Trap
NormalPast Image
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2508
If you control a face-up Psychic-Type monster: Target 1 monster your opponent controls; banish it. During the next Standby Phase, it returns to the opponent's side of the field in the same Battle Position.
Past Image — Power Evaluation
Final Score: 35 ± 5 · Confidence: Low
- Intrinsic: 39 · Deck: — · Meta: provisional
- Primary role: Removal · Secondary: Board breaker
Why it scores here
Past Image is a temporary removal effect locked exclusively to Psychic-Type decks. While it provides situational disruption by banishing an opponent's monster for one turn cycle, the delayed return and archetype restriction severely limit its utility. Without evidence of practical deck integration or proven combo synergy, and given its heavy Psychic-only requirement, the card scores primarily on its clear removal role with substantial deductions for accessibility and archetype lock.
Axis scores
| Axis | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | 35 | Requires a face-up Psychic-Type monster as a condition, making it inaccessible outside Psychic decks (inferred). |
| Combo & Conversion | 25 | The card is purely reactive removal with no board-building capability or combo extension potential (inferred). |
| Resource Economy | 35 | Costs 1 card slot for temporary disruption; the opponent reclaims the banished monster after 1 turn, yielding no net card advantage (verified). |
| Effect & Interaction | 50 | Provides moderate, soft interaction by temporarily removing a threat, but the limited duration and non-permanent nature restrict its disruption value (verified). |
| Material Utility | 5 | Trap cards cannot serve as Synchro/Xyz/Fusion material, and this card has no archetype affiliation for special material effects (verified). |
| Resilience & Flexibility | 30 | The card is a one-time effect with no built-in recovery or recursion; resilience depends entirely on the Psychic deck's other resources (inferred). |
| Deck-Building Efficiency | 25 | Heavy archetype restriction (Psychic-only activation) makes it a significant deck-building cost; completely unusable in non-Psychic decks (verified). |
Calculation
Weight profile: Primary role: Removal/Negation. Intrinsic ≈ 39, Deck ≈ —, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: Archetype lock (Psychic-only) (-3); Temporary removal with 1-turn delay (-1). Final formula: Final = Intrinsic (provisional; no decks or combos supplied)
Strengths
- Clear, straightforward card text with no ambiguous timing
- Functions in all four supplied formats (TCG, OCG, MasterDuel, DuelLinks)
- Provides guaranteed disruption against opponent's monsters for one turn
- Psychic decks have built-in synergy with the card's condition
Weaknesses
- Requires a face-up Psychic-Type monster to activate, making it a dead card in non-Psychic decks
- Temporary removal only — opponent's monster returns after 1 turn, limiting long-term disruption
- No card advantage or resource refuel mechanism
- Competes for spell/trap zone space in already-tight Psychic lists
Counters / choke points
- Non-Psychic decks cannot activate the card
- Traps destroyed before activation via opponent's turn trap destruction
- Decks that can pivot or rebuild strategies within the 1-turn window
- Graveyard negation effects
Best use
Situational removal and board disruption. Decks: Psychic-Type decks, Psychic Synchro.
Evidence & gaps
- Verified: Card text present: temporary banish effect requiring face-up Psychic-Type monster; Card returns to opponent's field in same Battle Position after next opponent Standby Phase; Legal in TCG, OCG, MasterDuel, DuelLinks formats; Trap Card type with no ATK/DEF or material utility
- Inferred: Primary role is removal/board disruption due to temporary banish mechanic; Archetype lock to Psychic-Type decks severely restricts accessibility and splashability; Situational effectiveness depends heavily on matchup and meta composition; In Psychic decks, acts as reactive disruption rather than proactive strategy enabler
- Data gaps: No deck evidence — no archetype homes identified; cannot confirm synergy or inclusion rates No combo evidence — no practical application examples or proven combo conversion No guides — no human context on card utility, matchups, or strategic role No usage statistics (StatisticsCard) — cannot verify historical inclusion % across Psychic decks No banlist status explicitly supplied — assumed 3 copies legal in all formats