FIRE
8Lord of the Red
Archetype:
Red-Eyes
ATK:
2400
DEF:
2100
View:
5376
You can Ritual Summon this card with "Red-Eyes Transmigration". Once per turn, during either player's turn, when a card or effect is activated, except "Lord of the Red": You can target 1 monster on the field; destroy it. Once per turn, during either player's turn, when a card or effect is activated, except "Lord of the Red": You can target 1 Spell/Trap Card on the field; destroy it.
Lord of the Red — Power Evaluation
Final Score: 62 ± 5 · Confidence: Medium
- Intrinsic: 62 · Deck: 62 · Meta: provisional
- Primary role: Boss/End-board · Secondary: Negation/Interaction
Why it scores here
Lord of the Red is a ritual boss monster whose value comes from reactive disruption and field presence rather than tempo generation. Its two destruction effects provide flexible interaction (monster or S/T) during either player's turn, but both are reactive and limited to once-per-turn, constraining its ability to control the game unilaterally. As an end-board piece in high-power ritual lines (avg power index 88.5), it contributes to established boards across Red-Eyes, Megalith, and Impcantation archetypes, but requires ritual infrastructure and level-8 materials to access. The moderate stats and lack of inherent card advantage generation limit its intrinsic power, though its splashability across ritual decks and consistent positioning in tournament lines provide practical value.
Axis scores
| Axis | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | 55 | Requires Red-Eyes Transmigration or alternative ritual ritual spells; Transmigration co-appears in 66.5% of decks running Lord of the Red, indicating reliable access once the ritual engine is built. (observed) |
| Combo & Conversion | 50 | Appears as an end-board piece in 100% of recorded combos at high power indices (avg 88.5), but is not the combo driver—other cards in the line generate the material. (observed) |
| Resource Economy | 35 | Ritual Summon cost (spell + level-8 tributes) commits resources with no inherent refuel, and the card text provides no card advantage generation or GY recursion. (verified) |
| Effect & Interaction | 72 | Two destruction effects (monster and S/T) triggered on opponent's card activation provide flexible, hard removal, but both are once-per-turn and reactive rather than proactive. (verified) |
| Material Utility | 55 | As a Level 8 FIRE Dragon with moderate stats (2400 ATK, 2100 DEF), it serves as usable material for FIRE and Dragon synergy even if effects are negated, though not exceptionally synergistic. (inferred) |
| Resilience & Flexibility | 68 | Once established, it responds to opponent activation during either player's turn and is difficult to remove as a field presence; multiple ritual engines (Red-Eyes, Megalith, Impcantation) provide redundancy. (observed) |
| Deck-Building Efficiency | 62 | Splashable across 40 distinct archetypes with a ritual focus (Megalith, Impcantation, Branded, etc.), averaging 1.67 copies per deck, indicating it integrates cleanly once ritual infrastructure is committed. (observed) |
Calculation
Weight profile: 0.7 × Boss/End-board + 0.3 × Negation/Interaction. Intrinsic ≈ 62, Deck ≈ 62, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: none. Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck
Strengths
- Consistent end-board presence in high-power ritual lines (100% in recorded combos)
- Flexible destruction covering both monsters and Spell/Trap removal axes
- Accessible within multiple ritual archetypes (Red-Eyes, Megalith, Impcantation, Branded)
- Usable as material even when effects are negated due to solid typing
- Responsive effects during either player's turn provide defensive utility
Weaknesses
- Reactive destruction limits proactive tempo or combo extension
- Ritual Summon cost (spell + level-8 materials) results in net resource deficit
- No inherent card advantage or GY recursion to recover investment
- Once-per-turn restrictions on both effects cap disruption potential
- Cannot be searched or generated from hand trap lines
Counters / choke points
- Hand traps negating the ritual spell (Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring, Effect Veiler)
- Graveyard disruption preventing ritual-supporting searches
- Multi-negation boards that prevent ritual summon and bait destruction responses
- Field locks that prevent ritual setup completion
Best use
End-board ritual boss providing reactive destruction. Decks: Red-Eyes, Megalith, Impcantation, Branded. Suggested copies: 2.
Evidence & gaps
- Verified: Ritual Summon via Red-Eyes Transmigration or alternative ritual spell; Two reactive destruction effects: one targeting monsters, one targeting Spell/Trap, each once-per-turn; Appears in 188 decks across 40 distinct archetypes; 1.67 average copies per deck (distribution: 78 at 1x, 94 at 2x, 16 at 3x)
- Observed: 100% appearance in end boards of 4 recorded combo examples; Average power index 88.5 when present in combos; 66.5% co-appearance with Red-Eyes Transmigration in decks; 83.3% inclusion in Red-Eyes (86) archetype at typical 2 copies; Heavy presence in Red-Eyes (57.4% combined), Megalith (4.8%), Impcantation (5.8%)
- Inferred: Ritual Summon cost results in net negative card advantage on summon; Reactive effects (triggered by opponent activation) limit proactive tempo generation; FIRE Dragon type provides potential material synergy outside Red-Eyes engine; Splashability within ritual-focused archetype ecosystem suggests engine-independent viability
- Data gaps: Banlist status unknown (assumed unlimited 3 copies) No guide text specifically detailing Lord of the Red's strategic role Combo contribution breakdown not isolated from total board power index Duel Links format-specific popularity or viability not provided No detail on which of 4 combos uses Lord of the Red as starter (only 1 out of 4)