FIRE
8Pyrorex the Elemental Lord
Archetype:
Elemental Lord
ATK:
2800
DEF:
2200
View:
3592
Cannot be Normal Summoned/Set. Must be Special Summoned (from your hand) by having exactly 5 FIRE monsters in your GY. When this card is Special Summoned: You can target 1 monster your opponent controls; destroy it, and if you do, both players take damage equal to half the original ATK of the destroyed monster. You can only use this effect of "Pyrorex the Elemental Lord" once per turn. If this face-up card leaves the field, skip the Battle Phase of your next turn.
Pyrorex the Elemental Lord — Power Evaluation
Final Score: 55 ± 5 · Confidence: Medium
- Intrinsic: 59 · Deck: 56 · Meta: provisional
- Primary role: Boss/End-board · Secondary: Removal
Why it scores here
Pyrorex is a niche archetype payoff that removes one blocker per turn and deals split damage, but only in FIRE-heavy decks with exactly 5 monsters already in the graveyard. Its high ATK (2800) and clean Level 8 material utility provide value, but the zero combo evidence and archetype-specific summoning condition significantly limit its accessibility and power ceiling. The penalty effect of skipping your Battle Phase if it leaves the field creates a meaningful trade-off that further constrains when you can safely summon it.
Axis scores
| Axis | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | 65 | Requires exactly 5 FIRE in GY, but all 19 decks running Pyrorex are FIRE-heavy or Dinosaur-focused (Evol, Salamangreat, Volcanic, Fire King), making the condition consistently achievable in context (Observed: 12 distinct archetypes with 1.21 avg copies) |
| Combo & Conversion | 35 | Destroys one opponent monster with shared damage output but does not extend into a full board or chain into multiple advantages; does not appear in any recorded combo boards (Verified: combo data.total combos = 0) |
| Resource Economy | 50 | Removes one card for the cost of one card played, achieving roughly even economy; the penalty effect (skip Battle Phase if removed) represents a hidden cost that discourages early deployment (Inferred: card text effect and penalty clause interaction) |
| Effect & Interaction | 62 | Provides hard removal of a single target with a damage clause per turn, but lacks flexibility of negation or board wipes and is restricted to once per turn (Verified: Card.description 'once per turn' and 'destroy' single target) |
| Material Utility | 72 | Level 8 FIRE Dinosaur body with 2800 ATK is clean material for Synchro/Xyz/Link summons; appears in 47.4% of decks with Evolzar synchros (Dolkka, Laggia) and I:P Masquerena, confirming strong material synergy (Observed: deck data.top partners) |
| Resilience & Flexibility | 55 | Survives being negated as a material body, but the penalty effect creates significant risk if removed; most decks run 1 copy (89.5%), resulting in low redundancy and fragility on draw (Verified: Card.description penalty clause; Observed: copies per deck distribution) |
| Deck-Building Efficiency | 65 | Requires FIRE-heavy deckbuilding but does not self-lock into a play pattern; runs at 1.21 copies on average, indicating low slot cost in homes already designed for 5-FIRE graveyard setup (Observed: deck data.copies per deck.avg and archetype composition) |
Calculation
Weight profile: 0.7 Boss/End-board + 0.3 Removal. Intrinsic ≈ 59, Deck ≈ 56, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: Penalty effect (skip Battle Phase if removed) (-2). Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck
Strengths
- Hard removal bypasses monster float and continuous effects
- Shared damage clause provides a clock alongside the removal
- Solid Level 8 material for Synchro/Xyz/Link summons in FIRE decks
- Runs in multiple established homes (Evol, Salamangreat, Volcanic, Fire King) with strong partner synergy
- Pairs well with Dinosaur searchers (Fossil Dig) and GY-mill enablers
Weaknesses
- Requires exactly 5 FIRE in GY, restricting it to archetype-specific homes and making it inaccessible as a generic tech
- Does not extend into combos or build boards; functions only as a single-target removal payoff
- Penalty effect (skip Battle Phase if removed) creates significant risk if the card is removed early in turn sequence
- Only once-per-turn removal limits board-clearing potential in multi-blocker scenarios
- Low redundancy in most decks (89.5% run 1 copy), creating fragility on draw
Counters / choke points
- Hand traps negating the summoning condition or effect (Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring, Effect Veiler)
- Pre-activation removal (Infinite Impermanence) that prevents the effect from resolving
- Graveyard disruption that prevents setup of exactly 5 FIRE monsters
- Bounce effects that remove Pyrorex without triggering destruction (e.g., Raigeki Break, bounce-based Link monsters)
Best use
Secondary payoff threat after GY setup phase; single-target removal with damage clock. Decks: Evol, Salamangreat, Volcanic, Fire King, Jurrac. Suggested copies: 1.
Evidence & gaps
- Verified: Card text permits summoning only from hand with exactly 5 FIRE in GY; Once-per-turn destruction effect with shared damage to both players; Penalty effect: skip Battle Phase if the card leaves the field; Runs in 19 decks across 12 distinct archetypes with data spanning 2022-10 to 2025-01; Average 1.21 copies per deck; 89.5% of decks run 1 copy, 10.5% run 3 copies
- Observed: Hiita the Fire Charmer, Ablaze is a top partner in 57.9% of decks, indicating Salamangreat/Fire King synergy; Evolzar synchros (Dolkka, Laggia) co-appear in 47.4% of decks, confirming Evol as a primary home; Fossil Dig (Dinosaur tutor) in 47.4% of decks, supporting graveyard setup infrastructure; Evol archetype is the most common home at 15.8% of decks (3 decks), followed by multiple 2-deck archetypes; Gameplay type distribution: 68.4% Type-7, 31.6% Type-4, suggesting playable in multiple formats
- Inferred: Summoning condition (exactly 5 FIRE in GY) is accessible in the FIRE/Dinosaur-focused homes that run the card; Card functions as a payoff threat, not a combo starter, based on text effect and zero recorded combo appearances; Penalty effect creates a meaningful trade-off: powerful removal option but risky if removed early; GenericUtility capped at 60 rather than 85 because card is archetype-specific (FIRE/Dinosaur requirement), not a universal staple; Decks run 1 copy on average, indicating it is a utility payoff threat, not a linchpin of the strategy
- Data gaps: No combos supplied — combo conversion scored from text inference only; cannot confirm whether it chains into extended plays or is a true payoff No guides supplied — no human strategy context on its role in archetype builds or tech decisions No banlist token — assumed unlimited (3 copies); unknown if card is restricted/limited in any format No usage statistics (StatisticsCard) — archetype inclusion % and consistency inferred from small deck sample (19 decks) only; larger historical dataset unavailable No top-card rankings — cannot confirm it is actively played in top-tier tournament results or metagame