Difference between revisions of "Dark Magician (archetype)"
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| + | {{For|the [[Rush Duel]] series|[[Dark Magician (Rush Duel series)]]}} | ||
{{Infobox archseries | {{Infobox archseries | ||
| image = MagiciansCombination-MADU-EN-VG-artwork.png | | image = MagiciansCombination-MADU-EN-VG-artwork.png | ||
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* [[The Dark Illusion]] | * [[The Dark Illusion]] | ||
* [[Structure Deck: Yugi Muto]] | * [[Structure Deck: Yugi Muto]] | ||
| + | * [[The Infinite Forbidden]] | ||
| tcg = | | tcg = | ||
* [[Yu-Gi-Oh! Dark Duel Stories promotional cards]] | * [[Yu-Gi-Oh! Dark Duel Stories promotional cards]] | ||
| Line 78: | Line 80: | ||
* [[Hidden Arsenal: Chapter 1]] | * [[Hidden Arsenal: Chapter 1]] | ||
* [[Ghosts From the Past: The 2nd Haunting]] | * [[Ghosts From the Past: The 2nd Haunting]] | ||
| + | * [[Speed Duel: Battle City Box]] | ||
* [[2022 Tin of the Pharaoh's Gods]] | * [[2022 Tin of the Pharaoh's Gods]] | ||
* [[Battles of Legend: Monstrous Revenge]] | * [[Battles of Legend: Monstrous Revenge]] | ||
| + | * [[Speed Duel: Streets of Battle City]] | ||
| + | * [[2-Player Starter Set]] | ||
| ocg = | | ocg = | ||
* [[Vol.1]] | * [[Vol.1]] | ||
| Line 134: | Line 139: | ||
* [[History Archive Collection]] | * [[History Archive Collection]] | ||
* [[Secret Utility Box]] | * [[Secret Utility Box]] | ||
| + | * [[Tournament Pack 2024 Vol.2]] | ||
| + | * [[Infinite Forbidden +1 Bonus Pack]] | ||
| korea = | | korea = | ||
* [[Expansion Pack Vol.2]] | * [[Expansion Pack Vol.2]] | ||
| Line 158: | Line 165: | ||
}} | }} | ||
{{Quote|The archetype's tagline in promotional material|Accomplish magnificently the combination of teacher and student.}} | {{Quote|The archetype's tagline in promotional material|Accomplish magnificently the combination of teacher and student.}} | ||
| − | "'''Dark Magician'''", known as "'''Black Magician'''" (ブラック・マジシャン ''Burakku Majishan'') in Japanese, is an [[archetype]] that has been a part of the ''Yu-Gi-Oh!'' franchise since its beginning, with "[[Dark Magician]]" appearing as [[Yugi Muto]]'s [[Signature card|ace card]]. During the ''[[Battle City]]'' arc and subsequent arcs, more cards were introduced, such as "[[Dark Magician Girl]]". Originally a [[series]], the release of "[[The Eye of Timaeus]]" turned it into an archetype. | + | "'''Dark Magician'''", known as "'''Black Magician'''" (ブラック・マジシャン ''Burakku Majishan'') in Japanese, is an [[archetype]] that has been a part of the ''Yu-Gi-Oh!'' franchise since its beginning, with "[[Dark Magician]]" appearing as [[Yugi Muto]]'s [[Signature card|ace card]]. During the ''[[Battle City]]'' arc and subsequent arcs, more cards were introduced, such as "[[Dark Magician Girl]]". Originally a [[series]], the release of "[[The Eye of Timaeus]]" turned it into an archetype. The series was [[Dark Magician (Rush Duel series)|also introduced]] to ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! Rush Duel]]'', focusing on the [[Legend Card]] "[[Dark Magician (Rush Duel)|Dark Magician]]". |
| − | + | ||
| − | + | This archetype is not a sub-archetype of the "[[Magician]]" archetype, which is completely unrelated, but it does have a sub-archetype of its own: "[[Dark Magician Girl (archetype)|Dark Magician Girl]]". "[[Dark Magician of Chaos]]" and "[[Skilled Dark Magician]]" are not members of this archetype, as their names don't contain「ブラック・マジシャン」; however, since support for this archetype only works on monsters that are listed as [[Fusion Material]] on a [[Fusion Monster]] (which neither of the two are), this is not an issue. | |
| − | The theme is used by Yugi Muto/[[Yami Yugi]] in the ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! (manga)|Yu-Gi-Oh!]]'' manga and [[Yu-Gi-Oh! (anime)|anime]], briefly by [[Yuma Tsukumo]] (actually owned by [[Roku]] as part of his "[[Statue]]" cards repertoire) in ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL | + | |
