DARK
7Orcust Knightmare
Archetype:
Orcust
ATK:
100
DEF:
2000
View:
6980
Cannot be destroyed by battle with a Link Monster. You can banish this card from your GY, then target 1 face-up monster on the field; you cannot Special Summon monsters, except DARK monsters, for the rest of this turn, also send 1 DARK Machine monster from your Deck to the GY, except "Orcust Knightmare", and if you do, the targeted monster gains ATK equal to the Level of the monster sent to the GY x 100, until the end of this turn. You can only use this effect of "Orcust Knightmare" once per turn.
Orcust Knightmare — Power Evaluation
Final Score: 66 ± 4 · Confidence: High
- Intrinsic: 67 · Deck: 71 · Meta: provisional
- Primary role: Combo enabler · Secondary: Searcher/Tutor
Why it scores here
Orcust Knightmare is a reliable combo starter and hand resource appearing in all recorded combos at perfect power (100), enabling setup through its GY-banishing mill effect that fuels Orcust's graveyard synergy. Its Level 7 DARK Machine body provides clean material utility for Synchro and Xyz plays. However, the card completely lacks opponent interaction or disruption, is devastated by hand traps that negate its single once-per-turn activation, and imposes a restrictive DARK-only Special Summon lock. While it slots cleanly into Orcust with minimal bricking, its narrow role as a utility engine piece rather than a primary disruptive force limits its impact.
Axis scores
| Axis | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | 80 | Present in all 400 sample decks (100% inclusion) and 100% of recorded combos as a viable hand starter or resource, supported by Orcust's strong tutoring ecosystem. (verified) |
| Combo & Conversion | 70 | Appears as a starter in 2 of 3 recorded combos building perfect power-100 boards with 6+ card advantage, but is one option among multiple viable starters (Girsu, Habakiri) rather than a solo engine driver. (observed) |
| Resource Economy | 60 | The GY-banishing effect achieves rough parity (banish 1, mill 1 to GY), but synergizes positively in Orcust where graveyard is an asset; DARK-only Special Summon restriction is manageable in a DARK-heavy archetype. (inferred) |
| Effect & Interaction | 15 | The card provides zero opponent disruption, negation, or removal; it is pure utility with an ATK buff and GY milling that does not interact with the opponent's board or hand. (verified) |
| Material Utility | 75 | Level 7 DARK Machine is clean generic material for Synchro and Rank 7 Xyz, useful for Orcust plays and viable even when its effect is blanked or unavailable. (inferred) |
| Resilience & Flexibility | 45 | Single once-per-turn GY activation is shutdown by a single hand trap (Ash Blossom); the niche Link Monster battle protection provides minimal resilience against typical game interaction. (verified) |
| Deck-Building Efficiency | 75 | Clean main-deck slot running at 1–1.5 average copies with low bricking risk and minimal deck strain, though optional across some archetype variants (50–100% usage depending on build). (observed) |
Calculation
Weight profile: 0.75 Combo enabler + 0.25 Searcher/Tutor blend. Intrinsic ≈ 67, Deck ≈ 71, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: Self-locking Special Summon restriction (-2); DuelLinks format cap (Limited-to-3) (-1). Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck, then −3 modifiers
Strengths
- Consistent inclusion across all 400 sample decks; reliable hand draw in Orcust shells
- Appears in 100% of recorded combos, contributing to perfect power-100 boards
- GY-milling effect directly synergizes with Orcust's graveyard-based engines (Dingirsu, etc.)
- Level 7 DARK Machine provides versatile material for Synchro and Xyz Summons
- Low average copy count (1.31) with minimal bricking—clean, efficient deck slot
Weaknesses
- Zero opponent-facing disruption, negation, or removal capability
- Single activation vulnerable to hand traps (especially Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring)
- Extremely low ATK (100) limits material utility in certain Synchro and Xyz contexts
- DARK-only Special Summon lock after activation restricts turn flexibility
- Not a primary engine driver—one of several viable starters in Orcust rather than essential
Counters / choke points
- Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring (negates the GY-banishing activation)
- Hand traps that block graveyard sends or milling effects
- Decks that can interact with face-up monsters or negate effects
Best use
Flexible combo starter and graveyard-milling hand resource. Decks: Orcust, World Legacy, Mitsurugi, Azamina. Suggested copies: 1.
Evidence & gaps
- Verified: Card text is complete with clear GY-banishing effect (once per turn) and DARK-only Special Summon restriction; 100% main-deck inclusion across all 400 sample decks; 100% appearance rate in 3 recorded combos; No disruption, negation, removal, or hand-trap effects in card text; Level 7 DARK Machine type; legal in TCG, OCG, MasterDuel, DuelLinks
- Observed: As starter in 66.7% (2/3) of recorded combos; in end hand 66.7% of the time; Average power index 100 for all combos containing the card (perfect-power boards); Average 1.31 copies per deck; distribution: 73.5% run 1, 21.8% run 2, 4.8% run 3; 50.6% of sample decks from Orcust core variants; 49 distinct archetypes total; Usage statistics show 50–100% inclusion across different archetype variants
- Inferred: GY milling to deck synergizes with Orcust archetype's graveyard-utilization mechanics (e.g., Dingirsu payoff); Level 7 DARK Machine body is clean generic material for Synchro plays and Rank 7 Xyz; DARK-only Special Summon lock is manageable within Orcust's archetype identity; Serves as combo enabler by providing both hand-start and GY-activation resources; Lack of opponent interaction represents a core strategic limitation in interactive metagames
- Data gaps: Combo sample size is very small (3 total combos); larger sample would clarify starter vs. secondary role proportions No banlist history or restrictions provided; cannot assess likelihood of future hits Ruling clarity on exact timing of DARK-only lock application (during activation vs. after resolution) not fully specified