Trap
NormalInfestation Ripples
Archetype:
Infestation
View:
2760
Pay 500 Life Points to target 1 Level 4 or lower "Steelswarm" monster in your Graveyard; Special Summon it from the Graveyard.
Infestation Ripples — Power Evaluation
Final Score: 45 ± 8 · Confidence: Medium
- Intrinsic: 44 · Deck: 46 · Meta: provisional
- Primary role: Recovery/Recursion · Secondary: Extender
Why it scores here
Infestation Ripples is a Normal Trap whose only effect is to pay 500 LP and Special Summon one Level 4 or lower Steelswarm monster from the Graveyard. It converts a dead Steelswarm body in the Graveyard into a board presence for one trap card, which is card-neutral but costs life points and gives no interaction. The evidence shows it is run in 12 of 12 sampled decks, almost all of them Steelswarm (Inverz) lists, with strong partner overlap, which confirms the role is real and practical. That inclusion comes from being a consistent archetype staple, not from raw strength, so the score stays near the middle of the scale.
Axis scores
| Axis | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | 45 | Set Trap that needs a Level 4 or lower Steelswarm in the Graveyard; the 91.7 percent archetype overlap and 1.5 average copies show it is reliably live in its home deck (observed, inferred for the GY requirement). |
| Combo & Conversion | 40 | Turns one Graveyard Steelswarm into a single summoned body with no further board or chain text in the evidence; no recorded combos exist to show a larger conversion (inferred from text). |
| Resource Economy | 50 | Spends one trap card and 500 LP to return one Graveyard monster, which is roughly card-even with a life-point cost (verified from text, inferred for the net value). |
| Effect & Interaction | 5 | The card has no negation, removal, or disruption text, so it provides no opponent interaction (verified). |
| Material Utility | 15 | A face-down trap cannot be used as material; its value lies in the monster it summons, so the body contribution is small (inferred from text). |
| Resilience & Flexibility | 40 | A set Trap is exposed to common hand traps and needs a GY target, so it is only live in some spots; redundancy is limited to the archetype (inferred from text and deck spread). |
| Deck-Building Efficiency | 70 | Single-slot trap at 1.5 average copies with no garnet or lock text, and it sits inside its home archetype, so it is cheap to run (observed for copy counts, verified for text). |
Calculation
Weight profile: Recovery/Recursion profile, no secondary blend applied; Extender noted as secondary only. Intrinsic ≈ 44, Deck ≈ 46, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: none. Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck
Strengths
- Reliable revival of a Level 4 or lower Steelswarm from the Graveyard
- Consistently included in the Steelswarm (Inverz) home lists with strong partner overlap
- Single-copy, low-cost slot with no garnet or lock text
Weaknesses
- Requires a Steelswarm monster in the Graveyard, so it is dead in many spots
- Costs 500 LP and gives no card advantage or interaction
- Set trap exposed to hand traps and negation
Counters / choke points
- Hand traps and negation that stop the set trap before activation
- Opponent control of the Graveyard or Steelswarm-free boards
Best use
Graveyard recursion for a Steelswarm body in the backrow. Decks: Steelswarm (Inverz) lists, Evilswarm mixed lists. Suggested copies: 1.
Evidence & gaps
- Verified: Trap card that pays 500 LP to Special Summon one Level 4 or lower Steelswarm from the Graveyard; Formats include TCG, OCG, MasterDuel and DuelLinks
- Observed: Present in 12 of 12 sampled decks, 100 percent main deck, average 1.5 copies; 91.7 percent of decks run it alongside Steelswarm (Inverz)
- Inferred: Card is a Recovery/Recursion piece with limited board impact; Net card value is roughly even before the LP cost
- 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 ruling or timing data supplied for the set-trap activation window