| + | The theme is used by Yugi Muto/[[Yami Yugi]] in the ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! (manga)|Yu-Gi-Oh!]]'' manga and [[Yu-Gi-Oh! (anime)|anime]], and briefly by [[Yuma Tsukumo]] (actually owned by [[Roku]] as part of his "[[Statue]]" cards repertoire) in ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL]]''. | ||
| + | |||
==Naming== | ==Naming== | ||
| − | Only one card supports the "Dark Magician" archetype as an archetype: "[[The Eye of Timaeus]]" | + | Only one card supports the "Dark Magician" archetype as an archetype: "[[The Eye of Timaeus]]". Most "Dark Magician" support cards only support it specifically and/or other cards that mention its name in their effects. |
| + | |||
Due to the gendered nature of some languages impacting the naming of "Dark Magician Girl", in many languages it is not possible to support both "[[Dark Magician Girl (archetype)|Dark Magician Girl]]" monsters and other "Dark Magician" monsters with a single archetype name. | Due to the gendered nature of some languages impacting the naming of "Dark Magician Girl", in many languages it is not possible to support both "[[Dark Magician Girl (archetype)|Dark Magician Girl]]" monsters and other "Dark Magician" monsters with a single archetype name. | ||
* In German, Portuguese, and Spanish, due to gender-specific conjugation, the card text of "The Eye of Timaeus" compounds the "Dark Magician" and "Dark Magician Girl" into a single string („Dunkler/s Magier“, "Mago(a) Negro(a)", and "Mago/a Oscuro/a", respectively) to explicitly include "Dark Magician Girl" monsters as being part of the archetype. | * In German, Portuguese, and Spanish, due to gender-specific conjugation, the card text of "The Eye of Timaeus" compounds the "Dark Magician" and "Dark Magician Girl" into a single string („Dunkler/s Magier“, "Mago(a) Negro(a)", and "Mago/a Oscuro/a", respectively) to explicitly include "Dark Magician Girl" monsters as being part of the archetype. | ||
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==Playing style== | ==Playing style== | ||
The "Dark Magician" archetype is centered on the Level 7 [[DARK]] [[Spellcaster]] [[Normal Monster]], "[[Dark Magician]]", with a secondary focus on the Level 6 [[DARK]] [[Spellcaster]] [[Effect Monster]], "[[Dark Magician Girl]]". These two monsters feature a large amount of supporting cards that support these two monsters ''specifically'', and those support cards in turn have their own support cards (who generally specify supporting "[card(s)] that specifically lists the card 'Dark Magician' in its text.") Generally, the archetype aims to use its arsenal of supportive Spell/Traps to generate advantage, disrupt the opponent, and use them to summon the archetype's [[Fusion Monster|Fusion]] boss monsters. | The "Dark Magician" archetype is centered on the Level 7 [[DARK]] [[Spellcaster]] [[Normal Monster]], "[[Dark Magician]]", with a secondary focus on the Level 6 [[DARK]] [[Spellcaster]] [[Effect Monster]], "[[Dark Magician Girl]]". These two monsters feature a large amount of supporting cards that support these two monsters ''specifically'', and those support cards in turn have their own support cards (who generally specify supporting "[card(s)] that specifically lists the card 'Dark Magician' in its text.") Generally, the archetype aims to use its arsenal of supportive Spell/Traps to generate advantage, disrupt the opponent, and use them to summon the archetype's [[Fusion Monster|Fusion]] boss monsters. | ||
| + | |||
The archetype has a ''very'' large series of supportive Spell/Traps, with highly varied and powerful effects. Some more prominent examples include "[[Dark Magical Circle]]", who provides disruption when "Dark Magician" is summoned, "[[Eternal Soul]]", who gives "Dark Magician" protection and can endlessly revive "Dark Magician" and trigger "Dark Magical Circle", "[[Dark Magic Attack]]", "[[Dark Burning Attack]]", "[[Dark Burning Magic]]", who are searchable blowout cards, and "[[Magicians' Combination]]", "[[Magician Navigation]]", and "[[Destined Rivals]]", who are situational negates. | The archetype has a ''very'' large series of supportive Spell/Traps, with highly varied and powerful effects. Some more prominent examples include "[[Dark Magical Circle]]", who provides disruption when "Dark Magician" is summoned, "[[Eternal Soul]]", who gives "Dark Magician" protection and can endlessly revive "Dark Magician" and trigger "Dark Magical Circle", "[[Dark Magic Attack]]", "[[Dark Burning Attack]]", "[[Dark Burning Magic]]", who are searchable blowout cards, and "[[Magicians' Combination]]", "[[Magician Navigation]]", and "[[Destined Rivals]]", who are situational negates. | ||
