WATER
3Neo-Spacian Aqua Dolphin
Archetype:
Neo-Spacian
ATK:
600
DEF:
800
View:
6755
Once per turn: You can discard 1 card; look at your opponent's hand and choose 1 monster. If you control a monster with ATK greater than or equal to the ATK of the chosen card, destroy the chosen card, and if you do, inflict 500 damage to your opponent. Otherwise, take 500 damage.
Neo-Spacian Aqua Dolphin — Power Evaluation
Final Score: 58 ± 5 · Confidence: High
- Intrinsic: 58 · Deck: 58 · Meta: provisional
- Primary role: Removal · Secondary: Tech/Utility, Hand disruption
Why it scores here
Neo-Spacian Aqua Dolphin scores as a versatile utility card that provides conditional removal and hand information, splashable across 35 archetypes with reliable accessibility and zero deck locks. However, it neither generates card advantage nor contributes to high-power combo boards—appearing in observed combos with an average power index of just 35.1. The 600 ATK body makes its removal effect highly dependent on your board state, limiting its impact when you are behind. Its value lies in mid-game grind and resource disruption, not in combo power or board building.
Axis scores
| Axis | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | 72 | The card appears in 100% of 400 sample decks across 35 archetypes with strong HERO searcher support (Stratos 83%, Shadow Mist 72.5%), though combo evidence shows 0% as search target, indicating it is played from hand or tutored indirectly. (observed) |
| Combo & Conversion | 28 | The card does not build or extend boards; it appears in 100% of 16 combos but exclusively in low-power handloop strategies (average power index 35.1) with 0% appearances as starter or payoff piece. (observed) |
| Resource Economy | 48 | Discard cost is neutral or beneficial in modern engines; the card generates one monster destruction and a 500-damage swing (or −500 if failed), resulting in net-zero card advantage with a binary damage outcome. (verified) |
| Effect & Interaction | 42 | Conditional destruction requires your ATK ≥ opponent's monster; hand peek is information-gathering only with no hard negation or flexible timing from main-phase activation. (verified) |
| Material Utility | 35 | Level 3 Warrior with Neo-Spacian name provides niche XYZ Rank 3 and fusion utility, but combo evidence shows 0% appearances as material, confirming it is valued for effect, not body. (observed) |
| Resilience & Flexibility | 58 | Opt effect and discard outlet enable multi-turn, multi-zone flexibility, but 600 ATK body is fragile; 35-archetype inclusion demonstrates redundant access routes and board-state independence. (inferred) |
| Deck-Building Efficiency | 74 | Clean discard cost (often desired in modern engines), no deck locks, runs at 1.06 copies average with high splashability and minimal brick risk across 35 distinct archetypes. (observed) |
Calculation
Weight profile: Primary role: Removal / Negation. Intrinsic ≈ 58, Deck ≈ 58, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: none. Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck
Strengths
- Splashable across 35 archetypes with no deck locks or brick risk
- Reliable accessibility via HERO searcher support (Stratos 83%, Shadow Mist 72.5%)
- Clean discard cost that benefits many modern mill and hand-management engines
- Dual-layer disruption: conditional removal plus hand information
- Opt effect and discard outlet enable multi-turn, multi-zone flexibility
Weaknesses
- 600 ATK makes removal conditional and fails against modern 2000+ ATK threats
- No card advantage generation; purely resource-neutral at best
- Does not elevate combo power (average 35.1 power index in combos it appears in)
- Highly dependent on your board state and ATK values for success
- Main-phase timing limits responsiveness compared to hand traps or responses
- 500 damage penalty for failed effect can swing momentum in close games
Counters / choke points
- High-ATK boss monsters (Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Swordsoul decks, Synchro Spam)
- Opponent going first with established board (your conditional removal becomes a liability)
- Decks running many low-ATK searchers that your effect cannot destroy
Best use
Mid-game utility disruptor and hand information gatherer in grind and resource-denial strategies. Decks: Heroic, Elemental Hero, Neo-Spacian, Infernoble Knight, Phantom Knights. Suggested copies: 1.
Evidence & gaps
- Verified: Card effect: discard 1 card; peek opponent's hand; destroy 1 monster if your ATK ≥ theirs; else take 500 damage (from card text); Unlimited copies (no banlist token in data); Appears in 400/400 decks (100% deck frequency); Appears in all 16 combos (100% combo frequency); Neo-Spacian archetype, Warrior race, Level 3, WATER, 600 ATK / 800 DEF (card data)
- Observed: 35 distinct archetypes run the card; Average 1.06 copies per deck; distribution: 1x (95%), 2x (4.5%), 3x (0.5%); 91.7% average frequency in Master Duel (top 74 out of 317); Top partner synergy: Stratos (83%), Fountain (76.8%), Shadow Mist (72.5%), Vyon (66.8%); Average power index in observed combos: 35.1 (very low; combos do not depend on this card); As starter: 1/16 (6.2%), as payoff: 0%, as material: 0%, in end board: 0%, in end hand: 1/16 (6.2%); Guides list as Staple in Infernoble Knight; core in Heroic and Neo-Spacian
- Inferred: Conditional removal + hand peek classify this as a utility disruption / tech card; Discard cost aligns with modern mill and grind engines; Level 3 Warrior body supports XYZ Rank 3 and Neo-Spacian fusion synergies; Presence in 35 archetypes without archetype-specific support indicates high genericity; Consistent 1x inclusion rate suggests it fills a utility role, not a combo slot
- Data gaps: No banlist information; unlimited copies assumed 0% searched-for role rate despite high searcher partners (Stratos, Vyon, Shadow Mist) suggests possible gaps in combo database coverage Combo combo role field is empty for all 16 examples; unable to verify exact function within each combo line No per-archetype scoring breakdown; unclear whether card contributes equally across all 35 homes or dominates in 2–3