Mirror Force

Why collectors notice it

It is a well-known Trap from the early years, and many later cards in the game are measured against it.

It is an early expansion that added classic Trap cards. Read more about Metal Raiders.

A closer look

Reading this card

Look for the purple frame, the sign of a Trap. Under the name sits the subtype Normal Trap. There are no stars and no attack number, since Traps are never summoned. The set code points to Metal Raiders, not to the first set, which is a handy reminder that this card is a later addition.

The featured print is an Ultra Rare, with a gold-foil name and a holographic picture. What the card cannot show you from the front is when it works. A Trap is set face down first and can only be activated on a later turn, so your opponent sees a back and has to guess.

How it compares

The cleanest contrast is with Dark Hole. Dark Hole is a Spell you play on your own turn and it hits both sides. Mirror Force is a Trap that waits for an attack and hits the attacker's side. Both clear monsters, yet the timing and the target are not the same.

Pair it with Summoned Skull from the same set for a lesson in how an expansion fills out the pool: one a monster you summon face up, the other a card you hide. The Metal Raiders page puts both in context.

Questions readers ask

Why can't I use it the turn I set it?

Traps need a turn on the field first. Set it early, and it can be used from your opponent's next turn.

Should I attack into a face-down card?

It depends, and that is the fun of it. The unknown card may be a Trap, a Spell or nothing important, so the bluff does part of the work.

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