In order to search out these key Spell/Traps, the archetype has multiple Spell/Trap [[searcher]]s, with the key ones being "[[Magician's Rod]]", who searches Spell/Traps on Normal Summon, and [[Dark Magic Inheritance]]", a Quick-Play Spell that can search out Spell/Traps. Situationally, "[[Bond Between Teacher and Student]]" is a searcher for the aformentioned blowout cards. | In order to search out these key Spell/Traps, the archetype has multiple Spell/Trap [[searcher]]s, with the key ones being "[[Magician's Rod]]", who searches Spell/Traps on Normal Summon, and [[Dark Magic Inheritance]]", a Quick-Play Spell that can search out Spell/Traps. Situationally, "[[Bond Between Teacher and Student]]" is a searcher for the aformentioned blowout cards. | ||
| + | |||
To search out the "Dark Magician" and "Dark Magician Girl" that these Spell/Traps depend on, the archetype also has key monster searchers, with the important ones being "[[Magicians' Souls]]", who sends a Level 6 or higher Spellcaster monster from Deck to GY as cost for its hand effect, and "[[Apprentice Illusion Magician]]", who can Special Summon itself and search out "Dark Magician". Other situational key monster searchers include "[[Illusion Magic]]" and "[[Magician Navigation]]", and "[[Fusion Deployment]]" is an external searcher for the deck's key monsters. | To search out the "Dark Magician" and "Dark Magician Girl" that these Spell/Traps depend on, the archetype also has key monster searchers, with the important ones being "[[Magicians' Souls]]", who sends a Level 6 or higher Spellcaster monster from Deck to GY as cost for its hand effect, and "[[Apprentice Illusion Magician]]", who can Special Summon itself and search out "Dark Magician". Other situational key monster searchers include "[[Illusion Magic]]" and "[[Magician Navigation]]", and "[[Fusion Deployment]]" is an external searcher for the deck's key monsters. | ||
| + | |||
The deck needs both its supportive Spell/Traps and its key monsters to begin its proper game plan, but none of the above cards can search out both simultaneously and reliably. To remedy this, the archetype has two extremely important searchers to ensure that it can reach both sides of its combo. The first is "[[Soul Servant]]", an indirect omni-searcher that can place any archetype-related card on top of the deck, which can then be drawn into using other cards' effects or its own GY effect. The second is "[[Illusion of Chaos]]", who can search out "Dark Magician" or any monster that lists it, making it a searcher for "Magician's Rod" and "Magicians' Souls", in essence a searcher for searchers. | The deck needs both its supportive Spell/Traps and its key monsters to begin its proper game plan, but none of the above cards can search out both simultaneously and reliably. To remedy this, the archetype has two extremely important searchers to ensure that it can reach both sides of its combo. The first is "[[Soul Servant]]", an indirect omni-searcher that can place any archetype-related card on top of the deck, which can then be drawn into using other cards' effects or its own GY effect. The second is "[[Illusion of Chaos]]", who can search out "Dark Magician" or any monster that lists it, making it a searcher for "Magician's Rod" and "Magicians' Souls", in essence a searcher for searchers. | ||
