Spell
EquipFalling Down
Archetype:
Archfiend
View:
4169
Activate this card by targeting an opponent's monster; equip this card to it. Take control of it. Destroy this card unless you control an "Archfiend" card. During each of your opponent's Standby Phases: You take 800 damage.
Falling Down — Power Evaluation
Final Score: 50 ± 8 · Confidence: Medium
- Intrinsic: 52.5 · Deck: 50 · Meta: provisional
- Primary role: Removal
Why it scores here
Falling Down turns one targeted opponent monster into a control swing for the Archfiend player, which is real interaction, but the card is destroyed on resolution unless its controller also controls an Archfiend card, and its description adds 800 damage during each opponent Standby Phase. No combo evidence is supplied, so conversion beyond the steal stays unproven. The 69.4% inclusion in Archfiend archetype 1185 (77 of 111 decks) confirms it is a practical staple in that shell, not that it is intrinsically strong; the 4,087 page views and the archetype spread earned no points.
Axis scores
| Axis | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | 60 | 111 sampled decks run it (avg 1.86 copies) and 77 of them are Archfiend archetype 1185, but no searcher or combo route is supplied (observed; route inferred). |
| Combo & Conversion | 40 | The steal converts one opponent monster into a board presence for the Archfiend player, but no combo boards or examples are supplied, so the conversion is text-only (inferred). |
| Resource Economy | 50 | It trades one card for one opponent monster, a 1-for-1 swing with no refuel or recursion in the text (inferred from text). |
| Effect & Interaction | 65 | Taking control of a targeted opponent monster is strong, flexible disruption, though it is a spell that can be responded to (verified from text). |
| Material Utility | 15 | It is a Spell with no body, so it provides no material value beyond the monster it takes (verified from text). |
| Resilience & Flexibility | 30 | It is destroyed on resolution unless its controller controls an Archfiend card, and as an Equip Spell it is exposed to responses (verified from text, observed in deck sample). |
| Deck-Building Efficiency | 50 | It is a single spell slot with no garnet, but it is dead without Archfiend support, a soft restriction that limits it to Archfiend-based builds (verified from text, observed in deck sample). |
Calculation
Weight profile: Primary role Removal (no secondary role blend). Intrinsic ≈ 52.5, Deck ≈ 50, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: Archfiend-control restriction (-3). Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck
Strengths
- Targeted monster control is strong, flexible interaction against any opponent monster
- Archfiend shells run it at high rates (77 of 111 sampled decks), so it is live and reachable
- Clean one-slot cost with no garnet or locking clause
Weaknesses
- Destroyed on resolution unless the controller also controls an Archfiend card
- The description adds 800 damage during each opponent Standby Phase, a recurring drawback
- No combo evidence is supplied, so its value beyond the steal is unverified
Counters / choke points
- Responding to the Equip activation with removal or negation of the Falling Down card
- Removing the Archfiend card needed to keep the stolen monster alive
Best use
Removal (control steal) for Archfiend-based shells. Decks: Archfiend (archetype 1185), Archfiend (archetype 799). Suggested copies: 2.
Evidence & gaps
- Verified: Card text: targets an opponent's monster, takes control of it, destroys this card unless you control an Archfiend card, and deals 800 damage during each opponent Standby Phase; Legal in TCG, OCG, MasterDuel and DuelLinks formats
- Observed: 111 sampled decks run it, average 1.86 copies, 26 decks at 3 copies; 77 of 111 decks (69.4%) are Archfiend archetype 1185
- Inferred: Steal is a 1-for-1 swing that removes the opponent's monster and gives you a body; Damage clause assumed to hit the card's controller, as the text reads 'You take 800 damage'
- Data gaps: no combos supplied — combo conversion is text-only inference no guides supplied no banlist token — assumed 3 copies (unlimited) no usage statistics (StatisticsCard) — archetype inclusion % inferred from deck sample only no searcher or route evidence for accessibility damage owner under the 800-damage clause is read from the text, not confirmed by any combo or ruling