Scrap Hunter

Scrap Hunter — Power Evaluation

Final Score: 46 ± 7 · Confidence: Medium

• Intrinsic: 46.2 · Deck: 49.7 · Meta: provisional
• Primary role: Combo enabler · Secondary: Material body

Why it scores here

Scrap Hunter is a modest in-archetype engine piece: it converts an already-established Scrap body into a Tuner placed in the Graveyard plus a destruction trigger, which is real fuel for Scrap revival and Synchro lines but never a one-card start. It brings zero disruption against the opponent and its condition (a face-up Scrap monster other than itself) means it is dead without a second Scrap card, so its value is entirely dependent on the rest of the deck. The 1600 ATK Level-3 body earns nothing on its own — its score comes from observed 3-of usage inside Scrap lists and clean Level-3 EARTH Machine Synchro material, not from stats. Final lands in the mid-40s because the effect is archetype-locked, interaction-free and unconfirmed by any recorded combo line.

Axis scores

Calculation

Weight profile: 0.7 Combo enabler + 0.3 Material body. Intrinsic ≈ 46.2, Deck ≈ 49.7, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: Archetype-locked condition (-2). Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck

Strengths

• Sends a Tuner from the Deck to the Graveyard, directly stocking the GY for Scrap revival and Synchro setups
• Destroys a Scrap monster you control, which triggers destroy-based Scrap monsters (partners Scrap Goblin / Scrap Searcher co-deck at 88.9%)
• Level-3 EARTH Machine non-Tuner body that slots cleanly into the Scrap Synchro ladder (Scrap Archfiend, Scrap Dragon, Scrap Twin Dragon, Atomic Scrap Dragon all co-deck at 77.8-88.9%)
• Cheap to include in-archetype: 3 copies in 6 of the 9 sampled decks, average 2.44 copies
• Effect is once per turn with no cost beyond the Scrap monster it destroys, so it is reusable each turn the condition is met

Weaknesses

• Does nothing alone: needs a face-up Scrap monster other than itself, so it is a two-card line and never a one-card starter
• No interaction with the opponent whatsoever — no negation, no removal, no hand-trap reach
• Only useful in Scrap decks; in any other archetype it is a 1600 ATK Level-3 with no text
• Loops through your own field and Deck, so the raw trade is roughly card-neutral to negative unless the destroyed Scrap floats
• No combo evidence exists in this sample, so its concrete end-board contribution is unmeasured

Counters / choke points

• Negating the trigger (e.g. Ash Blossom-style negation of a Deck-to-GY send) blanks the entire effect (inferred)
• Removing or flipping the chosen Scrap monster in response to the activation makes the effect resolve without a legal target
• Generic effect negation on Scrap Hunter itself leaves only a 1600 ATK body
• Graveyard hate (banishing the sent Tuner) denies the revival fuel the card is played for (inferred)

Best use

Combo enabler — converts an existing Scrap body into a GY Tuner plus a destruction trigger to feed Scrap Synchro and revival lines. Decks: Scrap. Suggested copies: 3.

Evidence & gaps

• Verified: Card text: once per turn, select 1 face-up "Scrap" monster you control except this card, destroy it and send 1 Tuner monster from your Deck to the Graveyard; Card identity: Effect Monster, EARTH Machine, Level 3, 1600 ATK / 400 DEF, Scrap archetype, legal in TCG/OCG/Master Duel/Duel Links; 9 sampled decks run it, all in the main deck, average 2.44 copies, 3 copies in 6 of the 9 lists; 6 of 9 decks (66.7%) are Scrap archetype decks
• Observed: Scrap partners dominate co-deck rates: Scrap Mind Reader, Scrap Searcher, Scrap Goblin, Scrap Recycler, Scrap Chimera, Scrap Shark, Scrap Breaker, Scrapyard, Scrapstorm, Scrap Dragon, Scrap Twin Dragon and Atomic Scrap Dragon all appear alongside it in 88.9% of decks; Foolish Burial and Monster Reborn co-appear in 66.7% of the sample, consistent with a Graveyard-setup role; combo data records 0 appearances — no recorded line uses Scrap Hunter as starter, searched piece, material, payoff or end-board
• Inferred: Its primary function is to dump a Scrap Tuner to the GY while triggering destroy-based Scrap monsters already on the field, enabling revival and Synchro lines; Because it needs a second Scrap monster, it is an engine extender rather than a one-card starter; As a Level-3 non-Tuner it converts into the Scrap Synchro ladder when paired with Scrap Tuners; Outside Scrap decks the card is effectively a vanilla 1600 ATK body
• Data gaps: no combos supplied — combo conversion is text-only inference no guides supplied no banlist token — assumed 3 copies (unlimited) no usage statistics (StatisticsCard) — archetype inclusion % inferred from deck sample only deck sample is small (9 decks) and skewed to Scrap, so portability estimates are low-confidence no searcher/route data confirming how often the card is fetched or opened