EARTH
8Masked HERO Dian
Archetype:
Masked HERO
ATK:
2800
DEF:
3000
View:
4714
Must be Special Summoned with "Mask Change". When this card destroys an opponent's monster by battle and sends it to the GY: You can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower "HERO" monster from your Deck.
Masked HERO Dian — Power Evaluation
Final Score: 61 ± 4 · Confidence: Medium
- Intrinsic: 56 · Deck: 62 · Meta: provisional
- Primary role: Boss/End-board · Secondary: Extender
Why it scores here
Dian is a reliable end-board Fusion reliably summoned via Mask Change (98.5% co-deck rate) that extends lines by searching Lv4 or lower HERO monsters when destroying by battle. Its 2800 ATK and Level 8 Fusion frame provide strong material utility for further Fusions, but the battle-dependent effect, complete lack of disruption, and missing combo data prevent it from driving full turn sequences or scoring on raw stats. It excels as a splashable HERO bridge piece (22 archetypes, 1.08 avg copies) rather than a combo powerhouse.
Axis scores
| Axis | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | 70 | Requires Mask Change but appears with it in 202/205 decks (98.5%), mostly at 1 copy per deck, confirming reliable access in HERO shells. (verified) |
| Combo & Conversion | 55 | Triggers one-card search when destroying in battle, but no combo data supplied prevents verification of board-building depth; text indicates mid-tier extension rather than sequence generation. (inferred) |
| Resource Economy | 45 | Mask Change costs one card, and the search effect adds one monster from Deck without generating card advantage, yielding roughly neutral resource flow. (verified) |
| Effect & Interaction | 20 | No negation, removal, or disruption provided; the card is pure board presence with zero opponent interaction. (verified) |
| Material Utility | 70 | Level 8 Fusion with Warrior/EARTH frame is clean for further HERO Fusions; remains usable as material even if effect is negated. (inferred) |
| Resilience & Flexibility | 60 | Static body survives effect negation, but has no recursion or recovery; effect activation requires successful attack and opponent monster destruction. (verified) |
| Deck-Building Efficiency | 85 | Minimal slot cost with Mask Change already core to HERO decks; 22 archetypes adopt it at only 1.08 average copies, indicating no garnet tendency. (observed) |
Calculation
Weight profile: 0.7 Boss/End-board + 0.3 Extender blend. Intrinsic ≈ 56, Deck ≈ 62, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: Deckbuilding efficiency bonus (2); Combat dependency restriction (-1). Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck
Strengths
- Mask Change is core to HERO decks, ensuring Dian is summoned reliably
- Strong ATK/DEF (2800/3000) and Level 8 frame provide excellent Fusion-material utility
- Broadly splashable across 22 HERO-variant archetypes without garnet risk
- Search effect extends turns while maintaining board presence
- Efficient deck-building slot cost with minimal restriction
Weaknesses
- Battle-dependent effect cannot trigger if attack is negated, blocked, or board is full
- No inherent disruption, negation, or effect-based interaction
- Search limited to Lv4 or lower HERO monsters, restricting extension depth
- Requires Mask Change, adding an extra deck cost and dependency
- No recursion or recovery mechanism for reuse
Counters / choke points
- Negate Mask Change to prevent summoning entirely
- Block attack with effect damage prevention or battle negation
- Remove Dian before damage step to disable effect trigger
- Negation of Dian's effect blanks only the search, not the body itself
Best use
Flexible Fusion bridge that extends lines through searchable tutoring and material provision. Decks: Heroic, Elemental HERO, Masked HERO, Evil HERO. Suggested copies: 1.
Evidence & gaps
- Verified: Must be Special Summoned with Mask Change (card text); Searches Lv4 or lower HERO monster when destroying by battle (card text); 205 decks run it paired with Mask Change at 98.5% rate (deck data); Appears in 22 distinct archetypes spanning Heroic to Evil HERO (deck data)
- Observed: Heroic is dominant home at 52.7% of decks (108/205); Average 1.08 copies per deck, mostly singleton (copy distribution); Top partners: Mask Change, Stratos, Shadow Mist, Dark Law (top partners list); Guides describe it as Extra Deck staple in HERO decks (guide data)
- Inferred: Battle-dependent effect limits combo multiplier depth vs cost-based alternatives; Level 8 Fusion frame is clean for further HERO Fusion summoning; Search provides one-card extension but limited board-wide depth without multi-body generation; HERO-specific search restricts off-archetype splashing despite 22-archetype deck usage
- Data gaps: No combos supplied — cannot verify actual board-building depth or confirmed combo multiplier effects No banlist information — assumed unlimited (3 copies) across all formats No usage statistics (StatisticsCard) — archetype inclusion percentages inferred from deck sample only No top-card rankings — metagame representation cannot be confirmed