The archetype's Fusion boss monsters (some of which form an [[Ultimate Magical]] series, others form a "Dragon Knight" series) are powerful board control tools, giving the archetype more board presence beyond its backrow. They each require a "Dark Magician" as their fusion material, with a varied second fusion material. The most prominent ones among them are "[[Dark Magician the Dragon Knight]]", "[[The Dark Magicians]]" and "[[Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon]]", with "Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon" being especially notable as the deck's single most powerful monster that can often win games on its own. | The archetype's Fusion boss monsters (some of which form an [[Ultimate Magical]] series, others form a "Dragon Knight" series) are powerful board control tools, giving the archetype more board presence beyond its backrow. They each require a "Dark Magician" as their fusion material, with a varied second fusion material. The most prominent ones among them are "[[Dark Magician the Dragon Knight]]", "[[The Dark Magicians]]" and "[[Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon]]", with "Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon" being especially notable as the deck's single most powerful monster that can often win games on its own. | ||
| + | |||
*"[[Dark Magician the Dragon Knight]]" protects the player's backrow from being targeted and destroyed, and synergizes with "[[Eternal Soul]]" by being treated as "Dark Magician", creating a two-way protection between it and "Eternal Soul". | *"[[Dark Magician the Dragon Knight]]" protects the player's backrow from being targeted and destroyed, and synergizes with "[[Eternal Soul]]" by being treated as "Dark Magician", creating a two-way protection between it and "Eternal Soul". | ||
*"[[The Dark Magicians]]" once per turn draws the player a card when a Spell/Trap is activated, and allows Traps/Quick-Play Spells it drew to be immediately set and activated that turn. It provides the player with lots of resources over several turns, and combos well with "[[Soul Servant]]", who can set up the top deck with high-value cards or combo pieces such as "[[Palladium Oracle Mahad]]" or "[[Eternal Soul]]". | *"[[The Dark Magicians]]" once per turn draws the player a card when a Spell/Trap is activated, and allows Traps/Quick-Play Spells it drew to be immediately set and activated that turn. It provides the player with lots of resources over several turns, and combos well with "[[Soul Servant]]", who can set up the top deck with high-value cards or combo pieces such as "[[Palladium Oracle Mahad]]" or "[[Eternal Soul]]". | ||
*"[[Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon]]" is an extremely powerful boss monster with high protection, high disruption power, high-power removal effects, and high damage output and [[OTK]] potential. It has innate targeting + destruction protection, possesses a once-per-turn omni-negate, can destroy monsters while simultaneously inflict burn damage, and has good base stats that gets ''boosted'' whenever it negates and destroys a card. The sheer power of "Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon" makes it one of the main win conditions of the deck. | *"[[Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon]]" is an extremely powerful boss monster with high protection, high disruption power, high-power removal effects, and high damage output and [[OTK]] potential. It has innate targeting + destruction protection, possesses a once-per-turn omni-negate, can destroy monsters while simultaneously inflict burn damage, and has good base stats that gets ''boosted'' whenever it negates and destroys a card. The sheer power of "Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon" makes it one of the main win conditions of the deck. | ||
| + | |||
To summon these Fusion Monsters, the archetype has a few in-theme cards that perform Fusion Summons. "[[Secrets of Dark Magic]]" and "[[Timaeus the United Dragon]]" can both perform Fusion Summons (a Spell and a monster that can Special Summon itself, respectively), and "[[The Eye of Timaeus]]" is a unique "Fusion Spell" that tributes a "Dark Magician" monster to Fusion Summon 1 Fusion Monster from the Extra Deck that lists it as a material. "Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon", in particular, can be easily made using "[[Red-Eyes Fusion]]", which in turn can be copied from the deck with "[[Predaplant Verte Anaconda]]", making it viable for a turbo strategy. | To summon these Fusion