WATER
5Cutter Shark
Archetype:
Shark
ATK:
0
DEF:
2000
View:
2455
When 1 monster you control (and no other cards) is targeted for an attack or with a card effect, and this card is in your hand or GY (Quick Effect): You can Tribute that monster; Special Summon this card. If this card is Special Summoned: You can activate this effect; add 1 WATER monster from your GY to your hand during the End Phase of this turn, except "Cutter Shark". You can only use each effect of "Cutter Shark" once per turn.
Cutter Shark — Power Evaluation
Final Score: 56 ± 6 · Confidence: Medium
- Intrinsic: 54 · Deck: 57 · Meta: provisional
- Primary role: Hand trap · Secondary: Recovery/Recursion
Why it scores here
Cutter Shark's value is conditional: its quick effect only fires when the opponent targets a lone monster you control with no other cards on your side, and it converts that monster into a 0/2000 Level 5 WATER body. Its end-phase effect adds a WATER monster from the GY to hand, which gives it real refuel value in WATER-heavy decks. Its 0 ATK and 2000 DEF, and the Level 5 body on its own, earned no points; the score comes from the narrow protective trigger and the GY recovery. Deck footprint (261 decks, 20 archetypes, 1.39 copies average) confirms it is a practical, cheap staple rather than a strong standalone card.
Axis scores
| Axis | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | 45 | It is live from hand or GY, but the trigger requires the opponent to target your only monster with no other cards on your side, so it is rarely live. (inferred; deck counts confirm it is in the list, not that the trigger occurs) |
| Combo & Conversion | 40 | No recorded boards exist, so conversion is text-only: one tribute-for-body swap with no board-building chain shown. (inferred) |
| Resource Economy | 60 | Tributes one monster to gain a body and, on Special Summon, returns a WATER monster from GY to hand, which is a net +1 card in the right board. (verified from text; amount depends on a WATER monster being in the GY) |
| Effect & Interaction | 40 | It protects a targeted monster by tributing it, which fizzles the targeted effect, but it does not stop the opponent's card and works only in that narrow window. (verified from text) |
| Material Utility | 55 | A Level 5 WATER Fish effect monster with no Tuner or special material clause, so it is a generic material body that still converts if its effects are negated. (verified from text; material use is inferred, no combo stats) |
| Resilience & Flexibility | 55 | It works from hand and GY, giving two zones to act from, but both effects are once per turn and its quick effect can be negated. (verified from text) |
| Deck-Building Efficiency | 70 | Average 1.39 copies per deck (161 of 261 decks run a single copy), no garnet or lock restriction, and it fits into WATER decks across 20 archetypes. (observed from deck data) |
Calculation
Weight profile: 0.7 Hand trap + 0.3 Recovery/Recursion. Intrinsic ≈ 54, Deck ≈ 57, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: none. Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck
Strengths
- Cheap, generic single-copy slot that fits WATER archetypes (Mermail, Atlantean, Deep Sea, Shark)
- Quick effect works from hand and GY, so it stays live across two zones
- Special Summon effect returns a WATER monster from GY to hand, giving refuel value
Weaknesses
- Trigger is narrow: it needs a targeted lone monster with no other cards on your side
- Converts the targeted monster into a 0/2000 Level 5 body, which is weak on its own
- Each effect is once per turn, so repeated use is capped
Counters / choke points
- Opponent can stop the quick effect by negating it, or avoid targeting a lone monster
- Opponent can target a monster while other cards are on the field, which turns off the trigger
Best use
Hand trap / protective response to a targeted lone monster, with GY-to-hand WATER recovery. Decks: Mermail, Atlantean, Deep Sea, Shark. Suggested copies: 1.
Evidence & gaps
- Verified: Effect Monster, Level 5, WATER Fish, 0 ATK / 2000 DEF; Quick effect in hand or GY: Tribute the targeted lone monster and Special Summon this card; Special Summon effect adds one WATER monster from GY to hand in End Phase (not itself), once per turn per effect; Decks: 261 total, 93.5% in gameplay type 7, avg 1.39 copies per deck
- Observed: Runs in 261 decks across 20 archetypes, led by Mermail, Atlantean and Deep Sea (about 22 to 25 percent each); Top partners include Called by the Grave, Ash Blossom and Icejade Gymir Aegirine, consistent with a common staple slot
- Inferred: Narrow trigger means the quick effect is rarely live in practice; Refuel value depends on WATER monsters being in the GY, which fits WATER decks; Deck fit rather than card-specific power drives the deck count
- Data gaps: no combos supplied: combo conversion is text-only inference no guides supplied usage statistics covers only one archetype row (Ghoti, gameplay 4, 100% inclusion), so it does not corroborate the 261-deck footprint no banlist token: assumed 3 copies (unlimited) legal copies is empty for all formats