DARK
4Mystic Tomato
ATK:
1400
DEF:
1100
View:
5182
When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the GY: You can Special Summon 1 DARK monster with 1500 or less ATK from your Deck, in face-up Attack Position.
67± 5/ 100
Power Score
Intrinsic
66
Deck
68
Mystic Tomato — Power Evaluation
Final Score: 67 ± 5 · Confidence: Medium
- Intrinsic: 66 · Deck: 68 · Meta: provisional
- Primary role: Material body / Normal · Secondary: Extender
Why it scores here
Mystic Tomato scores as a universal generic DARK body valued for its clean Synchro/Fusion/Xyz material utility across 101+ distinct archetypes. The battle-destruction tutoring effect provides conditional resource refresh but is unreliable in modern formats where direct combat damage is rare; its low 1400 ATK and tight tutoring restriction (DARK ≤1500 ATK) limit offensive payoff. High splashability and deckbuilding efficiency compensate, making it a consistent filler body rather than a power engine.
Axis scores
| Axis | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | 65 | Searchable via Sangan (75.6% co-deck) and other DARK tutors; appears in 336 decks across 101 archetypes with avg 1.87 copies, confirming reliable access routes. (verified) |
| Combo & Conversion | 35 | No inherent combo generation; functions as pure material; the tutoring effect requires prior combat setup and battle damage to activate. (inferred) |
| Resource Economy | 55 | Tutoring effect is a 0-trade (deck to field); no card advantage or hand refuel generated on its own. (verified) |
| Effect & Interaction | 5 | No opponent disruption, negation, or removal; purely a material body with passive self-tutoring bonus. (verified) |
| Material Utility | 80 | Clean 4-star DARK body with no self-lock or archetype tag; usable as Synchro/Fusion/Xyz material even when effect is negated. (verified) |
| Resilience & Flexibility | 40 | Can be played from hand or tutored back via its own effect; moderate multi-turn flexibility but no inherent recovery mechanism beyond the tutoring loop. (inferred) |
| Deck-Building Efficiency | 85 | Near free-roll as generic DARK material across 101+ distinct archetypes with zero garnet risk; 60% of decks run 2–3 copies, indicating confident redundancy. (observed) |
Calculation
Weight profile: Primary: Material body / Normal. Intrinsic ≈ 66, Deck ≈ 68, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: none. Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck
Strengths
- Universal splashability: appears in 101+ distinct archetypes (Black Luster Soldier, D/D/D, Monarch, Blue-Eyes, Yubel, Greed, and many others)
- Clean generic material: 4-star DARK with no self-lock or archetype restriction; functions as Synchro/Fusion/Xyz food even when effect is negated
- High deck consistency: avg 1.87 copies per deck with 60% running 2–3 copies, indicating confident redundancy across multiple homes
- Strong tutoring partner synergy: Sangan appears in 75.6% of decks running Mystic Tomato, creating reliable DARK tutoring lines
Weaknesses
- Conditional effect: battle-destruction trigger is unreliable in modern formats where direct combat damage is rare and game paths avoid beatdown
- Tight tutoring restriction: can only fetch DARK monsters with 1500 or less ATK, severely limiting the tutor target pool
- No inherent card advantage: tutoring is a 0-trade (deck to field); does not generate tempo, hand refuel, or board presence multiplier
- Low offensive stats: 1400 ATK is weak as a beatstick; the card relies entirely on material value and conditional tutoring
Counters / choke points
- Any effect that prevents Special Summons (e.g., Summon lockdown, though Mystic Tomato's effect is not inherently searchable)
- Decking out if the pool of DARK tutor targets depletes and the card is recycled repeatedly
- Any effect that stops combat or redirects damage (negates the condition for tutoring)
Best use
Generic DARK material body with bonus conditional tutoring on battle destruction. Decks: Black Luster Soldier, D/D/D, Monarch, Blue-Eyes, classic TCG beatdown.
Evidence & gaps
- Verified: Card text: 'When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the GY: You can Special Summon 1 DARK monster with 1500 or less ATK from your Deck, in face-up Attack Position.'; Appears in 336 decks across 101 distinct archetypes; 100% main deck inclusion; Avg 1.87 copies per deck; 60% of decks run 2–3 copies; Sangan (a renowned DARK tutor) appears in 75.6% of co-deck instances; Legal in TCG, OCG, MasterDuel, and DuelLinks
- Observed: High distinct archetype count (101) indicates universal splashability beyond single-archetype dependency; Partner cards are classic old-school staples (Sangan, Mystical Space Typhoon, Mirror Force, Torrential Tribute, Book of Moon), consistent with 2000s-era beatdown/control meta; Gameplay type 7 (Classic/TCG) dominates the sample (67.9%); Recency span 2022–2026 (latest deck September 2026) confirms ongoing play across 4+ years
- Inferred: As a 4-star DARK, the card is searchable via Sangan and other DARK tutors, enabling reliable access in many archetype homes; The battle-destruction trigger acts as a conditional extender; requires prior combat setup and opponent interaction to activate; Material utility is clean (generic Synchro/Fusion/Xyz food) with zero self-lock or archetype restriction; No archetype tag means zero deckbuilding lock-in; appears equally in diverse 10-decker and niche homes; The tutoring effect supports mid-combat resource refresh but is unreliable in modern formats that avoid direct beatdown paths
- Data gaps: No combos supplied — combo conversion and appearance roles ('as_starter', 'as_payoff') are text-only inference No guides supplied — no human-authored context on role nuance or archetype-specific best use No banlist token — card is assumed unlimited (3 copies legal) in all four formats No usage statistics (StatisticsCard) — archetype inclusion % and typical copies inferred from 336-deck sample only; no historical StatisticsCard rows available