DARK
8Archfiend Empress
Archetype:
Archfiend
ATK:
2900
DEF:
2100
View:
4404
If (exactly) 1 face-up DARK Fiend-Type monster on the field, except this card, would be destroyed, you can remove from play 1 DARK Fiend-Type monster from your Graveyard, instead. When this card is destroyed and sent from the field to the Graveyard, you can select 1 Level 6 or higher DARK Fiend-Type monster in your Graveyard, except "Archfiend Empress", and Special Summon it.
Archfiend Empress — Power Evaluation
Final Score: 58 ± 8 · Confidence: Medium
- Intrinsic: 54 · Deck: 60 · Meta: provisional
- Primary role: Recovery / Recursion · Secondary: Removal / Negation
Why it scores here
The card's value comes from its graveyard effect: when destroyed, it Special Summons a Level 6+ DARK Fiend from the graveyard, so it converts a lost body back into a board presence. Its protection effect only covers exactly one other face-up DARK Fiend and costs a graveyard card, which limits its interaction score. Its 2900 ATK and Level 8 body earn no points by themselves; the score rests on 50% Archfiend inclusion, 1.09 average copies, and 20 distinct archetypes, with no combo data to confirm conversion.
Axis scores
| Axis | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | 50 | The card has no search text and needs a Level 8 summon route, which is inferred from the 50% Archfiend deck share and the Archfiend Emperor partner at 76% (observed, inferred). |
| Combo & Conversion | 50 | Text describes a one-for-one revival of a Level 6+ DARK Fiend from the graveyard, not a multi-card board; no combo examples were supplied (inferred). |
| Resource Economy | 55 | Revival returns a body without card advantage, and the protection effect spends a graveyard card for a one-for-one replacement (verified). |
| Effect & Interaction | 30 | Protection covers only exactly one other face-up DARK Fiend, with no negate or removal of its own (verified). |
| Material Utility | 40 | A Level 8 DARK Fiend with 2900 ATK is a usable material body, but no material stats were supplied, so this is an inference (inferred). |
| Resilience & Flexibility | 60 | The revival trigger works from the field to the graveyard, but a graveyard-trigger negate or banish stops it (inferred). |
| Deck-Building Efficiency | 65 | Typical use is 1 copy in 80 of 88 decks, with no garnet or lock evidence and a mild DARK Fiend restriction (observed). |
Calculation
Weight profile: 0.7 Recovery/Recursion + 0.3 Removal/Negation. Intrinsic ≈ 54, Deck ≈ 60, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: none. Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck
Strengths
- Revives a Level 6+ DARK Fiend from the graveyard when destroyed, converting a lost body into board presence
- Protects one other face-up DARK Fiend from destruction by banishing a graveyard card
- Appears in 50% of the sampled Archfiend decks and across 20 distinct archetypes
- Typically runs 1 copy, so the slot cost is low
Weaknesses
- No combo evidence, so conversion power is text-only inference
- Protection applies only when exactly one other face-up DARK Fiend would be destroyed
- Summoning a Level 8 body needs a route the evidence does not table
- Its value depends on being destroyed, so it does not act as a proactive threat
Counters / choke points
- Negating the graveyard trigger on destruction (inferred from text)
- Banishing or exiling graveyard Level 6+ Fiends to remove the revival target (inferred from text)
- Keeping the other Fiend from being the only destroyed target (inferred from text)
Best use
Recovery / Recursion. Decks: Archfiend (archetype 1185, 50% of sampled decks), Archfiend (archetype 1100), Archfiend (archetype 799). Suggested copies: 1.
Evidence & gaps
- Verified: Field-to-graveyard trigger revives one Level 6+ DARK Fiend (card text); Protection effect covers exactly one other face-up DARK Fiend and banishes a graveyard card (card text); 88 sampled decks, 50% in Archfiend archetype 1185, 1.09 average copies (decks evidence)
- Observed: Archfiend Emperor appears alongside her in 76.1% of decks (decks evidence); Inclusion 100% in Archfiend gameplay type 3 with typical 1 copy (usage statistics)
- Inferred: Summon route to a Level 8 body is possible through Archfiend partners (partner data, no searcher table); Graveyard-trigger negate is the main counter (text reasoning)
- Data gaps: no combos supplied, so combo conversion is text-only inference no guides supplied no banlist token, so 3 copies (unlimited) assumed