Trap
CounterDark Illusion
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When a Spell/Trap Card, or monster effect, is activated that targets a DARK monster on the field: Negate the activation, and if you do, destroy that card.
Dark Illusion — Power Evaluation
Final Score: 58 ± 6 · Confidence: Medium
- Intrinsic: 57.5 · Deck: 58.5 · Meta: provisional
- Primary role: Removal / Negation · Secondary: Floodgate/Control
Why it scores here
Dark Illusion is a set Trap that answers a single trigger: an activation that targets a DARK monster. When it hits, it negates the activation and destroys the card, a clean 1-for-1 that the rubric rewards under effect_interaction. Its score is capped by the narrow DARK-targeting condition, the need to be set before the trigger, and the lack of any combo or searcher evidence. High deck counts (210 decks across 34 archetypes) confirm it is a practical, portable pick, but they do not by themselves raise its power.
Axis scores
| Axis | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | 45 | Needs to be set and drawn, with no searcher or combo-start evidence; the 1.17 average copies and 34 archetypes show it is routinely reachable (observed). |
| Combo & Conversion | 15 | No combo boards recorded (combos_evidence.total_combos = 0), and the card does not build a board by itself (inferred from text). |
| Resource Economy | 50 | Negates and destroys one card, a trade that leaves card count roughly even with no refuel or search (inferred from text). |
| Effect & Interaction | 70 | Negates any Spell/Trap or monster-effect activation that targets a DARK monster and destroys the source; strong when it hits, but narrow to DARK targets (verified from text). |
| Material Utility | 5 | A Trap Card with no material or level role (verified from card type). |
| Resilience & Flexibility | 40 | A set Trap that can be removed before it triggers, and it is only live when the opponent targets a DARK monster (inferred from text). |
| Deck-Building Efficiency | 75 | Single-copy-friendly, with no garnet or self-lock restriction, and it fits across many archetypes (observed from copies_per_deck and archetype spread). |
Calculation
Weight profile: Primary role only: Removal / Negation profile (no secondary blend). Intrinsic ≈ 57.5, Deck ≈ 58.5, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: none. Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck
Strengths
- Clean negate-and-destroy on a DARK-targeting activation (verified from text)
- Played across 210 recorded decks and 34 archetypes, so it is a portable, practical pick (observed)
- Low deckbuilding cost: usually one copy, no garnet or self-lock (observed)
Weaknesses
- Only triggers on activations that target a DARK monster (verified from text)
- Must be set in advance and is a Trap, so it is slow to respond (inferred from text)
- No combo or board-building value; it is pure interaction (observed: no combo appearances)
Counters / choke points
- Targeting a non-DARK monster or using non-targeting effects bypasses it (verified from text)
Best use
Set-trap negation / DARK-targeting interaction in DARK-heavy decks. Decks: Branded, Bystial/Byssted, Wicked God, Blackwings, Borrel, Despia. Suggested copies: 1.
Evidence & gaps
- Verified: Negates Spell/Trap or monster-effect activations that target a DARK monster and destroys the source; Card type is Trap Card; Formats: TCG, OCG, MasterDuel, DuelLinks
- Observed: Appears in 210 of the sampled decks, with 1.17 average copies; Spread across 34 archetypes, led by Branded at 22.9%; No combo appearances recorded
- Inferred: Set-trap timing limits how soon it can respond; Its practical value depends on the opponent targeting DARK monsters
- Data gaps: no combos supplied — combo conversion is text-only inference no guides supplied no banlist token — assumed 3 copies (unlimited) no usage statistics (StatisticsCard) — archetype inclusion % inferred from deck sample only