Trap
NormalBacks to the Wall
Archetype:
Six Samurai
View:
3703
Pay LP so that you only have 100 left; Special Summon as many "Six Samurai" monsters with different names from your GY as possible. You cannot Special Summon a monster with the same name as a monster you already control.
Backs to the Wall — Power Evaluation
Final Score: 53 ± 8 · Confidence: Medium
- Intrinsic: 50 · Deck: 54.5 · Meta: provisional
- Primary role: Recovery/Recursion
Why it scores here
Backs to the Wall is a Six Samurai trap whose value is a mass Special Summon of different-name Six Samurai monsters from the GY, paid for by dropping to 100 LP. Its power is conversion of a GY full of Six Samurai into a board, so it is strong when the deck already has a stocked GY and LP to spare, and the LP cost caps how often it is safe to use. The 55-deck sample supports a real, practical home (17 archetypes, strong partners such as Legendary Six Samurai - Kizan), but it does not show that the card is intrinsically powerful, so the score stays near the middle. Its effect-interaction and material scores are low because the card does nothing to the opponent and cannot be used as material.
Axis scores
| Axis | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | 60 | Set as a trap and reachable through the Six Samurai shell with partners like Gateway of the Six and Shien's Smoke Signal in 55 decks; no combo starter data exists to confirm the route (observed decks, inferred route). |
| Combo & Conversion | 62 | Text says it summons as many different-name Six Samurai from the GY as possible, a board-building effect; no combo examples or power index are supplied to measure the realistic board (inferred from text). |
| Resource Economy | 60 | Gets several bodies back from the GY for a LP cost that resets the player to 100, so it is a recursion effect with a real but heavy price (verified text, inferred magnitude). |
| Effect & Interaction | 10 | No negation, removal or disruption on the opponent's side; the trap only affects the player's own board (verified text). |
| Material Utility | 10 | The card is a trap and cannot be material; the summoned monsters carry the value, not this card (verified frame and type). |
| Resilience & Flexibility | 45 | A face-down trap can be negated, and it depends on a stocked GY and spare LP, so it is fragile to both interaction and resource timing (inferred). |
| Deck-Building Efficiency | 45 | Average 1.22 copies across decks, all in one archetype-locked shell with no garnet or lock; the cost is LP management and a dedicated Six Samurai build (observed copies, inferred restriction). |
Calculation
Weight profile: Primary role Recovery/Recursion only; no secondary blend (Combo enabler not evidenced by combos). Intrinsic ≈ 50, Deck ≈ 54.5, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: LP-cost self-limit (-2). Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck
Strengths
- Mass recursion from GY, several bodies per activation
- Live in 55 sampled decks across 17 archetypes, with strong partners
- Cheap to run at about one copy per deck, no garnet or lock
Weaknesses
- Resets LP to 100, a heavy cost that can be lethal to use
- Needs a stocked GY of different-name Six Samurai to be worth it
- No opponent interaction and no material value
Counters / choke points
- Negation of the set trap before activation
- Opponent removal or GY disruption that empties the GY
- Heavy damage pressure that makes the LP reset a liability
Best use
Recovery/Recursion trap in GY-heavy Six Samurai lines. Decks: Six Samurai, Secret Six Samurai, Shadow Six Samurai. Suggested copies: 1.
Evidence & gaps
- Verified: Trap frame, Six Samurai archetype, formats TCG/OCG/MasterDuel/DuelLinks from evidence; Text: pay LP to 100, Special Summon different-name Six Samurai from GY, no same-name summon
- Observed: 55 decks, 17 distinct archetypes, average 1.22 copies; Top partners with 58-78% co-occurrence; One guide describing the Six Samurai trap support role
- Inferred: Typical GY recursion yield of two to four bodies, not measured; LP cost makes use situational; Conversion into a full board depends on GY state
- Data gaps: no combos supplied, so combo conversion is text-only inference no banlist token, assumed 3 copies (unlimited) no usage statistics (StatisticsCard) for this card no combo starter, searched or end-board data to confirm the recursion route