DARKMasterking Archfiend
Archetype:
Archfiend
ATK:
2000
LINK-2
View:
3775
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2 Fiend monsters Once per turn, during your Standby Phase, pay 500 LP or destroy this card. Once per Chain, if you pay LP (except during the Damage Step): You can send 1 Fiend monster from your Deck to the GY with ATK or DEF equal to the amount paid. Once per Chain, if a Fiend monster(s) is sent to your GY (except during the Damage Step): You can roll a six-sided die, then apply this effect on 1 of those monsters based on the result. ● 1: Add it to your hand. ● 2, 3, 4, 5: Shuffle into the Deck. ● 6: Special Summon it.
Masterking Archfiend — Power Evaluation
Final Score: 52 ± 5 · Confidence: Medium
- Intrinsic: 57 · Deck: 54 · Meta: provisional
- Primary role: Combo Enabler · Secondary: Extender, Material body, Searcher
Why it scores here
Masterking Archfiend converts Fiend mills into GY payoffs with meaningful consistency in Archfiend, Dark World, and Fiendsmith strategies, earning a mid-50s score. The targeted milling and die outcomes enable combo lines, but the severe 500 LP maintenance cost, unreliable die roll (4/6 shuffle-back), and lack of opponent interaction prevent a higher score. High inclusion across 52 distinct archetypes confirms strong deck fit in dedicated Fiend homes, yet the card's own limitations and archetype gating cap this at a solid but not exceptional utility piece.
Axis scores
| Axis | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | 65 | Summoned in 131 decks via 2-Fiend link; multiple practical routes in Archfiend (25.2%), Dark World (17.6%), and other Fiend strategies; confirmed accessible via Muckraker (48.9% co-deck). (verified) |
| Combo & Conversion | 55 | Targeted mill sends Fiends to GY for payoff: Dark World discard synergy (Grapha 22.9% co-deck), Infernoid fodder, Fiendsmith fusion material; die roll adds 1/6 Summon and 1/6 hand recovery, but 4/6 shuffle-back limits consistency. (inferred) |
| Resource Economy | 48 | Milling itself is not card advantage, but synergistic with GY homes (Foolish Burial 37.4% co-deck); die roll expected value ~0.17 card advantage; 500 LP maintenance erodes resources across turns. (inferred) |
| Effect & Interaction | 5 | No opponent interaction: pure self-mill with no negation, disruption, or removal; all effects target own monsters and GY. (verified) |
| Material Utility | 60 | 2-Link Fiend body is clean generic material in Fiend decks; satisfactory for any 2-Link summon and archetype-relevant due to Fiend type; no special properties (not Tuner). (verified) |
| Resilience & Flexibility | 38 | Fragile: must survive 500 LP cost per Standby Phase or be destroyed; die roll is unreliable (only 1/6 Summon, 1/6 hand recovery); once-per-Chain limits repeated mills. (verified) |
| Deck-Building Efficiency | 62 | 1.35 average copies (95 decks at 1x, optional include); 2-Fiend Link requirement creates moderate garnet risk, but 131 pilots run without major disruption; Fiend-theme gating limits splashability. (observed) |
Calculation
Weight profile: 0.7 Combo Enabler + 0.3 Searcher (die roll hand recovery secondary). Intrinsic ≈ 57, Deck ≈ 54, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: Maintenance cost (500 LP/turn) (-2); Die roll variance (-1). Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck
Strengths
- Targeted Fiend mill: sends exact Fiends from Deck to GY, enabling GY-payoff strategies (Dark World, Infernoid, Fiendsmith)
- Broad archetype synergy: runs in 52 distinct archetypes with strong homes in Archfiend (25.2%) and Dark World (17.6%)
- Flexible outcomes: die roll offers Summon (1/6), hand recovery (1/6), or reset (4/6), adapting to game state
- Decent Link material: Fiend body is clean 2-Link material in Fiend-heavy decks
Weaknesses
- Maintenance cost: 500 LP per Standby Phase is a resource drain; lethal in low-LP or protracted games
- Unreliable die outcomes: 4/6 shuffle-back is often worse than direct recovery; only 1/6 Summon is lottery-dependent
- Moderate Summon barrier: requires 2 Fiends; garnet risk in non-Fiend or thin Fiend suites
- No opponent interaction: pure self-mill; does not negate, disrupt, or remove
- Low resilience: fragile to negation; depends on Standby Phase survival
Counters / choke points
- Fiend-hate effects (Prohibition naming Fiends, anti-mill cards)
- Deck-thin strategies exploiting forced shuffles
- Cards punishing GY mills: Dimension Shifter, Psy-Framegear Gamma, Macro Cosmos
Best use
Combo Enabler and Extender for GY-payoff strategies. Decks: Archfiend, Dark World, Fiendsmith, Infernoid, Labrynth, Unchained.
Evidence & gaps
- Verified: Summons with 2 Fiend monsters; Fiend archetype; Maintenance cost 500 LP or destroy, once per turn during Standby Phase; Mill effect: once per Chain, if you pay LP, send 1 Fiend with ATK/DEF equal to LP paid from Deck to GY; Die outcome effect: once per Chain, if a Fiend sent to GY, roll die and apply (1=add to hand, 2–5=shuffle Deck, 6=Special Summon); 131 decks run this card across 52 distinct archetypes; Top partners: Muckraker (48.9%), Knightmare Unicorn (38.9%), Foolish Burial (37.4%); Archfiend decks are 25.2% of deck evidence; Dark World 17.6%
- Observed: Average 1.35 copies per deck; distribution: 95 at 1x, 26 at 2x, 10 at 3x; 53.4% of decks are Gameplay type 7 (Fiend-focused or hybrid); Not ranked as a Top Card across any format
- Inferred: Primary role Combo Enabler: targeted mill enables GY-payoff lines (Dark World discard, Infernoid, Fiendsmith fusion); Secondary role Searcher: die roll 1/6 adds to hand; recovery mechanic when lucky; Combo conversion ~55: enables one extra GY effect or Summon, but limited by die variance and maintenance cost; Die roll expected value ~0.17 card advantage per activation (1/6 hand, 4/6 neutral shuffle); GenericUtility ~70: portability across 52 archetypes, but Fiend-theme gated; not splashable to non-Fiend decks; Material utility ~60: usable 2-Link Fiend body; clean but no special material properties
- Data gaps: No combos supplied: combo conversion is text-only inference; no board progression or power index confirmation No guides supplied: no human strategy context No banlist info: assumed unlimited 3 copies in all formats (TCG, OCG, MasterDuel) No usage statistics (StatisticsCard): archetype inclusion % inferred from deck sample alone No top-card ranking: cannot confirm current metagame relevance