Moon Mirror Shield

Moon Mirror Shield — Power Evaluation

Final Score: 52 ± 7 · Confidence: Medium

• Intrinsic: 52 · Deck: 52 · Meta: provisional
• Primary role: Utility · Secondary: Recovery/Recursion

Why it scores here

Moon Mirror Shield is a fully generic Equip Spell whose on-field function is battle manipulation: the equipped monster's ATK/DEF become the opponent's higher stat +100 during damage calculation, so almost any body wins its battles, and it can be recycled from the GY for 500 LP. It converts into a reliable battle-phase answer and a reusable tech slot rather than into a board or a combo, which is why its blank 0 ATK/DEF and lack of an archetype cost it nothing here. The 400 recorded decks (average 1.14 copies across 85 archetypes) confirm it is a cheap, splashable one-of rather than a central power card. No points come from stats, because the card has none; the score reflects flexibility, recurrence, and low slot cost, not damage output.

Axis scores

Calculation

Weight profile: 0.7 Utility (default) + 0.3 Recovery/Recursion. Intrinsic ≈ 52, Deck ≈ 52, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: none. Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck

Strengths

• Fully generic Equip Spell with no archetype requirement, appearing in 85 distinct archetypes as a low-cost tech slot
• Equipped monster effectively wins any battle by matching the opponent's higher ATK/DEF +100 during damage calculation
• Self-recycling GY clause (pay 500 LP, place on top or bottom of Deck) keeps it from being a permanent dead draw

Weaknesses

• Provides no interaction outside the battle phase — no negation, effect removal, or disruption
• Requires an already-established monster and an actual battle to do anything
• Recycling costs 500 LP each time and placing it on the bottom of the Deck can be slow
• Unsearchable in the supplied evidence and must simply be drawn

Counters / choke points

• Quick Spell/Trap or Equip removal before the battle phase (e.g. Mystical Space Typhoon, Cosmic Cyclone)
• Effect negation that blanks the equip or stops the equipped monster from staying on board
• Monsters that cannot be destroyed by battle or that remove themselves/others without combat
• Decks that win through burn or overwhelming effect damage, where battle stats are irrelevant

Best use

Generic battle-phase tech Equip with self-recursion. Decks: Heroic, Igknight, Infernoble Knight, Generic Warrior / Isolde shells. Suggested copies: 1.

Evidence & gaps

• Verified: Card text: the equipped monster's ATK/DEF become the opponent's battling monster's higher ATK or DEF +100 during damage calculation only; Card text: if this face-up card is sent from the field to the GY, pay 500 LP to place it on the top or bottom of the Deck; Legal in TCG, OCG and Master Duel
• Observed: 400 decks run it, all in the main deck and 0 in the side, at an average of 1.14 copies (359 decks run exactly 1); Spread across 85 distinct archetypes; top homes are Dracoslayer 9.2%, Heroic 8.8%, Swordsoul 8.5%, Infernoble Knight 8.5% and Igknight 8.5%; Top partners: Called by the Grave 69%, Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring 67.5%, Isolde, Two Tales of the Noble Knights 66.8%; 0 combo appearances in the recorded sample (appearance_pct_of_combos 0); Usage statistics: 100% inclusion in Codebreaker and Bamboo Sword, 75% in Elemental Hero, 66.7% in Solemn
• Inferred: With zero combo appearances and purely battle-oriented text, it functions as a battle-phase protection/removal tech rather than a combo piece; The GY clause makes it a reusable slot rather than a one-shot equip, supporting its resilience score
• Data gaps: no combos supplied — combo conversion is text-only inference no banlist token — assumed 3 copies (unlimited) no dedicated guide for the card; the single Heroic guide only mentions it under 'Other Engines' with no explanatory snippet