Phantom Knights Deck #773620 — Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel

Deck — Deck Power Evaluation

Final Contextual Deck Power: 65/100 (±6 · Confidence: Medium)

• Primary strategy: Combo
• Secondary strategies: Stun, Midrange
• Format: master-duel

Legality

Main 40 / Extra 15 / Side 0 — status: Legal.

Identity & game plan

• Win condition: Xyz recursion from the Graveyard: Phantom Knights monsters revive each other through GY and banish effects, feeding Xyz boss monsters (Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon, Four Heavenly Dragons, Dark Requiem, Arc Rebellion) that close the game.; Hand-trap and Dominus Spark/Impulse disruption that breaks the opponent's first Special Summon or boss, then converts the remaining board into a Xyz line.
• Turn 1 (going first): Open a Phantom Knights starter (Torn Scales, Silent Boots, Decayed Cloak or Doomed Soleret), search or summon a second Phantom Knights, and Xyz into a DARK boss while holding Ash Blossom, Impermanence or Impulse for the opponent's first response.
• Turn 2 (going second): Hold a hand trap (Ash Blossom, Impermanence, Maxx "C", Dominus Impulse) to answer the opponent's first board, then use the GY recursion from the starter line to rebuild a Xyz boss on the next turn.
• Recovery: Banish Phantom Knights monsters from the GY for effects, use Foolish Burial or the searchers (Silent Boots, Decayed Cloak, Ancient Cloak, Reinforcement of the Army) to refill, and Rank-Up-Magic Launch or Requiem to rank up an existing Xyz.
• After siding: Not applicable: the deck runs no side deck (side_count 0) and the Master Duel evidence gives no post-side data, so there is no defined post-side plan.

Why it scores here

The deck reliably opens a Phantom Knights starter: 12 copies of four 3-copy starters give about 0.85 odds of at least one going first in a 5-card hand (Inferred), and 26 archetype-core copies make a full-brick hand very unlikely. Its ceiling comes from the Xyz bosses (Dark Rebellion, Four Heavenly Dragons, Dark Requiem, Arc Rebellion) that the GY recursion feeds, and its end-board interaction comes from 7 hand traps plus Dominus and Phantom Knights traps, which together carry a strong going-second plan. The median output is scored lower than the ceiling because no recorded boards exist and the Dominus and off-archetype Xyz slots (Exosister, Ophion, Cherubini, Masquerena) dilute the engine. Popularity did not earn points: the usage statistics confirm this list is an accessible archetype build, and the scores come from consistency, interaction and closing power on the system, not from averaging card scores. No side deck and no meta sample leave Matchup and Side dimensions Provisional, and the Final score is capped by that gap.

Dimension scores

How the score was computed

Strategy profile: Combo. Structural ≈ 69.2, Going First ≈ 72, Going Second ≈ 74, Meta = provisional, Tournament Reliability ≈ 60. Modifiers: Engine compactness (2); Off-archetype slot dilution (-2); Banlist exposure (-1); Unrecoverable choke point / no side plan (-1). Final formula: 0.80*Structural + 0.20*TournamentReliability + ContextModifiers (Meta provisional); 0.80*69.2 + 0.20*60 - 2 = 65

Probability & combo summary

• Opening a starter: P(≥1) ≈ 0.85 · key two-card combo ≈ — · full-brick estimate ≈ — (all Inferred)
• Combo output: best PowerIndex —, median —, board-per-starter —
• Turn order: 0 going-first lines vs 0 going-second lines

Strengths

• Triple-copy starters (Torn Scales, Silent Boots, Decayed Cloak, Doomed Soleret) give high opening-hand access
• Seven hand traps and layered negation/removal text for interaction
• Xyz bosses reach 2500–3000 ATK and are fed by GY revival
• Strong going-second plan via Ash Blossom, Infinite Impermanence and Dominus Impulse

Weaknesses

• Archetype purity is 50.9%; Dominus and off-archetype Extra slots dilute the engine
• Fourteen trap cards need targets, so some hands are dead
• No side deck, so there is no post-side adaptation
• No recorded boards; combo median and ceiling are text-only

Critical choke points

• Two Rank-Up-Magic spells (Launch and Requiem) are the only rank-up route, so losing them to interaction breaks the Xyz upgrade line
• Single Break Sword mandatory line at 2 copies depends on Phantom Knights monsters in the GY

Recommended changes

Evidence & confidence

• Verified: Legal in Master Duel: 40 main, 15 extra, 0 side within size rules; Maxx "C", Foolish Burial and Reinforcement of the Army are Limited at 1 copy each; Exact-name archetype purity 50.9%; 28 core and 27 off-archetype copies; Usage statistics: 30 rows; 14 of 25 core cards present (56%)
• Observed: Guides describe Phantom Knights as a combo-style deck with GY-driven chains and Xyz bosses
• Inferred: P(≥1 starter in 5 cards) ≈ 0.85; Hand traps provide layered going-second interaction; Median output below ceiling due to dilution and no recorded boards
• Provisional: Meta Power (no dated metagame sample); Matchup coverage (no tournament link); Side adaptability (no side deck, no post-side data)
• Data gaps: no combos supplied — combo floor/median/ceiling is text-only inference no tournament link — archetype meta-share and per-pilot match record absent no win-rate telemetry exists in YGOVN (going-first/second, matchup, game-level, brick/starter/OTK rates) — those signals are Inferred or Unknown Meta Power is Provisional unless a dated metagame sample is supplied deck title is null; no side deck to evaluate post-side plan