Trap
ContinuousTotem Pole
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2676
Your opponent cannot target Rock monsters you control with 0 original ATK, with card effects. Once per battle, when an opponent's monster declares an attack: You can negate that attack, and if you do, place 1 counter on this card. If this card has 3 counters, send it to the GY. If you have 3 or more Rock monsters in your GY with 0 ATK and different names from each other: You can banish this card from your GY; any effect damage your opponent takes this turn is doubled.
Totem Pole — Power Evaluation
Final Score: 53 ± 6 · Confidence: Medium
- Intrinsic: 54.8 · Deck: 51.1 · Meta: provisional
- Primary role: Negation/Interaction · Secondary: Floodgate/Control
Why it scores here
Totem Pole is a Continuous Trap with 0 ATK and no material value, so ATK and body stats earn nothing here. Its score comes from one attack negation per battle, retained across turns for up to 3 uses, plus a narrow targeting protection for Rock monsters with 0 original ATK. The 15 sampled decks across 12 archetypes confirm it is a playable, low-cost slot, but that presence is not treated as proof of strength. With no combo evidence, combo conversion is scored from card text alone and stays low.
Axis scores
| Axis | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | 50 | Runs 1–3 copies in all 15 sampled decks, but it is a set trap with no searcher or combo routes in the evidence (verified deck count; inferred route analysis). |
| Combo & Conversion | 15 | Negates attacks and builds no board on its own; the only extension is the banish clause, which needs 3 Rock 0-ATK monsters with different names in the GY (verified from text; no combos observed). |
| Resource Economy | 60 | One card can negate up to 3 attacks before it goes to the GY, which is more than a one-shot trap, but it does not refuel or search (verified text; inferred value). |
| Effect & Interaction | 55 | Negates attacks once per battle, not card effects, so interaction is soft and attack-only (verified text). |
| Material Utility | 0 | A trap card cannot be used as material, so this axis is zero (verified card type). |
| Resilience & Flexibility | 60 | Persists across turns and stays useful in multiple battles, but it is a face-up/set card that can be removed and has no protection of its own (verified text; inferred). |
| Deck-Building Efficiency | 65 | 1 copy in 9 of 15 decks, no garnet or restriction, and it is a single trap slot (verified deck copy distribution; inferred cost). |
Calculation
Weight profile: 0.7 Removal/Negation + 0.3 Floodgate/Control. Intrinsic ≈ 54.8, Deck ≈ 51.1, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: none. Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck
Strengths
- Negates an attacking monster once per battle, with up to 3 uses from one set card
- Continuous Trap: persists across turns instead of resolving once
- Protects Rock monsters with 0 original ATK from opponent card effects that target them
- Low deckbuilding cost: mostly 1 copy, no garnet or restriction
- Appears in 15 of 15 sampled decks across 12 archetypes
Weaknesses
- Negates attacks only, not card effects
- Targeting protection is narrow: only Rock monsters with 0 original ATK
- Trap card: cannot be used as material and has no body value
- Banish damage-doubling needs 3 Rock 0-ATK monsters with different names in the GY
- Not a hand trap: must be set and survive before it can respond
Counters / choke points
- Removal or destruction of set/face-up Continuous Traps (generic; not from evidence)
- Opponent not attacking, so the negate has no target
Best use
Set-and-hold attack negation for Rock-based or defensive shells. Decks: Volcanic, Laval, Vernusylph/Vernalizer Fairy. Suggested copies: 1.
Evidence & gaps
- Verified: Card text: once-per-battle attack negate, 3-counter removal, Rock 0-ATK targeting protection, banish clause for double effect damage; Card type: Trap (Continuous), 0 ATK, no material use; Decks: 15 of 15 main deck, avg 1.6 copies, 12 distinct archetypes
- Observed: Partner frequencies: Mystical Space Typhoon 46.7%, Ash Blossom 40%, Called by the Grave 40%; Gameplay split: type 7 in 53.3% of decks, type 6 in 40%
- Inferred: Role is a set-and-hold attack negate rather than a hand trap; Targeting protection matters mainly for Rock-based builds; Negate value is up to 3 uses, so resource economy sits slightly above even
- 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): inclusion % is inferred from the 15-deck sample only No rulings supplied for Continuous Trap timing or counter-removal interactions Share of Rock 0-ATK monsters in the sampled decks is unknown, so the targeting protection's value is unverified