Trap
ContinuousShadow-Imprisoning Mirror
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4981
Negate all DARK monster effects activated on the field or in the Graveyard.
Shadow-Imprisoning Mirror — Power Evaluation
Final Score: 61 ± 5 · Confidence: Medium
- Intrinsic: 60 · Deck: 58 · Meta: provisional
- Primary role: Floodgate/Control · Secondary: Negation/Interaction
Why it scores here
Shadow-Imprisoning Mirror is a pure reactive Continuous Trap: combo data records 0 appearances and it does nothing on its own turn, so it earns nothing for board-building. What it does convert reliably is a free, non-once-per-turn blanket negation of every DARK monster effect activated on the field or in the Graveyard, which is genuinely hard-to-play-around interaction in DARK-heavy matchups. Its accessibility is only 'draw it and set it' (no searcher, Trap speed) and it is dead against non-DARK decks, so it scores as a situational floodgate rather than a powerhouse. Its 0 ATK/DEF and Trap status contribute nothing to the score; the wide 400-deck, 105-archetype presence confirms it is a practical splashable tech pick, not that it is intrinsically strong.
Axis scores
| Axis | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | 55 | A Continuous Trap with no search or summon route in the evidence - it is live only once drawn, though 400 main-decked lists show it is practically played (verified). |
| Combo & Conversion | 15 | 0 combo appearances and no starter role/material role/payoff role role in combo data; the card builds no board and does nothing on its own turn (observed). |
| Resource Economy | 38 | It is a -1 card out of hand whose only return is repeated free negations over several turns; the description grants no draw, search, or Graveyard refuel (inferred). |
| Effect & Interaction | 72 | It negates all DARK monster effects activated on the field or in the Graveyard with no cost, no once-per-turn limit, and no targeting - blanket but DARK-only (verified). |
| Material Utility | 5 | It is a Trap with 0 ATK/DEF and no material or name role; combo data records 0 material role (observed). |
| Resilience & Flexibility | 42 | Continuous and repeatable once resolved, but it must survive Spell/Trap removal and is entirely dead against non-DARK matchups (inferred). |
| Deck-Building Efficiency | 72 | No locks, garnets, or archetype requirements, appearing across 105 distinct archetypes at ~2 copies per deck (observed). |
Calculation
Weight profile: 0.7 Floodgate/Control + 0.3 Negation/Removal. Intrinsic ≈ 60, Deck ≈ 58, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: Exceptional splashability (2). Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck
Strengths
- Blanket, cost-free, non-once-per-turn negation of all DARK monster effects activated on the field or in the Graveyard.
- Continuous - once resolved it keeps applying every turn with no further cost or activation.
- Extremely splashable: observed across 105 distinct archetypes with no locks, garnets, or archetype requirements.
- Answers DARK Graveyard effects as well as on-field effects, covering a zone many other negations cannot reach.
Weaknesses
- Does nothing on your own turn; it is purely reactive and cannot build or advance a board.
- Completely dead against non-DARK decks and matchups with no DARK monster effects.
- No in-archetype searcher or route in the evidence - it must be drawn as a Trap.
- As a Continuous Trap it is exposed to common Spell/Trap removal, and combo data shows 0 recorded appearances.
Counters / choke points
- Generic Spell/Trap removal (e.g. Cosmic Cyclone, Twin Twisters, Harpie's Feather Duster) before it resolves or while it sits face-up.
- Non-DARK strategies that never activate DARK monster effects make it a blank card.
- Trap negation such as Solemn Judgment or a set negate answered before this resolves.
- Decks that win without activated monster effects (Spell/Trap- or battle-focused lines).
Best use
Anti-DARK floodgate / continuous negation tech. Decks: Control/stun shells (Temple of the Kings, Apophis), Sky Striker, True Draco, Generic Trap-heavy control decks. Suggested copies: 2.
Evidence & gaps
- Verified: Card text: Continuous Trap that negates all DARK monster effects activated on the field or in the Graveyard.; No cost, no once-per-turn clause, and no targeting are stated in the description.; Legal in TCG, OCG, Master Duel, and Duel Links per the card's formats list.; combo data records 0 appearances across all recorded boards.
- Observed: 400 recent decks run it, all in the main deck, at an average of 2 copies (max 3).; It appears in 105 distinct archetypes, topped by Temple of the Kings (7%) and Apophis (6.5%).; Top co-deck partners are generic staples such as Droll & Lock Bird (48%) and Solemn Judgment (47.8%).; 5 guides feature it, all under 'Tech card' / Trap-tech sections (True Draco, Fabled, Water Xyz, Gouki, Triamid).; usage statistics shows 100% inclusion at 2 copies in its single recorded archetype (Flamvell).
- Inferred: Because it is a Trap with no search route in the evidence, it is only live when drawn, so accessibility is capped by raw draw probability.; Its blanket negation is strong specifically against DARK-heavy strategies and blanks entirely against non-DARK decks.; As a Continuous Trap it is vulnerable to Spell/Trap removal, and its value depends on surviving to later turns.; It cannot serve as material or advance a combo, so it contributes nothing to end-board construction.
- Data gaps: no combos supplied - combo conversion is text-only inference no banlist token - assumed 3 copies (unlimited) no matchup-level or win-rate data for its floodgate impact deck data reports 400/400 main-deck usage, which is atypical for a hard counter-floodgate normally seen in the side deck; the main-vs-side split could be a sampling artifact