Trap
NormalStarry Dragon's Cycle
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2280
Target 1 Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, or Link Monster on the field; return that face-up monster to the Extra Deck, then, based on its card type, you can Special Summon 1 appropriate monster from either GY to your field. ● Fusion: Monster with the same Attribute. ● Synchro: Monster with a lower Level. ● Xyz: Monster with the same Level as its Rank. ● Link: Monster with the same Type. You can only activate 1 "Starry Dragon's Cycle" per turn.
Starry Dragon's Cycle — Power Evaluation
Final Score: 61 ± 7 · Confidence: Medium
- Intrinsic: 60 · Deck: 61 · Meta: provisional
- Primary role: Removal / Negation · Secondary: Recovery / Recursion
Why it scores here
The card reliably converts one Trap into a bounce of a face-up Fusion, Synchro, Xyz or Link monster on either side of the field, followed by an optional Special Summon of one matching monster from either graveyard. Its score comes from that removal-plus-recursion effect, its single-copy deck cost and its use across 27 archetypes. It has no material value of its own, and combo data is absent, so the card's conversion is inferred from text only. High deck counts confirm it is a playable, consistently run slot, not that it is strong here.
Axis scores
| Axis | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | 60 | A set Trap that needs a Fusion, Synchro, Xyz or Link target on the field; it is in 177 of 177 sampled decks, almost all as a single copy, but no searcher or combo data confirms how often it reaches hand live (inferred plus deck data observed). |
| Combo & Conversion | 40 | Text-only inference: one bounce plus at most one GY Special Summon, so the conversion depends on what is in either graveyard and no combo examples or power index data exist (inferred). |
| Resource Economy | 60 | Returning an opponent's Extra Deck monster costs them the summon and the material investment, and the GY Special Summon adds a body, so the card can gain net advantage without spending a card for a card (inferred from text). |
| Effect & Interaction | 65 | Targeted bounce that can hit any face-up Fusion, Synchro, Xyz or Link on either field and can be activated on the opponent's turn; it is a Trap, so it is not a negate and is exposed to backrow answers (verified from text). |
| Material Utility | 15 | A Trap cannot be used as material and has no body of its own, so only the monster it summons carries material value, which earns little here (verified from text). |
| Resilience & Flexibility | 40 | A Trap must be set and can be destroyed in the backrow, and it needs a valid Extra Deck target; it is once per turn, which limits repeat use (verified from text). |
| Deck-Building Efficiency | 75 | Runs as a single copy in 147 of 177 decks and has no garnet or lock restriction, so it costs one slot with little cost to the rest of the deck (observed from deck data). |
Calculation
Weight profile: 0.7 Removal/Negation + 0.3 Recovery/Recursion. Intrinsic ≈ 60, Deck ≈ 61, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: none. Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck
Strengths
- Targeted bounce that can hit any face-up Fusion, Synchro, Xyz or Link monster
- Optional GY Special Summon adds a body on the same activation
- Single-slot deck cost with no garnet or lock restriction
- Portable across 27 archetypes, with Labrynth, Traptrix, Knightmare and Dogmatika as the main homes
Weaknesses
- A Trap, so it must be set and can be removed from the backrow
- Needs a face-up Extra Deck monster target to do anything
- Once-per-turn limit on use
- Combo conversion depends on the graveyard contents, which the evidence does not measure
Counters / choke points
- Backrow removal and Trap destruction
- Negation of its activation
- Opponent not controlling any Fusion, Synchro, Xyz or Link monster, which leaves it with no target
Best use
Removal: bounce an opponent's or own Extra Deck monster, with optional GY revival. Decks: Labrynth, Traptrix, Knightmare, Dogmatika. Suggested copies: 1.
Evidence & gaps
- Verified: Targets one face-up Fusion, Synchro, Xyz or Link monster on the field and returns it to the Extra Deck; Can Special Summon one matching monster from either GY, matched by monster type; Once per turn restriction
- Observed: In 177 decks, 147 at 1 copy, 28 at 2, 2 at 3; no side-deck copies; Spread over 27 archetypes; 93.2% in gameplay type 7; Partners with Labrynth support cards at 72–87% of decks
- Inferred: Bounce plus GY revival is a net card-advantage line when the target is the opponent's monster; Accessibility depends on Extra Deck targets and setting the Trap; no searcher data supplied
- 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