monster is removed or negated, and the quick effect needs an opponent equip target, so it is fragile (inferred from text). |
| Deck-Building Efficiency | 45 | It is a single-copy Fiend-line card, but its Synchro lock restricts the controller's own Synchro summons, which is a real deckbuilding cost (verified from text; inferred cost). |
Calculation
Weight profile: Floodgate / Control primary role weights, no secondary blend (secondary Boss/End-board not blended into weights). Intrinsic ≈ 49, Deck ≈ 49, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: self-locking restriction (-2). Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck
Strengths
- Sustained Synchro Summon lock is a real floodgate against Synchro-dependent decks
- Played in 137 sampled decks across 34 archetypes, so it fits many homes
- 2800 ATK Level 7 body is a meaningful board presence once summoned
Weaknesses
- Lock hurts its own controller's Synchro Summons
- Quick effect only punishes equip cards on an opponent's monster
- Dies to any removal or negation, so the lock is fragile
- No recorded combo evidence to confirm practical conversion
Counters / choke points
- Removal or negation of the Dark Highlander body ends the Synchro lock
- Decks that do not rely on Synchro Summons are largely unaffected by the lock
Best use
Synchro floodgate with an equip-punishing quick effect. Decks: Fiend Tuner and non-Tuner Synchro lines (Labrynth, Dark World, Resonator, Archfiend). Suggested copies: 1.
Evidence & gaps
- Verified: Card text: Neither player can Synchro Summon; Card text: once per turn, destroy equips on an opponent's monster and deal 400 damage per card destroyed; Single main-deck copy in all 137 sampled decks
- Observed: 137 decks across 34 archetypes; Gameplay type spread: 69 decks in type 7, 28 in type 3, 28 in type 4, 12 in type 6
- Inferred: Lock hurts its own controller's Synchro summons; Fragile to removal or negation; Practical value comes from the lock rather than the quick effect
- Data gaps: no combos supplied, so combo conversion is text-only inference no banlist token; assumed 3 copies (unlimited) no usage statistics (StatisticsCard), so archetype inclusion is inferred from the deck sample only no starter role or searched-for role data, so accessibility is inferred from deck inclusion