Monsters, the archetype has a few in-theme cards that perform Fusion Summons. "[[Secrets of Dark Magic]]" and "[[Timaeus the United Dragon]]" can both perform Fusion Summons (a Spell and a monster that can Special Summon itself, respectively), and "[[The Eye of Timaeus]]" is a unique "Fusion Spell" that tributes a "Dark Magician" monster to Fusion Summon 1 Fusion Monster from the Extra Deck that lists it as a material. "Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon", in particular, can be easily made using "[[Red-Eyes Fusion]]", which in turn can be copied from the deck with "[[Predaplant Verte Anaconda]]", making it viable for a turbo strategy. | ||
| + | |||
The archetype also has the capacity to make additional in-theme or non-in-theme Fusion monsters, such as "[[Mysterion the Dragon Crown]]", "[[First of the Dragons]]", "[[Quintet Magician]]", and "[[Dark Magician Girl the Dragon Knight]]". Of particular note is "[[Quintet Magician]]", a high-level Spellcaster beatstick with a 4500 ATK body and strong self-protection that can nuke the opponent's field. | The archetype also has the capacity to make additional in-theme or non-in-theme Fusion monsters, such as "[[Mysterion the Dragon Crown]]", "[[First of the Dragons]]", "[[Quintet Magician]]", and "[[Dark Magician Girl the Dragon Knight]]". Of particular note is "[[Quintet Magician]]", a high-level Spellcaster beatstick with a 4500 ATK body and strong self-protection that can nuke the opponent's field. | ||
| + | |||
Externally, the deck has synergies with cards such as "[[Keeper of Dragon Magic]]", a Fusion Spell searcher that can revive "Dark Magician" in the GY for fusion, and has a Dragon typing that makes it work with "Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon". The archetype's Spellcaster typing, and "Soul Servant"'s top deck control effect makes it synergize well with a "[[Spellbook]]" draw engine, consisting of "[[Spellbook Magician of Prophecy]]", "[[Spellbook of Secrets]]", and "[[Spellbook of Knowledge]]". The archetype also benefits from generic DARK or Spellcaster support, such as "[[Allure of Darkness]]" and "[[Selene, Queen of the Master Magicians]]", and has the capacity to make Rank 7 Xyz monsters, including some theme-related ones, such as "[[Ebon Illusion Magician]]". | Externally, the deck has synergies with cards such as "[[Keeper of Dragon Magic]]", a Fusion Spell searcher that can revive "Dark Magician" in the GY for fusion, and has a Dragon typing that makes it work with "Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon". The archetype's Spellcaster typing, and "Soul Servant"'s top deck control effect makes it synergize well with a "[[Spellbook]]" draw engine, consisting of "[[Spellbook Magician of Prophecy]]", "[[Spellbook of Secrets]]", and "[[Spellbook of Knowledge]]". The archetype also benefits from generic DARK or Spellcaster support, such as "[[Allure of Darkness]]" and "[[Selene, Queen of the Master Magicians]]", and has the capacity to make Rank 7 Xyz monsters, including some theme-related ones, such as "[[Ebon Illusion Magician]]". | ||
=== Recommended cards === | === Recommended cards === | ||
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* [[Dark Magician Girl]] | * [[Dark Magician Girl]] | ||
* [[Dark Magician of Chaos]] | * [[Dark Magician of Chaos]] | ||
| + | * [[Dark Magician the Ebon Sorcerer]] | ||
* [[Apprentice Illusion Magician]] | * [[Apprentice Illusion Magician]] | ||
| + | * [[Chronicle Magician]] | ||
| + | * [[Chronicle Sorceress]] | ||
* [[Keeper of Dragon Magic]] | * [[Keeper of Dragon Magic]] | ||
* [[Magician of Dark Illusion]] | * [[Magician of Dark Illusion]] | ||
| Line 206: | Line 226: | ||
* [[Palladium Oracle Mana]] | * [[Palladium Oracle Mana]] | ||
* [[Timaeus the United Dragon]] | * [[Timaeus the United Dragon]] | ||
| + | * [[Diabellstar the Black Witch]] | ||
| + | * [[King of the Swamp]] | ||
| + | * [[Silent Magician]] | ||
* [[Spellbook Magician of Prophecy]] | * [[Spellbook Magician of Prophecy]] | ||
|ritual monsters = | |ritual monsters = | ||
* [[Illusion of Chaos]] | * [[Illusion of Chaos]] | ||
* [[Magician of Chaos]] | * [[Magician of Chaos]] | ||
