Mermaid Shark

Mermaid Shark — Power Evaluation

Final Score: 66 ± 5 · Confidence: Medium

• Intrinsic: 67 · Deck: 69 · Meta: provisional
• Primary role: Searcher/Tutor · Secondary: Combo enabler, Material body

Why it scores here

Mermaid Shark is a cost-free searcher of level 3-5 Fish-Type monsters with exceptional consistency across 22 archetypes (2.63 copies average, 74.2% at 3 copies), and its level 1 Tuner body provides clean synchro material even when the search is negated. The score reflects reliable accessibility and redundancy balanced against zero disruption and the absence of combo evidence to verify actual board strength in Ghoti and Shark lines. It functions as a solid deck enabler and material provider—valued for consistency rather than raw power.

Axis scores

Calculation

Weight profile: 0.7 Searcher/Tutor + 0.3 Combo enabler. Intrinsic ≈ 67, Deck ≈ 69, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: No combo evidence (-2). Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck; then −2 modifier for no combo evidence

Strengths

• Consistent searcher with high redundancy (74.2% at 3 copies)
• Runs across 22 distinct archetypes, indicating broad portability
• Level 1 Tuner body is clean synchro material
• No cost and no deck lock—easy to run alongside other strategies
• Free search on Normal Summon is hard to disrupt reliably

Weaknesses

• Zero interaction or disruption—purely utility
• Requires level 3-5 Fish-Type targets in deck to generate value
• Combo conversion is text-based only (no combo evidence to confirm actual board strength)
• Not a board-breaker or negation piece
• Weak physical stats (100 ATK, 300 DEF) though irrelevant as material

Counters / choke points

• Hand traps like Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring negate the search effect
• Effect negation (Infinite Impermanence) prevents the search
• Deck-lock effects (Rivalry of Warlords, Gozen Match if WATER isn't the only attribute) can restrict play

Best use

Consistency enabler and synchro material provider. Decks: Ghoti, Shark, White Aura, Synchro-based Fish decks. Suggested copies: 3.

Evidence & gaps

• Verified: Card text: Normal Summon trigger searches level 3-5 Fish-Type, no cost; 97 decks across 22 archetypes at 2.63 copies average; 74.2% of decks run 3 copies (maximum); Strong co-deck rates with Abyss Shark (94.8%), Ghoti (81.4%), White Aura (81.4%); Level 1 Tuner, WATER attribute, Fish race
• Observed: 22 distinct archetypes run the card, indicating high portability and general acceptance; High 3-copy inclusion (72/97 decks) suggests core consistency role; Appears in Ghoti (43.3%), Shark (12.4%), White Aura (14.4%) as primary homes; Strong synergy signal with Abyss Shark (94.8% co-deck rate) indicates Shark/Ghoti core alignment
• Inferred: Search effect provides hand quality and potential combo enablement in Ghoti/Shark lines; Level 1 Tuner body enables Synchro plays in those primary homes; Fish-Type restriction limits portability to Fish-heavy strategies; Body survives negation of search effect, retaining material value
• Data gaps: No combos supplied—combo conversion is text-only inference, cannot verify actual board reach No guides supplied—no human context on its role and strengths No banlist information—assumed 3 copies (unlimited) No usage statistics (StatisticsCard)—archetype inclusion % inferred from 97-deck sample only