Trap
NormalDark Renewal
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5627
When your opponent Normal or Special Summons a monster(s): Target 1 of those monsters and 1 Spellcaster monster you control; send both monsters to the GY, then you can Special Summon 1 DARK Spellcaster monster from your Deck or GY.
Dark Renewal — Power Evaluation
Final Score: 55 ± 8 · Confidence: Medium
- Intrinsic: 54.6 · Deck: 54.8 · Meta: provisional
- Primary role: Removal / Negation · Secondary: Recovery / Recursion
Why it scores here
Dark Renewal is a reactive Trap that answers a Normal or Special Summon by sending the summoned monster to the GY, at the cost of one of your own Spellcaster monsters, and then lets you Special Summon a DARK Spellcaster from Deck or GY. The score comes from that removal-plus-recovery exchange and from its live presence in 148 of 148 sampled decks across 35 archetypes, most of them Dark Magician shells. Its Level and ATK are irrelevant (it is a Trap with no body), and its material value is near zero, so it does not earn points for that. Missing combo data keeps the score in the middle band and caps confidence at Medium.
Axis scores
| Axis | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | 55 | Set as a Trap and live whenever the opponent summons while you control a Spellcaster; no combo starter data exists to confirm how often it is drawn (inferred from text and deck inclusion). |
| Combo & Conversion | 45 | Text converts one exchange (their monster out, your Spellcaster out) into one DARK Spellcaster body, with no recorded board data to show a larger line (inferred from text). |
| Resource Economy | 55 | Costs one of your own Spellcasters and removes one opposing monster, then returns a body from Deck or GY, so the trade is roughly even to mildly positive (inferred from text). |
| Effect & Interaction | 58 | Targets and removes any monster from a Normal or Special Summon, but it is a summon-reactive removal, not a negation of the effect itself (verified from card text). |
| Material Utility | 10 | A Trap card with no body on the field, so it provides no Level, Attribute or material value even before any effect (verified from card text). |
| Resilience & Flexibility | 40 | Requires a Spellcaster on your side and a summon by the opponent to trigger, and it can be answered in the chain; it has no redundancy in the evidence (inferred from text). |
| Deck-Building Efficiency | 60 | Usually runs 1–2 copies (avg 1.43 per deck) and is not a garnet, but it needs a Spellcaster-heavy shell (observed from decks and text). |
Calculation
Weight profile: 0.7 Removal/Negation + 0.3 Recovery/Recursion. Intrinsic ≈ 54.6, Deck ≈ 54.8, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: none. Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck
Strengths
- Removes a monster from any Normal or Special Summon, not limited to one archetype
- Recovers a DARK Spellcaster from Deck or GY, so the exchange ends with a body on board
- Appears in 148 of 148 sampled decks across 35 archetypes, confirming it is a practical, live card
Weaknesses
- Requires a Spellcaster on your side, which narrows where it is live
- Summon-reactive only: no effect on monsters already on the field and no negation of effects
- Contributes almost nothing as material or as a body by itself
- No recorded combo data, so its conversion value is text-only
Counters / choke points
- Responses in the chain to a set Trap, such as a Trap negation or a Trap-destroying response (inferred, general mechanic)
- Opponent plays that avoid summoning, leaving the Trap with no trigger (inferred from text)
Best use
Reactive removal that recovers a Spellcaster body. Decks: Dark Magician (archetype 670), Dark Magician (archetype 165), Dark Magician (archetype 499). Suggested copies: 1.
Evidence & gaps
- Verified: Trap card; trigger is opponent Normal or Special Summon; cost is one of your Spellcaster monsters; removal of the summoned monster; optional DARK Spellcaster Special Summon from Deck or GY (card text); Formats: TCG, OCG, MasterDuel (card evidence); Present in 148 of 148 sampled decks, 35 distinct archetypes, avg 1.43 copies (deck evidence)
- Observed: Partner co-occurrence with Dark Magician 75.7% and Dark Magician Girl 75.0% (deck evidence)
- Inferred: Removal-plus-recovery role, roughly even to mildly positive economy (text reasoning); Dependent on a Spellcaster-heavy shell for reliable access (text reasoning)
- Data gaps: no combos supplied, so combo conversion is text-only inference no guides supplied no banlist token; assumed 3 copies (unlimited) no usage statistics (StatisticsCard); inclusion % inferred from the deck sample only no rulings supplied for the Spellcaster cost and optional Special Summon timing