LIGHT
4Ancient Dragon
ATK:
1400
DEF:
1300
View:
2882
When this card inflicts battle damage to your opponent by a direct attack: You can increase this card's Level by 1 and ATK by 500.
Ancient Dragon — Power Evaluation
Final Score: 38 ± 6 · Confidence: Medium
- Intrinsic: 39 · Deck: 37 · Meta: provisional
- Primary role: Utility · Secondary: Material body
Why it scores here
Ancient Dragon's only effect is an optional Level +1 and ATK +500 that triggers on battle damage from a direct attack, so it converts into a larger body when it is already winning the attack step rather than generating cards, board, or interaction. Its 1400 ATK and 1300 DEF earned no points on their own. The score sits in the low-middle range because the card is a generic Level 4 Dragon with 2 sampled decks and no recorded combos, and it gets some credit as a clean Level 4 Dragon body that can still act as material.
Axis scores
| Axis | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | 40 | Run in 2 of 2 sampled decks (1 and 3 copies), but no combo starter or search evidence exists, so it is a generic body rather than a reliable route (observed, inferred). |
| Combo & Conversion | 20 | Text only: the level and ATK gain needs a direct attack that deals battle damage, and no combo boards record it (inferred, combos absent). |
| Resource Economy | 25 | The effect adds Level and ATK, not cards, and there is no refuel or recursion text (verified). |
| Effect & Interaction | 5 | The card has no negation, removal, or hand-trap text (verified). |
| Material Utility | 45 | A Level 4 Dragon whose effect can raise its Level by 1 is a usable material body, but no observed material use is recorded (inferred). |
| Resilience & Flexibility | 30 | The trigger needs an unblocked direct attack that deals battle damage, so one blocker or any attack-stopping effect shuts it off (inferred). |
| Deck-Building Efficiency | 60 | No archetype, garnet, or lock restriction is recorded, and the copy count ranges from 1 to 3 (observed). |
Calculation
Weight profile: 0.7 Utility + 0.3 Material body. Intrinsic ≈ 39, Deck ≈ 37, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: none. Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck
Strengths
- Level 4 Dragon body with a Level-changing effect that can help material and Level fit
- Appears in both sampled decks alongside several Dragon partners, so it has a practical home
- Generic and low-cost to run with no archetype or garnet restriction
Weaknesses
- Its effect needs a direct attack that deals battle damage, which is hard to reach against any blocker
- No recorded combo starter, searched, or payoff role, so its conversion is unproven
- Only 2 sampled decks and no archetype, so deck evidence is thin
Counters / choke points
- Any blocker or attack-stopping effect prevents the battle damage trigger
- Monster removal or effect negation before the direct attack removes the upside
Best use
Utility body / Level 4 Dragon material. Decks: Generic Dragon decks (no archetype) such as the sampled Golem Dragon shells. Suggested copies: 2.
Evidence & gaps
- Verified: Card text: optional +1 Level and +500 ATK on battle damage from a direct attack; Card is a Level 4 Effect Monster with no archetype; Formats include TCG, OCG, MasterDuel, DuelLinks
- Observed: Ran in 2 of 2 sampled decks at 1 and 3 copies; Golem Dragon appears alongside it in both sampled decks
- Inferred: The direct-attack trigger rarely fires against a board with blockers; Level 4 Dragon body is usable as material
- Data gaps: no combos supplied — combo conversion is text-only inference no guides supplied no banlist token — assumed 3 copies (unlimited) no usage statistics (StatisticsCard) — archetype inclusion % inferred from deck sample only