Spell
NormalCold Wave
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6054
This card can only be activated at the start of Main Phase 1. Until your next turn, you and your opponent cannot play or Set any Spell or Trap Cards.
Cold Wave — Power Evaluation
Final Score: 54 ± 8 · Confidence: Medium
- Intrinsic: 58.4 · Deck: 51.5 · Meta: provisional
- Primary role: Floodgate/Control
Why it scores here
Cold Wave is a Normal Spell whose text is a one-turn Spell/Trap lock: it can only be activated at the start of Main Phase 1, and until your next turn neither player can play or Set Spell or Trap Cards. Its score comes from the Floodgate/Control role (interaction and resilience weighted highest), not from any board it builds, since no combo boards were recorded and it has no material or card-advantage text. Its broad deck presence (252 decks across 43 archetypes) confirms it is an accessible, portable staple, but guardrail 3 applies: that frequency does not raise the score. A self-restriction on your own Spells and Traps is applied as a deck-level modifier.
Axis scores
| Axis | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | 70 | A Normal Spell with no search requirement, live from hand in 252 decks across 43 archetypes, with 1.21 average copies (observed). |
| Combo & Conversion | 20 | No combo boards are recorded and the card has no text that builds a board by itself; the rating is a text-only inference (inferred). |
| Resource Economy | 25 | A one-for-one Spell with no draw, search, or GY refuel text, so no card advantage is gained (verified from text). |
| Effect & Interaction | 65 | The text blocks all Spell and Trap plays and Sets by both players until your next turn, which is strong but does not stop monster effects (verified from text, inferred strength). |
| Material Utility | 10 | A Spell card that cannot be used as material and has no material-facing text (verified from text). |
| Resilience & Flexibility | 40 | A single activation at a fixed timing with no redundancy; monster-based responses can still interact with it (inferred). |
| Deck-Building Efficiency | 55 | One slot at roughly one copy per deck with no garnet or brick, but it also restricts the player's own Spells and Traps until their next turn (verified from text, inferred cost). |
Calculation
Weight profile: Floodgate/Control primary; no secondary role blended. Intrinsic ≈ 58.4, Deck ≈ 51.5, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: Self-locking restriction (-3). Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck
Strengths
- Hard-to-play-around shutdown of Spell and Trap plays by both players for a full turn cycle (verified from text).
- Very easy to run: one slot, no garnet, and it is a Normal Spell with no search requirement (verified from text and observed in decks).
- Portable across 43 archetypes, with a broad inclusion footprint (observed in deck data).
Weaknesses
- No combo evidence, so it does not convert into a board on its own (observed: no combo appearances).
- Does not stop monster effects, so monster-based interaction can still answer it (inferred from text).
- Its own Spell and Trap restriction hurts decks that rely on backrow (verified from text).
Counters / choke points
- Monster effects and other responses that are not Spell or Trap plays can still interact with the turn (inferred from text).
- Dead when the opponent has no Spell or Trap plays to stop, so timing matters (inferred).
Best use
Floodgate / one-turn Spell and Trap lock used as a defensive or tempo interaction card. Decks: Lightsworn, X-Saber, Synchron, Gladiator Beast, Monarch. Suggested copies: 1.
Evidence & gaps
- Verified: Card text: can only be activated at the start of Main Phase 1; until your next turn neither player can play or Set Spell or Trap Cards.; Race Normal, Spell Card, one slot per deck, average 1.21 copies, 252 decks across 43 archetypes.
- Observed: 252 of the recent decks run the card, 82.1% in gameplay type 7 and 15.9% in type 6.; Top partners include Heavy Storm (86.5%) and Mystical Space Typhoon (81.3%), which points to a generic staple pattern.; Usage statistics show 100% inclusion in three Rush Duel archetypes at 1 copy each.
- Inferred: The lock blocks Spell and Trap responses for a full turn, so it works best when the opponent has Spell or Trap interaction to stop.; Self-restriction makes it awkward in backrow-heavy decks.
- Data gaps: No combos supplied, so combo conversion and starter/searched/material roles are text-only inference. No guides supplied, so no human context on the card's role. No rulings supplied for the timing of responses to the activation. No dated metagame sample, so meta power stays null.