DARK
2Mad Hacker
ATK:
1000
DEF:
600
View:
560
If a monster(s) is Special Summoned to your opponent's field (except during the Damage Step): You can Special Summon this card from your hand. During the End Phase: You can banish this card you control; take control of 1 monster your opponent controls with the lowest ATK (your choice, if tied), but while it is face-up on your field, it cannot activate its effects also you cannot Special Summon monsters from the Extra Deck, except Link Monsters. You can only use each effect of "Mad Hacker" once per turn.
Mad Hacker — Power Evaluation
Final Score: 58 ± 6 · Confidence: Medium
- Intrinsic: 60 · Deck: 56 · Meta: provisional
- Primary role: Hand trap · Secondary: Board breaker
Why it scores here
Mad Hacker's value is a conditional hand trap plus a one-card steal: it Special Summons from hand when the opponent Special Summons a monster to their field, then in the End Phase it banishes itself to take control of the opponent's lowest-ATK monster. That converts a dead-in-hand card into a board swing, but the stolen monster cannot activate its effects, the steal is limited to the lowest-ATK target, and the controller is locked out of non-Link Extra Deck Special Summons. The 1000 ATK and Level 2 body earn little on their own; the score rests on the effect, not the stats. No combo data exists, so the combo axes are text-only inference and stay moderate.
Axis scores
| Axis | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | 55 | Live from hand only when the opponent Special Summons, and it is spread across 13 archetypes in 39 decks with strong partner overlap (observed; the trigger condition itself is verified from text). |
| Combo & Conversion | 45 | No recorded boards, so conversion is limited to the text: a self-banish steal of one monster with no further payoff (inferred). |
| Resource Economy | 55 | Banishing itself to take a monster is roughly a 1-for-1 that turns the opponent's monster into yours, with no extra draw or refuel (verified from text, inferred for the net value). |
| Effect & Interaction | 65 | Hand-trigger timing on opponent Special Summons plus a steal that removes a monster from the opponent's board (verified from text); the steal is limited to the lowest-ATK monster (verified). |
| Material Utility | 40 | A Level 2 DARK Cyberse body is generic material, but it is banished for its own effect, so the material value is modest and mostly theoretical (inferred). |
| Resilience & Flexibility | 45 | Works from hand and field, but a single negate on the hand trigger ends it and the steal can be blanked while face-up (inferred from text; Ash Blossom appears as a top partner, which is co-occurrence only, observed). |
| Deck-Building Efficiency | 55 | Typically 1–2 copies in a single slot, with a self-imposed Extra Deck summon restriction that is a real cost (verified from text; copies observed in 39 decks). |
Calculation
Weight profile: 0.7 Hand trap + 0.3 Board breaker. Intrinsic ≈ 60, Deck ≈ 56, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: Extra Deck Special Summon restriction (-3). Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck (Deck includes modifiers)
Strengths
- Hand-trigger on opponent Special Summons, which keeps it live without a setup card
- Steal converts an opponent's lowest-ATK monster into a board swing
- Runs across 13 archetypes, so it is portable across homes (observed)
Weaknesses
- The stolen monster is locked from activating effects while face-up on your field
- Steal is limited to the lowest-ATK monster, which can miss the threat
- Self-banish means a one-shot steal with no recursion
- Blocks non-Link Extra Deck Special Summons while in effect
Counters / choke points
- Negation of the hand trigger, e.g. Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring (co-occurrence noted in partners; the counter role is inferred from text)
- Opponent's board with several monsters of equal lowest ATK, letting them choose which one is taken
- Removal or bounce of the Mad Hacker card before the End Phase
Best use
Hand trap with End-Phase steal for generic monster disruption. Decks: Maliss, Bystial/Byssted, Sky Striker. Suggested copies: 1.
Evidence & gaps
- Verified: Text: hand Special Summon on opponent's monster Special Summon (not during the Damage Step); Text: End Phase banish to steal the lowest-ATK opponent monster, which cannot activate effects while face-up; Text: Extra Deck Special Summon restriction, except Link; Text: each effect once per turn
- Observed: Appears in 39 of the recent decks, mostly as a single copy (avg 1.51); Runs across 13 archetypes, with Maliss the largest home (13 decks); Co-occurs with Accesscode Talker, Dotscaper and the Maliss support in 28+ decks
- Inferred: Acts as a hand trap with a delayed steal, not a Removal or Negation piece; Net value is a 1-for-1 steal with no refuel; Negation of the hand trigger ends the entire effect
- Data gaps: no combos supplied — combo conversion is text-only inference no guides supplied no banlist token — assumed 3 copies (unlimited) no usage statistics (StatisticsCard) — archetype inclusion % inferred from deck sample only