Shiranui Smith

Shiranui Smith — Power Evaluation

Final Score: 62 ± 6 · Confidence: Medium

• Intrinsic: 59 · Deck: 62 · Meta: provisional
• Primary role: Searcher/Tutor · Secondary: Material body, Combo enabler

Why it scores here

Shiranui Smith is a cheap, searchable line-piece rather than a standalone threat: the moment it is used as Synchro Material it replaces itself with any "Shiranui" card, so its real value is the free +1 it hands the deck while a Synchro Summon is already happening. Its 1000 ATK / 0 DEF statline earns no points here, and the banish effect — battle protection for Zombies for the turn — is soft defensive utility, not disruption. 193 recent decks run it at 1.24 copies on average alongside Shiranui Solitaire (97.4% co-deck) and Mezuki (94.8%), confirming the role is real but also that it is an archetype support piece, not a generic staple. No combo boards were recorded, so the ceiling of the line is text-only inference — that is why the score sits in the low 60s with a wider uncertainty band.

Axis scores

Calculation

Weight profile: 0.7 Searcher/Tutor + 0.3 Material body. Intrinsic ≈ 59, Deck ≈ 62, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: Compact one-of line piece (1). Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck

Strengths

• The Synchro-Material trigger converts a material that was already being spent into a tutor for any "Shiranui" card — a free +1 at no extra cost.
• Very low slot cost: 163 of 193 decks run exactly one copy, and it carries no locks or restrictions on the rest of the turn's plays.
• A second, separate effect works from the banish zone (battle protection for Zombie monsters), so banish-based lines such as Gold Sarcophagus still produce value from it.
• Near-universal pairing with the Zombie engine (Solitaire 97.4%, Mezuki 94.8%, Spectralsword Shade 92.2%) shows the role is real in practice, not theoretical.
• Level 4 FIRE Zombie body slots into the Zombie Synchro pool its partner list already plays (Vampire Sucker, Yuki-Onna, Doomkaiser Dragon).

Weaknesses

• 1000 ATK / 0 DEF and no proactive effect means it does nothing on its own and is a weak body if it is not converted.
• The search is locked to "Shiranui" cards (excluding another Smith) and is once per turn, so its payoff does not scale or cross archetypes.
• The banish effect is purely defensive — battle destruction protection — and provides no removal or negation of any kind.
• Effectively archetype-bound: of 16 distinct archetypes observed, well over 85% of decks are Shiranui variants and the rest are Zombie piles.
• No combo boards recorded, so how far the line actually extends is unproven by measured evidence.

Counters / choke points

• Any effect that negates the Deck-to-hand search (e.g. Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring) denies the payoff while the material is still spent.
• Removing, negating, or locking the Synchro Summon itself means Smith never reaches the Graveyard as material and never triggers.
• Graveyard/field denial before the Synchro play (destroying or otherwise removing it from the field) stops the search trigger.
• Because the search triggers on being sent rather than on activation, negating its on-field presence is the wrong point of interaction — the search itself must be answered.

Best use

Archetype Synchro-material searcher and combo extender. Decks: Shiranui, Zombie Synchro (Mayakashi / Skull Servant / Eldlich Zombie piles). Suggested copies: 1.

Evidence & gaps

• Verified: Card text: if this card is sent from the field to the GY as Synchro Material, add 1 "Shiranui" card from the Deck to hand, except "Shiranui Smith", once per turn.; Card text: if this card is banished, Zombie-Type monsters you control cannot be destroyed by battle this turn.; Identity: Level 4 FIRE Zombie, 1000 ATK / 0 DEF, Shiranui archetype, legal in TCG, OCG, Master Duel and Duel Links.; 193 recent decks run it, all in the main deck, at an average of 1.24 copies; 163 of those run exactly one copy.; Top partner rates: Shiranui Solitaire 97.4%, Mezuki 94.8%, Shiranui Spectralsword Shade 92.2%, Shiranui Squire 91.2%.
• Observed: Combos evidence contains 0 appearances, so no starter / searched / material / payoff share can be confirmed for this card.; Decks evidence spans 16 distinct archetypes but is dominated by Shiranui variants (61.7% + 23.3% + 2.6%), with the remainder Zombie-adjacent decks.; usage statistics reports 100% inclusion in the Zombies sample, which confirms consistent play rather than intrinsic strength.; Only 1 guide mentions it, inside the CORE section of a Shiranui Fire King guide.; Recency window of the sample runs from 2022-03-08 to 2026-07-29, so the observed usage is current.
• Inferred: Because the search triggers only when it is sent to the GY as Synchro Material, the card is a line-piece rather than a standalone starter you open with.; The search is a net +1 that partly refunds the material cost of the Synchro Summon it was used for.; Its Level 4 Zombie body feeds the Zombie Synchro pool implied by its partner list (Vampire Sucker, Yuki-Onna, Doomkaiser Dragon).; The battle-protection banish effect is defensive only and does not interact with the opponent's plays, so it does not lift the effect-interaction axis.
• Data gaps: no combos supplied — combo conversion is text-only inference no banlist token — assumed 3 copies (unlimited) usage statistics typical copies (3) conflicts with deck data copies per deck average (1.24); the decks sample is treated as the more granular signal Tuner status is not present in the type field, so the exact Synchro reach of the body is unconfirmed no dated metagame or tournament-placement sample, so meta power is null