Trap
NormalPulse Mines
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5941
If you control a Machine monster: Change your opponent's Attack Position monsters (if any) to Defense Position, also, until the end of this turn, if a monster(s) is Normal or Special Summoned to your opponent's field, change them to Defense Position.
Pulse Mines — Power Evaluation
Final Score: 58 ± 5 · Confidence: Medium
- Intrinsic: 59 · Deck: 59 · Meta: provisional
- Primary role: Floodgate / Control · Secondary: Board breaker, Soft removal
Why it scores here
Pulse Mines is a specialized defensive control tool that excels at locking opponent monsters in Defense Position, but falls short of high power due to its one-time effect and lack of inherent advantage generation. The card's main strength is accessibility in Machine-focused decks (138 decks across 33 archetypes, especially Meklord at 20.3%), where activation is reliable. However, without combo amplification and providing zero card advantage, it remains a situational tech rather than a power driver.
Axis scores
| Axis | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | 70 | Activation requires controlling a Machine monster, which is satisfied in most decks running it; 138 decks with 33 distinct archetypes confirm broad splashability in Machine strategies (verified). |
| Combo & Conversion | 30 | No combo appearances in the database and the card's text produces no board or advantage by itself, only defensive lockdown (verified). |
| Resource Economy | 35 | Pure −1 card cost with no refuel, card draw, or compensating advantage; effect is one-time per activation (verified). |
| Effect & Interaction | 65 | Flips opponent monsters to Defense Position and locks newly summoned monsters in Defense until end of turn, providing solid but situational board control (verified). |
| Material Utility | 10 | Trap card with no material utility; cannot be used as Synchro/Xyz/Fusion/Link material and has no recovery synergy (verified). |
| Resilience & Flexibility | 45 | Single-use effect that resolves immediately; depends on maintaining a Machine monster for future uses, with no persistent board presence (verified). |
| Deck-Building Efficiency | 65 | Runs at 1–3 copies in 138 decks with good flexibility; most common at 2 copies, showing it is a flexible tech rather than a locked-in requirement (observed). |
Calculation
Weight profile: Primary role Floodgate/Control. Intrinsic ≈ 59, Deck ≈ 59, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: DuelLinks format restriction (-1). Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck (both equal at 59; −1 modifier for DuelLinks 2-copy limit)
Strengths
- Reliable activation in Machine-heavy decks with 138 documented instances across 33 archetypes
- Dual-layered lockdown: flips existing Attack Position monsters and locks new summons in Defense until turn end
- Flexible inclusion at 1–3 copies; does not force deck-building constraints
- Strong synergy with Machine staples like Gear Gigant X (50 co-decks) and Heavy Armored Train Ironwolf (46 co-decks)
Weaknesses
- Provides zero card advantage; pure −1 cost with no refuel or compensation
- Single-use effect per activation; no persistent board presence or multi-turn value
- Requires maintaining a Machine monster on field for continued activation utility
- Ineffective against all-effect or all-negation strategies; does not interact with hand effects
- Absence of combo board integration limits ceiling in combo-heavy environments
Counters / choke points
- Solemn Strike and Solemn Judgment negate activation at Spell Speed 2
- Effect Veiler and Impermanence can negate the effect before resolution
- Decks with hand traps or removal that resolve before Pulse Mines activates
- Opponent control effects that eliminate your Machine monsters, breaking the activation condition
Best use
Going-second defensive tech to lock opponent board after summons. Decks: Meklord, Gimmick Puppet, Sky Striker, Qliphort, Railway. Suggested copies: 2.
Evidence & gaps
- Verified: Card text requires Machine monster to activate; Primary effect flips opponent's Attack Position monsters to Defense Position; Secondary effect locks newly summoned monsters in Defense Position until end of turn; Trap card type; resolves at Spell Speed 2; Runs in 138 decks across 33 distinct archetypes; Most common inclusion 2 copies (84 of 138 decks); Highest usage in Meklord (28 decks, 20.3%), Sky Striker (17 decks), Gimmick Puppet (10 decks)
- Observed: Top partners are Machine-focused: Gear Gigant X (50 decks), Heavy Armored Train Ironwolf (46 decks); Secondary partners are staple interaction: Book of Moon (45 decks), Mystical Space Typhoon (35 decks); Featured in Tech sections of 4 guides for Gimmick Puppet, Roid, Dinomist; Legal copies in DuelLinks: 2 (restricted vs TCG/OCG 3-copy limit)
- Inferred: Acts as soft removal by preventing opponent attacks for the turn; Provides going-second defensive utility after opponent's summons; Secondary effect prevents setup summons occurring on the same turn; Deck synergy requires at least one consistently-live Machine monster; Control-oriented role indicates use in defensive strategies rather than combo acceleration
- Data gaps: No combo board data provided (0 combos); combo conversion scored from text inference only No Top Card rankings; cannot confirm metagame tier or competitive viability StatisticsCard data limited to 1 archetype (Deskbot 100% inclusion) despite 138 decks in 33 archetypes; broader historical inclusion unknown No detailed rulings documentation on timing interactions with simultaneous summons or complex chain scenarios