EARTH
1Nemeses Keystone
Archetype:
Nemeses
ATK:
700
DEF:
0
View:
3609
You can target 1 of your banished monsters, except "Nemeses Keystone"; Special Summon this card from your hand, and if you do, shuffle that target into the Deck. During the End Phase, if this card is currently banished, and was banished this turn: You can add this card to your hand. You can only use each effect of "Nemeses Keystone" once per turn.
Nemeses Keystone — Power Evaluation
Final Score: 58 ± 6 · Confidence: Medium
- Intrinsic: 58 · Deck: 58 · Meta: provisional
- Primary role: Recovery/Recursion · Secondary: Utility, Material body
Why it scores here
Nemeses Keystone is a utility recovery card that generates modest but reliable value through self-floating and banish-zone recycling. It appears across 64 distinct archetypes (averaging 1.11 copies per deck), confirming accessibility in banish-supporting homes. However, its 700 ATK body, lack of disruption, and zero combo generation capability prevent higher scores; the card excels at redundancy and deck smoothing rather than driving power.
Axis scores
| Axis | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | 58 | Runs in 400 decks across 64 archetypes with 1.11 copies average, indicating stable accessibility in banish-supporting homes (observed from deck evidence). |
| Combo & Conversion | 30 | Zero combos supplied and card text shows no board-building capability; primarily a utility support piece rather than combo driver (verified from empty combo data and card text). |
| Resource Economy | 70 | Generates +1 body via Special Summon and +1 hand refuel via End Phase return, providing dual resource generation and banish-zone cycling (verified from card text). |
| Effect & Interaction | 18 | No disruption, negation, removal, or opponent interaction capabilities; entirely passive deck management (verified from card text). |
| Material Utility | 55 | Level 1 EARTH Rock with no material restrictions; usable as Xyz/Synchro/Link material and retains value when effect is negated (verified from card text). |
| Resilience & Flexibility | 65 | Multi-zone presence (hand → field → banish → hand), survives effect negation, and HOPT creates predictable resource loops across turns (verified from card text). |
| Deck-Building Efficiency | 70 | No locks, no archetype restrictions beyond the Nemeses name, and 1-copy standard across 400 decks shows minimal garnet/brick risk (verified from deck evidence). |
Calculation
Weight profile: 0.7 Recovery/Recursion + 0.3 Utility. Intrinsic ≈ 58, Deck ≈ 58, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: none. Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck
Strengths
- Floats from banish zone every turn (self-recovery)
- Recycles banished monsters back to deck for reuse
- Appears in 64 distinct archetypes (broad accessibility)
- No deckbuilding locks or restrictions
- Multi-zone flexibility (hand, field, banish)
- HOPT effects create predictable resource loops
Weaknesses
- Requires setup (needs banished monsters to use Effect 1)
- 700 ATK / 0 DEF provides zero combat value
- HOPT limits running multiple copies
- No disruption, negation, or removal for opponent interaction
- No combo generation shown in evidence
- Level 1 body awkward for some synergy routes (not a Tuner)
Counters / choke points
- Decks that don't naturally banish (makes Effect 1 dead)
- Banish-hate strategies (shuffle opponent's banish to deck)
- Effect negation on Effect 2 (blocks hand recovery, though Effect 1 persists)
Best use
Banish-zone recovery and recycling engine. Decks: Scrap, Adamancipator, Fossil, Dinowrestler, Transcendosaurus. Suggested copies: 1.
Evidence & gaps
- Verified: Card text: Special Summon from hand targeting banished monster (except itself), shuffle target to deck; Card text: During End Phase, if banished this turn, return to hand; Card text: HOPT on both effects; Deck evidence: 400 decks total, all main deck, average 1.11 copies (361×1, 33×2, 6×3); Deck evidence: Appears in 64 distinct archetypes; Deck evidence: Top homes are Scrap (9.8%), Adamancipator (7%), Transcendosaurus (6.8%)
- Observed: Widespread accessibility: runs in 64 archetypes suggests consistent playability across banish-supporting homes; Copy count: 361 of 400 decks run exactly 1 copy, indicating single-copy utility role; Partner cards: tops include staples (Ash Blossom, Called by Grave, Infinite Impermanence) plus archetype-specific cards (Scrap Wyvern, Fossil Dig, Dinowrestler Pankratops); Gameplay distribution: 71% Gameplay Type 7, 23% Type 4, 6% Type 6 (consistent across playtest sample)
- Inferred: Primary role is Recovery/Recursion: text emphasizes self-return and banish-zone management; Secondary roles are Utility and Material body: acts as generic support and Level 1 body provider; Combo conversion is limited: text shows no board-building or combo-enablement capability; Resource economy is positive: generates +1 body (Special Summon) + hand refuel (End Phase return); Effect interaction is minimal: zero disruption/negation/removal in card text; Material utility is moderate: clean material provider but Level 1 limits some synergy options; Resilience is good: multi-zone flexibility and HOPT create predictable resource management loops
- Data gaps: No combos supplied — combo conversion is text-only inference No guides supplied — real-world strategic context unavailable No banlist token — assumed unlimited (3 copies); actual TCG/OCG/MasterDuel restrictions unknown No usage statistics (StatisticsCard) — archetype inclusion % inferred from deck sample only No contemporary metagame data — popularity rank or trending unknown