EARTH
4Protector of the Sanctuary
ATK:
1100
DEF:
1900
View:
3529
Your opponent cannot draw cards except during Draw Phases.
Protector of the Sanctuary — Power Evaluation
Final Score: 56 ± 6 · Confidence: Medium
- Intrinsic: 57 · Deck: 56 · Meta: provisional
- Primary role: Floodgate/Control · Secondary: Material body
Why it scores here
Protector of the Sanctuary earns its score primarily as a going-first floodgate that blanket-denies the opponent's entire suite of out-of-Draw-Phase draws — Pot of Prosperity, Pot of Extravagance, Graceful Charity, and any draw-trigger effect — for as long as it survives on the field. Its 60-archetype spread confirms genuine generic utility across EARTH-centric and Fiend strategies that can leverage both the floodgate lock and its Level 4 EARTH Fiend body as material. However, its 1100 ATK makes it trivially vulnerable to battle or any spot removal, and the effect is entirely conditional on the card persisting through the opponent's turn, which tightly caps its ceiling. Zero combo appearances in the recorded boards confirm this card is a pure disruption tech piece, not an engine element, and its high ATK played no role in this score.
Axis scores
| Axis | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | 48 | No built-in searcher appears in the card text; it relies on being drawn naturally, reflected by avg 1.24 copies per deck with 158 of 192 decks running exactly one copy. (observed) |
| Combo & Conversion | 20 | Zero combo appearances across all recorded boards confirm this card neither starts nor advances any combo line and is not used as a combo piece. (verified) |
| Resource Economy | 45 | The card is a 1-for-1 floodgate body with no draw, search, or GY refuel on either side, producing roughly neutral card economy across the turn it is active. (inferred) |
| Effect & Interaction | 55 | The continuous effect denies all opponent draw effects outside the Draw Phase, locking out Pot of Prosperity and Pot of Extravagance, which are near-universal staples in the 88.5% TCG/OCG gameplay pool. (verified from card text) |
| Material Utility | 55 | Level 4 EARTH Fiend fits cleanly into Rank 4 Xyz plays and EARTH-attribute synergy engines, evidenced by Adamancipator (16 decks) and Magnet Warriors (13 decks) as its top homes, providing body value even when the floodgate effect is removed. (observed) |
| Resilience & Flexibility | 40 | With 1100 ATK and no self-protection text, the card is removed by any attacker with ATK above 1100 or by any spot removal, and the continuous effect ends the moment the monster leaves the field. (inferred) |
| Deck-Building Efficiency | 70 | Run across 60 distinct archetypes as a near-free 1-of with no deckbuilding restriction, lock, or archetype requirement, fitting any strategy that can Normal Summon a Level 4 EARTH body. (observed) |
Calculation
Weight profile: 0.7 Floodgate/Control + 0.3 Material body. Intrinsic ≈ 57, Deck ≈ 56, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: none. Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck
Strengths
- Blanket denial of all opponent draw effects outside Draw Phase, locking Pot of Prosperity, Pot of Extravagance, and equivalent staples
- Extremely broad splash potential across 60 distinct archetypes with no deckbuilding restriction or archetype lock
- Level 4 EARTH Fiend body provides secondary material value in EARTH-centric and Fiend strategies
- Near-free 1-of tech slot with minimal opportunity cost and no redundancy requirement
Weaknesses
- 1100 ATK makes it trivially removed in battle by virtually any attacking monster
- Continuous effect ends the moment the card leaves the field — no protection and no residual value
- Uses the Normal Summon in non-EARTH decks, competing directly with combo starters for the precious summon
- Effect has zero reach on non-draw card advantage (adds from deck, mill, excavate, Special Summon chains) — does not stop the majority of modern deck-thinning
Counters / choke points
- Any monster with ATK above 1100 removes it in battle during the Battle Phase
- Kaiju, Lava Golem, or any tribute-based removal bypasses the need to destroy it by card effect
- Spell and trap removal (Mystical Space Typhoon, Harpie's Feather Duster) when it is set in defense position
- Effect negation (Infinite Impermanence, Effect Veiler) neutralizes the continuous lock for the turn it is applied
Best use
Going-first floodgate tech alongside a hand trap suite to deny the opponent's draw acceleration. Decks: Adamancipator, Magnet Warriors, Fiendsmith, Vaalmonica, Archfiend. Suggested copies: 1.
Evidence & gaps
- Verified: Card text: opponent cannot draw cards except during Draw Phases — a continuous field effect with no once-per-turn clause; Legal in TCG, OCG, and MasterDuel; Limited to 1 in Goat format only; Level 4 EARTH Fiend, ATK 1100 / DEF 1900, no archetype affiliation; Zero combo appearances across all recorded boards confirming non-combo role
- Observed: 192 decks across 60 distinct archetypes confirming broad generic utility; 1.24 avg copies per deck with 158 of 192 decks running exactly one copy confirming 1-of flex tech slot; Top co-run cards are all generic staple hand traps (Ash Blossom, Maxx C, Droll, Mulcharmy Fuwalos, Nibiru) confirming going-first disruption package role; 88.5% of appearances in format 7 confirming primary TCG/OCG competitive usage
- Inferred: Card is used primarily as a going-first floodgate tech alongside hand trap suites, not as a combo enabler or extender; EARTH Fiend body provides secondary material value in Adamancipator and Magnet Warrior builds that search or Special Summon EARTH monsters; Low resilience in practice: no self-protection clause and 1100 ATK means the floodgate rarely survives a full opponent turn against removal-equipped decks
- Data gaps: No combos supplied — combo conversion is text-only inference No guides supplied — qualitative assessment of practical in-game role is inferred from deck partner context only No usage statistics (StatisticsCard) — archetype inclusion percentages inferred from 192-deck sample only