Spell
NormalSaber Slash
Archetype:
X-Saber
View:
3385
Destroy a number of face-up cards on the field equal to the number of face-up Attack Position "X-Saber" monsters you control.
Saber Slash — Power Evaluation
Final Score: 53 ± 5 · Confidence: Medium
- Intrinsic: 52 · Deck: 53 · Meta: provisional
- Primary role: Board breaker · Secondary: Removal, Utility
Why it scores here
Saber Slash is a conditional board wipe that converts X-Saber bodies into disruption, making it a strong turn-2 tool in its primary archetype. The card's value is entirely dependent on controlling multiple X-Saber monsters in Attack Position—a natural board state for X-Saber decks (evident from 53.8% inclusion and top partners like XX-Saber Ragigura and Gottoms). However, it provides no card advantage, builds no combos, and has no persistent value, limiting its impact to a single turn-2 board clear.
Axis scores
| Axis | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | 65 | Normal Spell live in hand immediately, but requires X-Saber bodies to function; runs at average 1.41 copies in 182 decks with no search support. (inferred) |
| Combo & Conversion | 25 | No combo evidence supplied; text shows it is a removal effect, not a combo payoff or extender. (inferred) |
| Resource Economy | 50 | Destroys opponent cards equal to your X-Saber ATK count, typically a 1:1 trade; no refuel or advantage generation. (verified) |
| Effect & Interaction | 60 | Destruction effect is hard and flexible (hits any face-up card), scales with board presence; conditional on X-Saber setup. (verified) |
| Material Utility | 5 | Spell Card with no level, attribute, or tuner status; zero utility as material for any Special Summon. (verified) |
| Resilience & Flexibility | 25 | One-time effect with no persistence or recovery; useful only on activation turn. (inferred) |
| Deck-Building Efficiency | 70 | Normal Spell slot with no restrictions; naturally synergizes in X-Saber decks but garnetted in unrelated archetypes. (observed) |
Calculation
Weight profile: 0.7 Board breaker + 0.3 Removal. Intrinsic ≈ 52, Deck ≈ 53, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: none. Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck
Strengths
- Flexible removal that scales with X-Saber board presence (2–3 card clears are common)
- Hard destruction effect that cannot be negated; hits any face-up card type
- Strong deck fit: appears in 53.8% of X-Saber lists with all top partners being X-Saber support
- No cost to activate; pure spell slot expenditure
Weaknesses
- Entirely conditional: useless without X-Saber monsters in Attack Position
- No card advantage or resource refuel; purely neutral exchange
- No persistent effect; value expires after single activation
- Dead in non-X-Saber decks despite appearing in 29 archetypes (mostly as tech or variant builds)
- Requires turn 2 board state setup to be impactful; poor on turn 1 or against empty fields
Counters / choke points
- Preventing X-Saber summons or forcing Defensive Position nullifies the card
- Decks that establish spell/trap immunity before turn 2 dodge this removal
- Face-down cards are not affected; Trap stall strategies reduce its target count
Best use
Turn 2 board clear and removal engine. Decks: X-Saber, Elementsaber, Assault Mode. Suggested copies: 1.
Evidence & gaps
- Verified: Card text: destroys a number of face-up cards equal to X-Saber ATK monsters controlled; 182 decks recorded; 53.8% (98 decks) are X-Saber; Average 1.41 copies per deck; range 1–3; Top 5 partners are all X-Saber support (Ragigura, Faultroll, Gottoms, Second Call, Saber Hole)
- Observed: Appears across 29 distinct archetypes (though many are X-Saber variants or techs); 89.6% of decks using it are TCG format (format 7); Usage statistics: 100% inclusion in Elementsaber (1 copy), 50% in X-Saber (1 copy)
- Inferred: Card is a board wipe/removal in X-Saber decks, enabling turn-2 disruption; Activation condition requires X-Saber bodies in Attack Position to be live; Resource economy is neutral (1 spell slot for N opponent cards); No persistent effect; single-activation value only; Portability is X-Saber-centric; appearances in other archetypes are secondary/tech
- Data gaps: No combos supplied — combo conversion role is text-only inference No guides supplied — no human context on role or metagame impact No banlist token — assumed 3 copies (unlimited) No dated metagame context — top-card ranking not available to calibrate meta power