EARTH
4Absolute Crusader
ATK:
1800
DEF:
1200
View:
3122
If a Level 5 or higher monster(s) is Special Summoned: Tribute this face-up card; destroy that Level 5 or higher monster(s).
Absolute Crusader — Power Evaluation
Final Score: 52 ± 8 · Confidence: Medium
- Intrinsic: 55.4 · Deck: 49.2 · Meta: provisional
- Primary role: Removal · Secondary: Material body
Why it scores here
Absolute Crusader converts itself into one-for-one removal: when a Level 5 or higher monster is Special Summoned, it is Tributed and that monster is destroyed. Its 1800 ATK earns nothing; the score comes from a narrow answer to Level 5+ Special Summons, which is a real but limited role. Observed deck usage (5 decks, typically 1-2 copies, partnered with Dark Magician Girl, Magician's Rod and Call of the Haunted in Dark Magician and Mirror Force shells) confirms a live home, but with no combo or guide data the conversion score cannot rise above a modest level.
Axis scores
| Axis | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | 40 | A Level 4 Warrior that is summoned normally, but it only matters once it is on the field and a Level 5+ Special Summon happens; no searcher or combo-start evidence exists (observed: 0 combos, 5 decks) (observed). |
| Combo & Conversion | 25 | The card only converts by spending itself to destroy one summoned monster; nothing in the evidence shows it building a board beyond that (verified from text; no combo examples) (inferred). |
| Resource Economy | 50 | Tribute is a cost of one card for one destroyed monster, roughly even, with upside only when several Level 5+ monsters are summoned at once (verified from text) (inferred). |
| Effect & Interaction | 55 | Destroys rather than negates, and only Level 5+ Special Summons trigger it; the text has no targeting wording, which limits how often a response can stop it (verified from text) (inferred). |
| Material Utility | 55 | A generic Level 4 Earth Warrior body is a usable Rank 4 or Level 4 material, but the card is Tributed when its effect is used, so it rarely stays on field as material (verified from card stats) (inferred). |
| Resilience & Flexibility | 35 | Its effect requires it to stay face-up on the field, so any removal or negation of the body before the trigger ends it (verified from text) (inferred). |
| Deck-Building Efficiency | 75 | A single Level 4 body with no garnet, lock or archetype restriction, and typically 1 to 2 copies per deck (observed: avg 1.6 copies across 5 decks) (observed). |
Calculation
Weight profile: Removal primary; no secondary blend applied. Intrinsic ≈ 55.4, Deck ≈ 49.2, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: none. Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck
Strengths
- Answers Level 5+ Special Summons directly, including bosses, with destruction rather than a fragile negate
- Cheap, generic Level 4 body with no archetype lock, legal in TCG, OCG, MasterDuel and DuelLinks
- Observed in 5 decks across Dark Magician and archetype-less shells, with 1 to 2 copies each
Weaknesses
- Only triggers on Level 5+ Special Summons; Normal Summons and lower Levels are untouched
- Tribute cost removes the card, so it answers one event and then is gone
- No searcher, starter or combo evidence; it has to be drawn or otherwise reached
- Requires the card to stay face-up on the field
Counters / choke points
- Negating the Special Summon or its trigger before the effect resolves
- Removing or negating Absolute Crusader on the field before it is needed
- Summoning Level 5+ monsters by Normal Summon or using monsters of Level 4 or below
Best use
Single-use answer to Level 5+ Special Summon bosses. Decks: Dark Magician control shells, Egyptian God and archetype-less Level 5+ boss decks. Suggested copies: 2.
Evidence & gaps
- Verified: Effect text: on a Level 5+ Special Summon, Tribute this card and destroy that monster(s); Level 4, Earth Warrior, 1800 ATK / 1200 DEF, Effect Monster; Legal in TCG, OCG, MasterDuel and DuelLinks; Five recent decks, average 1.6 copies (max 2)
- Observed: Five decks run it, four archetype buckets (two no-archetype); Top partners: Dark Magician Girl, Magician's Rod, Call of the Haunted (4 of 5 decks each); Zero recorded combo boards
- Inferred: Its real role is one-for-one removal of Level 5+ Special Summons; Destroy-without-targeting wording means it is harder to answer than a targeting effect, but it is still answerable before resolution
- Data gaps: no combos supplied, so combo conversion is text-only inference no guides supplied no usage statistics (StatisticsCard), so archetype inclusion is inferred from the 5-deck sample only no banlist token; assumed 3 copies (unlimited) no top_card_context supplied