Ravenous Crocodragon Archethys

Ravenous Crocodragon Archethys — Power Evaluation

Final Score: 66 ± 5 · Confidence: High

• Intrinsic: 64 · Deck: 64 · Meta: provisional
• Primary role: Boss/End-board · Secondary: Removal/Negation, Utility

Why it scores here

Ravenous Crocodragon Archethys is a dependable Level 9 Synchro payoff that functions across 55+ distinct archetypes as a generic end-board piece with card draw. The Synchro Summon effect—drawing cards equal to non-Tuners used—provides solid card advantage (typically +1 to +2), while the quick-effect destruction offers flexible single-target removal. However, its 1000 base ATK and reliance on hand size for scaling limit its board dominance; it excels most in Synchro-focused engines (Junk, Ice Barrier, Virtual World) where it's a natural payoff, and less so in decks using it as a tech splash.

Axis scores

Calculation

Weight profile: 0.7 Boss/End-board + 0.3 Removal/Negation. Intrinsic ≈ 64, Deck ≈ 64, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: Splashability bonus (2). Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck

Strengths

• Solid card-draw payoff on Synchro Summon (typically +1 to +2 advantage)
• Generic Level 9 Synchro with no archetype lock; splashable across 55+ deck types
• Quick-effect removal provides flexible single-target destruction on opponent's turn
• Extra-deck-only with zero garnet/brick risk; highly efficient deck slot
• Confirmed staple in Synchro-focused archetypes (Ice Barrier, Junk, Virtual World) and tech in diverse midrange decks

Weaknesses

• 1000 base ATK is extremely weak; board presence depends entirely on hand size scaling
• Quick-effect destruction costs 2 cards in hand, making it impractical when hand is empty or under pressure
• Does not generate or search complementary board pieces; it's always a terminal payoff, not an engine starter
• Only 1 copy per deck suggests it's situational and not redundantly required; high-roll card in some lines
• No self-recovery or resilience if the Synchro Summon is negated, leaving only a 1000/1000 body

Counters / choke points

• Synchro Summon negation (Synchro-negation hand traps, Crossover Phantom) blanks the draw effect and leaves only a 1000-ATK body
• Hand disruption (Ash Blossom, Droll & Lock Bird, Nibiru) reduces hand size, scaling down ATK/DEF and limiting quick-effect availability
• Single-target removal or bounce (Kaiju effects, bounce cards) can remove it before generating value
• Spell/Trap removal in backrow board breakers stops reliable quick-effect use if hand is depleted

Best use

End-board Synchro payoff with card-draw upside; tech removal in decks using Synchro summoning as a secondary engine. Decks: Ice Barrier (Synchro-focused, 64% inclusion), Junk (Synchro engine, 54% inclusion), Virtual World (Synchro hybrid), Zefra (generic Synchro support, 100% in stats), Blue-Eyes (tech splash, 12% of recent sample). Suggested copies: 1.

Evidence & gaps

• Verified: Level 9 Synchro, 1 Tuner + 1+ non-Tuner monsters (card text); Gains 500 ATK/DEF per card in hand (card text); Draws cards equal to non-Tuners used for Synchro Summon, once per turn (card text); Quick effect: discard 2 cards, destroy 1 card on field, once per turn (card text); Appears in 400 of 400 decks in recent sample (deck statistic); Runs at exactly 1 copy per deck across all archetypes (deck statistic); Present in 4 of 4 shown combo examples (combo statistic); Average combo power index 72 when present (combo statistic); Used in 55 distinct archetypes (deck statistic); Listed in Staple sections of 6 guides (guide statistic)
• Observed: Appears as payoff piece in 25% of shown combos (1 of 4); Appears in end board in 25% of shown combos (1 of 4); Never appears as starter (0% starter role); Never appears as search target (0% searched-for role); Never appears as material for further summons (0% material role); Co-runs with Ash Blossom in 93.5% of decks; Co-runs with Droll & Lock Bird in 84.8% of decks; High inclusion in Ice Barrier (64% in one variant, 52.9% in another); High inclusion in Junk (54.5%)
• Inferred: As a generic Level 9 Synchro with no archetype lock, it is accessible in all Tuner-based and Synchro-focused engines; The 1000 base ATK and hand-size scaling indicate it functions best when summoned with 3+ cards in hand; The quick-effect destruction is most impactful in removal-sparse decks or when hand is full; The draw effect provides consistent card advantage in Synchro-centric shells where Synchro summoning is the primary engine
• Data gaps: No banlist token — assumed 3 copies (unlimited); actual ban status not provided Only 4 combo examples shown — limited sample size for combo patterns, but all 4 show consistent use as payoff/end-board piece No ranking data (top-card status: false) — not tracked as a meta-defining card, but consistent presence in guides suggests staple status No specific rulings conflicts or tricky interactions documented — assumes straightforward timing