DARK
4Phonon Pulse Dragon
ATK:
1900
DEF:
800
View:
3225
1 Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters When this card is Synchro Summoned: You can declare a Level from 1 to 3; this card becomes that Level, also you cannot Special Summon for the rest of this turn, except for a Synchro Summon using this card as a Synchro Material. You can only Special Summon "Phonon Pulse Dragon(s)" once per turn.
Phonon Pulse Dragon — Power Evaluation
Final Score: 64 ± 6 · Confidence: Medium
- Intrinsic: 65 · Deck: 63 · Meta: provisional
- Primary role: Combo enabler · Secondary: Material body
Why it scores here
Phonon Pulse Dragon earns its score as a versatile Synchro climbing bridge that converts a standard Level 4 Synchro setup into a flexible Tuner at Level 1–3, opening access to Synchro Levels 5–11 without requiring a separate hand Tuner — a role its presence in 35 distinct archetypes confirms is genuinely useful across strategies. The post-activation lock that restricts all further Special Summons to only the Synchro using this card is a real sequencing cost but is manageable when PPD is placed correctly in the combo line. The 1900 ATK contributes nothing to this score; all value derives from Level adjustment flexibility and Synchro Tuner status. Complete absence of opponent-facing interaction prevents the score from climbing further.
Axis scores
| Axis | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | 62 | Level 4 Synchro with standard materials (Tuner + non-Tuner) is achievable in any Synchro-oriented strategy; 35 distinct archetypes in the 81-deck sample confirm broad cross-strategy accessibility (observed). |
| Combo & Conversion | 68 | Adjusting to Level 1–3 enables reaching Synchro Levels 5–11 depending on partner Level — Baronne de Fleur (Level 10 Synchro) as a top co-deck partner in 34 decks is consistent with a Level 2 + Level 8 climbing line; no combo DB entries exist so this is text-only inference (inferred). |
| Resource Economy | 50 | Two monsters spent to summon PPD which then becomes the Tuner for one more Synchro — approximately card-neutral; no search, draw, or GY-recovery effect is present in the text (verified). |
| Effect & Interaction | 10 | The card text carries zero opponent-facing disruption — no negation, no removal, no hand-trap reach; the effect is entirely self-targeting Level adjustment (verified). |
| Material Utility | 75 | As a Synchro Tuner with adjustable Level 1–3, DARK attribute, Dragon type, it fills a Tuner role that a hand-Tuner cannot occupy at the same mid-combo timing — the highest-value axis for this card (verified). |
| Resilience & Flexibility | 45 | A negate on the Synchro Summon trigger stops the intended play entirely; Level 1/2/3 flexibility does allow accessing multiple distinct Synchro targets from the same starting board (inferred). |
| Deck-Building Efficiency | 68 | 80 of 81 sampled decks run exactly 1 copy, imposing minimal slot cost; no archetype lock post-use, though Synchro infrastructure is required for the card to function at all (observed). |
Calculation
Weight profile: 0.7 × Combo enabler + 0.3 × Material body. Intrinsic ≈ 65, Deck ≈ 63, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: none. Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck
Strengths
- Flexible Level adjustment to 1–3 from a single Synchro enables access to a wide range of Synchro Levels without a separate hand Tuner
- Synchro Tuner status is unique — it is both an Extra Deck output and a Tuner for the next Synchro, compressing two combo steps into one
- Genuinely generic: appears across 35 distinct archetypes without requiring archetype membership
- Near-zero deckbuilding cost — effectively a 1-of with no imposed lock on the deck's strategy
Weaknesses
- Hard post-activation lock: after declaring a Level, the only permitted Special Summon for the rest of the turn is the Synchro using PPD as material
- Zero opponent interaction — cannot disrupt the opponent's plays in any form
- Requires existing Synchro infrastructure; dead weight in pure Link or Xyz strategies
- A single negate on the Synchro Summon trigger shuts down the entire intended play
Counters / choke points
- Effect Veiler or Infinite Impermanence negating PPD's effect on the field leaves an unadjusted Level 4 Tuner and blocks the climbing line
- Nibiru, the Primal Being if the Synchro sequence involves enough Special Summons before PPD is reached
- Any floodgate that prevents Synchro Summons (e.g., Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo, Vanity's Emptiness) renders PPD's effect completely moot
Best use
Mid-combo Synchro climbing bridge — summon as Level 4, declare target Level, immediately Synchro into the required boss monster. Decks: White Forest, Archfiend, Synchron, Majestic, Resonator, Azamina, Any Synchro-heavy strategy requiring a Level 1–3 Tuner mid-combo. Suggested copies: 1.
Evidence & gaps
- Verified: Synchro Tuner Monster — can be used as Tuner for a second Synchro Summon after being Synchro Summoned itself; Level 4 Synchro requiring 1 Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters; On-Synchro-Summon optional effect: declare Level 1–3; this card becomes that Level; Post-effect lock: cannot Special Summon for the rest of the turn except a Synchro Summon using this card as material; OPT clause on the Phonon Pulse Dragon name limits one copy summoned per turn; Legal in TCG, OCG, Master Duel, and Duel Links formats
- Observed: Present in 81 decks across 35 distinct archetypes in the deck sample; Almost always run as exactly 1 copy (80 of 81 decks run 1 copy); Baronne de Fleur (Level 10 Synchro) appears as co-deck partner in 34 decks, consistent with a Level 2 PPD + Level 8 non-Tuner climbing line
- Inferred: Enables Synchro Levels 5–11 by combining adjusted Level 1–3 with a partner monster of the appropriate Level; Synchro Tuner status makes it efficient as a bridge — converts one Synchro summon into material for another without needing a separate hand Tuner at that point; The post-activation lock means PPD should be the penultimate Synchro in a line, not placed when other Special Summons are still required
- Data gaps: No combo records — combo conversion axis scored from text inference only No guides — no community confirmation of optimal sequencing or known rulings edge cases No banlist token — assumed unlimited (3 copies legal) across all formats No usage statistics (StatisticsCard) — archetype inclusion rates inferred from the 81-deck sample only