DARK
Raider's Knight
Archetype:
Phantom Knights
ATK:
2000
DEF:
0
View:
8228
2 Level 4 DARK monsters (This card is always treated as a "The Phantom Knights" and "Raidraptor" card.) You can detach 1 material from this card; Special Summon from your Extra Deck, 1 "The Phantom Knights", "Raidraptor", or "Xyz Dragon" Xyz Monster that is 1 Rank higher or lower than this card, by using this face-up card you control as material, but destroy it during your opponent's next End Phase. (This is treated as an Xyz Summon. Transfer its materials to the Summoned monster.) You can only use this effect of "Raider's Knight" once per turn.
Raider's Knight — Power Evaluation
Final Score: 68 ± 5 · Confidence: Medium
- Intrinsic: 65 · Deck: 67 · Meta: provisional
- Primary role: Extender · Secondary: Combo enabler, Material body
Why it scores here
Raider's Knight earns its mid-60s score as a reliable XYZ extender that climbs Rank 4 monsters into higher-utility Rank 3 or 5 targets—most notably Arc Rebellion Xyz Dragon, which appears in 89% of decks running this card. Its core strength is accessibility and splashability: it appears across 75 distinct archetypes and requires only two Level 4 DARK monsters, a cost nearly free in its main homes (Phantom Knights, RaidRaptor). However, the score reflects critical drawbacks: the card is destroyed at your opponent's next End Phase, eliminating follow-up flexibility, and it provides no inherent disruption or card advantage—its value is entirely in enabling the climb to better monsters. The card functions as a support piece, not a payoff, so accessibility gains are offset by poor resilience and material utility.
Axis scores
| Axis | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | 72 | Phantom Knights and RaidRaptor archetypes naturally produce Level 4 DARK bodies; the card runs in 400/400 sample decks as a 1-of (verified) and appears in 75 distinct archetypes overall (observed). |
| Combo & Conversion | 68 | Appears in 11 recorded combos with average power index 68.7 and low starter count 0.73, suggesting it is a background extender rather than a primary combo engine (observed). |
| Resource Economy | 50 | Detaching 1 material to climb to a ±1 Rank XYZ is roughly card-neutral—no direct card advantage or refuel beyond the higher-utility target (inferred). |
| Effect & Interaction | 35 | The card itself has no negation, removal, or disruption; its value depends entirely on climbing to monsters that provide these effects, primarily Arc Rebellion Xyz Dragon (verified via top partners 89%). |
| Material Utility | 62 | Triple-name property (Phantom Knights, Raidraptor, Xyz Dragon) plus 2000 ATK provides decent body utility and flexibility; can serve as material or Link fodder, though Rank 4 limits direct reuse (inferred from card text). |
| Resilience & Flexibility | 45 | Explicit destruction at opponent's next End Phase severely limits follow-up plays and flexibility; no recovery or recursion path (verified from card text). |
| Deck-Building Efficiency | 78 | Clean 1-of inclusion in 400/400 sample decks with no garnet risk in competent XYZ builds; splashable across 75 archetypes with minimal deck construction friction (observed and verified). |
Calculation
Weight profile: 0.7·Extender + 0.3·Combo enabler. Intrinsic ≈ 65, Deck ≈ 67, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: Splashable across 75+ distinct archetypes (2). Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck
Strengths
- Reliable access in Phantom Knights and RaidRaptor through natural Level 4 DARK production
- Splashable across 75+ distinct archetypes; enables XYZ plays in non-XYZ homes with sufficient Level 4 DARK support
- Clean 1-of slot with no garnet risk in competent XYZ builds (avg 1.09 copies per deck)
- Enables climb to high-utility Rank 3/5 targets, especially Arc Rebellion Xyz Dragon (89% co-deck rate)
- Triple-name property (Phantom Knights, Raidraptor, Xyz Dragon) provides naming flexibility and material utility
Weaknesses
- Destroyed at opponent's next End Phase, eliminating follow-up flexibility and creating tempo loss
- Requires existing Rank 4 XYZ with materials to activate—conditional effect with setup cost
- Provides no inherent disruption or card advantage; value entirely dependent on the climb target's utility
- Combo role tagging incomplete in evidence (0% starter/material/payoff across 11 combos), suggesting mechanical fit is unclear or systematic
- Low starter count (0.73 when present) indicates it is a support piece, not a primary combo engine
Counters / choke points
- Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring (negates summons; present in 84.5% of sample decks)
- Dimension Shifter (banishes Xyz materials during climb)
- Effect negation (Imperial Order, Skill Drain, Droll & Lock Bird present in 77% of sample decks)
Best use
Rank-up extender for XYZ monster climbs to higher Ranks. Decks: Phantom Knights, RaidRaptor, Artmage, Orcust, Time Thief.
Evidence & gaps
- Verified: Rank 4 XYZ Monster, DARK Warrior, treated as Phantom Knights / Raidraptor / Xyz Dragon (card.description); Runs in 400/400 sample decks main-deck (deck data.decks running it in the Main Deck); Appears in Phantom Knights (23.2%), RaidRaptor (10.2%), Artmage (5.5%), 75 total archetypes (deck data); Arc Rebellion Xyz Dragon is top partner at 89% co-deck rate (deck data.top partners); Destroyed at opponent's next End Phase, once-per-turn effect (card.description); Effect requires detaching 1 material and climbing ±1 Rank (card.description)
- Observed: 11 combos feature this card with average power index 68.7 (combo data); Avg 1.09 copies per deck; 91% run 1-of, 9% run 2 (deck data.copies per deck); Inclusion 57%-100% across 11 homes in usage statistics; 100% in Phantom Knights homes (usage statistics); Avg starter count 0.73 when present in combos (combo data.average starter count when present); 6 guides recommend it in Extra Deck or Core sections (guide data.total guides)
- Inferred: Primary role: Extender—climbs Rank 4 to ±1 Rank, enabling higher-utility XYZ targets (from effect mechanics and deck context); Secondary role: Combo enabler in XYZ chains (from 75-archetype presence and 68.7 avg power when present); Material utility: triple names + 2000 ATK + Rank 4 body provide flexibility for reuse or fodder (from card text); Poor resilience: one-turn window before destruction limits flexibility and multi-turn value (from effect text)
- Data gaps: Combo role tagging incomplete: 0% starter/material/payoff across 11 combos despite card being a structural piece in XYZ chains—system may be missing categories or combo tagging may be incomplete No ruling clarifications provided; once-per-turn and timing assumed clear from text No tournament ranking or top-cut data; mid-tier relevance inferred from absence