EARTH
4Performapal Whip Snake
Archetype:
Performapal
ATK:
1700
DEF:
900
View:
3487
Once per turn, during either player's Main Phase: You can target 1 face-up monster on the field; switch its current ATK and DEF until the end of this turn.
Performapal Whip Snake — Power Evaluation
Final Score: 45 ± 7 · Confidence: Medium
- Intrinsic: 45 · Deck: 44 · Meta: provisional
- Primary role: Utility · Secondary: Material body
Why it scores here
Performapal Whip Snake earns a mid-range score as a Performapal-ecosystem Level 4 body whose ATK/DEF swap effect provides situational combat utility rather than meaningful combo acceleration. It is consistently included across 17 decks at an average of 2.18 copies, confirming reliable deployment within its home strategies, but zero combo appearances mean its contribution to actual combo lines is entirely unverified and likely marginal. The either-player Main Phase timing slightly elevates its disruption ceiling, yet the effect generates no card advantage and expires at end of turn, capping its resource and interaction value. High ATK did not earn points here; the score reflects its role as a searchable body with a soft combat trick, not a combo engine.
Axis scores
| Axis | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | 55 | Runs in 17 decks at avg 2.18 copies within the Performapal/Pendulum ecosystem; top partners include Performapal Silver Claw (82.4%), Sword Fish (76.5%), and Pendulum Call (70.6%), suggesting it is regularly drawn or searched into within its home archetypes. (observed) |
| Combo & Conversion | 20 | Zero appearances across all recorded combo boards, so its combo contribution is text-only inference; as a non-Pendulum Level 4 body with no follow-up effect, it cannot starter a line on its own. (inferred) |
| Resource Economy | 25 | The ATK/DEF swap costs no cards and expires at end of turn; there is no search, draw, GY refuel, or advantage generation attached to its effect. (verified) |
| Effect & Interaction | 35 | The effect activates on either player's Main Phase, giving it minor disruption reach against high-ATK/low-DEF boss monsters, but the interaction is soft, temporary, and fully countered by effect negation. (inferred) |
| Material Utility | 40 | Level 4 EARTH Reptile is usable as generic Xyz material, though Reptile is a lightly supported type; within the Performapal archetype it contributes a named body but offers no Tuner or Link-arrow value. (inferred) |
| Resilience & Flexibility | 35 | The either-player timing is a genuine flexibility advantage, but the card has no protection, no GY effect, and is fully shut down by a single negate; multiple copies in deck (avg 2.18) provide modest redundancy. (observed) |
| Deck-Building Efficiency | 55 | Clean inclusion in its home archetypes with no lock or brick downside; outside Performapal/Pendulum strategies it is a dead draw, so slot cost is archetype-conditional. (inferred) |
Calculation
Weight profile: 0.7 Utility + 0.3 Material body. Intrinsic ≈ 45, Deck ≈ 44, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: none. Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck
Strengths
- Consistently included across 9 distinct archetype homes, confirming reliable deployment within the Performapal/Pendulum ecosystem
- Either-player Main Phase timing enables reactive use against opponent boss monsters with low DEF
- Clean Level 4 body with no lock or brick condition within its home strategies
- Can target the controller's own monsters to temporarily boost a low-ATK/high-DEF card for a combat push
Weaknesses
- Effect is purely temporary (until end of turn) and generates zero card advantage
- Zero recorded combo appearances — contribution to actual combo lines is unverified
- No GY effect, no search, no recursion; dies to a single negate with no recovery
- Outside Performapal/Pendulum archetypes it is a dead brick with no generic application
Counters / choke points
- Effect negation (Ash Blossom, Infinite Impermanence, Effect Veiler) shuts the swap completely
- Monsters with roughly symmetrical ATK and DEF are largely unaffected
- Destruction or removal before or during the activation window prevents the swap from landing
Best use
Level 4 body with combat-trick disruption utility in Performapal/Pendulum strategies. Decks: Performapal, Odd-Eyes, Pendulum Magician, Performage. Suggested copies: 2.
Evidence & gaps
- Verified: Once per turn ATK/DEF swap on any face-up monster, either player's Main Phase, from card text; Level 4, EARTH, Reptile, ATK 1700/DEF 900, Performapal archetype; Runs in 17 decks all in main deck, avg 2.18 copies, max 3
- Observed: Present in 9 distinct archetype homes across the Performapal/Pendulum ecosystem; Top partner Performapal Silver Claw co-appears in 82.4% of decks; Sword Fish in 76.5%; Pendulum Call in 70.6%; Deck recency extends to June 2025, confirming the card still sees play in this era
- Inferred: Used primarily as a searchable Level 4 body within Pendulum/Performapal strategies rather than as a combo driver; Either-player timing slightly raises disruption value against high-ATK/low-DEF boss monsters; Within Performapal archetype it likely has search access via archetype-specific support
- Data gaps: No combos supplied — combo conversion is text-only inference No guides supplied — no human context on practical role No banlist token — assumed 3 copies (unlimited) No usage statistics (StatisticsCard) — archetype inclusion % inferred from 17-deck sample only