DARK
8Masked Beast Des Gardius
Archetype:
Mask
ATK:
3300
DEF:
2500
View:
5793
This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except by Tributing 2 monsters, including at least 1 "Grand Tiki Elder" or "Melchid the Four-Face Beast". When this card is sent from the field to the Graveyard, equip 1 "The Mask of Remnants" from your Deck to 1 monster on the field.
Masked Beast Des Gardius — Power Evaluation
Final Score: 21 ± 6 · Confidence: Medium
- Intrinsic: 30 · Deck: 29 · Meta: provisional
- Primary role: Boss/End-board · Secondary: Utility, Material body
Why it scores here
Des Gardius is a restrictive Level-8 boss payoff locked into the Mask/Tiki/Melchid line that delivers only delayed, conditional value. While the 3300-ATK body qualifies as generic material and the Graveyard-triggered equip promises resource recovery, the steep 2-tribute cost and opaque downstream effect of 'The Mask of Remnants' (undefined in evidence) create unfavorable resource calculus. The complete absence of recorded combos and scattered adoption across 9 archetypes (none exceeding 30%) reveals this is an experimental niche pick rather than a viable synergy engine.
Axis scores
| Axis | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | 25 | Card requires 2 tributes including at least 1 Grand Tiki Elder or Melchid Four-Face Beast; these two appear in 95% of decks running Des Gardius, enforcing a rigid archetype lock-in (verified). |
| Combo & Conversion | 28 | Zero combos in evidence; the card demands 2 tributes upfront with payoff triggered only in the Graveyard, making efficiency poor and value conditional on removal (observed). |
| Resource Economy | 35 | The 2-tribute cost is a net −2 card swing, with recovery limited to an unspecified equip search triggered only when the card dies, resulting in delayed and uncertain refuel (verified). |
| Effect & Interaction | 12 | Card text contains no negation, removal, or disruption; all interaction depends on 'The Mask of Remnants', which is not defined in evidence (inferred). |
| Material Utility | 58 | Level 8 DARK Fiend with 3300 ATK serves as usable Synchro/Xyz/Link material, but the deck evidence shows only scattered generic boss co-occurrence (Blue-Eyes, Dark Magician, Red-Eyes), suggesting broad experimentation rather than optimized synergy (observed). |
| Resilience & Flexibility | 22 | No built-in protection or recursion; a single negate or removal leaves the 2-tribute investment wasted and prevents the Graveyard effect from resolving (verified). |
| Deck-Building Efficiency | 18 | Non-splashable archetype lock requiring both Grand Tiki Elder and Melchid; only 20 total decks and 1.15 copies average despite legality in 4 formats indicates poor competitive adoption (observed). |
Calculation
Weight profile: 0.7 × Boss/End-board primary role. Intrinsic ≈ 30, Deck ≈ 29, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: Severe summoning restriction (-5); No combo evidence (-2); Scattered archetype adoption (-1). Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck
Strengths
- Solid 3300 ATK body for a Level-8 boss monster
- Graveyard equip effect provides guaranteed tutor (if 'The Mask of Remnants' carries meaningful value)
- Level 8 DARK Fiend type allows use as Synchro/Xyz/Link material if effect is negated
Weaknesses
- Extremely high summoning cost (2 tributes) with rigid archetype requirement, eliminating flexibility
- Graveyard-triggered effect requires the card to be removed to generate value, delaying payoff and conditioning it on opponent interaction
- Zero built-in protection, recursion, or multi-turn utility; a single removal spell negates the entire 2-tribute investment
- Only 20 decks across entire database with 1.15 copies average strongly suggests poor real-world viability
Counters / choke points
- Any removal or bounce effect that prevents Graveyard trigger
- Graveyard-blocking cards (e.g., Macro Cosmos) that seal the equip effect
- Effects that remove or lock materials before 2 tributes can be gathered
Best use
Dedicated boss payoff in archetype-locked summoning chains. Decks: Mask archetype, Event Limit 1 variants, Egyptian God, Masked HERO. Suggested copies: 1.
Evidence & gaps
- Verified: Cannot be Normal Summoned or Set; requires 2 tributes including at least 1 Grand Tiki Elder or Melchid Four-Face Beast (card text); 3300 ATK, Level 8 DARK Fiend (card data); When sent from field to Graveyard, equips 1 'The Mask of Remnants' from Deck (card text); Appears in 20 decks across 4 formats (TCG, OCG, MasterDuel, DuelLinks) (deck evidence); Grand Tiki Elder and Melchid co-appear in 95% of decks running Des Gardius (deck evidence)
- Observed: Scattered across 9 distinct archetypes, most at 10% or less per archetype (deck evidence); 1.15 copies per deck average, predominantly 1-of (deck evidence); 85% Control format, 15% Combo format in deck distribution (deck evidence); Top co-occurring cards are generic bosses (Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Dark Magician, Red-Eyes Black Dragon, Summoned Skull) suggesting broad deckbuilder experimentation (deck evidence)
- Inferred: As a Level-8 DARK Fiend, qualifies as Synchro/Xyz/Link material even when effect-negated; The Graveyard trigger requires the card to be removed to generate value, conditioning recovery on opponent disruption; The 2-tribute requirement and specific Mask-archetype material constraint lock this card into a non-splashable dedicated payoff role
- Data gaps: No combos supplied — combo conversion is purely text-based inference; unknown whether card participates in real combo lines or functions only as a standalone summoning payoff No guides supplied — role confirmation and real-world application context unavailable No banlist data — assumed 3 copies (unlimited) across all formats No usage statistics (StatisticsCard) — archetype inclusion rates inferred from 20-deck sample only; may not reflect metagame scale 'The Mask of Remnants' card text not provided — downstream value of the Graveyard equip trigger is opaque, forcing material resource_economy evaluation based solely on the equip search mechanism