4Armored Core
Archetype:
B.E.S.
ATK:
1300
DEF:
2000
View:
3322
(This card is also always treated as a "B.E.S." card) If only your opponent controls a monster, you can Special Summon this card (from your hand).
Armored Core — Power Evaluation
Final Score: 48 ± 8 · Confidence: Medium
- Intrinsic: 48 · Deck: 49 · Meta: provisional
- Primary role: Starter / Combo enabler · Secondary: Material body
Why it scores here
Armored Core is a Level 4 Machine that can be Special Summoned from hand, but only when the opponent alone controls a monster, so it converts a narrow board state into a single body with no card advantage and no interaction. Its score comes mainly from being a generic-looking Level 4 material that stays usable as a B.E.S. body, its 1300 ATK and 2000 DEF earn nothing, and the 8 sampled decks show it as a cheap single-copy slot rather than a combo-defining piece. Confidence is Medium because no combo boards were supplied, so the starter and conversion scores rest on card text and deck placement alone.
Axis scores
| Axis | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | 40 | Hand Special Summon, but only when the opponent alone controls a monster, so it is live only in a narrow board state (verified text; 4 of 8 decks run it, B.E.S. inclusion 60%) (verified) |
| Combo & Conversion | 35 | Converts to one Level 4 body with no observed boards; partner pattern with B.E.S. Core and Metal Slave suggests a support role (inferred; no combos_evidence) |
| Resource Economy | 30 | No draw, search or recursion in the text, so it is a neutral body rather than card advantage (verified) |
| Effect & Interaction | 10 | No negation, removal or hand-trap effect in the text (verified) |
| Material Utility | 55 | Level 4 Machine that stays a usable material even when its summon condition is unmet, and is a B.E.S. card by text (verified text; inferred conversion value) |
| Resilience & Flexibility | 40 | Single hand-summon route with a condition; redundancy comes only from its B.E.S. archetype label across 3 archetypes (inferred) |
| Deck-Building Efficiency | 80 | One copy per deck in all 8 sampled decks with no garnet or lock restriction (observed) |
Calculation
Weight profile: 0.7 Starter / Combo enabler + 0.3 Material body. Intrinsic ≈ 48, Deck ≈ 49, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: none. Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck
Strengths
- Level 4 Machine body that is usable as material
- Cheap single-copy slot with no garnet or lock restriction
- Counts as B.E.S. for archetype support, with inclusion in 4 of 8 sampled B.E.S. decks
Weaknesses
- Summon needs the opponent alone to control a monster, so it is dead in many board states
- No card advantage, search or recursion
- No negation or removal, and little combo payoff
Counters / choke points
- Opponent boards with no monsters, or with several monsters, make the summon unavailable
Best use
Conditional hand-summoned body / B.E.S. material. Decks: B.E.S. builds, Wind and Machines builds (sampled). Suggested copies: 1.
Evidence & gaps
- Verified: Hand Special Summon only when the opponent alone controls a monster; Level 4 Machine, B.E.S. by text; Single copy in all 8 sampled decks; No effects beyond the summon condition
- Observed: Runs in 8 of 8 sampled decks across B.E.S., Wind and Machines; B.E.S. statistics inclusion 60%; Frequent partner with B.E.S. Core and Metal Slave cards
- Inferred: Summon condition makes it a going-second or empty-board recovery body; Material value comes from being a Level 4 Machine
- Data gaps: no combos supplied, so combo conversion is text-only inference no legal_copies data, so banlist status is assumed unlimited no rulings or guide detail beyond one insect guide mention sampled decks are only 8