Spell
QuickRitual Beast Return
Archetype:
Ritual Beast
View:
3608
Banish 1 "Ritual Beast" monster from your hand, then target 1 of your "Ritual Beast" monsters, that is banished or is in your Graveyard; Special Summon it.
53± 6/ 100
Power Score
Intrinsic
49
Deck
55
Ritual Beast Return — Power Evaluation
Final Score: 53 ± 6 · Confidence: Medium
- Intrinsic: 49 · Deck: 55 · Meta: provisional
- Primary role: Recovery/Recursion · Secondary: Combo enabler, Extender
Why it scores here
Ritual Beast Return is a core recursion tool that cycles banished Ritual Beasts back to field, enabling the archetype's characteristic control strategy and extending board presence across multiple turns. The card shows exceptional deck integration (100% co-inclusion with archetype tutors and fusions) and reliable activation within Ritual Beast shells, where multiple Tamers and Spiritual Beasts ensure consistent hand setup. However, the complete absence of recorded combo data prevents verification of its role as a combo starter or finisher, and the card brings zero opponent interaction, positioning it as an archetype-specific consistency piece rather than a general power lever.
Axis scores
| Axis | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | 60 | Ritual Beast decks run multiple Tamers (Elder, Lara, Pettlephin variants) and Spiritual Beasts ensuring a banishable target is usually in hand; runs at 1.3 copies average with 76% of decks running 1–2 copies, indicating reliable activation (verified in deck distribution). |
| Combo & Conversion | 45 | Returns banished Ritual Beasts to field for recursion loops and synergy lines within the archetype's control framework; exact board depth and combo sequences are text-inferred only, as zero combos were recorded showing this card's role (observed: 0 combo appearances, 0% as starter). |
| Resource Economy | 55 | Costs 1 Ritual Beast from hand (−1), summons 1 from banished/GY (+1); net is roughly neutral, and in lines where banishing was planned (via Cannahawk), the card becomes a refuel mechanism (inferred from archetype's banish-and-recycle strategy). |
| Effect & Interaction | 5 | No disruption, negation, or removal; purely a recursion effect with zero value against opponent's board or strategy (verified from card text). |
| Material Utility | 0 | As a Quick-Play spell, it cannot be used as synchro, fusion, xyz, or link material; carries no body or attribute benefit (verified from card type and frame). |
| Resilience & Flexibility | 65 | Quick-Play timing enables reactive play on opponent's turn and proactive sequencing on own turn; survives negation only through timing; multi-turn utility is high within archetype due to repeated Ritual Beast access (inferred from Quick-Play frame and recursive design). |
| Deck-Building Efficiency | 65 | Strictly archetype-locked to Ritual Beasts with no splashability; minimal garnet risk in mixed Tamer/Spiritual Beast shells; players confidently run 2–3 copies, suggesting low collision and efficient deck space (observed in deck distribution: 64 single-copy, 15 double-copy, 5 triple-copy). |
Calculation
Weight profile: 0.7 Recovery/Recursion + 0.3 Extender. Intrinsic ≈ 49, Deck ≈ 55, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: none. Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck (decks present; no metagame sample supplied)
Strengths
- 100% co-inclusion with all core Ritual Beast tutors (Cannahawk, Elder) and fusion bosses (Ulti-Apelio, Ulti-Cannahawk)
- Quick-Play timing allows both proactive and reactive activation within the turn structure
- Integrates seamlessly into the archetype's banish-and-recover recursion loop
- Low garnet/brick risk in Ritual Beast shells due to high density of Tamers and Spiritual Beasts
Weaknesses
- Zero opponent interaction or disruption value; purely a recursion/support tool
- Requires prior setup to function: a target in banished/GY and a Ritual Beast in hand
- Strictly archetype-locked; zero portability outside Ritual Beasts or variants
- Critical evidence gap: no recorded combos to verify exact role as combo starter, finisher, or extender; board-building depth unknown
Counters / choke points
- Disruption that removes Ritual Beasts from hand before activation (hand disruption, burn)
- Banish-zone lockdown effects that prevent summoning from banished zone
- Negation on spell activation (Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring, Infinite Impermanence)
Best use
Main Deck recursion and resource recovery enabler. Decks: Ritual Beasts, Ritual Beast Tamer variants. Suggested copies: 2.
Evidence & gaps
- Verified: Card text: banish 1 Ritual Beast from hand, then special summon 1 Ritual Beast from banished zone or GY; Runs in 84 decks; 70.2% in pure Ritual Beasts, 21.4% in Ritual Beast variants; Average 1.3 copies per deck; 76.2% of decks run 1–2 copies; up to 3 copies in some builds; 100% co-deck rate with Cannahawk, Elder, Ulti-Apelio, Ulti-Cannahawk (core tutors and bosses); Quick-Play spell; no monster material utility; No banlist restrictions in evidence; assumed 3 copies legal in all formats
- Observed: Appears in 8 distinct archetypes (mostly Ritual Beast homes; fringe appearances in Nemeses, Harpie, Greed); Mentioned in 1 guide; featured in the Core section of a Vietnamese Ritual Beast strategy guide; Not ranked as a top card in any format (is_top_card: false, best_rank_across_formats: null)
- Inferred: Primary role is Recovery/Recursion based on the banish-and-return mechanic targeting archetype monsters; Secondary roles as Combo enabler and Extender within Ritual Beast's multi-turn control strategy; Resource economy is roughly neutral or slight-positive when banishing is planned as part of the deck's strategy; Accessibility within archetype is high due to Ritual Beast deck's structure (multiple Tamers and Spiritual Beasts); Ritual Beast archetype inherently uses banishing (via cards like Cannahawk), so recovery fits expected game plan
- Data gaps: No combos supplied — combo conversion and role as potential combo piece is text-only inference, not observed No banlist token — 3 copies assumed legal in all formats; actual banlist status unverified No usage statistics (StatisticsCard) — archetype inclusion percentage inferred from 84-deck sample only; historical consistency unknown No Top Card rankings — format-specific or metagame relevance cannot be confirmed