WATER
4Gale Lizard
ATK:
1400
DEF:
700
View:
2526
FLIP: Target 1 monster your opponent controls; return that target to the hand.
Gale Lizard — Power Evaluation
Final Score: 53 ± 8 · Confidence: Medium
- Intrinsic: 53 · Deck: 53 · Meta: provisional
- Primary role: Removal / Negation · Secondary: Material body
Why it scores here
Gale Lizard is a 1400-ATK Level 4 Water body whose only real output is a Flip effect that returns one opposing monster to the hand. That is soft, tempo-based interaction rather than card advantage, so the score comes from the removal axis and its generic Level 4 material value, not from its stats. The 17-deck sample across 11 archetypes and four gameplay types confirms the card is a practical, portable staple, but no combo evidence exists to show it converts into a larger board, so combo conversion stays low.
Axis scores
| Axis | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | 40 | Appears in 17 of 17 sampled decks with no searcher or combo routes recorded; it is drawn, not tutored (observed + inferred). |
| Combo & Conversion | 30 | No combo boards are recorded (0 appearances), and the text only bounces one monster, so conversion is text-only inference and scores low (inferred). |
| Resource Economy | 40 | A return-to-hand is tempo, not card advantage; the opponent recasts the monster and no card is gained (inferred). |
| Effect & Interaction | 45 | Flip effect targets one opposing monster and returns it to hand, a soft, situational removal that is timing-dependent (verified from text). |
| Material Utility | 45 | A generic Level 4 Water Reptile with 1400 ATK is a usable material body; its material value is not blanked by the effect (inferred). |
| Resilience & Flexibility | 40 | The effect needs the card to be face-down and then flipped, so an opponent can answer the Flip trigger; no negation or counter data was supplied (inferred). |
| Deck-Building Efficiency | 80 | Runs 1 copy in 16 of 17 decks (avg 1.12), has no garnet or self-lock, and fits across homes at a low slot cost (observed). |
Calculation
Weight profile: 0.7 Removal / Negation + 0.3 Material body / Normal. Intrinsic ≈ 53, Deck ≈ 53, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: none. Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck
Strengths
- Generic Level 4 body that fits in many archetypes (11 distinct archetypes in the sample)
- Single-copy, low-cost slot with no garnet or self-lock
- Flip bounce answers an opposing monster for a turn of tempo
Weaknesses
- Return-to-hand is tempo, not card advantage
- No combo evidence showing it starts or finishes a line
- Timing-dependent Flip trigger that the opponent can answer
Counters / choke points
- Negating the Flip effect in response (inferred from generic effect-negation rules, not from supplied evidence)
Best use
Soft removal / tempo bounce on Flip, with Level 4 material value. Decks: Venom, Ogdoadic/Abhyss, Kashtira, Atlantean, Aroma, Arcana Force, Ancient Gears, Assault Mode. Suggested copies: 1.
Evidence & gaps
- Verified: Flip effect: target 1 monster the opponent controls and return it to the hand (card text); Level 4, Water, Reptile, 1400 ATK, effect monster (card data)
- Observed: Present in 17 decks across 11 archetypes and 4 gameplay types (deck data); Runs 1 copy in 16 of 17 decks, max 3 (copies per deck); Top partners: Heart of the Underdog in 9 of 17 decks (top partners)
- Inferred: Accessibility is by draw only; no searcher routes exist (no combo or searcher evidence); Tempo value of bouncing a monster and the opponent's recast cost; Material value of a generic Level 4 Water body
- 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 legal copies empty for all formats no ranking evidence in top-card data