Number 32: Shark Drake

Number 32: Shark Drake — Power Evaluation

Final Score: 59 ± 5 · Confidence: Medium

• Intrinsic: 57 · Deck: 61 · Meta: provisional
• Primary role: Boss / End-board · Secondary: Material body

Why it scores here

Shark Drake scores as a solid Rank 4 XYZ finisher in dedicated Shark strategies, where its battle-dependent effect creates meaningful tempo pressure through a second attack and material conversion. However, it lacks the intrinsic card advantage, disruption, or resilience that would elevate it beyond a role-specific payoff piece; the effect is material-hungry and vulnerable once the offensive turn ends. Its near-universal inclusion in competitive Shark formats (100% in OCG, 61% in Master Duel) and seamless integration as Chaos XYZ fodder (Number C32 at 97.8% deck pairing) confirms strong archetype synergy, but limited flexibility outside its primary homes and absence of combo evidence constrain its overall power.

Axis scores

Calculation

Weight profile: 0.7 Boss/End-board + 0.3 Material body blend. Intrinsic ≈ 57, Deck ≈ 61, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: none. Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck (decks and guides present, combos absent)

Strengths

• Core to competitive Shark strategies (53% of 400 decks, 100% inclusion in OCG per usage_statistics); established across 41 distinct archetypes
• Extremely clean 1-copy inclusion with zero garnet risk in primary homes; acceptable at 2 copies (14/400 decks), indicating flexibility
• Exceptional synergy with Chaos XYZ (Number C32) as payoff and fodder (97.8% deck pairing rate demonstrates near-mandatory pairing)
• Solid Rank 4 XYZ material body (WATER Sea Serpent); converts efficiently even when blanked or used as overlay fodder
• Battle reward mechanic (second attack) creates tempo pressure in offensive-format metagames

Weaknesses

• Battle-dependent effect limits reliability to offensive turns; completely vulnerable to attack interruption or destruction during/after Battle Phase
• Material-hungry (1 XYZ material per effect activation); no inherent refuel, card draw, or graveyard advantage to sustain value
• No disruption, negation, or control elements; purely tempo-based relying on battle pressure, offers no defensive capability
• Limited splashability outside Shark and CXyz homes (only 4 archetypes beyond Shark at >2% inclusion); requires consistent Rank 4 summoning access
• No multi-turn resilience, protection, or recovery; exposed field body subject to removal with no recursion avenue

Counters / choke points

• Effect negation or attack stoppers (Ash Blossom, effect-negating traps) that prevent second-attack trigger during Battle Phase
• Floodgates and control decks that restrict monster summoning, block Rank 4 XYZ access, or prevent Battle Phase activation
• Destruction, banishment, or bounce effects targeting Shark Drake after summoning but before or during Battle Phase

Best use

Rank 4 XYZ finisher and Chaos XYZ fodder; offensive payoff piece in beatdown and tempo strategies. Decks: Shark, CXyz, Seventh, K9, Heraldic. Suggested copies: 1.

Evidence & gaps

• Verified: Summoning requirement: 3 Level 4 monsters (card text); Once-per-turn effect: when attacking card destroys opponent's monster by battle and sends it to GY, detach 1 material, Special Summon destroyed monster to opponent's field in Attack Position (−1000 ATK), and gain second attack during Battle Phase (card text); Type: XYZ Monster, Rank 4, WATER Sea Serpent, 2800 ATK / 2100 DEF (card text); Archetype: Number (card text); Formats: TCG, OCG, MasterDuel, DuelLinks (card formats field); 100% inclusion in Shark (OCG) and CXyz decks per usage_statistics; Number C32 Shark Drake LeVeiss as top partner (97.8% of 400 decks, verified via decks_evidence and usage_statistics)
• Observed: 41 distinct archetypes run Shark Drake (decks_evidence distinct_archetypes); Shark archetype dominance: 53% primary Shark (archetype 842) + 9.2% secondary Shark (archetype 794) = 62% total concentration (decks_evidence archetypes); Typical 1 copy per deck; maximum 2 copies; 386 decks run 1 copy, 14 run 2 copies, avg 1.03 (decks_evidence copies_per_deck); Gameplay type split: 83.2% type 7, 16.8% type 4 (decks_evidence gameplay_types); Consistent inclusion across historical sample: 61.1% Shark (Master Duel), 100% Shark (OCG), 100% CXyz, 66.7% Seventh (usage_statistics)
• Inferred: Rank 4 XYZ material status: convertible to higher-rank overlays or Chaos XYZ (standard XYZ mechanics; confirmed by 97.8% Number C32 partnership indicating overlay dependency); Material sustainability: Rank 4 XYZ typically start 2-3 materials, so 1 material cost per turn is sustainable once-per-turn (from XYZ summoning rules and Rank 4 conventions); Battle-only trigger: effect strictly operates on Battle Phase destruction only, requiring offensive turn sequence and successful monster engagement (inferred from 'when this attacking card destroys' condition); Splashability limited by Rank 4 access: viable only in archetypes with reliable Level 4 monster production (inferred from 62% Shark concentration vs. 41 distinct archetypes; most secondary homes at <2.2%); Not a generic staple: effect text and summoning condition prevent splashability into non-Xyz decks (inferred from effect requiring 3 Level 4s and battle-dependent activation)
• Data gaps: No combos supplied — combo_conversion and board-building depth scored via text-only inference; no empirical evidence of actual combo boards using Shark Drake as starter, material source, or endboard payoff No banlist token — assumed 3 copies (unlimited) based on absent legal_copies restrictions; actual TCG/OCG ban status (Semi-Limited, Limited, etc.) not verified Tournament/meta data absent — no Duel Links KC Cup rankings, TCG/OCG Top 8 frequency, or metagame tier positioning to confirm meta relevance or tier status Guide snippets lack explicit role description — Shark Drake appears in guide CORE sections but exact gameplay tactics and turn sequence not textually described in supplied guide snippets Format-specific insights thin — Master Duel adoption (61.1%) vs. OCG (100%) difference noted but no commentary on format divergence causes (card availability, ban status, gameplay meta)