Spell
QuickIllusion Magic
Archetype:
Dark Magician
View:
7352
Tribute 1 Spellcaster monster; add up to 2 copies of "Dark Magician" from your Deck and/or GY to your hand. You can only activate 1 "Illusion Magic" per turn.
Illusion Magic — Power Evaluation
Final Score: 60 ± 8 · Confidence: Medium
- Intrinsic: 56 · Deck: 63 · Meta: provisional
- Primary role: Searcher/Tutor · Secondary: Combo enabler
Why it scores here
Illusion Magic is a Quick-Play that converts one Spellcaster tribute into up to two Dark Magician from the Deck and/or GY, so its value is reliable access to a core engine body rather than board presence. The 400/400 deck presence and the 6/6 combo appearances confirm it is a live, practical part of the Dark Magician line. The score is held down because the card is tied to one archetype, costs a tribute, has no interaction, and its own starter/searched role counts are all zero in the combo data, so the combo contribution is inferred. High ATK or raw deck count did not earn points.
Axis scores
| Axis | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | 72 | Searches up to two Dark Magician from Deck or GY for a Spellcaster tribute, and appears in 400 of 400 sampled decks, though its own starter/searched counts are zero (observed/inferred). |
| Combo & Conversion | 70 | Appears in all 6 recorded combos with an average power index of 93.8 when present, but combo role is empty, so its conversion is inferred from the Dark Magician boards it sits in (observed/inferred). |
| Resource Economy | 60 | Costs one tribute and one card while returning up to two cards, a roughly neutral to modestly positive card count with GY-search value (verified from text, inferred for net value). |
| Effect & Interaction | 5 | No negation, removal, or hand-trap reach; it is a search spell only (verified). |
| Material Utility | 5 | Spell card with no body to provide as material, so the axis is near zero (verified). |
| Resilience & Flexibility | 50 | Quick-Play allows a response, and two bodies can be searched from Deck or GY, but it is a spell that a single negate ends (inferred). |
| Deck-Building Efficiency | 70 | Usually run as a single copy (358 of 400 decks) with no garnet or lock, but it needs a Spellcaster on the field to tribute (observed/verified). |
Calculation
Weight profile: 0.7 Searcher/Tutor + 0.3 Starter/Combo enabler. Intrinsic ≈ 56, Deck ≈ 63, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: none. Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck
Strengths
- Reliable access to Dark Magician, the core engine body of its archetype
- Quick-Play timing allows responses
- Present in every sampled Dark Magician deck and in all 6 recorded combos
- Single-copy deckbuilding with no garnet or lock
Weaknesses
- Requires a Spellcaster tribute on the field
- Zero interaction or negation value
- Single-archetype text limits portability across homes
- Own starter/searched role counts are zero, so combo contribution is inferred
Counters / choke points
- Negate effects that end the single spell activation
- Opponent disruption that removes the Spellcaster needed for the tribute
Best use
Searcher for Dark Magician engine bodies, with optional use as a combo enabler. Decks: Dark Magician (archetype 670), Dark Magician (archetype 5). Suggested copies: 1.
Evidence & gaps
- Verified: Quick-Play Spell; Tribute 1 Spellcaster to add up to 2 Dark Magician from Deck and/or GY to hand; Once per turn restriction in the card text; 400 of 400 sampled decks run it, mostly at 1 copy (358 decks)
- Observed: Appears in 6 of 6 recorded combos with avg power index 93.8 when present; Top partners include Dark Magician (96.5%) and Magician's Rod (87.8%); Guides place it in Dark Magician core and combo sections
- Inferred: Searcher role converts into engine access, with a modest resource gain from GY search; Combo contribution comes from the Dark Magician boards it appears in, since role counts are zero; Single-spell negation would end its effect
- Data gaps: No banlist token; assumed 3 copies (unlimited) No usage statistics (StatisticsCard); inclusion inferred only from the 400-deck sample Combo combo role and starter/searched/material counts are all zero despite 6 appearances, so the card's combo role is not confirmed Card's own archetype is Dark Magician, so generic utility is capped by single-archetype text