Dark Synchro Summon

"Dark Tuning" redirects here. For the card whose alternate name in the anime is "Dark Tuning", see "Wicked Rebirth".

Dark Synchro Summon
Grady performs a Dark Synchro Summon.
Japanese	ダークシンクロ
Japanese (romanized)	Dāku Shinkuro
Japanese (translated)	Dark Synchro
English	Dark Synchro Summon

A Dark Synchro Summon is a method of Summoning a Dark Synchro Monster found in the Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's anime, manga, and the Tag Force series of video games.

Mechanics

Mechanically, Dark Synchro Summon resembles an inverted Synchro Summon: instead of adding the Level of a Tuner monster to the Level of a non-Tuner monster to reach the Synchro Monster's Level, Dark Synchro Summoning involves subtracting the Level of a Dark Tuner monster from the Level of a non-Tuner monster to reach the Dark Synchro Monster's Negative Level.

OCG/TCG Mechanics

All Dark Synchro Monsters released into the card game are retooled as standard Synchro Monsters, and only the two manga Dark Synchro Monsters have a Summoning requirement equivalent to a Dark Synchro Summon. Higher-level "Ursarctic" Synchro Monsters also have such a mechanic for Summoning.

This type of Summoning is simply treated as a Special Summon in the OCG and TCG. It is achieved by sending two monsters you control, namely one Tuner (a higher level) and the other non-Tuner (a lower level), to the GY, such that the Level of the Tuner subtracted by the Level of the non-Tuner equals the printed Level of the card. For both manga Dark Synchro Monsters, which are Level 12, it must be Special Summoned as a Level 0 Dark Synchro Monster, while "Ursarctic Grand Chariot" requires sending one Level 8 or higher Tuner, and a lower-level monster whose difference exactly equals 7.

OCG/TCG that are "Dark Synchro Summoned" are also the only Synchro Monsters that cannot be Synchro Summoned.

Example

• 

  A Level 3 non-Tuner monster ("Blizzard Lizard")

• 

  - A Level 8 Dark Tuner monster ("Dark Tuner Catastrogue")

• 

  = A Level -5 Dark Synchro Monster ("Frozen Fitzgerald")

Appearance

Anime

Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's

In the Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's anime, Dark Synchro Monsters were used by the Dark Signers and their possessed servants. When a character performs a Dark Synchro Summon, the Dark Tuner first transforms into its Level stars, which pierce the non-Tuner monster making it appear in pain. The non-Tuner monster then transforms into its own Level stars, which 'cancel out' some of the Dark Tuner's stars, disintegrating the non-Tuner monster in the process. The remaining Dark Tuner's stars then turn black and spin in a circle, before merging into a column of darkness that reveals the newly Summoned Dark Synchro Monster.

Each character recites a Summon chant while performing the Summon; while this generally varies between characters in the original Japanese anime, all Dark Synchro Summon chants have been the same in the dubbed anime: "When the shadows are devoured by even darker shadows, the curtain pulls back and reveals a world without light!".

Video games

In the Tag Force games, the first part of the Summon animation is skipped, and the dark stars appear from nowhere before spinning in a circle and merging as before.

While the Dark Synchro mechanic does not appear in Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links, the Dark Synchro Summon animation is used instead of the regular Synchro Summon animation for certain Synchro Monsters when played by certain Legendary Duelists:

• "Fortune Lady Every" summoned by Dark Signer Carly Carmine
• "Hundred Eyes Dragon" summoned by Dark Signer Kalin Kessler
• "Moon Dragon Quilla" summoned by Dark Signer Rex Goodwin

Trivia

• The "Ursarctic" Synchro Monsters are Special Summoned using a procedure very similar to Dark Synchro Summoning; they cannot be Synchro Summoned, but their Summoning conditions may involve the absolute difference rather than having the Tuner monster at a higher level.