Happy Friday!  This card was released in 2002 in the very first set, Legend of Blue-Eyes White Dragon.  It has been reprinted many times, and is now reprinted as an Ultra Rare promo that comes with the Starter Deck's Power-Up Packs.

Dark Hole

Some people may be surprised by my comparatively critical review, but while Dark Hole has been considered a staple card all throughout 2002 thru 2012, in recent times, it has been seen as more of an option for those who don't have any better removal to run. 

It still does your basic things that it always has done.  It punishes swarms (though players today are much more intelligent about overextending).  It can trigger some of your effects or fuel your graveyard.  It clears the field of monsters for a direct attack.  Its quick easy to use accessible removal for tough situations.

But as archetypes have risen, decks have found their own methods of monster removal which are searchable and fuel for their other cards.  For example, Artifacts have Artifact Moralltach.  And there's a whole Extra Deck full of options to handle monsters like Evilswarm Exciton Knight.  Players tend to prefer to use a Spell that could advance their archetype forward rather than one that simply controls the field.

As a Spell, it is slow, compared to a trap like Torrential Tribute.  This sounds weird because historically, Spells have been considered as faster.  We used to have monsters like D.D. Warrior Lady which had constant effects.  Being able to kill it on your turn was great.  Now, with XYZ's, on-summon Effect Monsters like Ninja Grandmaster Hanzo and Elemental Hero Prisma, by the time its your turn, the monsters are floaters who have already reaped their effects.

This may sound like a shocker to a lot of you, but Konami could put this card unrestricted at 3, and still, most competitive players would use 0-1 copies.

Assessments

Power – 4/5 ; When it is used at the right moment, it can turn the tides of the duel and basically "nuke the field".

Versatility – 4/5 ; In numerous situations you will want to keep your monsters alive.  A number of decks avoid this card for that reason.  That said, I don't think anyone has ever been upset when they drew a Dark Hole.

Accessibility – 4/5 ; No cost of activation.  No real risks against it (in terms of how the opponent would react to it), aside from losing your own monsters of course.

Card Advantage – 3/5 ; You have the potential to clear out several of the opponent's cards; even if they might be floaters.

Speed – 3/5 ; You activate this after your opponent has already activated their effects and attacked you.  This is kinda slow.  But at least the effect activates immediately.

Ratings

Traditional – 2/5 ; In a format full of removal options, like the superior Raigeki, this card lacks a place

Advanced – 3.5/5 – For whatever its faults are, I can't deny that its one of the best Spell Card removal options in Advanced.  Despite the fact that you're best off removing threats with Trap Cards.

Mechanic Design – 4/5 ; An overall very fair mass-removal card which is easy to use but not without reasonable faults.

Artwork – 2/5 ; Worked well for 2002 standards but is boring and dull now.

Verdict

Respectable card, even in disagreement.

Dark Hole

Wrapping up our look at the new Super Starter: Space-Time Showdown deck; we look at Dark Hole. Dark Hole is one of the two guaranteed cards from the Super Starter Power-Up Pack which comes with the Super Starter: Space-Time Showdown deck.

Dark Hole has been around since the game started and was available in both original Yugi and Kaiba starter decks, so everyone had a copy. It has constant bounced on and off the ban list as well and now everyone gets a shiny Ultra Rare version to use. The question is though is Dark Hole still any good?

Dark Hole’s effect is simple; it destroys all monsters on the field; simple and very powerful. Being able to clear the field is always a huge advantage especially if the damage to you is minimum or in some case beneficial. Of course Dark Hole while still one of the most powerful cards in the game has to deal with the ever evolving nature of the game.

Today there are plenty of cards with destruction negation effects like Stardust Dragon or cards that cannot be destroyed by card effects like Red Nova Dragon or cards that can prevent other cards from being destroyed by card effects like Aegis of the Ocean Dragon Lord. Also throw in the usual card negation cards like Dark Bribe and Dark Hole as lots some of its punch, but it is still powerful none the less.

Overall a powerful card but it now has a lot more cards that can stop it or ruin its effectiveness, but still a card to consider using.

Traditional: 3.5/5
Advanced: 3.75/5

Hello Pojo Fans,

If you play Yu-Gi-Oh, play Dark Hole. It's a staple, automatic, hope that's clear. Even if you were running a strictly monster dominant deck you would want this as an ace in the hole. Clear the field of any and all monsters. Sure, certain cards have protection effects that will help against this card, but nine times out of ten this card will be able to clear the field. Play it when your field is barren, play it when your opponent has more monsters than you, play it before you start your plays in your Main Phase 1. Raigeki is banned so play this card.

Traditional-4.5/5
Advanced-4.5/5
Art-3/5

Soooooo. Unless you've been living under a rock for the last.......13 years? Dark Hole, one of the first staples of YGO. Play it, destroy stuff, turn games around, #winning. Really what more needs to be said? Now, lets look at the negatives(negatives?!?!?!), yes negatives. Hand Play: Obviously destroying an ice hand if you have spell/traps can keep your opponent from completely losing. Unaffecteds: Felgrand and Dracossack still see hefty play and while Hole will get rid of Dracossack's tokens it won't kill the big machine itself and Felgrand simply needs to detatch and the Hole is a waste, also you have stuff like Bujin Hare protecting that ever important Yamato.

