FIRE
3Masked Dragon
ATK:
1400
DEF:
1100
View:
3979
When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard: You can Special Summon 1 Dragon-Type monster with 1500 or less ATK from your Deck.
51± 5/ 100
Power Score
Intrinsic
50
Deck
51
Masked Dragon — Power Evaluation
Final Score: 51 ± 5 · Confidence: Medium
- Intrinsic: 50 · Deck: 51 · Meta: provisional
- Primary role: Extender · Secondary: Combo enabler, Material body
Why it scores here
Masked Dragon scores as a specialized dragon extender, strongest when battle-destroyed to summon follow-up dragons for synchro/xyz combos. Its 60% concentration in Tenpai Dragon decks and 76% co-deck with Black Rose Dragon confirm this intended role. However, the effect requires specific destruction timing and lacks opponent interaction. The Level-3 dragon body provides clean material utility even when negated, but lack of combo evidence means combo power is inferred from archetype popularity rather than observed.
Axis scores
| Axis | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | 35 | A Level-3 dragon with no shown archetype search support; run 2–3 copies per deck as a filler body rather than tutored, requiring draw or specific summon setup (verified: 246 decks, 2.33 avg copies) |
| Combo & Conversion | 40 | Destroyed → summons one dragon from deck for roughly +1 board extension; no combo records to confirm typical boards built or turnaround (inferred from 60% Tenpai Dragon concentration and Black Rose Dragon 76% co-deck rate) |
| Resource Economy | 45 | One dragon destroyed and replaced by deck summon yields roughly even card count, with potential advantage if the searched dragon is better-positioned for the next step (inferred: +0 immediate resources, slight conversion upside) |
| Effect & Interaction | 15 | Zero opponent disruption—no negation, removal, or board interaction (verified: effect text is pure recursion, summons a dragon from deck only) |
| Material Utility | 70 | Clean Level-3 dragon with FIRE attribute; fits Rank-3 Xyz, dragon synchro, and multi-dragon combos even when effect is negated (verified: Level 3, Dragon type, works as material when blanked) |
| Resilience & Flexibility | 30 | Effect requires battle destruction, a specific condition; non-destruction removal bypasses it; 1400 ATK body is fragile to typical interaction (inferred: condition-gated, limited to field-centric strategies, vulnerable to alternate removal) |
| Deck-Building Efficiency | 60 | Dragon-specific (not fully generic); 2–3 copy redundancy and 40-archetype use suggest semi-splashable mid-range play, not forced inclusion or free slot (observed: 246 decks, 40+ archetypes, 2–3x runs standard) |
Calculation
Weight profile: 0.7 Extender + 0.3 (0.5 Combo enabler + 0.5 Material body). Intrinsic ≈ 50, Deck ≈ 51, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: none. Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck
Strengths
- Clean Level-3 dragon material with FIRE attribute; fits rank-3 Xyz, synchro, and fusion lines
- Highly redundant in home archetypes (2–3 copies standard), suggesting reliable access when drawn
- Modest 1400 ATK avoids brick classification; reasonable beater in a pinch
- Appears in 40+ archetypes, confirming semi-generic dragon appeal across multiple homes
Weaknesses
- Effect requires battle destruction, a specific and unreliable condition outside intended archetype lines
- No innate way to trigger destruction on your turn; depends on opponent attacking or specific spells (e.g., Black Rose Dragon)
- Low accessibility in unfamiliar decks; not typically tutored, not an opening-hand play
- Zero opponent interaction—pure utility and setup, no disruption or negation
- No combo evidence recorded; combo power inferred from deck concentration rather than observed play
Counters / choke points
- Non-destruction removal (banish, bounce effects) bypasses the effect and denies the dragon summon
- Hand-trap summoning blocks (Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring) stop the follow-up dragon after Masked Dragon dies
- Graveyard banish effects (D.D. Crow, Macro Cosmos) prevent the trigger by keeping Masked Dragon out of the Graveyard
Best use
Battle-destruction-triggered dragon extender for synchro/xyz combos. Decks: Tenpai Dragon, Red-Eyes, Dragon Synchro. Suggested copies: 2.
Evidence & gaps
- Verified: Masked Dragon is a Level-3 FIRE Dragon with 1400 ATK / 1100 DEF; Effect text: When destroyed by battle and sent to Graveyard, summon one Dragon-Type monster with 1500 or less ATK from the Deck; Appears in 246 decks, 246 main deck, 0 side deck; Runs 2–3 copies per deck (distribution: 1x=29, 2x=106, 3x=111); Top partner Black Rose Dragon appears in 76.4% of Masked Dragon decks
- Observed: Highest deck concentration: Tenpai Dragon (41.1% + 19.1% = 60% combined); Secondary homes: Red-Eyes (9.8%), Charmer (3.7%), Bystial (3.7%); Appears in 40 distinct archetypes overall; Average 2.33 copies per deck indicates high redundancy in intended lines; Distinct archetype count of 40 suggests semi-generic status within Dragon decks
- Inferred: Function as extender: destroyed by Black Rose Dragon or similar effects, summons follow-up dragon for Synchro/Xyz material; Level 3 and Dragon type make it clean material for Rank-3 Xyz and dragon synchro lines; Filler dragon body that fills deck count while providing an extender effect when destroyed; Combo conversion estimated at moderate (one-card into one additional dragon) based on deck concentration, not observed combo data; Material utility scored high despite modest ATK because it functions even when effect is blanked (still Level-3 dragon for material)
- Data gaps: No combos supplied — combo conversion estimated from archetype concentration and partner ratios, not observed play sequences No guides supplied — no human strategic analysis to confirm intended role or edge cases No usage statistics (StatisticsCard data) — archetype inclusion percentages derived from 246-deck sample only, not historical/large-scale data No banlist token — assumed unlimited (3 copies per format) No evidence of how often the effect actually triggers in practice (draw rate, opponent attack frequency, etc.)