Spell
NormalSalvage
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4419
Target 2 WATER monsters with 1500 or less ATK in your Graveyard; add those targets to your hand.
Salvage — Power Evaluation
Final Score: 48 ± 5 · Confidence: Medium
- Intrinsic: 48 · Deck: 50 · Meta: provisional
- Primary role: Recovery/Recursion
Why it scores here
Salvage is a conditional recovery spell that generates +1 card advantage by returning two low-ATK WATER monsters from the Graveyard to hand, excelling in WATER-heavy archetypes like Gishki (14.5% of decks) and Atlantean (9.8%) where natural GY fill ensures consistent targets. The card appears across 74 distinct archetypes and averages 1.84 copies per deck, confirming splashability and broad synergy potential. However, it contributes zero disruption, cannot be material, and generates no board tempo or draw advantage—limiting its impact to mid-game refueling after combo lines have milled targets. Its score reflects a specialized but reliable recovery tool that rewards deckbuilding discipline while remaining vulnerable to hand traps and GY disruption.
Axis scores
| Axis | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | 65 | Highly accessible in WATER-heavy decks where Graveyard fill is natural, but a dead draw if targets are absent; concentrated in Gishki (14.5%), Atlantean (9.8%), and 72 other archetypes (verified) |
| Combo & Conversion | 25 | Does not initiate or extend combo lines; zero combos recorded in evidence, and card text shows no synergy with combo starters or extenders (verified) |
| Resource Economy | 72 | Generates +1 card advantage when two WATER ≤1500 targets are present in Graveyard; appears with 51.8% co-occurrence with Called by the Grave, a GY-discard staple, confirming reliable targets in homes (observed) |
| Effect & Interaction | 5 | No opponent interaction whatsoever—purely a recovery spell with zero disruption, removal, negation, or hand-trap capability (verified) |
| Material Utility | 0 | As a Normal Spell Card, cannot be synchro, fusion, link, or ritual material; zero utility as material or cost synergy (verified) |
| Resilience & Flexibility | 35 | Vulnerable to hand traps (Ash Blossom 45.8%, Infinite Impermanence 38.2%); once resolved, effect completes and cards enter hand safety (observed) |
| Deck-Building Efficiency | 58 | Average 1.84 copies per deck (181 decks run 2, 77 run 3) across 74 archetypes signals strong splashability; efficiency is optimal in dedicated WATER homes but situational in off-theme tech slots (observed) |
Calculation
Weight profile: Recovery / Recursion primary role. Intrinsic ≈ 48, Deck ≈ 50, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: Conditional activation (-2); Broad splashability (1). Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck
Strengths
- Strong resource recovery in WATER-heavy decks (consistent +1 advantage when GY filled with qualifying targets)
- Low activation cost (no LP, no discard, pure targeting of existing Graveyard resources)
- Highly splashable across 74 distinct archetypes; proven synergy in Gishki, Atlantean, Mermail, Ice Barrier, Plunder Patroll, and Marincess
- Enables mid-game refueling after combo lines have milled sub-1500 WATER monsters
Weaknesses
- Conditional brick if Graveyard lacks WATER monsters ≤1500 ATK at activation time
- Highly vulnerable to hand traps on activation (Ash Blossom 45.8%, Called by the Grave 51.8%, Infinite Impermanence 38.2%)
- Zero synergy outside WATER-focused archetypes; poor fit for non-WATER strategies
- Generates no board presence, tempo, or card draw; pure recovery with no acceleration
- Cannot serve as material for any summoning method; zero utility as cost or synergy fodder
Counters / choke points
- Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring (negates activation, denies recovery)
- Called by the Grave (locks Graveyard targets, indirectly blocks Salvage)
- Graveyard banish effects (exile targets before Salvage activation)
- Decks that avoid early WATER GY fill (starve the activation condition)
Best use
Mid-game recovery/recursion engine. Decks: Gishki, Atlantean, Mermail, Ice Barrier, Plunder Patroll, Marincess, Icejade, Any WATER-focused archetype with sub-1500 ATK engine. Suggested copies: 2.
Evidence & gaps
- Verified: Card text: targets 2 WATER monsters ≤1500 ATK in Graveyard and adds them to hand; Appears in 400 decks across 74 distinct archetypes (deck data); Concentrated in WATER homes: Gishki 14.5%, Atlantean 9.8%, Frog 6.8%, Mermail 6.8%, Ice Barrier 6.8%; No opponent interaction or disruption; spell card with pure recovery effect only; Cannot be synchro, fusion, link, or ritual material (Normal Spell Card type)
- Observed: Average 1.84 copies per deck with high saturation (77 decks run 3 copies, 181 run 2); Top co-partners are GY-discard tools (Called by the Grave 51.8%, Maxx C 33.2%) confirming natural GY fill in homes; High hand-trap prevalence (Ash Blossom 45.8%, Infinite Impermanence 38.2%) indicates Salvage is vulnerable to interruption; Guides list as Staple in Plunder Patroll and Tech in Water Xyz, confirming role flexibility
- Inferred: Primary role is Recovery/Recursion based on text (returns GY monsters to hand) and deck concentration in GY-filling archetypes; In WATER-heavy decks, Salvage generates +1 advantage (1 spell cost → 2 monsters recovered); In non-WATER or GY-starved archetypes, card acts as conditional brick; Combo conversion is minimal; zero combos and text shows no combo initiation capability; Broad splashability (74 archetypes) reflects portable concept, but real power concentrated in WATER homes (Gishki + Atlantean = 24.3% of all runs)
- Data gaps: No combo evidence supplied; combo_conversion scored via text inference only Only 1 archetype in usage statistics (Umi Control); broader sampling across WATER archetypes would strengthen confidence No banlist token provided; assumed unlimited (3 copies legal) No Duel Links-specific deck/combo data despite card being legal there