LIGHT
7Gaia the Magical Knight
Archetype:
Gaia The Fierce Knight
ATK:
2300
DEF:
2100
View:
4310
(This card is also always treated as a "Gaia The Fierce Knight" card.) If you control no monsters, or your opponent controls a monster with 2300 or more ATK, you can Normal Summon this card without Tributing. If this card is Normal or Special Summoned: You can Special Summon 1 Level 5 Dragon monster from your hand or GY in Defense Position. You can only use this effect of "Gaia the Magical Knight" once per turn.
Gaia the Magical Knight — Power Evaluation
Final Score: 58 ± 6 · Confidence: Medium
- Intrinsic: 53 · Deck: 61 · Meta: provisional
- Primary role: Combo enabler · Secondary: Material body
Why it scores here
Gaia the Magical Knight scores as a conditional Normal Summon body that converts into a Level 5 Dragon Special Summon from hand or GY, which is the link into the Curse of Dragon and Gaia the Dragon Champion lines. It is played in 369 of 369 sampled decks, nearly always at 3 copies, and appears in all 4 recorded boards, which supports a real, practical role. The score stays moderate because the Normal Summon condition is restrictive, the combo sample is thin, and the card produces no card advantage, interaction, or observed starter or material use. High ATK and 'Gaia' archetype presence earn nothing on their own.
Axis scores
| Axis | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | 60 | Normal Summon needs no monsters on your side or an opposing 2300+ ATK monster, and it is in 369 of 369 decks at 3 copies, but it is never the starter in recorded boards (observed; inference on the condition). |
| Combo & Conversion | 50 | The Level 5 Dragon Special Summon links into Curse of Dragon lines, with an average power index of 43.5 across its 4 boards and 0 starter roles (observed). |
| Resource Economy | 35 | The card has no draw, search, or GY refuel, and its boards show net card advantage only as a side effect of the combo (verified from text; observed from boards). |
| Effect & Interaction | 5 | The effect is a Summon trigger with no negation, removal, or hand-trap reach (verified from text). |
| Material Utility | 40 | It is a Level 7 LIGHT Warrior, but no recorded board uses it as material, so the material value is inferred rather than observed (inferred). |
| Resilience & Flexibility | 45 | It can be Special Summoned from either the hand or the GY, and the effect is once per turn, so it has some recovery but limited redundancy in one zone (verified from text; inferred for resilience). |
| Deck-Building Efficiency | 70 | It is a 3-copy staple across 336 decks with no garnet or lock restriction, though the Gaia-archetype support stack adds slot cost (observed). |
Calculation
Weight profile: 0.7 Combo enabler + 0.3 Material body. Intrinsic ≈ 53, Deck ≈ 61, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: none. Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck
Strengths
- Gets a Level 5 Dragon Special Summon from hand or GY, which links into the Curse of Dragon and Gaia the Dragon Champion lines
- Present in 100% of the sampled decks and in all 4 recorded boards, so accessibility is confirmed rather than assumed
- Cheap to run as a 3-copy staple with no garnet or lock restriction
Weaknesses
- Normal Summon is conditional: it needs an empty field or an opposing 2300+ ATK monster
- Never the starter in recorded boards, so its value depends on other starters
- No card advantage, interaction, or effect-based protection
Counters / choke points
- Interruption of the Summon trigger before the Special Summon resolves (inferred from text; no counter card is named in the evidence)
Best use
Combo enabler: Level 5 Dragon Special Summon into the Gaia Dragon lines. Decks: Gaia The Fierce Knight core, Curse of Dragon Gaia shell. Suggested copies: 3.
Evidence & gaps
- Verified: Normal Summon without Tribute if you control no monsters or the opponent controls a 2300+ ATK monster; On Normal or Special Summon, Special Summon 1 Level 5 Dragon from hand or GY in Defense Position; Once-per-turn restriction on this effect; Played in 369 of 369 sampled decks, 3 copies in 336 of them
- Observed: Appears in 4 of 4 recorded combos, with average power index 43.5; 0 starter, searched, material, or payoff roles in recorded boards; Top partners: Gaia the Magical Knight of Dragons 91.3%, Sky Galloping Gaia 88.6%, Galloping Gaia 87.8%
- Inferred: Material value comes from Level 7 LIGHT Warrior, not from recorded use; Resilience comes from hand-or-GY access and once-per-turn limits; Counter route is the Summon trigger being interrupted
- Data gaps: no banlist token; assumed 3 copies (unlimited) no usage statistics (StatisticsCard); archetype inclusion inferred from deck sample only combo sample is thin (4 boards) and records no starter or material roles for this card no rulings or Master Duel / Duel Links specific evidence for the conditional Normal Summon guide snippets are Vietnamese context only, not a measured role