| + | * [[Magician of Black Chaos MAX]] | ||
| + | * [[Black Luster Soldier]] (with "Dragon Master Knight") | ||
| + | * [[Black Luster Soldier - Legendary Swordsman]] | ||
|fusion monsters = | |fusion monsters = | ||
* [[Amulet Dragon]] | * [[Amulet Dragon]] | ||
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* [[Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon]] | * [[Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon]] | ||
* [[The Dark Magicians]] | * [[The Dark Magicians]] | ||
| + | * [[Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon]] | ||
| + | * [[Dragon Magia Master]] | ||
| + | * [[Dragon Master Knight]] | ||
* [[First of the Dragons]] | * [[First of the Dragons]] | ||
* [[Gaia the Dragon Champion]] (with "Dark Magician the Knight of Dragon Magic") | * [[Gaia the Dragon Champion]] (with "Dark Magician the Knight of Dragon Magic") | ||
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* [[Magi Magi ☆ Magician Gal]] | * [[Magi Magi ☆ Magician Gal]] | ||
* [[Norito the Moral Leader]] | * [[Norito the Moral Leader]] | ||
| + | * [[Evolzar Lars]] | ||
* [[Number 11: Big Eye]] | * [[Number 11: Big Eye]] | ||
* [[Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon]] | * [[Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon]] | ||
| Line 248: | Line 278: | ||
* [[Thousand Knives]] | * [[Thousand Knives]] | ||
* [[Red-Eyes Fusion]] | * [[Red-Eyes Fusion]] | ||
| + | * [[Fusion Armament]] | ||
* [[Fusion Deployment]] | * [[Fusion Deployment]] | ||
| + | * [[Fusion Tag]] | ||
* [[Magicalized Fusion]] | * [[Magicalized Fusion]] | ||
* [[Spellbook of Secrets]] | * [[Spellbook of Secrets]] | ||
| Line 257: | Line 289: | ||
* [[Magician's Salvation]] | * [[Magician's Salvation]] | ||
* [[Secret Village of the Spellcasters]] | * [[Secret Village of the Spellcasters]] | ||
| + | |ritual spells = | ||
| + | * [[Chaos Form]] | ||
|continuous spells = | |continuous spells = | ||
* [[Dark Magical Circle]] | * [[Dark Magical Circle]] | ||
| Line 263: | Line 297: | ||
* [[Piercing the Darkness]] | * [[Piercing the Darkness]] | ||
* [[Secret Sanctuary of the Spellcasters]] | * [[Secret Sanctuary of the Spellcasters]] | ||
| + | * [[Shining Sarcophagus]] | ||
| + | * [[Magician's Right Hand]] | ||
|quick-play spells = | |quick-play spells = | ||
* [[Soul Servant]] | * [[Soul Servant]] | ||
| Line 272: | Line 308: | ||
* [[Chaos Scepter Blast]] | * [[Chaos Scepter Blast]] | ||
* [[Eye of Illusion]] | * [[Eye of Illusion]] | ||
| + | * [[Sinful Spoils of Doom - Rciela]] | ||
* [[Successor Soul]] | * [[Successor Soul]] | ||
|normal traps = | |normal traps = | ||
| Line 278: | Line 315: | ||
* [[Black Illusion]] | * [[Black Illusion]] | ||
* [[Dark Renewal]] | * [[Dark Renewal]] | ||
| + | * [[Dark Magic Mirror Force]] | ||
| + | |counter traps = | ||
| + | * [[Fists of the Unrivaled Tenyi]] | ||
|continuous traps = | |continuous traps = | ||
* [[Eternal Soul]] | * [[Eternal Soul]] | ||
Latest revision as of 22:09, 24 April 2024
Accomplish magnificently the combination of teacher and student.
— The archetype's tagline in promotional material
"Dark Magician", known as "Black Magician" (ブラック・マジシャン Burakku Majishan) in Japanese, is an archetype that has been a part of the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise since its beginning, with "Dark Magician" appearing as Yugi Muto's ace card. During the Battle City arc and subsequent arcs, more cards were introduced, such as "Dark Magician Girl". Originally a series, the release of "The Eye of Timaeus" turned it into an archetype. The series was also introduced to Yu-Gi-Oh! Rush Duel, focusing on the Legend Card "Dark Magician".
This archetype is not a sub-archetype of the "Magician" archetype, which is completely unrelated, but it does have a sub-archetype of its own: "Dark Magician Girl". "Dark Magician of Chaos" and "Skilled Dark Magician" are not members of this archetype, as their names don't contain「ブラック・マジシャン」; however, since support for this archetype only works on monsters that are listed as Fusion Material on a Fusion Monster (which neither of the two are), this is not an issue.
