Spell
QuickLink Bound
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3703
Target 1 Link Monster you control or in your GY; return it to the Extra Deck, and if you do, draw cards equal to its Link Rating, then place cards from your hand on the bottom of the Deck, in any order, equal to the number of cards you drew. You can only activate 1 "Link Bound" per turn.
Link Bound — Power Evaluation
Final Score: 65 ± 5 · Confidence: Medium
- Intrinsic: 61 · Deck: 64 · Meta: provisional
- Primary role: Recovery/Recursion · Secondary: Utility
Why it scores here
Link Bound excels as a flexible hand-filtering and Link Monster recycling tool, enabling decks to refuel and cycle hand composition without sacrificing card count. It is extremely splashable across 49 distinct archetypes, synergizing strongly with hand-cycling cards like Upstart Goblin and Pot of Avarice, though its zero-net card advantage and dependence on Link Monster targets prevent higher scores. The card's strength lies in deck optimization and multi-turn utility rather than raw power generation.
Axis scores
| Axis | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | 70 | Quick-Play Spell targeting Link Monsters from field or GY is easily live in most matches; 282 decks run it with high consistency. (verified) |
| Combo & Conversion | 45 | No combo evidence supplied; effect recycles rather than extends, though draw enabled by Link Rating may support subsequent plays. (inferred) |
| Resource Economy | 65 | Achieves 0 net card advantage (draw N, put back N) but enables hand filtering and deck shuffling, particularly valuable with partners like Upstart Goblin and Pot of Avarice. (observed) |
| Effect & Interaction | 20 | Purely defensive and utility-focused with no opponent disruption, negation, or removal capability. (verified) |
| Material Utility | 5 | Spell card cannot be used as material for summons or other effects. (verified) |
| Resilience & Flexibility | 75 | Quick-Play activation on either turn, targets field or GY, reusable once per turn, and imposes no deck restrictions or locks. (verified) |
| Deck-Building Efficiency | 75 | Run at 1–2 copies across 49 archetypes with minimal garnet risk and no deckbuilding restrictions; extremely splashable. (observed) |
Calculation
Weight profile: Primary role: Recovery/Recursion. Intrinsic ≈ 61, Deck ≈ 64, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: Generic splashability bonus (2). Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck
Strengths
- Extremely splashable across 49 archetypes
- Flexible activation as Quick-Play spell (field or GY targeting)
- Enables hand filtering and deck cycling without losing card count
- Recycles valuable Link Monsters that would otherwise be lost
- Works across all major formats (TCG, OCG, MasterDuel)
Weaknesses
- Zero net card advantage (draw N, put back N from hand)
- Requires Link Monster on field or in GY as mandatory target
- Provides no opponent interaction or disruption
- Vulnerable to hand disruption if replacement cards are limited
- Dead without viable Link Monster targets in current deck strategy
Counters / choke points
- Decks with minimal or no Link Monsters
- Solemn Judgment and other Quick-Play spell negation
- Hand disruption cards (Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring, Nibiru the Primal Being)
- GY banishing effects (D.D. Crow, Macro Cosmos)
Best use
Hand filtering and Link Monster recursion enabler. Decks: Exodia, Flamvell, Sky Striker, Greed.
Evidence & gaps
- Verified: Card is a Quick-Play Spell that targets 1 Link Monster from field or GY, returning it to Extra Deck and drawing cards equal to its Link Rating (card text); Runs in 282 decks with 1–2 copies per deck average (deck evidence); Appears across 49 distinct archetypes indicating broad applicability (deck statistics); Most common in Exodia (29.8%) and Flamvell (19.1%) archetypes (deck evidence); Top partners are hand-cycling cards: Upstart Goblin, Wonder Wand, Pot of Avarice (deck statistics)
- Observed: 75.9% of decks running Link Bound also run Upstart Goblin (deck co-occurrence); 75.5% co-occurrence with Wonder Wand suggests synergy with hand filtration (deck co-occurrence); Appears equally in main deck across all 282 decks with zero side deck inclusion (deck statistics); 85.1% appear in gameplay type 4 (likely combo/synergy-heavy format) (deck classification)
- Inferred: Draw N, put back N from hand achieves zero net card advantage but enables hand optimization and deck cycling (card text analysis); Link Rating of typical bodies (2–4) generates meaningful hand cycling in constructed play (game mechanics inference); GY targeting enables recursion of milled or discarded Link Monsters in decks with self-mill synergy (effect interaction inference); Bottom-deck placement order matters in decks relying on deck composition (e.g., Exodia ordering)
- Data gaps: No combo data supplied — cannot confirm combo centrality, board power when present, or specific starter/enabler roles No guide data — cannot confirm intended strategies or roles explained by deck builders No StatisticsCard data — cannot calibrate historical inclusion % across seasons No banlist token provided — assumed unlimited (3 copies per side) across all formats