Red Screen

Red Screen — Power Evaluation

Final Score: 59 ± 5 · Confidence: Medium

• Intrinsic: 61 · Deck: 60 · Meta: provisional
• Primary role: Floodgate/Control · Secondary: Recovery/Recursion

Why it scores here

Red Screen is a dedicated attack lock in Archfiend and Resonator decks, running in ~60% of sampled homes with 97.8% partner overlap to Red Dragon Archfiend. The attack prevention is solid disruption within its archetypes, but it's a soft lock—modern decks win through effects—and the mandatory 1000 LP per-turn cost severely constrains viability outside resource-dense homes. The secondary GY recovery for Level 1 Tuners is archetype-specific utility with minimal combo support. No recorded combo appearances despite 400-deck sample limits confidence in its board-building impact.

Axis scores

Calculation

Weight profile: 0.7 Floodgate/Control + 0.3 Recovery/Recursion. Intrinsic ≈ 61, Deck ≈ 60, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: Mandatory LP cost (-3); Tight archetype synergy (2). Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck

Strengths

• Soft attack lock sustainable for multiple turns when LP cost is paid
• Very strong synergy with Red Dragon Archfiend (97.8% co-occurrence) and Resonator Tuner lines
• Accessible within Archfiend (33.2%) and Resonator (27.2%) archetypes via multiple support cards
• Level 1 Tuner recovery provides graveyard utility outlet for Resonator variants

Weaknesses

• Mandatory 1000 LP per-turn cost makes it unsustainable in resource-stretched games or against mill/burn strategies
• Soft attack lock ineffective against decks that win through effects, direct damage, or ability resolution
• GY recovery effect requires Red Dragon Archfiend on field, reducing flexibility and requiring additional setup
• Single-copy inclusion pattern indicates the lock is not redundant; one removal ends the disruption
• Vulnerable to standard trap removal (MST, Feather Duster, Cosmic Cyclone)

Counters / choke points

• Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring (can negate the GY recovery effect if chained)
• Trap removal (MST, Feather Duster, Cosmic Cyclone, Red Reboot)
• Effect-based win conditions (burn, mill, effect damage that bypass attack declaration)
• LP-burn strategies (opponent can apply pressure faster than 1000 LP per turn)

Best use

First-turn soft attack lock; Level 1 Tuner recovery outlet for Resonator Synchro lines. Decks: Archfiend, Resonator, Bystial/Byssted. Suggested copies: 1.

Evidence & gaps

• Verified: Attack prevention: 'Your opponent's monsters cannot declare attacks' (card text); Mandatory LP cost: 'During each of your End Phases, you must pay 1000 LP...this is not optional' (card text); Red Dragon Archfiend requirement: 'Red Dragon Archfiend must be on the field to activate and resolve' (card text); Deck inclusion: 400 decks sampled; 33.2% Archfiend, 27.2% Resonator, across 23 distinct archetypes (deck evidence); Partner synergy: 97.8% co-occurrence with Red Dragon Archfiend (deck evidence); Copy pattern: 397/400 decks run exactly 1 copy, 3 run 3 copies (deck evidence)
• Observed: Strong integration into Resonator and Archfiend synergy chains evidenced by top partners list (Vision Resonator, Soul Resonator, Synkron Resonator all 77%+); Cross-archetype portability (23 distinct archetypes) suggests generic value of the attack lock; Absence from combo database despite 400-deck sample suggests card is not a combo starter/extender or combos were not recorded for this card
• Inferred: GY recovery effect is archetype-specific and requires pre-existing field state (Red Dragon Archfiend) plus graveyard setup, limiting flexibility; Attack lock is soft disruption; does not negate, remove, or prevent effect damage, reducing impact against modern effect-heavy strategies; 1000 LP per-turn cost makes the card a strategic commitment requiring deck resources to sustain; Primary classification: Floodgate/Control with secondary Recovery/Recursion role based on text and deck positioning
• Data gaps: No combos supplied (0 appearances in 0 combo boards) — cannot verify if GY recovery effect is practically useful in real sequences or if card serves as combo piece No guides supplied — no expert analysis of role, meta positioning, matchup-specific applications, or strategic context No usage statistics (StatisticsCard table) — inclusion percentages and typical copies inferred from 400-deck sample only; may not reflect broader historical trends No banlist data — assumed unlimited copies legal (max 3); if restricted to 1 or 2, score would adjust downward No top-card ranking data — does not appear in format championship finisher statistics, limiting confidence in competitive tier No explicit rulings — edge cases around LP payment timing and interaction with board wipes during End Phase untested in evidence