Trap
NormalHidden Soldiers
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When your opponent Normal or Flip Summons a monster: Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower DARK monster from your hand.
Hidden Soldiers — Power Evaluation
Final Score: 46 ± 8 · Confidence: Medium
- Intrinsic: 47.4 · Deck: 45.2 · Meta: provisional
- Primary role: Extender · Secondary: Utility
Why it scores here
Hidden Soldiers is a set Trap that answers the opponent's Normal or Flip Summon with a free Special Summon of one Level 4 or lower DARK monster from hand. Its value is a reactive body on the opponent's turn at no card cost beyond the trap itself, which is a 1-for-1 body conversion rather than card advantage. It does not negate or remove anything, and it needs a set trap plus a matching DARK in hand, so the score stays in the mid-40s despite its clean, archetype-free text. The sampled decks show it is consistently a single copy alongside the same partners, but there are no combo records to show it converting into a board.
Axis scores
| Axis | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | 45 | Needs the card set in the backrow, a DARK Level 4 or lower in hand, and the opponent to Normal or Flip Summon; the sample shows 5 of 5 decks running it, but no searcher or combo-start evidence (verified text, observed deck count, inferred conditions). |
| Combo & Conversion | 40 | Converts one hand monster into one extra body on the opponent's summon, with no recorded boards to confirm further conversion; scored near the one-extra-body anchor (verified text, inferred). |
| Resource Economy | 50 | Costs one trap card and returns one monster from hand, so it is a clean 1-for-1 body with no refuel or card advantage (verified text, inferred). |
| Effect & Interaction | 15 | Gives no negation, removal or disruption on the opponent's summon; it only adds a monster (verified text). |
| Material Utility | 40 | The summoned monster is a DARK Level 4 or lower, which can serve as material when present, but the card itself is not material and no combo evidence shows material use (verified text, inferred). |
| Resilience & Flexibility | 35 | A set Trap that can be destroyed in the backrow before its trigger, and it works only on the opponent's summon turn; no redundancy is shown (verified text, inferred). |
| Deck-Building Efficiency | 60 | A single-copy Trap with a mild DARK Level 4 or lower requirement and no garnet or lock; the 5 sampled decks each run one copy (observed deck stat, verified text). |
Calculation
Weight profile: 0.7 Extender + 0.3 Utility. Intrinsic ≈ 47.4, Deck ≈ 45.2, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: none. Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck
Strengths
- Free Special Summon of a Level 4 or lower DARK from hand on the opponent's Normal or Flip Summon
- No archetype requirement, so it is portable across the sampled homes
- Consistently one copy in the sampled decks, which keeps the deck cost low
Weaknesses
- Needs to be set and survive in the backrow until the opponent summons
- Only works on the opponent's summon turn and needs a DARK Level 4 or lower in hand
- No negation or removal, so the opponent's board is not disrupted
- No combo evidence showing it converts into a board
Counters / choke points
- Backrow removal or trap destruction before the trigger (inferred from the set-trap timing; no counter evidence supplied)
- Opponent plays that avoid Normal or Flip Summoning (inferred from the trigger condition)
Best use
Opponent-turn free Special Summon body. Decks: Sampled decks with no archetype (gameplay type 3: 4 decks, gameplay type 6: 1 deck). Suggested copies: 1.
Evidence & gaps
- Verified: Card text: opponent Normal or Flip Summon triggers a free Special Summon of one Level 4 or lower DARK monster from hand; Formats: TCG, OCG, MasterDuel, DuelLinks; Sampled decks run 1 copy each in 5 of 5 decks
- Observed: Co-occurs in 5 of 5 sampled decks with Dark Jeroid, Newdoria and Nightmare Wheel; 0 recorded combo boards include the card
- Inferred: Role is an opponent-turn summon body rather than a starter; Set-trap timing limits accessibility and resilience; Rules reliability is high because the text is clear, with no tricky timing noted
- 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); inclusion inferred from the 5-deck sample only no rulings supplied for Flip Summon timing interactions