DARKLinkmail Archfiend
Archetype:
Archfiend
ATK:
2800
LINK-4
View:
4321
Link Arrow:
Top-Left
Left
Bottom-Left
Bottom-Right
2+ monsters, including a Ritual, Fusion, Synchro, or Xyz Monster If this card is Special Summoned: You can target 1 Ritual, Fusion, Synchro, or Xyz Monster you control or in your GY; all monsters your opponent currently controls lose ATK equal to the targeted monster's ATK, until the end of this turn. Your opponent cannot target monsters you control, that were Special Summoned from the Extra Deck, with monster effects. If this card would be destroyed by battle or card effect, you can banish 1 Ritual, Fusion, Synchro, or Xyz Monster from your GY instead.
Linkmail Archfiend — Power Evaluation
Final Score: 67 ± 3 · Confidence: Medium
- Intrinsic: 66 · Deck: 66 · Meta: provisional
- Primary role: Boss/End-board · Secondary: Material body, Negation/Interaction
Why it scores here
Linkmail Archfiend scores as a strong defensive finisher that protects Extra Deck boards across 109 distinct archetypes. Its value comes from shielding Extra Deck Synchro/Fusion/Xyz/Ritual monsters from targeting and destruction, plus ATK reduction for board control—not from explosive combo generation. The high ATK (2800) is incidental; the core power is the protective effect suite and exceptional splashability, verified by consistent inclusion (1.44 avg copies) in diverse archetypes from Megalith to Drytron.
Axis scores
| Axis | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | 65 | Appears in 396 decks across 109 distinct archetypes with 1.44 average copies, confirming reliable access in Extra Deck-heavy strategies despite the 2+ summoning requirement (observed). |
| Combo & Conversion | 45 | Text-only inference shows modest combo output: no search, no advantage generation; primary role is protection rather than board building from hand (inferred). |
| Resource Economy | 50 | No card advantage on summon; destruction protection banishes GY resources reactively; ATK reduction uses only a field/GY target with no net gain (verified). |
| Effect & Interaction | 65 | Provides three defensive tools—monster effect targeting block, ATK reduction, and destruction banish protection—but lacks hard negation or removal (verified). |
| Material Utility | 70 | Link-4 with 4 arrows (Top-Left, Left, Bottom-Left, Bottom-Right) and 2800 ATK serves as solid Cyberse material even when effects are negated (verified). |
| Resilience & Flexibility | 60 | Banish protection from GY provides built-in destruction avoidance, though limited by GY resources and once-per-turn effects; multi-zone and multi-turn presence (inferred). |
| Deck-Building Efficiency | 75 | Splashable across 109 archetypes with no apparent garnet issue (1.44 avg copies) and no self-locking restrictions; efficient slot cost (observed). |
Calculation
Weight profile: 0.7 Boss/End-board + 0.3 Material body. Intrinsic ≈ 66, Deck ≈ 66, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: Exceptional splashability (2). Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck
Strengths
- Protects Extra Deck boards from opponent targeting effects, a hard-to-work-around defensive tool
- Provides destruction protection via GY banish, increasing board resilience against removal
- Clean Link-4 material body with 4 arrows and 2800 ATK remains useful even when effects are negated
- Highly splashable: appears in 109 distinct archetypes spanning Megalith, Drytron, Speedroid, Gladiator Beast, and niche strategies
- Efficient deckbuilding cost: 1.44 average copies per deck shows no garnet risk
Weaknesses
- Summoning cost (2+ monsters including an Extra Deck monster) limits speed and requires setup
- No card advantage generation on summon; plays into existing boards rather than building from scratch
- ATK reduction is soft interaction, not hard negation; effects are reactive rather than proactive disruption
- Combo conversion relies entirely on pre-built boards; no search, tutoring, or hand extension capability
- Limited by once-per-turn activation and GY resource dependency for destruction protection
Counters / choke points
- Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring negates the summon effect activation
- Decks with minimal Extra Deck monsters struggle to meet Link material requirements
- Hard negation effects or fields like Skill Drain that prevent targeting bypass its protection
- Opponent's own Extra Deck threats are not directly countered by this card
Best use
Board protection finisher that shields Extra Deck monsters and enables ATK-based control. Decks: Megalith, Drytron, Speedroid, Gladiator Beast, Nouvelles, Numeron, Dark Magician. Suggested copies: 1.
Evidence & gaps
- Verified: Card text complete: 2+ monster Link summon (including Ritual/Fusion/Synchro/Xyz), ATK reduction on summon, opponent targeting block on Extra Deck monsters, destruction banish protection; 396 decks running card across 109 distinct archetypes in TCG/OCG/MasterDuel formats; Summoning requirement mandates at least one Ritual/Fusion/Synchro/Xyz monster as material; No banlist restrictions found; assumed 3 copies legal; 1.44 average copies per running deck (277 at 1, 65 at 2, 54 at 3) shows consistent, non-mandatory inclusion
- Observed: High co-deck rate with format staples: Ash Blossom (65.2%), Infinite Impermanence (51.5%), Cross-Sheep (49.7%), Called by the Grave (49.2%); Consistent inclusion across Extra Deck-focused archetypes: Megalith (41 decks), Nouvelles (44 decks), Drytron (16 decks), Gladiator Beast (16 decks), Speedroid (16 decks); Not ranked as a Top Card, confirming broad utility rather than format-dominance role
- Inferred: Primary role is Boss/End-board protection finisher, not combo enabler or turn-1 setup piece; Summoning cost (2+ including Extra Deck monster) limits to Extra Deck-heavy strategies but does not create garnet issue in target homes; Once-per-turn likely on activated effect per standard Link Monster timing (not explicitly stated in text); Generic utility across 109 archetypes suggests splashability in any Extra Deck-focused archetype or hybrid; ATK reduction effect functions as soft control (board scaling) rather than hard negation
- Data gaps: No combos supplied — combo conversion is text-only inference; cannot empirically confirm how often the card drives completed boards or what average power index it achieves No guides supplied — missing context on role in specific archetype strategies and deckbuilding philosophy No usage statistics (StatisticsCard) — archetype inclusion percentages inferred from 396-deck sample only, not larger historical trend across regions/dates No banlist token — assumed 3 copies (unlimited) legal in all formats; status may differ by region or format snapshot date