EARTH
5Linkslayer
ATK:
2000
DEF:
600
View:
5765
If you control no monsters, you can Special Summon this card (from your hand). Once per turn: You can discard up to 2 cards, then target that many Spells/Traps on the field; destroy them.
58± 6/ 100
Power Score
Intrinsic
58
Deck
58
Linkslayer — Power Evaluation
Final Score: 58 ± 6 · Confidence: Medium
- Intrinsic: 58 · Deck: 58 · Meta: provisional
- Primary role: Board breaker · Secondary: Recovery/Recursion, Removal
Why it scores here
Linkslayer is a recovery and disruption tool for going-second strategies: it summons when your board is clear and destroys 1–2 opponent Spells/Traps for a discard cost. The card offers decent material value as a Cyberse body (Level 5, 2000 ATK) in Code Talker and control decks, but the discard requirement creates resource economy challenges without built-in refuel. Its appearance in 400 recent decks across 63 archetypes (led by Darkfluid at 28.8%) shows strong splashability, but absence of combo evidence and a restricted summoning condition limit its combo conversion and impact depth.
Axis scores
| Axis | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | 60 | Searchable via Cynet Mining (53.2% of partner co-appearances) and Lady Debug (46%), but summoning condition requires clear board, limiting live opening-hand utility (observed from deck data) |
| Combo & Conversion | 35 | Effect is pure disruption with no board generation or resource refund; maximum output is destroying 2 opponent Spells/Traps in one turn without advancing your own strategy (inferred from card text) |
| Resource Economy | 40 | Discard cost (−1 to −2 cards) with no draw or search component; net effect is resource-negative unless synergized with graveyard strategies (inferred from card text and effect structure) |
| Effect & Interaction | 65 | Destroys up to 2 opponent Spells/Traps once per turn, providing hard removal but only after board setup and limited to non-monster permanents (verified from card text) |
| Material Utility | 60 | Level 5 Cyberse body with 2000 ATK is usable as material in Code Talker and Cyberse strategies even when blanked, but not exceptionally generic outside those homes (inferred from type/level and archetype adoption pattern) |
| Resilience & Flexibility | 45 | Once-per-turn activation with no built-in protection; summoning condition is restrictive and card offers no recovery on subsequent turns (inferred from card text and once-per-turn clause) |
| Deck-Building Efficiency | 70 | Splashable across 63 distinct archetypes with high deck adoption (400 decks, average 1.96 copies); summoning condition creates mild brick risk in going-first scenarios but no hard locks (observed from deck data) |
Calculation
Weight profile: 0.7 Board breaker + 0.3 Recovery/Recursion. Intrinsic ≈ 58, Deck ≈ 58, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: none. Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck
Strengths
- Searchable via multiple Cyberse support cards (Cynet Mining, Lady Debug)
- Splashable across 63 distinct archetypes with strong adoption in Darkfluid (28.8%), Code Talker, and Cyberse control strategies
- Useful recovery tool when behind on board, converting empty-hand state into active opponent disruption
- Viable material as a Cyberse body in Link and Fusion strategies
Weaknesses
- Discard cost creates resource economy challenges without built-in card draw or search refuel
- Summoning condition (requires control of no monsters) is restrictive and creates dead hands when going-first
- Once-per-turn activation with no inherent protection limits resilience against negation
- Removes only Spells/Traps, not monsters, reducing utility against certain board states
- No combo appearances or synergies in recorded combo lines (0 combos in evidence)
Counters / choke points
- Negation effects (Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring during summon, effect negate traps)
- Decks that run few Spells/Traps make the effect significantly less impactful
- Going-first strategies that maintain board presence reduce relevance of the summoning condition
Best use
Going-second disruption and recovery. Decks: Darkfluid, Code Talker, Cyberse, K9, Orcust.
Evidence & gaps
- Verified: Linkslayer is a Level 5 Cyberse Effect Monster with 2000 ATK / 600 DEF (card identity); Special Summon condition: must control no monsters (card text); Effect: discard up to 2 cards, destroy that many Spells/Traps on field, once per turn (card text); Appears in 400 matched recent decks (from deck data.total decks); Played exclusively in main deck across all matched decks (from deck data)
- Observed: Cynet Mining co-appears in 53.2% of Linkslayer decks (deck data.top partners, highest); Lady Debug co-appears in 46% of Linkslayer decks (deck data.top partners); Average 1.96 copies per deck; 159 decks run 3 copies, 68 run 2, 173 run 1 (deck data.copies per deck distribution); Darkfluid archetype runs the card at 28.8% (115/400 decks) (deck data.archetypes, top ranking); Distinct archetype count is 63, indicating exceptional portability (deck data.distinct archetypes)
- Inferred: Discard cost (−1 to −2 cards) for S/T removal results in net resource loss without graveyard synergy (card text and effect structure); Level 5 Cyberse body provides moderate utility as material in Cyberse-focused strategies (type/level matching archetype adoption pattern); Summoning condition creates dead hands in going-first scenarios but enables recovery in going-second play patterns (card text and deck adoption concentration in control/Darkfluid); Very high archetype count (63 homes) reflects splashable, generic nature as a control tool across multiple strategies (deck data)
- Data gaps: no combos supplied — combo conversion is text-only inference no banlist token — assumed 3 copies (unlimited) no usage statistics (StatisticsCard) — archetype inclusion % inferred from deck sample only no detailed guide context — 6 guides mention card but do not explain strategic role or synergies in depth