Spell
QuickFirst Step Towards Infestation
Archetype:
Infestation
View:
2567
Return 1 face-up Tribute Summoned "Steelswarm" monster you control to the hand; draw 1 card.
First Step Towards Infestation — Power Evaluation
Final Score: 40 ± 8 · Confidence: Medium
- Intrinsic: 40 · Deck: 40 · Meta: provisional
- Primary role: Recovery/Recursion · Secondary: Extender
Why it scores here
The card's job is to recycle a Tribute Summoned Steelswarm monster back to hand and draw 1, so it turns a spent body into a fresh card at a net-neutral card count. It converts that into modest tempo and resource value, but it is a single Quick-Play that needs a specific Steelswarm target on the field, and no combo, guide or banlist evidence confirms a stronger role. The score sits in the 40s because the rubric values the recursion and the Quick-Play timing, not the Infestation label or the four decks that run it.
Axis scores
| Axis | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | 45 | Quick-Play Spell that needs a face-up Tribute Summoned Steelswarm monster you control; all 4 sampled decks run Steelswarm (Inverz), but no as_starter or as_searched data exists (verified text, observed deck data). |
| Combo & Conversion | 35 | It recycles one monster and draws one card, so it adds a single rebuy rather than a board; no combo examples or power_index data are supplied (inferred from text). |
| Resource Economy | 55 | The spell goes to the GY, the monster returns to hand and 1 card is drawn, so the total card count is unchanged while the tributed body is reusable (verified text, inferred net effect). |
| Effect & Interaction | 5 | The card has no opponent-facing negation, removal or disruption (verified text). |
| Material Utility | 10 | It is a Spell, so it is never material and provides no level, attribute or name (verified card type). |
| Resilience & Flexibility | 40 | Single copy in a Quick-Play spell slot that can respond, but it depends on a specific Steelswarm monster being on the field and can be blanked by losing that target (inferred). |
| Deck-Building Efficiency | 45 | One spell slot with no garnet or lock, but it only works inside a Steelswarm build; avg 1.75 copies per deck and 4/4 decks running it show a deck-specific slot (observed deck data, inferred restriction). |
Calculation
Weight profile: 0.7 Recovery/Recursion + 0.3 Extender. Intrinsic ≈ 40, Deck ≈ 40, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: none. Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck
Strengths
- Rebuys a Tribute Summoned Steelswarm monster to hand and draws 1, so the tribute is not a total loss (verified text).
- Quick-Play, so it can be used in response to effects during the opponent's turn (verified race field).
- Consistently run in the Steelswarm (Inverz) sample: 4 of 4 decks, 100% of them in that archetype (observed).
Weaknesses
- Needs a face-up Tribute Summoned Steelswarm monster you control, so it is dead in most other boards (verified text).
- No opponent interaction, negation or removal (verified text).
- No combo, guide or usage-statistics evidence to show it converts into a strong board (data gap).
Counters / choke points
- No counter data supplied in the evidence; the card can be blanked by losing its Steelswarm target or by generic spell negation (inferred).
Best use
Recovery/Recursion: recycle a Tribute Summoned Steelswarm monster and draw 1. Decks: Steelswarm (Inverz). Suggested copies: 1.
Evidence & gaps
- Verified: Quick-Play Spell; text: return 1 face-up Tribute Summoned "Steelswarm" monster you control to hand, then draw 1 card.; Archetype label is Infestation, but the effect text names only Steelswarm monsters.; Formats: TCG, OCG, MasterDuel, DuelLinks; no banlist token supplied (assumed 3 copies).
- Observed: Present in 4 of 4 sampled decks (100%), all Steelswarm (Inverz), main deck, avg 1.75 copies (max 3).; Top partners at 100% co-occurrence: Steelswarm Girastag, Steelswarm Moth, Steelswarm Mantis, Steelswarm Caller, Steelswarm Cell.
- Inferred: Net card count is unchanged (spell to GY, monster to hand, draw 1), so the value is tempo and reuse of a tributed body, not card advantage.; Its live window is a Steelswarm monster on the field, which limits it to Steelswarm builds.; Primary role is Recovery/Recursion because the effect rebuys a monster; Extender is secondary because it adds a draw.
- Data gaps: no combos supplied: combo conversion is text-only inference no guides supplied no usage statistics (StatisticsCard): inclusion % comes only from the 4-deck sample no banlist token: assumed 3 copies (unlimited) no rulings supplied for the Tribute Summon and Quick-Play timing interactions