DARK
4Cannon Soldier
ATK:
1400
DEF:
1300
View:
5169
You can Tribute 1 monster; inflict 500 damage to your opponent.
Cannon Soldier — Power Evaluation
Final Score: 47 ± 6 · Confidence: Medium
- Intrinsic: 47.9 · Deck: 46.7 · Meta: provisional
- Primary role: Utility · Secondary: Material body
Why it scores here
Cannon Soldier is a Level 4 DARK Machine whose only effect is to Tribute one monster to inflict 500 damage, so it converts a card into a small amount of direct damage and nothing more. Its 94-deck footprint across 42 archetypes shows it is easy to run and fits many homes, and that breadth lifts accessibility and deckbuilding cost. Its 1400 ATK and 1300 DEF earn no points; the score comes from its Level 4 body, which stays useful as material even after the effect is negated. Combo evidence is absent, so the starter, combo and interaction axes stay low.
Axis scores
| Axis | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | 45 | Present in 94 recent decks across 42 archetypes, but no searcher or starter evidence exists, so it is usually a drawn card rather than a reliable opener (observed). |
| Combo & Conversion | 25 | Its only text is Tribute 1 monster for 500 damage; no combo boards were recorded, so conversion beyond direct damage is inference only (inferred). |
| Resource Economy | 20 | Tributing a monster to deal 500 damage is a net -1 card with no recovery, search or refuel in the text (verified). |
| Effect & Interaction | 5 | The card has no negation, removal or hand-trap text, so it offers no opponent interaction (verified). |
| Material Utility | 50 | A Level 4 DARK Machine body is a generic material fit for Level 4 summons and stays usable as material even if the effect is negated (inferred). |
| Resilience & Flexibility | 40 | The effect is a single, easily negated activation, but the body stays on the field and is spread across many archetypes (inferred). |
| Deck-Building Efficiency | 75 | Typically run as one copy (avg 1.21 per deck), with no garnet or lock restriction and a clean, simple effect (observed). |
Calculation
Weight profile: 0.7 Utility + 0.3 Material body (blended). Intrinsic ≈ 47.9, Deck ≈ 46.7, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: none. Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck
Strengths
- Level 4 DARK Machine body with a plain, easy-to-read effect
- Broad real deck footprint: 94 decks across 42 archetypes
- Cheap to run, typically a single copy
Weaknesses
- Effect costs a card and returns only 500 damage, with no card advantage
- No combo evidence, so its starter and board roles are unobserved
- Once the effect is negated, it is only a vanilla 1400 body
Counters / choke points
- Negating its activated effect removes the 500 damage, leaving only the body on the field
- Removing the monster from the field before it is tributed ends its only function
Best use
Utility / tribute-damage tech and Level 4 material. Decks: Dark World, Phantom Knights, Orcust. Suggested copies: 1.
Evidence & gaps
- Verified: Text: Tribute 1 monster; inflict 500 damage to the opponent; Level 4 DARK Machine, 1400 ATK / 1300 DEF; Legal in TCG, OCG and MasterDuel formats
- Observed: 94 recent decks, 42 distinct archetypes; Copies per deck avg 1.21 (81 of 94 decks run 1 copy); Top partners include Forbidden Droplet and Upstart Goblin
- Inferred: Generic Level 4 material fit; Body remains useful after the effect is negated
- Data gaps: no combos supplied — combo conversion is text-only inference no usage statistics (StatisticsCard) — archetype inclusion % inferred from deck sample only no ruling or banlist evidence supplied guide evidence is a single rulebook mention, not a card-specific strategy source