Tuner monster Tuner monsters ( Japanese : チューナー " Chūnā " , " Tuner " ) are monsters with " Tuner " listed on the Type / Ability line . They are required for the Synchro Summon of a Synchro Monster . Normal , Fusion , Effect , Pendulum , and Synchro Monsters themselves can all be Tuner monsters , although some card effect s can treat non - Tuner monsters as Tuners . Flip and Union monster s and Special Summon Monster s can also be Tuner monsters . To perform a Synchro Summon , the player send s monsters they control ( including a Tuner monster ) to the Graveyard whose total Level is exactly equal to that of a Synchro Monster in their Extra Deck , then they Synchro Summon that Synchro Monster . Usually , Synchro Summons require exactly 1 Tuner monster , but some Synchro Monsters allow or require multiple Tuner monsters ( referred to as Double Tuning ) . A number of support cards specifically deal with Tuner monsters , including " Mind Trust " , " Boost Warrior " and " Quillbolt Hedgehog " , which can further aid in setting up a Synchro Summon . Some Synchro Monsters require a specific Tuner monster to be used ( " Sun Dragon Inti " ) , or a Tuner of a specific Type ( " Trident Dragion " ) , Attribute ( " Dragocytos Corrupted Nethersoul Dragon " ) , or archetype ( " Blackwing Tamer - Obsidian Hawk Joe " ) , etc . Likewise , some Tuners can only be used as Synchro Material for a limited set of Synchro Monsters , such as " Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Spirit " , " Mystic Macrocarpa Seed " , and " Scrap Soldier " . There are also Tuner Synchro Monster s , Synchro Monsters that are themselves Tuners . Due to their difficulty of use , they tend to have effects that make Synchro Summoning easier , such as by manipulating their own Level ( " Phonon Pulse Dragon " ) , allowing its control ler to Synchro Summon during the opponent ' s turn ( " T . G . Wonder Magician " ) , or having effects that activate when used as a Synchro Material ( " Puralis , the Purple Pyrotile " ) . In the anime , Tuner Synchro Monsters are notably required for Accel Synchro Monster s , such as " Shooting Star Dragon " . Commonalities . Level . Tuner monsters are often low in Level , usually ranging from Level 1 to 3 . A number of Level 4 Tuner monsters exist , but very frequently have negative effect s or condition s that limit their use ( due to Level 4 being by far the most common Level for monsters that can be readily Normal Summoned , this is presumably to make it more difficult to Summon Level 8 Synchro Monsters ) . The first Level 4 Normal Tuner monster , " Angel Trumpeter " , was not released until 2016 , eight years after the debut of Tuner and Synchro monsters . There are not many Level 5 or higher Tuner monsters . Effects . Many Tuner monsters have effects that assist in performing a Synchro Summon , such as by Special Summoning another monster ( " Deep Sea Diva " , " Masked Chameleon " ) , Special Summoning themselves when a condition is met ( " Lady of the Lake " , " Fishborg Archer " ) , or managing the Level , Type , or Attribute of monsters ( " Delta Flyer " , " Genomix Fighter " , and " Genex Ally Chemistrer " , respectively ) . One monster , " Phantom King Hydride " , can treat itself as a non - Tuner monster for a Synchro Summon . Etymology . As implied by the name , several Tuner monsters and their designs have ties to sound , like " Frequency Magician " , " Phonon Pulse Dragon " , and the " Resonator " monsters . Many Tuner support cards have references to music or wavelengths , like " Natural Tune " , " Resonator Call " , and " Tuning " . Tuner Pendulum Monster . Tuner Pendulum Monsters usually have an effect that restricts how they can be used as a Synchro Material and / or causes them to banish themselves if used as a Synchro Material . This is because otherwise they could easily be Pendulum Summoned again the next turn , to be used as Synchro Material again .