Spell
NormalPower Bond
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8853
Fusion Summon 1 Machine Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck, using monsters from your hand or field as Fusion Material, and it gains ATK equal to its original ATK. During the End Phase of the turn this card is activated, you take damage equal to the amount of ATK gained from this effect at the time of the Summon.
Power Bond — Power Evaluation
Final Score: 53 ± 6 · Confidence: Medium
- Intrinsic: 52 · Deck: 59 · Meta: provisional
- Primary role: Combo enabler · Secondary: Utility
Why it scores here
Power Bond earns its score by enabling Machine Fusion Summons with doubled ATK, making it the mandatory OTK engine in Cyber Dragon and Cyberdark decks — its presence in all 10 recorded combos with an average power index of 94.1 confirms the boards it enables are genuinely powerful. Accessibility is constrained by the need to draw the spell and have suitable Machine Fusion materials on hand or field, while the End Phase self-damage equal to ATK gained is a real risk that limits use to turns where an OTK or near-OTK is achievable. The Machine Fusion restriction and complete absence of any protective or interactive effect keep resilience, effect interaction, and material utility low, pulling the overall score well below generic staple territory. The inflated ATK on the summoned monster did not directly contribute to any axis score — only its functional role in completing the winning board line did.
Axis scores
| Axis | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | 55 | Power Bond is drawn naturally at 1–2 copies in dedicated Machine Fusion decks; it requires both the spell in hand and ready Machine Fusion materials, placing it at moderate accessibility dependent on the deck's internal engine rather than a self-contained one-card line (inferred). |
| Combo & Conversion | 75 | Appears in all 10 recorded combos with avg power index 94.1; example boards show 3–4 end-board monsters and net card advantage of +4 to +6, confirming strong combo output when the spell resolves (observed). |
| Resource Economy | 55 | As a Fusion Spell consuming 2+ cards from hand or field it is a net minus in isolation, but the resulting boards in combo examples recover and exceed the investment with +4 to +6 net card advantage when the combo lands (inferred). |
| Effect & Interaction | 10 | Power Bond is a Normal Spell with no disruptive effects whatsoever; it provides zero hand-trap reach, no negation capability, and no response against the opponent at any point (verified). |
| Material Utility | 5 | Power Bond is a Spell Card with no body and cannot serve as Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, or Link material in any zone (verified). |
| Resilience & Flexibility | 30 | As a Normal Spell, Power Bond is fully exposed to spell negation; if the Fusion Monster is destroyed before End Phase the self-damage still triggers, and a single Solemn Strike or equivalent collapses the entire line while leaving a damage debt (verified). |
| Deck-Building Efficiency | 60 | Runs optimally at 1 copy — 292 of 400 sampled decks run exactly 1 — imposing minimal deckbuilding cost; restricted to Machine Fusion-capable decks but is not an in-archetype brick once the core engine is assembled (observed). |
Calculation
Weight profile: 0.7 Combo enabler + 0.3 Utility. Intrinsic ≈ 52, Deck ≈ 59, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: Self-damage drawback (-3). Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck
Strengths
- Doubles the ATK of any Machine Fusion Monster it summons, creating strong OTK potential in one activation
- 100% deck inclusion rate across 400 sampled decks confirms it is a mandatory core piece in its archetypes
- Appears in all 10 recorded combos with avg power index 94.1, enabling boards with 3–4 end-board monsters and +4 to +6 net card advantage
- Accepts materials from hand or field, giving flexibility in how the Fusion is assembled mid-combo
Weaknesses
- End Phase self-damage equal to ATK gained — using it on a 2100-ATK base Fusion Monster deals 2100 damage to the controller
- Restricted to Machine Fusion Monsters only, confining it to dedicated Machine Fusion archetypes
- Normal Spell with no built-in protection; a single spell negation ends the play while the damage risk lingers
- Not directly searchable by most Cyber Dragon or Cyberdark spell/trap searchers, requiring it to be drawn naturally
Counters / choke points
- Spell negation (Solemn Strike, Heavenly Gate) stops the Fusion Summon while potentially leaving the activation cost unrecoverable
- Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring or similar hand traps targeting Fusion Material search steps upstream in the combo chain
- Destroying the Fusion Monster before End Phase still forces the self-damage without delivering the kill
- Stall or board-lock strategies that prevent the OTK turn force the controller to absorb the End Phase damage with no payoff
Best use
OTK Fusion enabler; activate on the turn you plan to complete the kill line, not as a speculative investment. Decks: Cyber Dragon, Cyberdark, Infinitrack. Suggested copies: 1.
Evidence & gaps
- Verified: Normal Spell Card; no ATK or DEF stat; Effect: Fusion Summon 1 Machine Fusion Monster using monsters from hand or field as Fusion Material; The summoned Fusion Monster gains ATK equal to its original ATK at the time of summon (effective ATK doubling); End Phase of the activation turn: controller takes damage equal to the ATK gained by this effect; No once-per-turn restriction stated in the card text
- Observed: 400 of 400 sampled decks run Power Bond in the main deck; Average 1.28 copies per deck; 292 run exactly 1 copy, 103 run 2, 5 run 3; Appears in all 10 recorded combos with avg power index 94.1 and avg starter count of 0.4; 30 distinct archetypes present across the deck sample; 100% inclusion rate in Cyber Dragon (DuelLinks), Infinitrack, and Cyberdark (DuelLinks) per usage statistics
- Inferred: OTK enabler: doubled ATK on Chimeratech Rampage Dragon (2100 → 4200) or similar is the primary win condition of Cyber Dragon combo lines; 1-copy optimal to minimize brick risk while preserving access when the combo window opens; Self-damage makes the card a liability in any game state other than a decisive winning turn
- Data gaps: no banlist token — assumed 3 copies (unlimited) Combo role fields all show 0 despite 100% combo appearance — the role tracking system likely does not tag Normal Spells as starter/material/payoff roles, leaving the card's exact combo function unclassified in the evidence No dated metagame sample to confirm current competitive relevance across TCG, OCG, and Master Duel formats No rulings data for edge cases such as multiple Power Bond activations in one turn or LP-damage resolution order