Traditional - 4/5
Advanced - 4/5 the rise of stuff that either are unaffected by dark hole or float through dark hole are enough to put a damper on a perfect score, but this in no way means you shouldn't have one handy. Getting rid of stuff to help push through a play is never a bad thing!

Dark Hole is a card as old as Yu-Gi-Oh! itself, having been released in the very first booster pack, Legend of Blue-Eyes. The card has always had a major presence in the game whenever it was legal (and yes, it has been Forbidden in the past).
 
Its effect to destroy all monsters on the field is simple yet very powerful. Being a Spell makes it particularly difficult to stop, since Spell negation is few and far between these days. It serves as an answer to large established boards, making it a great lategame topdeck. Additionally, Dark Hole serves as an answer to monsters that some Decks have trouble running over, such as Abyss Dweller for Mermails, and monsters that are immune to targeting, such as Leo, the Keeper of the Sacred Tree. It can also neutralize the threat of a Fire Hand, as it’ll take out any potential targets for it as well (be careful when trying this on Ice Hand though; it won’t always work).
 
As strong as it is, however, in the past year Dark Hole has interestingly seen a decrease in popularity. Since the summer of 2013, the game has had a growing trend of Decks that either can protect their monsters from destruction or easily replace the advantage lost from a resolved Dark Hole. Decks like Spellbook, Evilswarm, and Bujin can easily protect their on-field monsters, while others such as Dragon Ruler, Geargia, and Fire Fist can easily recover from a field wipe, whether it’s through the Rulers themselves, Gear Gigant, or Tenki. Despite this, there are still several relevant Decks that are hurt by Dark Hole. Decks like Mermail, Sylvan, and Infernity can build up an extremely powerful board, but don’t always have the means to protect it or replace it like the previously mentioned Decks; an untimely Dark Hole can be quite devastating to them. As such, Dark Hole has remained at the very least a good Side Deck option, and as these Decks rise in popularity, so does the usage of Dark Hole.
 
The upcoming format doesn’t look particularly kind to the once-staple, though. Duelist Alliance is bringing a plethora of powerful archetypes to the game that can all get around Dark Hole. Shaddoll and Burning Abyss both comprise of monsters that activate effects when sent to the Graveyard, and the former even has a monster that is immune to opposing destruction. The Stellarknights gain advantage off of any type of Summon, and even have a Counter Trap that can negate Dark Hole. The Yang Zings replace themselves when they’re destroyed. Even further in the future, as Pendulum Monsters continue to rise in power, Dark Hole’s usefulness is going to drop even more; any Pendulum Monsters destroyed can simply be Pendulum Summoned back to the field in the following turn.
 
Dark Hole’s near future looks bleak, but it is still a timeless card that will always have a presence in the game as long as it’s around.
 
Traditional: 3/5 (You’ve got Raigeki here)
Advanced: 4/5

Dark Hole

Concluding Space-Time Showdown week with a reprint, we have quite the old one : Dark Hole. Unless you have been living under a rock since Legend of Blue-Eyes White Dragon, you should know what it does, but in case you don't:

"Destroy all monsters on the field."

Quite a simple effect, right? Let's look at why someone might put this card into their deck. First of all, just the thought of your opponent having Dark Hole in hand could prevent you from committing too many monsters to your field. It allows for easy mind games in that aspect. Secondly, it can prevent monster effects that need to be on the field to be used. Namely, cards like Geargiarmor that require to be flipped in order to accumulate card advantage, or cards like Mermail Abyssgaios, that are vulnerable to such means of removal.

Now, as for why people played it last format, one deck comes to mind: Geargia. Geargia decks were far and away one of the best decks of the format. This isn't saying it isn't good against other decks, but against Geargia it really went the extra mile, and hitting a Geargiarmor can sometimes spell game for the opponent. On the other hand, against decks such as Hand Artifact Traptrix, it could be hit or miss. Dark Holing a Fire Hand, for example, is one of the situations where Dark Hole shines, but they generally don't commit much to field, so Dark Hole is lackluster in that aspect. Against Mythic Rulers, if they make a big field, they usually back it up with some sort of protection, such as Stardust Dragon, Divine Dragon Knight Felgrand, or Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon, and Dark Holing a mere Dragon Ruler won't get you far.

As for its future, it is honestly looking pretty bleak. Against the upcoming Shaddolls, it is pathetic. Shaddoll Midrash, their quasi-boss monster, it is completely useless. And all their other monsters get their effects even when they are sent to the graveyard through a card effect, so Dark Hole only gives them more cards. Against Yang Zings, they all get their effects off of Dark Hole, and even then, they have monsters that provide immunity to Spells when they make a Synchro Monster. Against Stellarknights, it is only really good when they make something other than Delteros, and even then, they all float, and they most likely lost no card advantage from you using Dark Hole. Against Qliphoths, all of their monsters go back to the Extra deck when sent from the field, so it effectively accomplishes nothing.

Dark Hole, you had your time in the limelight, but for now, you will have to take a break.

Traditional - 2/5
Advanced 2.75/5