Trap
ContinuousSkull Lair
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3361
Remove from play any number of Monster Cards in your Graveyard to destroy 1 face-up monster on the field whose Level is equal to the number of the cards you removed from play.
Skull Lair — Power Evaluation
Final Score: 43 ± 8 · Confidence: Medium
- Intrinsic: 44 · Deck: 42 · Meta: provisional
- Primary role: Removal · Secondary: Utility
Why it scores here
Skull Lair is a fully generic Continuous Trap that converts Graveyard monsters into targeted destruction of one face-up monster whose Level exactly equals the number of cards banished. Because it has no archetype, no listed searcher, and must be drawn and set while also requiring live Graveyard set-up matching an exact Level, its reliability is low even though the effect is repeatable while face-up. Its appearance in 9 distinct archetypes across only 13/400 decks, with generic staple partners and zero recorded combos, marks it as a scattered 1-2-of tech rather than a win engine. Its 0 ATK/DEF Trap frame, rarity, and view count earn no points here; the score comes only from the modest, conditional removal it provides.
Axis scores
| Axis | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | 32 | Non-archetype Continuous Trap with no listed searcher; it must be drawn and needs Graveyard set-up to be live, appearing as a 1-2-of in only 13/400 decks (observed). |
| Combo & Conversion | 15 | combos_evidence shows 0 appearances and 0 as_starter/as_material/as_payoff, so it builds no board on its own (observed). |
| Resource Economy | 42 | Each activation is roughly card-neutral-to-negative (the Trap leaves the field and your own Graveyard monsters are banished), partially offset by being reusable while face-up (inferred). |
| Effect & Interaction | 45 | Destroys one face-up monster but only if its Level exactly equals the number of your Graveyard monsters banished, a slow Trap-speed removal with a strict condition (verified). |
| Material Utility | 0 | It is a Trap Card with no body, Level, or Attribute and cannot be used as material (verified). |
| Resilience & Flexibility | 42 | Being a face-up Continuous Trap lets it be reused across turns, but it is dead without Graveyard fodder and is easily removed by backrow hate before use (inferred). |
| Deck-Building Efficiency | 45 | Generic and lock-free at ~1.5 copies, but banishing your own Graveyard monsters is a real cost that conflicts with Graveyard-reliant strategies (inferred). |
Calculation
Weight profile: 0.7 Removal + 0.3 Utility. Intrinsic ≈ 44, Deck ≈ 42, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: none. Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck
Strengths
- Repeatable targeted destruction while it stays face-up, unlike one-shot removal Traps
- Fully archetype-free and lock-free, so it can be slotted into almost any deck
- No garnets or engine requirements; a single copy is functional
Weaknesses
- Requires the destroyed monster's Level to exactly match the number of your Graveyard monsters banished
- Needs prior Graveyard set-up, so it is not live on its own in the opening hand
- Slow Trap speed; vulnerable to backrow removal before it resolves
- Banishing your own Graveyard monsters can undermine Graveyard-based strategies
Counters / choke points
- Backrow removal such as Harpie's Feather Duster or Cosmic Cyclone before activation
- Graveyard denial / removal effects that leave it without fodder
- Playing monster Levels that do not line up with available Graveyard counts
- Trap negation such as Solemn Judgment or a negated activation
Best use
Repeatable removal tech. Decks: Ryzeal, Spright, Mitsurugi. Suggested copies: 1.
Evidence & gaps
- Verified: Card text: remove any number of Monster Cards in your Graveyard to destroy 1 face-up monster whose Level equals the number banished (Continuous Trap); combos_evidence records 0 appearances and 0 as_starter/as_material/as_payoff; 13 of the sampled decks run it, average 1.54 copies, spread across 9 archetypes
- Observed: Top partners are generic staples (Droll, Ash Blossom, Called by the Grave, Infinite Impermanence, I:P Masquerena) at 92.3% co-deck rate; No usage statistics (StatisticsCard) rows exist for this card
- Inferred: Requires Graveyard set-up, so it is not live in the opening hand without prior plays; Being face-up and Continuous permits reuse across turns while Graveyard fodder remains; Banishing your own Graveyard monsters conflicts with Graveyard-reliant decks
- 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