DARK
5Shadow Vampire
Archetype:
Vampire
ATK:
2000
DEF:
0
View:
4367
Cannot be used as material for an Xyz Summon, except for the Xyz Summon of a DARK monster. When this card is Normal Summoned: You can Special Summon 1 DARK "Vampire" monster from your hand or Deck, except "Shadow Vampire", but monsters you control cannot attack for the rest of this turn, except that Special Summoned monster.
Shadow Vampire — Power Evaluation
Final Score: 51 ± 6 · Confidence: Medium
- Intrinsic: 52 · Deck: 55 · Meta: provisional
- Primary role: Starter · Secondary: Combo enabler, Material body
Why it scores here
Shadow Vampire is an archetypal Normal-Summon starter: the moment it hits the field it Special Summons any DARK "Vampire" monster from hand or Deck, which is a real, one-card route into the Vampire engine that the deck sample confirms is used (152 decks, ~90% co-deck rates with Vampire Scarlet Scourge, Retainer, Familiar and Domination). Its ceiling is held down by structure, not by stats: it is a Level 5 that needs a Tribute for its Normal Summon, its effect only fires on Normal Summon (never on revival or Special Summon), and the turn is locked so only the summoned monster may attack. Its 2000 ATK and Level-5 body earn no points by themselves; the body earns only modest material credit as a DARK Zombie that is legal for DARK Xyz Summons and Link/Synchro plays. Because no combo evidence exists, conversion and resilience are text-based inferences and confidence is capped at Medium.
Axis scores
| Axis | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | 48 | Text requires a Normal Summon (a Tribute at Level 5) and the effect summons from hand or Deck, so it is a live but cost-gated starter rather than a free opening-hand play (inferred). |
| Combo & Conversion | 56 | On resolution it puts any DARK "Vampire" from hand or Deck onto the field, but it costs a Tribute to get there and locks all other attacks, so it builds roughly one extra body with help rather than an unassisted full board (inferred). |
| Resource Economy | 50 | Summoning from the Deck is card-neutral-to-positive, but the Tribute expenditure means the net is roughly even unless the tributed monster already floated on leaving the field (inferred). |
| Effect & Interaction | 18 | The card text contains no negation, removal or disruption of any kind; all interaction comes from the monster it summons, not from Shadow Vampire (verified). |
| Material Utility | 58 | It is a Level 5 DARK Zombie usable for Link and Synchro plays and legal Xyz material for DARK Xyz Summons such as Dhampir Vampire Sheridan and The Zombie Vampire, though the non-DARK Xyz restriction narrows that utility (verified). |
| Resilience & Flexibility | 35 | The effect is Normal-Summon-only with no GY recursion or protection, 0 DEF, and it does nothing if revived or Special Summoned, so a single summon-negate or removal blanks it (verified). |
| Deck-Building Efficiency | 50 | Sampled decks use it as a near-single copy (113 of 152 at 1, average 1.32), the slot cost is low, but it is archetype-locked and bricks when drawn without Tribute fodder (observed). |
Calculation
Weight profile: 0.7 Starter + 0.3 Material body. Intrinsic ≈ 52, Deck ≈ 55, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: Self-imposed attack restriction (-3). Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck
Strengths
- Normal Summon trigger Special Summons any DARK "Vampire" monster (except itself) from hand or Deck, a direct one-card route into the archetype's key bodies.
- Confirmed archetype core: 152 sampled decks run it, with 87-91% co-deck rates alongside Vampire Scarlet Scourge, Vampire Retainer, Vampire Familiar and Vampire Domination.
- Level 5 DARK Zombie with 2000 ATK is a legitimate DARK Xyz material (Dhampir Vampire Sheridan, The Zombie Vampire) and a usable Link/Synchro body even if its effect is blanked.
- Cheap on slots: the vast majority of sampled lists run a single copy (average 1.32).
Weaknesses
- Level 5 means a Tribute is required for the Normal Summon, and drawing it without fodder makes it a dead card in hand.
- The effect only triggers on Normal Summon; reviving or Special Summoning it produces a vanilla 2000/0 body with no effect.
- Cannot be used as Xyz Material except for a DARK Xyz Summon, restricting generic Rank 5 access.
- Provides no protection or disruption itself, has 0 DEF, and dies to any single piece of removal.
- The attack lock means it cannot convert into a damage turn, so it is a setup or defensive play only.
Counters / choke points
- Solemn Strike / Solemn Warning / Horn of Heaven on the Normal Summon
- Effect Veiler or Infinite Imperceptible on the Normal Summon trigger
- Skill Drain (the summon effect resolves on field, and it also blanks the summoned body)
- Any spot removal or board wipe after resolution, exploiting the lock to only one creature attacking
- Graveyard-hate effects such as Soul Drain or Called by the Grave against the summoned Vampire's own recursion
Best use
Archetype starter / Normal Summon engine piece that cheats a DARK Vampire out of the Deck before committing to Xyz or Link plays. Decks: Vampires, Zombie (Vampire engine). Suggested copies: 1.
Evidence & gaps
- Verified: Card text: 'Cannot be used as material for an Xyz Summon, except for the Xyz Summon of a DARK monster.'; Card text: 'When this card is Normal Summoned: You can Special Summon 1 DARK "Vampire" monster from your hand or Deck, except "Shadow Vampire"'; Card text: 'monsters you control cannot attack for the rest of this turn, except that Special Summoned monster.'; Stats/profile: Level 5 DARK Zombie Effect Monster, 2000 ATK / 0 DEF, Vampire archetype, legal in TCG/OCG/Master Duel/Duel Links.
- Observed: 152 sampled decks run the card, all in the main deck (152 main, 0 side).; Copy spread: 113 decks at 1, 29 at 2, 10 at 3; average 1.32 copies.; Archetype distribution is dominated by Vampires listings (62.5%, 7.2%, 5.3% on separate archetype IDs), with small splashes into Red-Eyes, Vendread, Shiranui, Mayakashi Shiranui, Eldlich and Gold Pride.; Top co-deck partners are all Vampire cards plus Foolish Burial, at 75-91% co-occurrence.
- Inferred: Because the effect is Normal-Summon-only and the monster is Level 5, it realistically functions as a Tribute-dependent starter rather than a standalone one-card play.; It is best used to fetch a key Vampire body and then convert into a DARK Xyz (Dhampir Vampire Sheridan, The Zombie Vampire) or Link play.; Drawing it without Tribute fodder makes it a dead card, which is why the sampled lists overwhelmingly run a single copy.; The attack restriction means its typical turn is setup/defensive rather than an OTK push.
- Data gaps: no combos supplied — combo conversion is text-only inference no guides supplied no banlist token — assumed 3 copies (unlimited) no usage statistics (StatisticsCard) — archetype inclusion % inferred from deck sample only several archetype IDs are all labelled 'Vampires', so distinct_archetypes overstates cross-archetype portability