Trap
CounterSolemn Strike
Archetype:
Solemn
View:
12884
When a monster(s) would be Special Summoned, OR a monster effect is activated: Pay 1500 LP; negate the Summon or activation, and if you do, destroy that card.
Solemn Strike — Power Evaluation
Final Score: 70 ± 6 · Confidence: Medium
- Intrinsic: 71 · Deck: 68 · Meta: provisional
- Primary role: Negation/Interaction · Secondary: Floodgate/Control, Utility
Why it scores here
Solemn Strike is a fully generic Counter Trap that converts one set card plus 1500 LP into a hard negate-and-destroy on either a Special Summon or a monster effect activation, which is one of the broadest pieces of non-monster interaction in the game. Its value is almost entirely in that disruptive coverage, not in body or stats: the card has 0 ATK/DEF, is not a monster, and cannot be used as material, so it earns nothing for physical presence (verified from card text). It is splashable everywhere — 154 distinct archetypes in the sample and 400/400 decks running it main-deck at 2.02 average copies — but it is reactive, slow (must be set before use) and a strict 1-for-1, so it caps out as a strong stabilizer rather than a game-winning engine.
Axis scores
| Axis | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | 80 | Generic Counter Trap with no engine requirement, main-decked in 400/400 sampled decks and averaging 2.02 copies, though it must be set before use and is Limited to 1 in Master Duel (observed). |
| Combo & Conversion | 25 | Contributes nothing proactive to a board-building line; it only trades during the opponent's turn, and no combo evidence records it as a starter or payoff (verified/inferred). |
| Resource Economy | 52 | Trades one trap card plus 1500 LP for one negated and destroyed opposing card, a roughly even exchange that drains LP when multiple copies are used (verified). |
| Effect & Interaction | 86 | Negates any Special Summon or monster effect activation and destroys the card, a very broad, hard-to-play-around interruption that must be answered with counter-trap or backrow removal (verified). |
| Material Utility | 4 | A Trap Card with 0 ATK/DEF that cannot be used as Fusion/Synchro/Xyz/Link material, so it provides zero material value even when its effect never resolves (verified). |
| Resilience & Flexibility | 60 | Immune to Droll & Lock Bird and Called by the Grave and reusable across turns once set, but exposed to Spell/Trap removal, Red Reboot and counter-trap chains before it resolves (inferred). |
| Deck-Building Efficiency | 85 | Near free-roll: no garnets, no summon locks, legal in every sampled format and stacked at 2-3 copies, with the only real cost being the Master Duel Limited-to-1 slot (observed). |
Calculation
Weight profile: 0.7 Removal/Negation + 0.3 Floodgate/Control. Intrinsic ≈ 71, Deck ≈ 68, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: Limited to 1 in Master Duel (-2); Exceptional splashability (2). Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck
Strengths
- Negates an entire Special Summon OR a monster effect activation and destroys the card — extremely broad coverage
- Completely generic: no archetype, level, attribute or engine requirement
- Immune to the common hand-trap and GY answers (Droll & Lock Bird, Called by the Grave)
- Pairs naturally with other backrow interaction, co-appearing with Solemn Judgment in 82.5% of sampled decks
- Redundant copies are fine, supporting a 2-3 copy slot
Weaknesses
- Reactive only — it must be set and cannot be used the turn it is drawn, so it is poor going second into an established board
- Strictly 1-for-1: it answers one card and never generates advantage on its own
- 1500 LP per activation hurts when multiple copies are used in a single game
- No body, no material value, and no follow-up if the negate is played around or the trap is destroyed first
- Limited to 1 in Master Duel, reducing access to repeated copies
Counters / choke points
- Red Reboot
- Cosmic Cyclone / Twin Twisters / Harpie's Feather Duster (backrow removal before it resolves)
- Solemn Judgment and other counter traps chained to it
- Playing around it by resolving effects that do not Special Summon or activate a monster effect (e.g. Spell/Trap-only lines)
Best use
Reactive Counter Trap: set-and-hold interruption against summons and monster effects. Decks: Sky Striker, Fiendsmith, Branded, Mitsurugi, Diabellstar, Azamina, Dinomorphia, Labrynth/control and stun shells. Suggested copies: 2.
Evidence & gaps
- Verified: Card text: Counter Trap that negates a Special Summon OR a monster effect activation, then destroys that card, at a cost of 1500 LP; Trap Card, race Counter, archetype 'Solemn', 0 ATK / 0 DEF, cannot be used as material; Legal in TCG, OCG and Master Duel; legal_copies shows masterduel: 1; 400 of 400 sampled decks run it in the Main Deck (0 in Side)
- Observed: Average 2.02 copies per deck, max 3 (distribution 103/186/111 for 1/2/3 copies); 154 distinct archetypes in decks_evidence, with Sky Striker, Fiendsmith, Branded and Mitsurugi most common; Co-decked with Solemn Judgment in 330 decks (82.5%) and with Droll & Lock Bird in 310 (77.5%); usage_statistics: 100% inclusion in 13 archetypes (Floowandereeze, Crystron, Temple of the Kings, etc.) and 66.7% in Dinomorphia, Nouvelles and Scrap; Featured as a 'Staple' section card in 6 guides
- Inferred: Because effects must be activated after it is set, the card is slow and weak going second into an established board; Its main vulnerabilities are Spell/Trap removal and counter traps such as Solemn Judgment or Red Reboot; 100% inclusion rates reflect that control/stun shells need generic negation, not intrinsic card power (guardrail 3)
- Data gaps: no combos supplied — combo conversion is text-only inference no dated metagame sample, so meta_power is null/provisional TCG/OCG banlist copy limits are not stated in legal_copies (only Master Duel) No explicit data on how often the negate is successfully resolved in recorded games