Spell
NormalIllusion Gate
Archetype:
Phantasm
View:
3543
Pay half your LP; destroy as many monsters your opponent controls as possible, then you can Special Summon 1 monster from your opponent's GY to your field, ignoring its Summoning conditions. You can only apply this effect of "Illusion Gate" once per Duel.
Illusion Gate — Power Evaluation
Final Score: 60 ± 8 · Confidence: Medium
- Intrinsic: 60.1 · Deck: 59.6 · Meta: provisional
- Primary role: Board breaker · Secondary: Recovery/Recursion
Why it scores here
Illusion Gate turns one half-LP payment into a wipe of the opponent's whole board plus a free revival of one of their GY monsters, and that removal effect carries the score. Its single-copy, no-garnet deck profile and spread across 129 archetypes add modest deck value. The 3238 view count, ATK 0 and spell rarity earned nothing, and the LP cost and once-per-duel cap keep the score in the middle band because the card has no combo evidence showing it converts reliably in practice.
Axis scores
| Axis | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | 55 | A Spell with no searcher or starter data, but it sits in all 400 sampled decks, mostly as a single copy, so it is live once drawn (observed; no starter role stat). |
| Combo & Conversion | 45 | Text shows a full board wipe plus a revival, but the combo evidence has zero recorded boards, so the conversion is text-only inference (inferred). |
| Resource Economy | 60 | Destroying every opponent monster for one half-LP payment is strongly positive when the opponent has a board, and the GY revival adds a free body; the LP cost offsets it (verified text, inferred value). |
| Effect & Interaction | 72 | Mass destruction of the opponent's monster zone in one activation is strong disruption, though it is a single use per duel and can be answered in the chain (verified text). |
| Material Utility | 10 | A Spell cannot be used as material, and the card gives no body of its own (verified frame type). |
| Resilience & Flexibility | 35 | A single spell that is once per duel and can be answered in the chain, so one response can end it (inferred from text and frame type). |
| Deck-Building Efficiency | 70 | Single-copy in 338 of 400 decks, no garnet or self-lock, and no restriction beyond LP (observed copies distribution; verified text). |
Calculation
Weight profile: 0.7 Board breaker + 0.3 Recovery/Recursion. Intrinsic ≈ 60.1, Deck ≈ 59.6, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: none. Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck
Strengths
- Converts one half-LP payment into a full opponent board wipe
- Revives one opponent GY monster with its summoning conditions ignored
- Single-copy and unrestricted, so it fits many archetypes (129 seen)
- Clear wording with a stated once-per-duel limit
Weaknesses
- Half LP cost is a real tax in a race
- Once per duel, so only one wipe per game
- Needs the opponent to have built a board before it earns value
- No recorded combo boards, so practical conversion is unproven
Counters / choke points
- Responses to the spell's activation in the chain (generic; the evidence names no specific counter card)
Best use
Single-copy board wipe and GY revival in generic or Phantasm-adjacent decks. Decks: Sky Striker, Bystial/Byssted, Branded, Kewl Tune, Synchron. Suggested copies: 1.
Evidence & gaps
- Verified: Spell card with text: pay half LP, destroy as many opponent monsters as possible, then Special Summon 1 monster from the opponent's GY ignoring its summoning conditions; Once per Duel limit stated in text; Legal in TCG, OCG and MasterDuel
- Observed: Present in 400 of 400 sampled decks; 338 run 1 copy, avg 1.18 copies; Spread across 129 distinct archetypes, top ones 2–4% each; Top co-decks: Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring 85.2%, Droll & Lock Bird 83.2%; Zero recorded combo boards, so no starter, material or payoff share
- Inferred: Removal and board-breaker role follows from the destruction text; The GY summon is a secondary recursion element; Single-copy profile makes the card easy to run without restricting the build
- Data gaps: No combo evidence (0 boards), so combo_conversion and starter/payoff roles are text-only The 400/400 running-main count looks like a sample artifact rather than a play rate No banlist token; assumed 3 copies (unlimited) Guide snippet names the card only as a CORE co-card list entry, not as a role description No ruling or interaction data for responses to the activation