The theme is used by Yugi Muto/Yami Yugi in the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga and anime, and briefly by Yuma Tsukumo (actually owned by Roku as part of his "Statue" cards repertoire) in Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL.
Contents
Naming[edit]
Only one card supports the "Dark Magician" archetype as an archetype: "The Eye of Timaeus". Most "Dark Magician" support cards only support it specifically and/or other cards that mention its name in their effects.
Due to the gendered nature of some languages impacting the naming of "Dark Magician Girl", in many languages it is not possible to support both "Dark Magician Girl" monsters and other "Dark Magician" monsters with a single archetype name.
- In German, Portuguese, and Spanish, due to gender-specific conjugation, the card text of "The Eye of Timaeus" compounds the "Dark Magician" and "Dark Magician Girl" into a single string („Dunkler/s Magier“, "Mago(a) Negro(a)", and "Mago/a Oscuro/a", respectively) to explicitly include "Dark Magician Girl" monsters as being part of the archetype.
- In Italian, despite the language also featuring gender-specific conjugation, Italian card text often does not spell out grammatical gender differences in archetype names, so the card text of "The Eye of Timaeus" only supports "Dark Magician" ("Mago Nero") monsters, with support for "Dark Magician Girl" ("Maga Nera") monsters being implicit.
- In French, due to the inconsolable difference in names between the two monsters, the card text of "The Eye of Timaeus" specifies both the "Dark Magician" archetype ("Magicien Sombre") and the "Dark Magician Girl" archetype ("Magicienne des Ténèbres") separately.
Design[edit]
Appearance[edit]
"Dark Magician" monsters have several features in common:
- The armor of most "Dark Magician" monsters is a collection of shiny, curved plates with sharp edges, all of the same color, which covers the torso and shoulder areas. On the edges of the plates are curved trimmings of contrasting shade. "Magician's Robe" is the monster version of it.
- Some of these monsters also have hats which appear to be similar to a stereotypical wizard's hat, which is usually crooked, leaning forward at the tip and with several rings which segment it. These rings are of the same color of the curved trimmings seen elsewhere on its attire.
- Some of these monsters have Spell Counters embedded in their staff, shield, sword or armor.
- Some also have the "Dark Magical Circle" depicted in the background of their card artwork.
Playing style[edit]
The "Dark Magician" archetype is centered on the Level 7 DARK Spellcaster Normal Monster, "Dark Magician", with a secondary focus on the Level 6 DARK Spellcaster Effect Monster, "Dark Magician Girl". These two monsters feature a large amount of supporting cards that support these two monsters specifically, and those support cards in turn have their own support cards (who generally specify supporting "[card(s)] that specifically lists the card 'Dark Magician' in its text.") Generally, the archetype aims to use its arsenal of supportive Spell/Traps to generate advantage, disrupt the opponent, and use them to summon the archetype's Fusion boss monsters.
The archetype has a very large series of supportive Spell/Traps, with highly varied and powerful effects. Some more prominent examples include "Dark Magical Circle", who provides disruption when "Dark Magician" is summoned, "Eternal Soul", who gives "Dark Magician" protection and can endlessly revive "Dark Magician" and trigger "Dark Magical Circle", "Dark Magic Attack", "Dark Burning Attack", "Dark Burning Magic", who are searchable blowout cards, and "Magicians' Combination", "Magician Navigation", and "Destined Rivals", who are situational negates. In order to search out these key Spell/Traps, the archetype has multiple Spell/Trap searchers, with the key ones being "Magician's Rod", who searches Spell/Traps on Normal Summon, and Dark Magic Inheritance", a Quick-Play Spell that can search out Spell/Traps. Situationally, "Bond Between Teacher and Student" is a searcher for the aformentioned blowout cards.
To search out the "Dark Magician" and "Dark Magician Girl" that these Spell/Traps depend on, the archetype also has key monster searchers, with the important ones being "Magicians' Souls", who sends a Level 6 or higher Spellcaster monster from Deck to GY as cost for its hand effect, and "Apprentice Illusion Magician", who can Special Summon itself and search out "Dark Magician". Other situational key monster searchers include "Illusion Magic" and "Magician Navigation", and "Fusion Deployment" is an external searcher for the deck's key monsters.
