LIGHT
Number 102: Star Seraph Sentry
Archetype:
Star Seraph
ATK:
2500
DEF:
2000
View:
4651
3 Level 4 LIGHT monsters Once per turn: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card, then target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls; halve its ATK, also, negate its effects. If this face-up card on the field would be destroyed, you can detach all of its Xyz Materials instead. If you do, any battle damage you take this turn is halved.
Number 102: Star Seraph Sentry — Power Evaluation
Final Score: 66 ± 5 · Confidence: Medium
- Intrinsic: 64 · Deck: 64 · Meta: provisional
- Primary role: Board Breaker / Negation · Secondary: Removal, Material Body
Why it scores here
Number 102: Star Seraph Sentry scores as a solid go-second control staple, not a combo engine. Its strength lies in broad splashability across 49 distinct LIGHT archetypes and natural fit in Level 4 decks, where it runs efficiently at 1 copy per deck. The card provides hard negation and ATK reduction for disruption, but generates no card advantage and appears in combos only as an end-board result, not a driver. While 2500 ATK does not earn points here, its role in 75.5% of control/go-second decks and destruction-protection utility make it a reliable inclusion rather than a format-defining power card.
Axis scores
| Axis | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | 65 | Requires 3 Level 4 LIGHT monsters, but appears in 49 distinct archetypes with core homes at 100% inclusion in Star Seraph and 81.8% in Galaxy Tachyon (verified: deck and usage statistics) |
| Combo & Conversion | 25 | Appears in 100% of combo sample (3 combos) but 0% as starter/material and only 33.3% as payoff/end-board piece, with average power index 60, showing it results from lines rather than drives them (observed: combo role distribution) |
| Resource Economy | 45 | Costs 1 Xyz Material per use (max 3 activations) with no card advantage generation or refuel mechanism, creating roughly even resource trade (verified: text effect, inferred: no GY recursion) |
| Effect & Interaction | 68 | Negates opponent effects and halves ATK, providing hard disruption, limited to once-per-turn and face-up monsters only (verified: text constraints) |
| Material Utility | 70 | Level 4 LIGHT Fairy body with 2500 ATK functions as clean generic material even when effects negated, fitting naturally into Xyz strategies (inferred: type/level/attribute) |
| Resilience & Flexibility | 55 | Destruction protection converts materials to damage reduction but lacks recovery if depleted and remains vulnerable to effect negation (verified: text, inferred: no recursion available) |
| Deck-Building Efficiency | 78 | Runs 1 copy typically (avg 1.02) with no text locks or brick risk, working as natural slot-in for LIGHT Level 4 decks (verified: deck statistics) |
Calculation
Weight profile: 1.0 × Board Breaker / Negation (Going-second control role). Intrinsic ≈ 64, Deck ≈ 64, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: Broad archetype splashability (2). Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck (decks and thin combos present, formula selected)
Strengths
- Provides hard negation to disrupt opponent effects and board development
- Broadly splashable across 49 distinct archetypes with natural Level 4 LIGHT fit
- Clean 2500 ATK Level 4 LIGHT Fairy body with solid material utility
- Destruction protection offers defensive utility and battle damage reduction
- Efficient 1-copy inclusion with no brick or garnet risk
- Consistent staple status in control/go-second strategies (75.5% of sample)
Weaknesses
- Does not generate card advantage or resources on its own
- Requires 3 Level 4 LIGHT materials, limiting accessibility in non-LIGHT decks
- Once-per-turn effect limits disruption redundancy
- Only targets face-up monsters, missing face-down threats
- Effect-dependent—becomes just 2500 ATK body if effects negated
- Not a format-defining card (no top-100 ranking present)
- Does not drive combo lines, appearing only as end-board result
Counters / choke points
- Effect negation via hand traps or field effects
- Targeting immunity on opponent monsters prevents negation resolution
- Xyz-blocking effects like Dimensional Barrier
- Going-first combo lockdowns that neutralize go-second positioning
- Removal or bounce before activation
- Deck-out strategies exploiting lack of material recursion
Best use
Go-second control disruption piece providing negation and ATK reduction. Decks: Exosister (19%), Galaxy Photon (9.2%), Ryzeal (7.2%), Mitsurugi (5.8%), Constellar (5.8%), Galaxy Tachyon (5.2%), Tachyon (5.2%). Suggested copies: 1.
Evidence & gaps
- Verified: Xyz Monster requiring 3 Level 4 LIGHT monsters; Once-per-turn negation of opponent effects and ATK halving; Destruction protection by detaching all materials converts to half battle damage; 100% deck inclusion in 400-deck sample; 2500 ATK / 2000 DEF stats; LIGHT attribute, Fairy race, Rank 4
- Observed: 100% appearance in combo sample (3/3 combos) but only as end-board piece; Average power index of 60 in combos where present; 75.5% of decks use control/go-second gameplay (gameplay type 7); 98.5% co-deck with Seventh Tachyon (archetype synergy); 1.02 copies per deck on average (verified universal single inclusion); 100% inclusion rate in Star Seraph archetype per usage statistics; 81.8% inclusion rate in Galaxy Tachyon per usage statistics
- Inferred: Acts as disruption piece in go-second control strategies based on deck gameplay distribution; Destruction protection extends board longevity when threatened by removal; Level 4 LIGHT material utility enables additional Xyz strategies; No severe brick risk as a Rank 4 consequence piece rather than starter; Negation is primary disruption tool; ATK halving is supplementary
- Data gaps: Combo sample is small (3 combos total), limiting confidence in comprehensive role verification No banlist information provided; assumed unlimited 3-copy legality No turn-order data (turn-1 vs turn-2 summoning frequency not tracked) Guide evidence mostly descriptive; specific strategic rationales not detailed Not present in top-100 format rankings (limiting meta-dominance verification) Cross-format legality treated identically (TCG/OCG/MasterDuel/DuelLinks) without differentiation