The deck needs both its supportive Spell/Traps and its key monsters to begin its proper game plan, but none of the above cards can search out both simultaneously and reliably. To remedy this, the archetype has two extremely important searchers to ensure that it can reach both sides of its combo. The first is "Soul Servant", an indirect omni-searcher that can place any archetype-related card on top of the deck, which can then be drawn into using other cards' effects or its own GY effect. The second is "Illusion of Chaos", who can search out "Dark Magician" or any monster that lists it, making it a searcher for "Magician's Rod" and "Magicians' Souls", in essence a searcher for searchers. The archetype's Fusion boss monsters (some of which form an Ultimate Magical series, others form a "Dragon Knight" series) are powerful board control tools, giving the archetype more board presence beyond its backrow. They each require a "Dark Magician" as their fusion material, with a varied second fusion material. The most prominent ones among them are "Dark Magician the Dragon Knight", "The Dark Magicians" and "Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon", with "Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon" being especially notable as the deck's single most powerful monster that can often win games on its own.
- "Dark Magician the Dragon Knight" protects the player's backrow from being targeted and destroyed, and synergizes with "Eternal Soul" by being treated as "Dark Magician", creating a two-way protection between it and "Eternal Soul".
- "The Dark Magicians" once per turn draws the player a card when a Spell/Trap is activated, and allows Traps/Quick-Play Spells it drew to be immediately set and activated that turn. It provides the player with lots of resources over several turns, and combos well with "Soul Servant", who can set up the top deck with high-value cards or combo pieces such as "Palladium Oracle Mahad" or "Eternal Soul".
- "Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon" is an extremely powerful boss monster with high protection, high disruption power, high-power removal effects, and high damage output and OTK potential. It has innate targeting + destruction protection, possesses a once-per-turn omni-negate, can destroy monsters while simultaneously inflict burn damage, and has good base stats that gets boosted whenever it negates and destroys a card. The sheer power of "Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon" makes it one of the main win conditions of the deck.
To summon these Fusion Monsters, the archetype has a few in-theme cards that perform Fusion Summons. "Secrets of Dark Magic" and "Timaeus the United Dragon" can both perform Fusion Summons (a Spell and a monster that can Special Summon itself, respectively), and "The Eye of Timaeus" is a unique "Fusion Spell" that tributes a "Dark Magician" monster to Fusion Summon 1 Fusion Monster from the Extra Deck that lists it as a material. "Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon", in particular, can be easily made using "Red-Eyes Fusion", which in turn can be copied from the deck with "Predaplant Verte Anaconda", making it viable for a turbo strategy.
The archetype also has the capacity to make additional in-theme or non-in-theme Fusion monsters, such as "Mysterion the Dragon Crown", "First of the Dragons", "Quintet Magician", and "Dark Magician Girl the Dragon Knight". Of particular note is "Quintet Magician", a high-level Spellcaster beatstick with a 4500 ATK body and strong self-protection that can nuke the opponent's field.
Externally, the deck has synergies with cards such as "Keeper of Dragon Magic", a Fusion Spell searcher that can revive "Dark Magician" in the GY for fusion, and has a Dragon typing that makes it work with "Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon". The archetype's Spellcaster typing, and "Soul Servant"'s top deck control effect makes it synergize well with a "Spellbook" draw engine, consisting of "Spellbook Magician of Prophecy", "Spellbook of Secrets", and "Spellbook of Knowledge". The archetype also benefits from generic DARK or Spellcaster support, such as "Allure of Darkness" and "Selene, Queen of the Master Magicians", and has the capacity to make Rank 7 Xyz monsters, including some theme-related ones, such as "Ebon Illusion Magician".
Recommended cards[edit]
Recommended cards
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Official Deck[edit]
Palladium Oracle Mahad Deck List
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Konami’s Post TDIL Sample Dark Magician Deck
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Weaknesses[edit]
- Since the archetype heavily relies on spells to perform plays, anti-Spell floodgates such as "Anti-Spell Fragrance" and "Imperial Order" can stop the deck from making most of their combos.
- Being an archetype of primarily DARK monsters, anti-DARK floodgates or counters such as "Koa'ki Meiru Drago" or "Chaos Trap Hole" can prevent the deck from reaching their boss monsters.
